@ThisNameNotTaken ,
Knock me down with a feather, haha! That’s not the Bates I know at all. I honestly would never say I’ve had a single communication from Bates that was anything out of the ordinary. Maybe it was indeed just the day you visited. Lewiston is modest, no question. As I said before, it’s much improved over the last four years. As for the administration, they’ve been doing a great job. They have made excellent improvements in my daughter’s time there and Clayton Spencer has a superb pedigree and is the best thing that’s ever happened to the school.
I believe the brand new Bonney Science Center is scheduled to open in Fall 2021. They plan to offer more STEM based majors and have been actively expanding those offerings. Given the current situation, I’d call or email admissions and ask these questions in more detail.
Bates was founded by abolitionists and was the first college in New England to admit women. There has never been Greek life on campus. If I want to sum up Bates in one word, I’d say it’s inclusive. It is liberal, with, IMO, a good mix of kids. Some outdoorsy types, urbanites, nerds, preppy kids, arty kids, regular kids, maybe a few social justice warriors, (but not known for that). When I was last on campus, I saw guys riding longboards, and some kids were floating around in a giant inflatable flamingo on Lake Andrews. It’s know for being relaxed and friendly, and is also regarded as the more “arty” of the Maine NESCAC’s.
OP, you can major in Math at Bates. You could also create a Stats major. I know nothing about stats, but the link I gave earlier should give you more info. I can tell you that what my D has learned about stats has been crucial to her getting a research position and two jobs, for what that’s worth.
I’ll give you my daughter’s perspective on other schools you listed, which she either visited or considered. Bear in mind, academically all of these colleges are excellent. You will get a great degree from any of them, and they will all have good math departments, but they won’t all offer stats as a major.
I love Wesleyan, and I think it’s a great school for creative, media-minded, social justice warriors and lefty intellectuals. Back in the day, it probably would have been the place for me, but my daughter thought it was too much. She thought the campus was a hodgepodge of buildings.
Bowdoin is a great school. Nice town. I love the little Arctic Museum on campus. My D didn’t like it as she thought it looked like a big cemetery (go figure.) It’s going to be the hardest to get in, apart from Williams, if you decide to apply.
Hamilton leans a little more conservative compared to Bates and Wesleyan. Lovely campus. Has an open curriculum, academically rigorous. I liked it, but my D felt it was too preppy.
Colby is also excellent, but was a little too preppy for my D, which at that time in her life, she wanted to avoid. Beautiful campus. Many people, including me, would say that Bowdoin, Colby and Bates are more alike than they are different. There is a friendly rivalry between the three. Once they’ve all graduated, they respect each other as Maine NESCAC’ers. It is not uncommon to see in the Weddings section of the Bates magazine that a Bates grad has married a Bowdoin or Colby grad.
Grinnell is, by all accounts, an excellent school with a cool student body that is creative and intelligent. I haven’t visited. My understanding is that the students are not dissimilar to Wesleyan students. It’s highly regarded. And as for Iowa, I think as is the case with most LACs, you will spend most of your time on campus, so it doesn’t matter too much if it’s in Iowa.
We loved Tufts. Great location. Nice kids. I think it has a similar student body to Bates, but obviously much bigger. D didn’t get in, sadly.
D never considered Williams or Middlebury. Williams is “old-money” and prestigious. Considered by many to be the Harvard equivalent of LACs. Middlebury is probably similar in vibe to Bates or Bowdoin. Quite outdoorsy, good environmental science program. Yes, both are pretty isolated, but I always think your best bet is to look at the freshman retention rate. Kids are happy, despite the isolation.
There is a lot of overlap in kids applying to these colleges. You aren’t going to go wrong with any of them. Get a Fiske guide and look at the website Niche to get better ideas of these colleges.
I did actually look it up on a map, though. I stand corrected, since I guess Utica is pretty close. North Adams is kind of close to Williams. Middlebury, uh…