I've lived in Keyes before, and the difference between that and Bates is not too much except for the fact that its newer, you share washroom with only one other person and that you're right above Bistro. Essentially, the lifestyle is similar between the two. so it depends how much you want to pay, cause Keyes is more expensive.

For first years, i think its a better experience to live in traditional style residences. This way, you definately meet more people and make more friends.

bates has parties too, but then most of the people are upper years. Keyes... there really wasn't any parties. it takes initiative to meet people b/c of the apartment style. So if you want to meet people and have some fun too, pick traditional res.

The ratio of upper year students to first year students is higher in Keyes (300ish to 100ish), while in Bates it is the opposite, with 350 first years to 150 upper years.

Does anyone know which bed spaces are where in a bates appartment? I'm filling out my application, and I want to request a corner bedroom. would that be bedspace A, B, C, D, E, or F? This is for the 6 person appartment. thanks!

Hey Katie, that depends on the where the room is located. My room last year had the C room as the corner room, but my neighbours rooms were all in a row, so there was no corner. I think that the A, B, C, D, E, F thing is mostly random either way. and I wouldnt recommend asking for E or F, cause those would be a 6 person room (not that there is anything wrong with a 6 person room if you get that :p)

thanks rlevitin. are the 4 person appartments better than the 6 person ones? Also, how did you like Bates in general? I'm kinda worried that it wont be as much fun as traditional rez. what do you think?

Hey Katie_Batt,

My boyfriend lived in Bates and I was there often. A 4 person apartment isn't much different from a 6 except in the fact that when you add more people to a living space you will have more personalities to adapt to. If you know the people you're living with that shouldn't be too much of a problem. For anyone living in residence I would suggest tryin to get to know your future room mate over the summer via the email that McMaster provides for you.

As for Bates not being as fun as a traditional rez that is all up to you. I know a lot of people will say that one rez has more spirit than another but that really isn't the case. The amount of spirit depends on the people who live there. Bates can be awesome if you want it to be. I find that the best way to make friends in residence is to put yourself out there, start knocking on doors and introducing yourself. This is the same case for all the residences.

And take advantage of your Welcome Week and your Welcome Week Reps, they make awkward first meeting moments run smoother!

But...you need to come out to Welcome Week events to make those awkward meetings possible in the first place.

And it's much harder when you don't come out to events when you're sleeping because you can't hear people knock on your door...

I dunno, I always heard when people were pounding on the damn door at all hours wanting something from someone.

But you're right, you need to come out to have the awkward moments, and then have them smoothed over because everyone's in the same boat!

I lived in a 6 person in Bates in first year, I was in room B and it was a corner, but i think it might be opposite if iwas on the other side of the building so I don't know if that helps, plus I didn't get to pick, it was just assigned. 6 person is great because the main area is HUGE, you'll see!

I was wondering if someone who lived in Bates Hall for their first year could tell me a little bit about it. I'm really on the fence about which rez I want to get into. I thought I really wanted Bates until everyone started talking about how much better traditional rez is than appartment rez. What do you think? are you happy that you lived at Bates? were you able to meet lots of people and everything? if you could do it all over again, would you have lived at Bates again? thanks!

Hey, I'm an exchange student from the UK moving to McMaster in september, and was told by mac that most exchange students get put into Bates Hall - so I put it down as my first choice, to have better chance of getting on-campus accommodation! I'm not really sure what to expect from Canadian campus life lol! I'm a little bit anxious about these posts about Bates being less of a party rez compared to others! I'm sure it all just depends on how involved you get - but in England residences are pretty wild, so will I have to adjust quite a lot? What is nightlife like on campus in general?
As I'm gonna be 20 when I head to Canada, I'm a bit worried that I'll be older than most of the other people in the residence, but hopefully that won't make a difference ?!
Sorry for so many questions!! I guess I'm just looking for advice, tips etc! x

Hey Charlie,
I was older than everyone when I came to Mac for my first year too. Sometimes you will notice the age gap, other times not so much. Bates also tends to have more upper years so the odds of you making friends with them are higher.

As for partying, it depends on the crowd you hang out with. Some like to go out clubbing, others prefer movie nights. It's all very subjective. I'm positive that you will find a niche that suits you.

Hey Charlie

Don't worry, you won't be the only 20yo exchange student at Bates - I'll be there too! I'm from Sydney, Australia, and the Canadian Consulate here held a Pre-depature session for all students going on exchange to Canada. I met two other people going to McMaster in September for exchange (also our age), as well as a guy on exchange in Sydney so I got to have a few of my questions answered.

I was told that Bates is mainly international students, and that fun is what you make it - campus life is apparently quite vibrant. I asked about the nightlife too, and apparently there's a night club district somewhere in Hamilton (somewhat similar to Sydney's Kings Cross, he said), and there's always the bar on campus too.

Guy on exchange in Sydney...was he named Corey or Steve?

And yes, the street/area is called Hess Village.

No, his name is Justin, however I have emailed Corey. We were going to meet up but couldn't find a good time and then kinda forgot about it...