Bates College Top Questions

I stated earlier that the best thing about Bates is the eclectic mix of people. Students come from a cross-section of the world. My debate partner, for example, is from Pakistan. Bates makes a concerted effort to maintain a diverse campus. Nevertheless, there is a certain homogenous compisure to the student body in terms of race. Most students, however race concious, are white. The New England atmosphere makes for an interesting catalyst when it's uptight social values clash with Bates's ever-growing gay population. Radical actvists have the run of Bates, trying everything to get students to conform to their causes. Their hold on Bates politics is aided by the school's left-leaning nature that, for example, installed waterless urinals in some bathrooms to see if the school could cut down on water usage, or the fact that the college dining commons uses only products that are recyclable. Students have even been fined for improperly disposing of garbage (i.e. not recycling). In the last year, there has been more vocal opposition to this hegemony, through outlets like the College Republicans and The John Galt Press. Though The Galt is not politically aligned to any specific party, its pages have hosted many an article blasting the poltics of the right or left, and has, in years past, caused quite the commotion among liberal types at Bates. Students, however politcal, do not let politics, social class, race, gender, or the like get in the way of establishing friendships. Bates is still, on the whole, a welcoming and open place.

I came to Bates because the many times I visited Bates before applying, the students were so friendly. This carried over to my life after becoming a Batesie. People are always willing to talk to you or help you out with a project. Most students are very busy with classes, homework, and some sort of athletic, volunteer, or club commitments. But somehow they always find time to fit in a game of wiffle ball or poker. There is a great balance between academics and fun on any day of the week. It's not like other colleges who work all week and party all weekend. At Bates, every day is a combination of work and play. There are no fraternities or sororities at Bates which definitely adds to the community atmosphere on campus.

Maine is arguably the whitest state in the Union...that said it is understandable that the color of students on campus can sometimes feel about equal to the color of snow. But for those who genuinely seek out diversity there is more to be found than meets the eye. We do have a strong international student body and Bates actively recruits abroad. Generally the student body at Bates is pretty liberal, and the faculty is definitely on the Left. Although what the conservative right-wingers lack in numbers they definitely make up for in their activity. The Bates Democrats members have the overwhelming majority, but the members of the Bates Republicans are undeniably more engaged and proactive. Overall there is a good-natured relationship between the groups. In fact, "good-natured" is generally the term I would use to describe the Bates student body. We liked to get stirred up and feel politically and socially active, but at the end of the day we all still hold doors open for each other and say bless you when somebody sneezes.

Bates students are almost all liberal minded people from New England. The typical "Just Outside Boston" crowd dominates, a quarter of the students are from Massachusetts. Most minorities are too vocal for their own good.