@jyc1230 IMO Bates has a better location. True the area around the mills is not the prettiest but one is now filled with bars and restaurants.
Lewiston/Auburn has over 50,000 people so there is much more in the area. Waterville shows nicer on a one day trip but since it is so small it doesn’t take long to exhaust what is there.
You probably weren’t aware there is a nature preserve walking distance from Bates that is roughly half the size of NY’s Central Park as well as Lake Auburn which is nearby.
Lewiston is much, much closer to the airport, Freeport and Portland and the coast in general.
Interestingly the crime rate is much lower in Lewiston compared to Waterville, not that Waterville is high but interesting nonetheless.
I wouldnt be so quick to write off Lewiston just because a section of the town has seen better days. Overall, it is a better location than Waterville. Outside of that section, Lewiston/Auburn is a community of middle class well kept neighborhoods. The Bates campus is nicely situated there.
The food at Bates is also much better than Colby’s.