Hello, Bates Class of 2028 families, and welcome to the Bates community!

We are excited for your Bobcat’s arrival on campus this fall, and are looking forward to getting to know you! It is an exciting time for you and your student to prepare for the year ahead. Incoming students started hearing from the Bates First-Year Experience (FYE) team earlier this week.

To help you in supporting your Bobcat along the way, the Parent Team will be sending email updates every other week throughout the summer. These updates are designed to keep you informed of upcoming deadlines and important dates, and to share college news and events with you. We’ll be holding a series of regional welcome events throughout the summer, with additional events and registration opening soon. Save the date for a gathering in your hometown, or if you’ll be traveling this summer, plan for the event that is most convenient for you.

Key dates for the fall:

• Arrival day for the Class of 2028 is Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. For our international families, International Circle Orientation runs from Aug. 27-28. Fall student-athletes will hear from their coaches about their pre-arrival training schedule.
• AESOP trips for all first-year students run from Saturday, Aug. 31 – Monday, Sept. 2. Classes begin Wednesday, September 4. Bookmark the residential and academic calendars for additional semester dates.
• Save the date for Back to Bates: Family Weekend on Sept. 27-28, and be sure to make early travel arrangements for this popular event!

Upcoming deadlines for your student:

• Access to the Garnet Gateway student portal opened on Monday, May 20. Students received their login information in their Admission portal. All Bates student communication about key topics, such as course registration and housing forms, comes through Garnet Gateway, so ensure your student has followed instructions to log in.
• The first form your student will need to complete is the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) Enroll-Waive process, due by Friday, May 31. Questions about the enroll/waive process are answered in this FAQ and can be directed to the College Health Account Manager, Lisa Farrington, at Lisa.Farrington@crossagency.com.

Did you know? You can find past email updates on our website and read them in a different language using the translation tool at the top of the page. We also share these updates in the Class of 2028 Parents and Families Facebook group for parents and legal guardians, so there are many ways to stay up to date. If you’re not on social media, please know that any updates posted in the group will also be shared via email and on the Parents and Families site.

You can expect our next email the week of June 3. If you have any questions in the meantime, reach out to us at parents@bates.edu.

Best from campus,
The Bates Parent Team

PS: Do you have a co-parent who didn’t receive this email, but would like to receive future Parent and Family Updates? Did your co-parent forward this email to you? Make sure we have all your correct contact information by filling out the Bates Parent Contact Update form.