Bates College — Attraction in Lewiston

Overpriced, understaffed, lacking in rigor. I graduated from Bates in 2005 with a degree in psychology. My entire time there I did not have a class with under 30 students, and never had a class discussion of any rigor. The administration is vindictive and arbitrary. As when they denied my friend graduation based on a single transfer credit - he was able to graduate after retaking the exact same course "pre-approved." As when they encouraged me not graduate, because I was behind 5k in bills after paying 130k. I graduated a semester early, to get out and save money. There is nothing you will learn at Bates that you cannot learn from reading free or inexpensive books and articles, or in MOOCs. The pedigree of the degree is only relevant in Boston or the northeast, and then will only help you get a job if you know someone. Think long and hard before you spend a quarter of a million dollars. Any startup will hire you, with a $100k investment in their company. You could spend 4 years at a startup with that investment, have more accomplishments, be more hireable, have more real skills, and save $160k. Do not waste your time and effort on a education model that has been outdated for...

I wanted to respond to Mr. Kirby, who is clearly on the way to hacking life to the very apogee of capital. I very much agree with his obvious and vast knowledge in regards to the nature of the evolution of education and the function education should perform in the future course of our society. Ultimately, why have powerful experiences with pure, unadulterated intellectual and emotional value when you could be at a start-up making money hand over fist - or sitting in your room in nothing but your boxers staring at a screen at 2 AM working through a "class discussion" in a MOOC?

Clearly, the value of an intensely intellectual community meant to encourage critical thinking skills is of value to no student and should be shunned in favor of technical skills in a justification of ROI for everyone. Additionally, if we abolished private high schools and even junior high we could both save money and get 12 year olds pitching venture capital. Think of the IPOs.

I very much enjoyed my time at Bates; ultimately I needed a place to mature in my critical thinking skills, though it should be obvious from the above I have probably not...

I never went to collage here. But I did have a Big Sister and 2 Big Brothers that had graduated from this collage. I grew up in this area from 5 untill 38 when I left the state never to come back. Personal reasons. Anyway the Big Brothers and sister I had here were the best thing that has happened in my life as a kid. I'm so much more educated because of the program and I really hope they...