What draws you to Bates? Consider the Bates Mission Statement (below) in your response (1-2 paragraphs).
Since 1855, Bates College has been dedicated to the emancipating potential of the liberal arts. Bates educates the whole person through creative and rigorous scholarship in a collaborative residential community. With ardour and devotion-Amore ac Studio-we engage the transformative power of our differences, cultivating intellectual discovery and informed civic action. Preparing leaders sustained by a love of learning and a commitment to responsible stewardship of the wider world, Bates is a college for coming times.
"Don't let anyone or anything obscure your uniqueness." Throughout my life, I have always regarded this sentence as my life motto and have long been trying to let my individuality shine. This is why Bates' Mission Statement- 'We engage the transformative power of our differences'- strikes a chord with me. Coming from the other side of the planet and having never lived in the United States, I hold a considerable number of differences from typical American students. I am, therefore, delighted to see that instead of trying to 'Americanise' foreign students and erase our inherent distinctions, Bates is devoted to turn such differences into uniqueness by providing a truly inclusive and liberal environment. Such attitude towards international students enables us to integrate into American mainstream culture without losing our own identity. This, I think, should be how education works, where a number of different cultures and customs are mixed harmoniously on campus.
The phrase "intellectual discovery and informed civic action" immediately reminded me of debating. In fact, the first thing I learnt about Bates College is its outstanding Brooks Quimby Debate Council, with its mind-blowingly glorious history of defeating Harvard University and being ranked the 1st in the nation. Personally, having involved in Public Forum Debating at school for the past three years, I have found myself becoming increasingly dedicated to this demanding yet exciting activity. Debating has not only shaped the way I see the world, but has also offered unique perspectives from which I analyse an issue. I believe that by getting involved in such a club, I will be able to make like-minded friends from a range of backgrounds and, at the same time, improve my critical thinking and communication skills in an activity I am passionate about.
Since 1855, Bates College has been dedicated to the emancipating potential of the liberal arts. Bates educates the whole person through creative and rigorous scholarship in a collaborative residential community. With ardour and devotion-Amore ac Studio-we engage the transformative power of our differences, cultivating intellectual discovery and informed civic action. Preparing leaders sustained by a love of learning and a commitment to responsible stewardship of the wider world, Bates is a college for coming times.
"Don't let anyone or anything obscure your uniqueness." Throughout my life, I have always regarded this sentence as my life motto and have long been trying to let my individuality shine. This is why Bates' Mission Statement- 'We engage the transformative power of our differences'- strikes a chord with me. Coming from the other side of the planet and having never lived in the United States, I hold a considerable number of differences from typical American students. I am, therefore, delighted to see that instead of trying to 'Americanise' foreign students and erase our inherent distinctions, Bates is devoted to turn such differences into uniqueness by providing a truly inclusive and liberal environment. Such attitude towards international students enables us to integrate into American mainstream culture without losing our own identity. This, I think, should be how education works, where a number of different cultures and customs are mixed harmoniously on campus.
The phrase "intellectual discovery and informed civic action" immediately reminded me of debating. In fact, the first thing I learnt about Bates College is its outstanding Brooks Quimby Debate Council, with its mind-blowingly glorious history of defeating Harvard University and being ranked the 1st in the nation. Personally, having involved in Public Forum Debating at school for the past three years, I have found myself becoming increasingly dedicated to this demanding yet exciting activity. Debating has not only shaped the way I see the world, but has also offered unique perspectives from which I analyse an issue. I believe that by getting involved in such a club, I will be able to make like-minded friends from a range of backgrounds and, at the same time, improve my critical thinking and communication skills in an activity I am passionate about.
