<p>Hi there,
Here’s what I can tell you (I’m a junior at Bates and I LOVE it!):</p>
<p>1) Bates’ Office of Career Services (OCS) works hard to disseminate information about internships and jobs (both summer jobs and post-college jobs) to Bates students. It’s your son’s responsibility to go to the OCS, meet with a counselor and apply to the internships, but the people at the OCS are very eager to help students with the application process, resumes, etc. (They’re nice, too!) There are a limited number of Ladd Internships–which are pretty sweet set-ups–but those aren’t the only options available to students, espescially not students who are interested in finance. (The OCS offers programs throughout the year, and espescially the finance-recruitment period, catered to Econ majors and others who are intersted in finance jobs/internships.)</p>
<p>2) As I mentioned above, the OCS is really good at helping qualified students find good jobs during the summer or after they graduate (especially Econ majors interested in the financial business). A Pakastani friend of mine, for example, did an internship in Boston’s financial district last year and was offered a lucrative position there upon his graduation from Bates. This isn’t an unusual story here, but it really depends on your son’s committment to finding a job, etc. Bates students are encouraged to study abroad (a good deal more than half of us do), and the Study Abroad Office (actually called, Off-Capus Study) is really helpful. There isn’t a quota system to study abroad; as long as your son has a decent GPA and is on-track to graduate, he’ll find it an easy process to apply to study elsewhere.</p>
<p>3) Bates is all about encouraging community, and independent and critical thought. Rarely do professors force students to participate (though they really encourage it, and often make participation a good portion of their students’ grades). Of course students are encouraged to be themselves, and get involved in what they’re interested in–no exceptions! Bates is a very welcoming school. And it’s pretty easy to say no to partying/drinking/smoking, but if your son is nervous about it, he should apply to live in a Chem-Free dorm (which is a great place to spend freshman year!).</p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>