280 College Street
This residence offers a variety of study and hangout spaces, including *Frank’s Lounge, a large, quiet common room with a fireplace. Around 150 students, from first-years up to seniors, make this residence their Bates home, building friendships along the way. Two-eighty features single rooms and doubles, and each hallway flows toward a shared lounge, where big windows let in lots of natural light year-round. The second floor is reserved for first-year students, who live together in what we call a First Year Center. Each center has a Junior Advisor, an upper-class student who is your mentor, expert, and guide on what to expect at Bates.
Campus Life
⭐ Campus Life
We know that college isn’t just about developing your intellectual side.
It’s also a time to find the people you can lean on so that you can thoughtfully and authentically test your limits.
Bates is a place where students hold doors for each other. Our competitive streak is limited to games against our rivals in the New England Small College Athletic Conference. And our professors are more likely to ask, “How are you doing?” than “How are you doing in my class?”
Orientation
Your Junior Advisor (JA) will be with you throughout orientation as a guide and mentor. For most meals your First Year Center will sit together, so you don’t have to worry about finding a seat! As we tackle challenging topics in orientation, your JA will lead to smaller group discussions and workshops.
During orientation, incoming students will embark into our surroundings during the annual AESOP trip. The AESOP experience typically involves upperclass student leaders welcoming the incoming class to life at Bates through a 4 day, 3 night trip. Our trips have taken place all over Maine and New Hampshire and include everything from community engagement to rock climbing.
First Year Centers
All first-year students will live in a First Year Center, which consists of a group of first-year students living with an upper-class student, a Junior Advisor (JA). First Year Centers are comprised of 10-20 first-year residents, usually arranged in a cluster of rooms.
Junior Advisors (JAs)
Junior Advisors (JAs) act as mentors for incoming first-year students in a variety of situations ranging from academic to social in transitioning into college. Your JA will be there when you move in and will help you from orientation through your whole first year of college. By creating programs each month, JAs create a community in their center and residence hall. The JAs uphold Bates community standards within First Year Centers but are not responsible for the enforcement of disciplinary actions.
Clubs & Organizations
You’ll have many chances to dive into the unexpected at Bates. Learn to surf with the Outing Club or perform a spoken-word piece at the weekly Village Club Series showcase. Test your technical skills with the High-Altitude Ballooning Club or your sense of rhythm with the Bollywood Dance Team. With nearly 100 student-run clubs, you’re sure to find something of interest.
Beyond this, Bates has 42 varsity and club teams, and is a charter member of the NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference). Each year we host over 60 theater productions, 6 large scale art exhibitions, and our multiple campus bands perform regularly.
What you won’t find are fraternities or sororities. We’ve never had them. Never will.