Bringing Bates To you
To the students admitted to the Bates Class of 2028, congratulations! This page is for you. Scroll down to engage in more Bates content. On behalf of the entire Bates community, we cannot wait for the years to come!
How to Use This Page
You have an exciting four years ahead of you. We know there is much you still need and want to know about Bates, and we’re working hard to bring as much information as possible online to you and your family. We’re creating new content regularly to help answer your questions and create opportunities to connect you with the Bates community and your future classmates.
This Summer
In the summer, you will begin to receive key information from staff in Student Affairs regarding your Bates email, on-campus housing, course placement and registration, and much more.
In the meantime, this First-Year Experience and Orientation page provides information about the first-year experience team, the orientation program (known as AESOP), academics in the first year, and life on campus.
Connect With Us – Virtually or On-Campus
Connect with us anywhere, any time! In this section, you will find a multitude of ways to join the conversation, get answers to your questions, and connect with our students and staff, as well as your future classmates.
Bates Beginnings: On-Campus Admitted Student Visit Days
On Monday, April 8 and Friday, April 12, 2024, we will host special on-campus events just for students admitted to the Class of 2028! The programming on each Bates Beginnings visit day will be identical, so pick the day that works best for you and your family!
Admission Information Sessions and Campus Tours
If you can’t make it to Bates Beginnings, no worries! Our office is open Monday-Friday for all visitors; you can register for a campus tour and/or information session. Note that campus may be quieter during the final two weeks of April, as Bates students finish final exams and enjoy a well-earned week of break before Short Term begins on Monday, April 29.
For Parents and Families
Join a virtual panel where they can connect directly with families of current Bates students.
Request access to a Facebook group for parents and families co-facilitated by the Bates Admission, Advancement, and Communications offices.
Virtual Opportunities
Bobcat Chats
Connect with student ambassadors (and your future peers) during a Bobcat Chat as they share their Bates experiences with you on Zoom and answer any questions! No staff members will be present, and this is an opportunity to engage in a more casual, unstructured setting with cameras on!
Living in Vacationland:
Wednesday, April 3, 2024: 7pm ET – Register
Guidebook: The Bates Visit App
Download our Bates Visit App for Class of 2028 Admitted Students! The passphrase is: bates2028. In Guidebook, you can:
- Search for and contact current Bates students based on your academic and co-curricular interests
- Access the schedule of events for our in-person Bates Beginnings days
- Explore academic and extracurricular clubs and organizations
- Examine on-campus housing options
- See a (partial!) list of the wonderful things to do and places to eat in Lewiston/Auburn
Links to Stay Connected and Informed
- Admission Team
- Ask a Student
- Class of 2028 Instagram Group
- Events for Incoming Families
- Getting to Know President Garry W. Jenkins
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Join the Conversation
- Take the Virtual Tour
2023 at Bates: The Year in Review
Academics
Bates students tend to be up for just about anything. It’s a good thing we have about three dozen majors and two dozen minors.
Some are liberal-arts classics (history, mathematics, philosophy). Some are STEM-focused (neuroscience, engineering, earth and climate sciences). Many draw from more than one discipline (American cultural studies, environmental studies, biochemistry, gender & sexuality studies). And some won’t exist until you invent them — by designing your own major with the help of a faculty mentor.
Life on Campus
You’ll have many chances to dive into the unexpected at Bates.
Learn to surf with the Outing Club or perform a spoken-word piece at the weekly Village Club Series showcase. Test your technical skills with the High-Altitude Ballooning Club. Or your sense of rhythm with the Bollywood Dance Team. Find your zen through Yoga Kula and practice mindful meditation with the Multifaith Chaplaincy.
With nearly 100 student-run clubs, you’re sure to find something of interest. What you won’t find are fraternities or sororities–we’ve never had them, never will.
Where You’ll Live
With a combined population of about 60,000, Lewiston and its twin city of Auburn offer the best of both worlds: A close-knit community and a vibrant downtown.
Inside former factories that once powered the American industrial revolution, you’ll find startups and brewpubs. Lisbon Street, Lewiston’s downtown shopping district, has cafes, bike shops, and galleries, all within minutes of campus.
While many families who live here have French Canadian roots, more than 34 languages are spoken in the halls of Lewiston High School. Lewiston enjoys a growing community from Burundi, Somalia, Togo, and other African nations, as well as many other new Americans.
For arts lovers, L/A offers a professional theater company, a film festival, museums, and an underground music scene.
Outdoor lovers will fully appreciate that L/A is nestled in the Androscoggin River valley with easy access to the lakes, mountains, and the ocean that Maine is known for. Bates even has its very own 600-acre conservation area on the coast, just a short drive from campus.
In other words, you could find many ways to get involved and make a difference here — and L/A could make a difference for you.
Why does Bates Love Lewiston & Auburn?
Purposeful Work
When you understand what drives you to learn, grow, and thrive, you’ll have a more satisfying relationship with work throughout your life. That’s the idea behind Purposeful Work at Bates.
Most colleges offer career counseling and help with job applications. Our Center for Purposeful Work goes way beyond jobs or careers. We focus on the whole person — your beliefs, your strengths, your interests — and infuse concepts of meaningful work into all aspects of your time at Bates.
With each new Purposeful Work experience, you’ll consider whether a given role feels right for you, and why. By the time you graduate, you’ll have a clear idea of the values you want reflected in your life after college. And you’ll have a professional network and the practical experience to help you make it happen.
Class of 2022 Outcomes:
99% of new graduates are settled in a job, graduate school, fellowship, internship, or other opportunity within six months of graduation.
100% of Class of 2022 graduates who applied were accepted to law school.
84% of students and alumni who worked with the Medical Studies Committee were accepted to medical school.
100% were accepted to dental and veterinary school.
12 earned prestigious Fulbright fellowships. In 2024 Bates College was named a Top Producer of Fulbright Student awards for the 13th straight year.
Take the Plunge
Puddle Jumpers
Are you brave enough to make the leap? You have an opportunity each February to join your classmates in Bates’ own version of a polar plunge.