Navigating the Academic Year at Bates College: A Guide to Terms, Traditions, and Opportunities
Bates College, a small liberal arts institution in Maine, distinguishes itself through its tight-knit community, emphasis on critical thinking, and unique academic calendar. This guide provides an overview of the Bates academic calendar, highlighting key features, opportunities, and resources available to students.
The Bates Experience: Academics and Community
Bates College prides itself on offering a "very holistic education" where students are "challenged to express their opinions, try something new, and stand up for a cause." A key aspect of the Bates experience is the emphasis on personal progress rather than competition. As one student notes, "The most important thing I've learned so far is how to come up with an intelligent stance on an issue or idea."
Maine's Bates College celebrates an "unbelievably tightknit community" of students, professors, and the surrounding area. Half of all students participate in a community-engaged, hands-on course each year, such as one where "French-speaking African immigrants met with Franco-Americans and we worked with the two groups to help the New Mainers learn English."
The "Flexible Calendar" and Short Term
The "flexible calendar" at Bates includes a springtime Short Term. During this four-week period, students have the opportunity to travel off-campus, complete fieldwork, or focus on a single course. The school emphasizes that "professors have a blast coming up with the topics" for these intensive courses.
Campus Life and Extracurricular Activities
Students at Bates College actively balance their academic pursuits with a wide array of extracurricular activities. There is a "huge amount of clubs and opportunities to get involved in the community." Bates features "a multitude of…events to go to any day of the week," including "workshops for dance, fashion shows, and awesome days for food where the culinary staff brings themed food." Traditions such as the Village Club Series on Thursdays, when musical groups play on campus, add to the vibrant campus atmosphere.
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The college's dining hall is not only "absolutely amazing" but also a popular gathering place "where students spend hours per day talking to many different people." The "library is also a large social hub where people like to talk while doing work."
Resources for Purposeful Work
The Bates Center for Purposeful Work offers a four-year holistic approach to helping students find their purpose and vocation. The center provides assistance in creating a personalized path to determine a student’s future career. Workshops are available, like How to Adult, and seminars featuring notable alumni discussing their career paths. The center also helps prepare Batesies for the real world with job shadowing and internships. Upper-level students considering grad school can attend the annual graduate and professional school fair, which typically brings around 100 admissions representatives to campus.
Visiting Bates College
The Portland International Jetport is a 40-minute drive from campus. Shuttle van service is available at the airport with arrangements made in advance through the campus travel agency.
The College is located approximately 3 miles from I-95 (Maine Tpke), Lewiston Exit 80.
Directions:
- Northbound travelers: take Lewiston Exit 80 and turn left onto Alfred A. Plourde Pkwy. at the stop sign at the end of the off ramp.
- Southbound travelers: Take Lewiston Exit 80 and bear right onto Plourde Pkwy. Continue on Plourde straight to stoplight at intersection of Plourde and Pleasant; continue on Plourde .6 miles to stoplight at Webster Street. Turn left onto Webster and travel 1 mile to stoplight at Farewell Street. Turn right onto Farwell and follow .6 miles to stoplight. Continue straight across intersection onto Russell Street and follow for .9 miles to the third stoplight. Turn left onto College Street and follow to second blinking stoplight; turn left onto Campus Avenue. Take your first right onto Wood Street and turn right into the admissions parking lot.
Accommodation:
- The Hilton Garden Inn (207-784-4433) is located just 7 minutes from campus.
- If you're on a budget, there's the Super 8 Motel (1440 Lisbon St.; 207-784-8882) and Motel 6 (207-782-6558), both about 5 minutes from campus.
- The Ramada Inn (490 Pleasant St.; 207-784-2331) has an indoor pool, an exercise room, and a live band with country rock every night in the lounge.
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tags: #bates #college #academic #calendar
