I would also say Bates, but my avatar might show that my response is predictable . Lovely campus, friendly students, good connections. It is a NESCAC school, which I think most would say is a strong selling point. Of the three, Bates has a notably higher freshman retention rate of 95%. That means freshmen are happy and return the following year.
I would put Kenyon over Skidmore. I think Kenyon has a more established overall reputation than Skidmore and certainly, the campus is much nicer. Even though there is nothing in Gambier, being close to a well connected airport in Columbus is a plus.
Bates has the highest percentage of international students and they do internships in the US.
Lewiston has experienced gun violence that doesn’t appear to be diminishing — and which may be increasing — according to recent news reports (see link, below). This is independent of the mass shooting that Lewiston experienced in 2023. Bates itself, however, remains a popular choice, particularly among student-athletes.
Bates is in a small metro area and the other two aren’t. Like any urban area (and if you’ve ever been to Lewiston, calling it “urban” is generous), there are areas to avoid.
Just as a warning, there’s a beach that you can get to but it’s not Cape Cod let alone Myrtle Beach.
you cannot really swim unless you’re into wild swimming (cold water, brrrrr). You can always walk on the rocky shores and by the lighthouses on the shore during the summer, it’s very pretty. Maine overall is a very pretty state. Tourists come from all over to take pictures of the foliage turning red, there’s abundant skiing resorts in the Winter, lots of lakes and places to hike, go rock climbing or kayaking from April-May till October..
In late August- very early September, you can swim in the ocean . I mean, you’ll be cold, but no colder than the middle of July. But no, Maine is not really a place to swim off season, which is effectively the academic year.
In the autumn, it is stunning. The coast is beautiful.
I have to agree that Bates is the one to beat here.
While a student flying in from overseas would likely connect to Portland to get to Bates, it would be unusual for a Bates student to fly to Boston if that’s their destination - there are multiple bus and train options. (Flying is obviously faster in terms of time in the air, but with the necessary lead-time to go through security, etc., it ends up being a wash time-wise; it’s half a day of travel no matter how you slice it.)
For some areas of interest, it could be more of a toss-up among these schools, but for econ and financial-industry opportunities, I’d pick Bates. It’s probably better-known internationally as well, compared to the other two, which could be important for you as well since there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to stay in the US after you graduate.
Bottom line, I think the detailed analysis of travel access is a bit of a red herring. Sure, more convenient is better, but the differences here just aren’t stark enough to tip the balance. I would write that factor off in terms of choosing among these three, and go for academic reputation, internship/employment pipeline, and “fit” with both the campus culture in general and the culture of the athletic team in particular. IMHO if you don’t see a clear “fit differential” in favor of Skidmore or Kenyon, then it would make sense to default to Bates. Congrats on having all of these great options!
You could be right. Even if it’s possible, it wouldn’t be the norm, and OP seemed to be assuming that it would be the standard way of getting to Boston, when it definitely isn’t.
Bates offers regular shuttle service to PWM airport during scheduled college breaks. PWM is only 40 minutes away.
There are scheduled flights to JFK and other airports. There are probably no regularly scheduled flights to PWM from BOS because it’s only 2 hours away. When my D attended Bates, there were shuttles from the college into Boston maybe once or twice a month just to spend time in the city, can’t recall. I think there were even some shuttle services to BOS during scheduled breaks. @westcoastfam or @Shelby_Balik might know.
I’d like to address something mentioned earlier about creative students. Bates has an active arts scene and many students are involved in the arts. There is an art museum on campus, many theater productions and music performances. Not everyone is interested in sports.
Skidmore is definitely known for creative students. Kenyon also has good arts facilities.
They don’t do this anymore, but there is a public commuter bus that includes stops on the Bates campus and the Portland transportation center, which is just a 5-minute cab ride from the airport. At the transportation center, you can also catch a bus to Boston Logan or a train to Boston (North Station, I think?).
There are flights between Portland and Boston. There are no international flights into or out of Portland.
There is also a bus from Logan Airport directly to Lewiston (3 hours, & 10 mins). An alternative is to take a bus from Logan to Portland and transfer to a bus which will take you the rest of the way to Lewiston.
While it can be done, Lewiston, Maine is pretty remote if you’re coming from overseas.
Back to one of the original questions – if the OP is a recruited athlete, have they spoken to the coaches and potential teammates at each other schools? In my mind, these schools are pretty equal and all are great options. So the best choice would be the best fit with the team.
I don’t know if the OP is interested in economics or business, but Skidmore is the only one of the three that has an undergraduate business major which is a rare find at a liberal arts college.
I believe Skidmore’s two most popular majors are business and econ, in that order. There will be a lot of faculty support in those two areas. Saratoga is also a lovely town with lots of shops and restaurants that are walkable to campus, which is definitely a plus. I visited Kenyon with my D26 earlier this year and it’s pretty remote- there aren’t shops or restaurants within walking distance the way they are in Saratoga, and we had to stay in the next town over for our visit. Columbus is just over a hour away, and it’s a long drive through the country- not as accessible as other schools, something to consider if you’re headed to college and know you won’t have a car on campus. Kenyon did have the friendliest students and staff of any college I’ve visited, though. Super nice people and the campus is very pretty. Unfortunately I haven’t visited Bates, but it seems like other posters have provided good info already.
There are busses to Logan. Regular flights from Portland connect to major international airports. For as often as an international student will be returning home, this seems like it should be a minor factor at best, especially as neither of the others are at major international hubs.
Skidmore also has high representation across visual and performing arts, with 66 graduating first majors in a recent year, which compares to 52 at Kenyon and 13 at Bates. These figures may reflect the especially creative atmospheres of Skidmore and Kenyon. Nonetheless, business and economics are also popular majors at these schools.
. Lovely campus, friendly students, good connections. It is a NESCAC school, which I think most would say is a strong selling point. Of the three, Bates has a notably higher freshman retention rate of 95%. That means freshmen are happy and return the following year.
. I mean, you’ll be cold, but no colder than the middle of July. But no, Maine is not really a place to swim off season, which is effectively the academic year.