Grades to apply to Bates College?

ilovetennis2020 · May 30

Hi I'm interested in applying into Bates College class of 2024. By the end of senior year I should have taken around 13 AP classes but I have gotten 4-5 Bs in my classes. Does Bates consider the level of courses you're taking or do they mainly just look at your unweighted GPA?

iwantcollegeplz · May 31

Bates, like most colleges, adopts a holistic approach where they look at both your unweighted GPA and level of courses
The average weighted GPA for admitted students is around 3.91, so you definitely have a shot

Lindagaf · May 31

Yes, they care about course rigor and will certainly take it into consideration.

merc81 · May 31

Based on information available through its Common Data Set, Bates recently enrolled 54.8% of its new students from the top 10% of their HS classes, 88.7% from the top quarter of their classes, and 1.7% from the bottom half of their classes. Overall, it would appear that B-grades on transcripts would not be particularly uncommon for successful applicants.

H Mom · June 13

Many of the NESCAC schools are very difficult to get into if you need aid, since they offer 100% of financial need IF you get in. It is not talked about much but definitely a factor in the admissions process. I work at a university, and a major goal is to attract full pay students. Many of the highly competitive small liberal arts schools balance their books on those who don't need financial aid. Not to say these full pay students aren't strong students, but those who need aid definitely need a reason why they would round out the incoming class vs those who can pay.

Mwfan1921 · June 13

Many of the NESCAC schools are very difficult to get into if you need aid, since they offer 100% of financial need IF you get in. It is not talked about much but definitely a factor in the admissions process.

Bates is need blind. While I think they do know the financial aid status of most of their 70 or so athletic recruits, I take them at their word that applications are evaluated without regard to financial need. When going to the waitlist, Bates does say financial need can be a factor in the decision--likely depends on what net revenues are looking like at that point.

merc81 · June 13

Though a few NESCACs explicitly state they are need-blind for all domestic applicants, Bates seems to avoid a commitment to such a policy:

Plenty of schools don’t mention their need-aware status anywhere on their websites, even though this is one of the first questions many families would ask. Bates, for example, calls itself need-aware on a page for international students, but the pages with frequently asked questions about financial aid and admissions don’t address whether this applies to domestic applicants. I asked — repeatedly — for an answer. I didn’t get one.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/15/your-money/college-admissions-wealth.html

Mwfan1921 · June 13

Yes, it looks like Bates is need sensitive or aware for all students upon further research. The numbers on the 2018/19 CDS seemingly support this as well as 38% of freshman received fin aid (214/543), while 42% of all students receive aid (776/1832). https://www.bates.edu/research/files/2019/05/cds1819.pdf

I don't have time to look at all Bates' peer schools but Amherst and Williams have 50%+ of students receiving aid and Bowdoin is at 48.5%...they are all need-blind schools. Colby hasn't filled out a CDS in a few years so don't know about their ratios, but they are need aware too.

H Mom · June 13

Unless a school specifically states they are need blind, you can assume they are need aware, unless they don't promise to offer to meet full need. And, even when they are "need blind" there are factors that come into play that not everyone realizes in the stats. Consider the link to the following article about Hamilton - https://spec.hamilton.edu/january-admits-not-granted-need-blind-status-in-admissions-d9fbb6815ae0. I also did some research on average income of the families of students who go to private schools and there was a very interesting article from the NYT - and it makes really wonder what type of access these schools truly provide. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/college-mobility/

Sue22 · June 13

Bates is partially need aware. Most of the class is filled need blind but when they get down to filling the last 10-20% of the class they become need aware. IOW, if you're in the first 80-90% of spots filled they won't look at whether you've requested FA. They only get information on applicants from the FA office when they get down to the end of the list. It's at that point where needing a lot of FA can hurt you.

Mwfan1921 · June 13

Helpful @sue22 but I find it odd that Bates doesn't explain that on their website.

gardenstategal · June 14

^This is what most schools do. They read applications without regard for need, then do their admissions based on what the school can afford, making every effort to offer FA packages that will make attendance possible.

My guess is that at the fringes (including WL), ability to pay is a major factor but that for most of the class, it is not. Many of the "institutional needs" naturally favor kids from wealthier backgrounds, so this often sorts itself out in that arena.

ilovecoffee22 · July 9

do you guys think I have a chance at early decision 2 for bates?
33 ACT but 34 superscore and midd superscores
95 GPA unweighted so much higher weighted
ib diploma candidate taking all of the hardest ib classes
ap world sophmore year- 5
subject tests- math 2 - 750
us history- 720- might not submit
head of tutoring program at school, varsity soccer, track, deca with awards, volunteering, more tutoring, etc...
good recs
summer internship, also camp counselor experienced, want to major in history or political science
from NJ
lmk!

lookingforward · July 9

From the source:
"Is Bates College need-aware?
Yes. This means that, on occasion, a student’s financial need may impact their application decision. Bates has a generous but limited pool of financial aid for non-U.S. students."

Now, OP, there's an expression: "Where to you think th tippy top kids go, when they don't get into a tippy top college?" You will face competition that had closer to a 4.0, the right ECs and more.

How much do you know about Bates? You can look up stats on their web sites. But much more matters. Try to figure what that is.

vonlost · July 9

It shouldn't make any difference if Bates or any school is need-aware or need-blind. If you like a school, it's a good fit, and it appears affordable, then apply. Aware/blind might affect your chance of admission, but nothing else, and not how much you *like* a school.

lookingforward · July 9

@vonlost I realize this is an older thread. But know what? So many advise kids to apply wherever they like and then blame the vast and increasing numbers of applicants on the colleges trying to game rankings. Kids need to focus a bit on what the colleges look for, as well, when assessing "fit." I'll try to b quiet now.

beachma · July 10

My son will be a freshman at Bates this fall. When he was searching for schools to visit last year his must-haves included small school, strong academics, active outdoors club, friendly, non-competitive atmosphere, helpful professors, access to nearby hiking, and no frats. Bates continually came up on the top of the list. He did not originally intend to go that far from home but after visiting, he knew it was the perfect fit. I think Bates recognized this as well because although his grades and test scores are good (he is in the top 10% of his class), they are not at the top of what Bates accepts. He applied ED to show them how much he wanted to attend and crafted an essay that defined who he was.

Lindagaf · July 12

Yes, @ilovecoffee22 , you have a chance. Your chance is better ED1, of course.

nickgaj · July 17

@ilovetennis2020 I think the best part about Bates is that they truly focus on the individual and not just the number. I found this article (which I will link below) of the quotes in the Bates Admission's room. You can tell they really look at the person as a whole. https://www.bates.edu/news/2016/04/08/inside-admission-decisions-2020/

Grades to apply to Bates College?

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