Lewiston is a fairly small town without too much to offer in the way of college entertainment. It’s the second-largest city in Maine, but don’t think that means it’s a major metropolis. As a sleepy former mill town, Lewiston does offer some quaint shops and restaurants, but for those itching for hopping nightlife, your best bet is to stay on campus. For the most part, students stick to college grounds since the close community and array of campus offerings keep life exciting. Adventurous souls seeking to cure cabin fever look to Portland and Freeport, and outdoorsmen can find lots of nearby activities like skiing, biking, hiking, and fishing. One student finds what to love in Lewiston: "Despite complaints from some students, Lewiston is a really cool place. It is certainly not your typical college town, and it may be very different from where most Bates students come from. That is why I love it. It is an old mill town turned city with a strong community, wonderful central park, down-to-earth residents, and lots of outlets for community engagement and volunteering. It also has a pretty cool local music scene with great folk performances in particular."

Bates’ campus covers 109 acres of beautiful woodlands, ponds, and Mount David, a little forested hill with great views (where students have been known to retreat for illegal activities). The campus is compact enough that venturing between buildings and residence halls is easy, even when the ground is piled high with snow. Many of the buildings look like old New England homes, but the newer ones are a bit more generic with modern glass and brick structures. There are some great places to hang out on this gorgeous campus; The Ronj is a student-run coffeehouse on Frye Street, the quad provides a picturesque place to relax when the weather is warm, and the sweet new Commons dining hall sees students hanging out for hours after mealtimes.

Housing options at Bates are extremely varied, and since students are required to live on campus all four years, most get to experience a range of residences. The ten dorms and 25 college-owned houses offer rooms from singles to quads and most of them provide residents with a kitchen, laundry and lounge. The houses on Frye Street are ideal for those wanting to be the center of the party scene, quiet dorms are perfect for students wanting a 24-hour study/napping atmosphere, and the theme houses provide a place for students with common interests to group up. The school also offers “chem-free living” for those who’d like to opt for a boozeless, drugless existence. As at most schools, freshman year will be spent in the dingier dorms and upperclassmen with high lottery numbers will secure the ritzy rooms. With a small student body where everyone knows each other, doors are always left open and halls quickly become tight-knit friend groups.

The Bates Bobcats are an NCAA Division III program and compete in the New England Small College Athletic Conference as well as the Colby-Bates-Bowdin Consortium. With games dating back to 1875, Bates has one of the oldest football teams in the nation. The men’s and women’s rugby teams have made it to regional and national tournaments, the women’s basketball team has had recent success, and the women’s rowing team finished third at the NCAA Championships in 2007. Though sports aren’t a huge draw, students attend games and matches to support friends on their respective teams. Athletics are a big deal to those who participate (at least as a pleasurable extracurricular) and teams can become little cliques within the student body, with players sometimes living and eating together. Intramurals are a fun option for those not interested in joining a varsity team.