Welcome to Bates from the FYE Team!
The First Year Experience (FYE) Team extends you a warm welcome as an admitted new transfer student! We are so excited to welcome you to campus in the fall. First-Year Experience supports all students in their first year at Bates, including transfer students. We are sensitive to the fact that it’s your first year at Bates, not at college, and align resources and Orientation for new transfers accordingly. As you look forward to summer, we’re writing with some important information about what to expect over the coming months, should you decide to come to Bates (and we hope you do)!
- Stay updated with your inbox: Bates will send you important information via email. In early June, you’ll be invited to claim your Bates network account, which will give you access to your Bates email, the Garnet Gateway student portal, and many other platforms. Important information about course registration, which will happen in mid June, will also be sent to your inbox.
- Follow the official class Instagram groups for more information. Note that these groups are private to Bates students.
- To join, visit the @bates2030_official, @bates2029_official, or @bates2028_official account for your applicable Bates graduation year and DM the admins with your name and the email address you used to apply to Bates (for confirmation purposes). If you don’t see a “send message” button, tap the three little dots in the upper right hand corner of the account page and select “Send message” from the menu. If you still have issues, you can DM the @batescollege account with your info. Note: All admitted transfers are welcome to join the @bates2030_official account to meet other students recently admitted to Bates.
- To join, visit the @bates2030_official, @bates2029_official, or @bates2028_official account for your applicable Bates graduation year and DM the admins with your name and the email address you used to apply to Bates (for confirmation purposes). If you don’t see a “send message” button, tap the three little dots in the upper right hand corner of the account page and select “Send message” from the menu. If you still have issues, you can DM the @batescollege account with your info. Note: All admitted transfers are welcome to join the @bates2030_official account to meet other students recently admitted to Bates.
- Check out important upcoming dates, as well as the preliminary Orientation schedule here. The full Orientation schedule will be released in June.
- Start to get excited about AESOP – the Annual Entering Student Orientation Program – a 3 day, 2 night trip during Orientation week that will immerse you in Maine! Trips take place all over the state, and include everything from community engagement to rock climbing. If you’re not a big fan of camping in the great outdoors, don’t worry – there are trips that return to campus every day, too, so you can sleep in your dorm room. Fall 2026 AESOP trips are now posted!
- Speaking of your dorm room, one of the things on your mind might be where you’re going to live in your first year at Bates! You’ll submit your First-Year Housing Application in June, but while you wait, we invite you to check out the Housing Tour for Upperclass Students, as well as the Virtual Tour of campus to help you start to envision life on campus.
We’re looking forward to getting to know you – in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact us via fye@bates.edu or 207.755.5900.
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The Bates First-Year Experience Team
Michael Rocque, Professor of Sociology and Associate Dean of the Faculty
Kim Trauceniek, Senior Associate Dean of Students
Nick Dressler, Associate Dean of Students for Residence Life and First-Year Experience\
Catie Luedee, Associate Director for Outdoor Education and Programs
Luke Allen ‘22, Coordinator of Campus Life Programming and First-Year Experience
Marc Muro, Residence Life Area Coordinator