Bates College Top Questions

What is the stereotype of students at your school?

Donelle

Bates is known as being a hippie school where everyone is a environmentalist.

Kristen

Probably that they are outdoorsy, or hippies

Billy

Students- Outdoorsy (love camping, hiking, canoeing, biking, skiing, being outside, etc.) liberal from New England Friendly Bates- racially undiverse, progressive

John

We are in a bubble, we party, we are hippies, we don't date each-other.

Jesse

That we are hippies with trust funds. All white student body. Snobs. Everyone smokes pot.

Rachel

Relationships are few and hard to come by.

Laura

Friendly, down to earth students, mostly wealthy New Englanders, mostly white

George

One stereotype is that we're the hippiest of the Maine liberal arts colleges (Bates, Bowdoin, Colby.) A positive stereotype that I hear is that Bates is that it's "really friendly."

Dan

A lot of people believe Bates is full of hyper-environmentally conscious "hippies." A lot of people also believe our football team didn't win a single game last season. It's Maine, so people just automatically assume it's cold all the time.

Mel

Smart, liberal, outdoorsy, bearded, white, privileged, active, involved, wild

Gene

Happy Students. Not as high strung as Colby and Bowdoin students.

Alex

A lot of us smoke pot. The vast majority of us are rich white kids from "Just outside of Boston."

T-Pain

Probably that its just a bunch of smart kids that are all rich and preppy

Nina

I believe that the stereotypes about Bates involve wealthy, liberal students. Traditionally, the Bates student body appeared very environmental -- expressing this interest both with social activism and involvement. Bates students enjoy the outdoors in both the fall, winter and spring on weekends. Coupled with the invovlement with environmental activism, many Bates students travel home to New England mansions for breaks.

Amy

Because we are in Maine, I think a lot of students who are looking at Bates, at least those from the west coast, might worry about he school being a little to crunchy-granola. Each of the CBB schools has their little niche within the NESCAC and Bates is probably considered the most eccentric or out-of-the-box. Not to say that these are bad traits. Bates doesn't require SATs for applicants and I think because of that we draw a very interesting, well-rounded, and unique student body. This is especially true when you consider how we are able to avoid the mindless depravity, obsession, and all consuming nature that is brought out by standardized testing. Bates also has a reputation for working hard and playing hard. We have a lot of school work and long winters, so letting off a little steam on the weekends isn't always a bad thing. There is always something happening on campus, whether hosted by students or by the Chase Hall Committee.

Blake

There are many students "just right outside of Boston." Also there is a population of intense hippies.

Alvin

Granola eating hippies, liberal upper class white elitists, people from just right outside of Boston, people who couldn´t get into Brown (either weren´t liberal or smart enough) or the rest of the Little Ivies

Parker

I don't know enough about outside perceptions at this point...

Morgan

That the general student body are all wealthy, snobby, elitests. More specificly that all the girls are very preppy and wear pearl necklaces and ribbons in their hair, whereas all the guys wear popped collared shirts and moccasins.

Shannon

outdoorsy, hippies, preppy, liberal

Doug

Bates students are stereotypically crunchy and hippie-esque, love the outdoors, liberal political causes, and anything else that sends out the perception of being more socially conscious than the average college student.

Erin

Friendly, too close, smart but not necessarily competitive.

Caroline

Liberal school with many hyppies. Crunchy kids with a large focus on the outdoors. Strong academics but very liberal.

Alex

That they live in a "Bates bubble," that they're all rich.

Ryan

Crunchy

Marie

Mostly white kids from New England prep schools that weren't interesting enough for Wesleyan and didn't have the grades/athletics for the Ivy League.

Royce

Students are upper class whites from New England boarding schools. They are either ultra preppy or granola crunchy.

Sam

We're hippies, we party a lot for a school of our size, we're freindly

Sarah

Big drinking scene, rigorous academics, close knit student body, tight student-faculty interactions

Sarah

They are hippies, down to earth and friendly.

kevin

Some stereotypes: Bates is the New England out doorsy type of school. We're a very hippy school. Majority of students are from Boston and are die hard boston fans.

Andrew

preppy, living in a bubble, rich

Elliot

They are all rich and spoiled, and all of the girls are unattractive.

Melissa

Crunchy, Frisbee Throwing, Nalgene Drinking, Brikenstock wearing Hippies. and Jocks from Boston

Rob

There is a stereotype that all Bates students are very wealthy and spoiled. There is also a stereotype that all Bates students are outdoorsy hippies.

Devin

That we are all from New England, especially Boston area and thus not very diverse.

Kate

I've heard three very contrasting stereotypes about Batesies; that 1) they are a bunch of preps, 2) that they are a bunch of outdoorsy granola-eating hippies and 3) that they don't care about...well...anything.

Casey

It sounds weird...but the most common stereotype about kids at Bates is that they are nice...also alcoholics, potheads, and smart

Ben

Some stereotypes about Bates would most probably include the belief that every student is either a born and raised preppie from New England, with a yacht and a summer house on the Cape, or that we are all raging hippies, with frightful hygiene habits and axes on our shoulders.

David

That everyone is a hippie.

Alex

Bates is great. Bates is a welcoming community, There is no place like Bates. Bates Students work hard, Bates is hard to get into. Bates has all that a students needs to succeed in College. Bates is a small community.

Dylan

1. most everyone is a granola-cruncher, environmentalist 2. everyone is studious 3. there is a big sense of community 4. people tend to spend a lot of time abroad 5. it's an all or nothing school - either you love it or you hate it 6. good academics 7. good relationships between students and professors

Jenny

I was told that there are hippies and athletes, and some hippie athletes.

Stuart

i suppose the main stereotypes is that Batesies are hippies or all from 20 minutes outside of Boston.

Mallory

People say that Bates students are preppy and that the entire student body comes from upper level private schools.

Theodore

Because Bates in found in the rather secluded town of Lewiston, the stereotype is that the school is so boring. Bates students are all about activism and rights issues.

April

A bunch of rich kids that do not care about the surrounding town.

Anna

People generally think they fall into two categories: rich, prep school snobs or unshowered, environmental activisists.

Sasha

Predominantly white, upper-middle class, either preppy or hippie/grungy in some way, smart, open-minded, athletic/highly fit, predominantly straight

Morgan

I would describe Bates as being thought of as a highly academic and progressive school that educates students who go on to Ivy League graduate schools. In terms of its social stereotype, I'd say that Bates is known for being a school for wealthy, New England prep school kids who seek a progressive and liberal education environment.