Monday, February 2, 2026

The First-Year Experience (FYE) Team extends you a warm welcome as a member of the Bates class of 2030! We are so excited to welcome you to campus in the fall. As you finish out your high school experience and look forward to summer, we’re writing with some important information about what to expect over the coming months.

• Stay updated with your inbox: Bates will send you important information via email. In late May, 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 July, will also be sent to your inbox.
  
• Follow the official Bates Class of 2030 Instagram, where you and your classmates can introduce yourselves. The FYE Team will also be posting updates about what’s happening on campus, and important Bates traditions that you can look forward to engaging with as a Batesie.
  
• 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 will be posted soon!
  
• 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 Housing and Roommate Preferences Form in June, but while you wait, we invite you to check out the Housing Tour for First-Years, 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