Don't laugh, people often make decisions this way. While tempting, this approach greatly narrows your options and may lead to programs that are not approved by Bates. Moreover, you and your friend may have developed different interests. Everyone's list is unique, but here are some common issues to consider. Your faculty advisor, Dean Sawyer and Mr. Das can help you with this.
Study abroad is uniquely effective at improving language ability.
If you are going to solidify this skill, this is the time. Living with people from the host-country generally enriches the experience and is often the highlight of the time away. Scotland, Italy, Costa Rica, and Australia obviously have dramatically different climates. They also provide different opportunities as departure points for travel during and after the program . The former is enticing, but this is an opportunity to see how most of the world lives that is hard to replicate after Bates.