"Some of the tools needed to analyze the rest of the world, enjoy the rest of the world, and have a new appreciation for the world."

-- Political Science major Andrew Shriver of Atlanta, Georgia

"A sadness that I'm leaving. I'm a very different person now than when I arrived. A better person -- definitely. I think about things in better ways; I'm intellectually clearer, which translates into being clearer in every other way."

-- Psychology major Rastko Kovacevic of Belgrade, Yugoslavia

"People always ask me, 'What have you gotten out of this?' It's hard to say without a lot of reflection. I'm a lot more self-confident than when I first came to Bates. That may actually be due in large part to things I've done off campus rather than on, such as the study-abroad program."

-- Interdisciplinary major (bioethics) Rebecca Pierce of Boxford, Massachusetts

"Definitely a sense of critical thinking. The people I've met here have changed the way that I view others. They've taught me how to come at things with no expectations and to understand that you need to have an open mind from the very beginning."

-- Psychology major Derek Meehan of Winchester, Massachusetts

"It's everything ... I honestly don't know how to answer that question right now. My brain is just running a mile a minute, but definitely I have an appreciation for the last four years and all the opportunities afforded me."

-- Biology major Matt Arsenault of Orland, Maine

"The friendships that have molded my entire life, and knowing that I can always ask Bates friends for help. I'm teaching at Durham Academy, where there are two Bates alumni. Even though I don't know them, they've already gotten in touch with me and offered to help with anything I need. I think that kind of support is only going to continue."

-- Chemistry major Sarah Fried of Dallas, Pennsylvania

"This is what I keep telling myself: I know that in fifteen years, I'll be able to call a Bates friend up and say, 'Hey, can I drop by and swap stories?' There's an amazing number of friends I'll be able to do this with."

-- Economics major Faham Rashid of Dhaka, Bangladesh

"A belief that everyone can be good at something -- a faith in people, which allows for true opportunity. I've been on the debate team for four years, but before I came to Bates, I had no debate experience. When I met the debate team president my first year, she said, 'Before I came to Bates, I never had any experience with debate either. And now I'm the president.' Bates allows people to try things and allows them to excel. It's what Bates did for me."

-- Rhetoric major Barbara Raths of Staten Island, New York