Hundreds of high school students and their guidance counselors from around the state are expected on the Bates College campus for Maine Day, Friday, May 16.

While Bates is a national liberal arts college with an on-campus enrollment of 1,700 students, typically about 10 percent of its students are Maine residents. To encourage state residents to apply, the college has transitioned from a fall recruitment program for seniors to a spring program entirely for juniors and high school counselors. The emphasis is on assisting high school students and their advisors understand the admissions process at Bates and other selective colleges.

May 16 falls a week after SAT testing concludes and several weeks before most Maine high schools have their finals. For many high school juniors, late May is the beginning of the college search.

Maine Day sessions include:

• "The First Steps of the College Search Process: Creating a Roadmap for the Next Six Months"

• "Writing the College Essay: Examples of College Essays, and Advice for Crafting your Personal Statement"

• "How Predictive are the Tests? The History and Data of the Standardized Test Optional Policy at Bates"

* "Bates Students from Maine Share their Perspective on their College Search Process"

• "Mock Application Read: Review of the Common Application, and How Admissions Deans Review Applications"

Maine high school juniors and high school counselors are encouraged to register for Maine Day by calling 786-6000 as soon as possible. For more information, please visit www.bates.edu/MaineDay