Hi!
I know this thread is hella old, but I figured other people will be searching for it, like I did.
I totally get your debate-- I’m a rising sophomore and I spent a LOT of time comparing the three schools. Fortunately for me I’m a Mainer so I could visit each campus multiple times. I ended up applying Early Decision to Colby when I realized that was where I really wanted to be. I extensivly toured, researched, and talked to people about the three schools before I decided, so here are the major differences I found:
Bates:
-Small, “urban” campus (Lewiston is a mill town, so think of a VERY SMALL city)
-A decent community theatre in-town (Community Little Theatre-- check it out)
-Campus feels a bit cramped
-Generally friendly students, many of them prep school and flaunting it
Bowdoin:
-Medium campus located in downtown Brunswick (think adorable shops everywhere-- plenty to do)
-Focused heavily on diversity (i.e. me being a white, public-school kid from Maine didn’t bode well for my application)
-Student body tends to be either upper-class prep school or recruited for diversity
-Students not as friendly as I’d hoped…
Colby:
-Large rural campus with a several-hundred-acre nature preserve complete with walking trails
-Very outdoorsy and environmentally-focused (the campus is LEED certified to have zero carbon footprint)
-Most of the kids are from near Boston or in Maine
-Over half the kids went to public school (yay for not having public school prejudice!)
-Students typically can be lumped into four groups: outdoorsy, artsy, preppy, world-saving activists
-Not a lot to do off-campus (just stores for basic needs like Walmart)
-Very friendly students (like hold-the-door-even-though-you’re-a-mile-away-and-it’s-awkward friendly)
-Partying scene is prevalent on weekends, but with all of the insane-busyness that happens during the week, it’s much-needed (note: I don’t drink but I party, and I never get pressured to drink at parties. It’s a good scene)
-If you’re not into the Great Outdoors or enjoy shopping/visiting city-like places more than hanging on campus, you might go stir-crazy. Personally, I love it here.
-We have a Woodsmen team. They chop wood. And build fires. Yup.
Although these schools are all incredible institutions to attend, what I leave you with is this:
Colby is a place for people who love to lay in the sun down by the pond and take leisurely strolls through scenic paths in the woods. It’s really a place where you fall in love not only with the people, but also with the grass, the trees, the hills, the water.