I was admitted to Bates, Colgate and McGill for undergrad and plan to study political science and English and attend grad school or law school afterwards (I want to either be a lawyer, professor, or journalist). I love the idea of being in a big city like Montreal but also love the idea of a small tight knit community. I can’t decide between these three. Help!
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I mean, no one here can actually tell you whether you should choose a huge public school in a big city or a small private school in a small town, that is a very personal issue. There are some smaller colleges in big cities, but assuming that ship has sailed, this is now just a decision you have to make.
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This post offers brief opinion-based comments on two of your potential choices in the context of comments on other liberal arts colleges: NESCAC Spoken Here: - #5 by merc81 .
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Congrats on your acceptances! McGill will offer a very different kind of education than either Bates or Colgate, so you should look into what that entails. Both Bates and Colgate will give you more of the tight-knit community you value. McGill has many strengths, but students don’t go there for the classic American liberal-arts college experience: living on campus, getting to know your professors right away, getting a lot of support and advising from the school, developing a sense of community with students through classes, activities, and dorms. The academic structure there is different than what you might be accustomed to, as well. I agree that Montréal is a fantastic city, but it’s possible that McGill might not be the college experience you’re looking for. But there are other opportunities to live and study in big cities (study abroad, for instance, and summer internships). I’m not trying to dissuade you from McGill. But this seems to be a case of “which one of these is not like the others,” so you should be aware of that as you figure out what you value the most.
I have a niece at Colgate and my daughter is at Bates – both are very happy. I think the social scene at the two schools can be quite different (Colgate has a Greek system and D1 sports, and Bates does not, although their D3 teams still inspire a lot of school spirit). My daughter is more comfortable with the lower-key social scene at Bates (meaning that she can go to parties if she wants to but has lots of other social outlets). She’s on the newspaper, too, and has had a very good experience in that respect (check out the Bates Student and feel free to reach out to one of the editors if you have questions). If you’re looking at Bates, you should also check out the Harward Center for Community Partnerships and the Center for Purposeful Work – someone who’s interested in politics, the law, or journalism might find a lot of resources in those two offices for relevant community service, internships, and jobs.
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Yes, I think Colgate and Bates are similar academically, and both are highly regarded, but the social scene might be different (Colgate is slightly bigger and has Greek life). Bates benefits from a lot going on around in Lewiston/Auburn, and easy access to Portland, Brunswick, Freeport, etc. I hope you can visit all of them and see which seems to be the best fit!
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this was the best piece of advice I’ve gotten. I ended up going with my gut and choosing Colgate. Thank you for reminding me that the choice is up to me and me alone!
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