Bates College
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Economics
Minor: None, but I have concentrations in The Human Body and Theater
Student Self Identifies as: Filipino Heterosexual Male
Summary
I’m a student-athlete, I’m on the club ski team, and I’m in the Investment Club.
Background
Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Filipino
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Public school outside of St. Louis, MO with a graduating class of about 500 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Economics
Minor: None, but I have concentrations in The Human Body and Theater
Extracurricular Activities: I’m a student-athlete, I’m on the club ski team, and I’m in the Investment Club.
What impact did your sport have on your experience?
My team has been big. If I have a takeaway from Bates, that team is at the forefront of my mind. A lot of my best friends come from my team because we spend a lot of time for me.
I’ve also made a lot of friends from the club ski team as well. I come from Missouri where skiing’s not really a thing, so it was nice to broaden my horizons by being in that club.
Academic Experience
Can you describe the weekly coursework for your major?
When you get into the entry-level and 200-level courses it’s a lot of problem sets and sometimes you’ll get a paper. Recently in the upper-level courses, there have been more papers, but also still some problem sets. Exams are usually the biggest grades throughout the major.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
Bates has a really good Economics department. I think about half of the professors are really good and I try to stick with them so I can have a good experience. I have also had a few that were really tough graders and treated their class as a weed-out class. One thing that’s good about a small school like Bates is that the professors usually let you work at your own pace because usually the whole class is on the same page.
What’s bad about the department is you have some really good professors and some really bad professors, they differ greatly. You see with the entry-level classes some of the professors are not that engaged and it feels like they’re just reading off of a transcript.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I don’t think it’s competitive. It almost feels like a group class where you’re all working together to do the best you can. That’s one of the things that I love about Bates, it feels like every class you’re in you’re there with a team.
How accessible are your professors?
They have office hours two to three times a week. I don’t necessarily go to office hours too often unless I’m struggling, but they’re there. A lot of them live relatively close to campus so if you can’t meet them during those they’ll come in to meet you.
What is your favorite class you’ve taken for your major?
Financial Management. I took that last semester and the professor was really good at integrating concepts. He integrated excel and went off the textbook to do his own little curriculum.
How was managing both your sport and coursework?
It’s a little bit of a cliché but everyone says how the sport helps you get in a schedule and set aside time for homework. Freshman year I had a hard time with it, but I got better as it went on so I don’t even notice it too much anymore.
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice?
Well, my dad works in finance and majored in business so I’ve always been talking with him about the markets and stuff like that. Bates doesn’t have a finance or business program so Economics was the closest thing to that. But, I’m really happy with my choice because it’s a little more general and it’s broadened my thinking.
Reasons to Attend
1) If you love a small intimate community where it feels like you know everyone. It’s a feeling of security when you step on Bates’ campus.
2) The dining hall has incredible food options.
3) It’s an outstanding school in terms of academics. They foster your interest in a subject and you find something you do enjoy.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) Lewiston
2) Not incredible nightlife.
3) It can be cliquey.
4) The tuition is ridiculous. [Total costs for 2019-2020 is $73,538.]
Around Campus
Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Rand Hall with one roommate.
Sophomore: Frye Street Union with two roommates. It’s a house on campus where mainly upper-classmen live.
Junior: I was abroad for the fall semester, but the second semester I lived in Herrick House in a single.
Senior: The Village in a suite with six guys.
How was transitioning from Missouri to Lewiston, Maine?
Missouri has some cold weather, but the winters in Maine last so much longer. It lasts until the end of April and during the winter there were times when I wished I was in a different location. But, when I’m with my friends and around the community, I don’t pay too much attention to the weather.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
It’s very safe. I have no problem with being out on campus at like 2:00 AM or 3:00 AM. Off-campus can be more sketchy. Lewiston was hit hard by the recession and it’s a big contrast from Bates, which has really wealthy students and the area around is poorer. [The Lewiston-Auburn, ME area has a 14% poverty rate.]
Social Opportunities
What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you participate in at Bates?
A lot of the parties usually happen off-campus at the sports teams’ houses. There’s usually one of those parties that on Friday and Saturday night. Thursday nights people go to like the only bar in Lewiston which is pretty fun. Then other nights you can are smaller parties in the dorms with your friends.
What is the role of sports teams in nightlife?
Well, the city of Lewiston is cracking down really hard in terms of party noise complaints at the off-campus parties, so they’ve been tapering off in that sense. In terms of people getting in, if you’re a girl you’re in and if you’re a freshman boy you’ll have a tougher time but it gets easier as you get older. Everyone usually tries to get in and if you don’t you go back home or go to The Den to get food.
What’s an alternative to going to a party or a bar that you like for a night out?
Sometimes they have school dances during the semester which are always fun because everybody goes.
How happy are you with the weekend options? Is there anything you would change?
I’m not super happy. I’m like a 3 out of 10, and that is because the parties get shut down so early. I wish the parties could go on later.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
Through my sports team. I also think the freshman dorms helped a lot. Out of my really close friends now, I didn’t personally live in the same dorm as them, but a couple of guys on my team lived in the dorm with them and I went over there and befriended everyone in that dorm area and we are now super close.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
It’s definitely cliquey and rumors fly around campus pretty quick. Overall, people have big groups of friends and a very small circle of friends that you hang out with a lot. Because it’s so small, you know everyone and you say hello to everyone when walking around campus.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
There’s subtle segregation for sure. It’s a majority White school and the minorities tend to sit together in the cafeteria. In terms of different sexualities, they are very integrated. [22% of students are from underrepresented groups.]
To what extent do athletes and non-athletes mix socially?
I think they mix a good amount. The [large men’s teams] can be one big clique, but I think that’s a common thing about any school. In general, I think they integrate pretty well.
How would you describe the student body?
If I had to put one label on it, it’s an active community. Especially when it’s nice out, people are always going to do stuff outdoors. In the winter, it’s still active because there is skiing. There is a big outdoorsy culture. We have the Outing Club at Bates, which is a big club. [Marijuana] is legal in Maine now so there is also a community around that.
Have you noticed any differences since Marijuana was legalized in Maine?
Not really, no. That might be because I’m not in that community per se. I haven’t noticed a big change.
How do you like the size of Bates in terms of undergraduate enrollment? [There are about 1,800 students at Bates.]
When I went abroad I went to a school with 50,000 people and I thought it was so much worse. It’s ten times better having a more intimate classroom experience. In terms of friends, I wish Bates was like 5,000-7,000 people so you could see new people every day, but I really do like having that small community. It’s nice to say hello to everyone.
How would you describe the Filipino or Southeast Asian community on campus? How strong is it?
I think they’re trying to get a Filipino Club going. I know a couple of Filipino people and I wouldn’t say it’s super tight-knit. But, if you see a Filipino or a Southeast Asian, it’s friendly but definitely not tight-knit.
Careers
Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
Not really. We have a Career Development Center and they have the Purposeful Work Internship Program which is based on alumni providing internships for Bates students, but none of them are with companies or in areas that I’m interested in so I haven’t found too much help there. I also think I haven’t utilized the network enough because I know some people who have and are doing well.
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
I used them to find the alumni directory and also to navigate the online internship program called Handshake, which isn’t Bates specific. They also do resume and cover letter checks which are helpful.
Have you learned any computer programs or languages that will be helpful to you professionally?
I wish there was a lot more Excel work. In Economics, you learn Stata in a Statistics class and Econometrics. In Financial Management we touched on Excel. The professor would just show us how to do something and we had to replicate it, so it wasn’t as ingrained as I would have liked it to be.