TRANSCRIPT:

So another thing that’s really important to know about Bates College is that it’s located in Lewston, Maine. Lewiston as we learned today and to my surprise, that second-largest urban area in Maine. Which is not really saying much because the urban areas in Maine are pretty small. There are 65,000 people or so. And Lewiston used to be a very prosperous city when it was a mill town but, of course, as manufacturing has moved overseas, and the town has kind of got a mixed economic profile now, but students are heavily involved in the community. Bates itself is very invested in the community. And there are a lot of different mechanisms by which the Bates community can get involved in Lewiston.

Part of the Community

I was recently at Colby College. And you can check out my video on Colby, but Colby is much more of a bubble. It is a little bit more separated from the town of Waterville. And Waterville’s a little bit smaller than Lewiston. So it feels more like a bubble and isolated from any urban area. Bates is not. Bates is definitely part of an urban community. Where there are many needs in the community, and the students that we talked to today, all of them, had been involved in some way or another in volunteering and participating in this community.

So it’s not the big divide that there might be, that you might think of when we’re talking about going to school in a smaller town in Maine, that there is much more of a link between the college and its community. So something else to think about when you’re thinking about Bates College.
 
Mark Montgomery
Expert Educational Consultant

The post Educational Consultant on Bates 2 of 5: Its Role in Its Community first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

1. The Quaker heritage really gives it a very unique flavor.  This is a place where social justice peace studies; the idea of bringing some sort of equity to humanity.  So, there’s a lot of community service going on here, and a lot of connection; very international student body, even though it’s in a relatively isolated location, it’s not that far actually from Columbus and Dayton or even from Indianapolis, but it’s not in an urban center, but it certainly a place that is international/global in its orientation.
2. It’s very strong in biology, psychology, but it’s really well known for Japanese studies; that’s one of its biggest claims to fame in the country, is the excellent Undergraduate Japanese Studies Program.
3. The final thing I want to say about Earlham is that when you walk around this campus, and you notice that the facilities, the landscaping, is perhaps, not the most manicured of some of the colleges.  Some places you go and every blade of grass is perfectly in place.  That’s not the case here at Earlham.  It’s clearly a place where people are what matter.  Our tour guide, a wonderful, young woman who originally is from Beirut; all she was talking about the whole time is the people and the relationships with the different professors, with her peers, that this is definitely a strong community.

So, think about that as you are looking at a college.  Look beyond the landscaping, look beyond the fancy woodwork and all the interior decorating going on.  A college is about learning and that is a human endeavor.  That is a thing that people engage in together.  Clearly at Earlham, that is the focus; learning and community.  So, keep that in mind as you are looking around for a college that fits you.
 

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With only 320 students, Marlboro attracts students who want to take charge of their own intellectual development, who want to live in a quiet, rustic environment, and who are serious about getting involved in a tight-knit community.

Here’s a short video that summarizes my visit.

Educational Consultant

The post Marlboro: Quirky, Offbeat, Intellectually Serious Community first appeared on College Admission Counseling.