Can you tell me about Bowdoin?

[Anonymous]

What type of students seem to be happy there? What's the feel/culture? Impossible to get into?

[Anonymous]

In our short time, the kids seemed happy. Not enough time to comment on feel/culture. And based on ED results for DC's school, impossible to get into.

[Anonymous]

As hard as an Ivy to get into--you have to be a rock star, athlete, URM, legacy, or development case, basically. Outstanding academics and great culture, though, if you're lucky enough to get in. The vibe is outdoorsy and laid-back intellectual.

[Anonymous]

It was my DD’s first choice but she did not get in. We loved the school (faculty, resources—such as an island for studying science ), the philosophy, the town. Believe it or not you can even take a (long) train ride directly from there to DC!

Our only hesitation was the Maine winters-with their short, dark, cold days. But obviously they are well organized for it (like they take kids from warm climates shopping for winter clothes!)

[Anonymous]

We toured it but my dd did not get in. The campus reminds me of a New England summer camp. They are known for having very nice dorms. I do feel like it could get claustrophobic after four years. It’s a very small campus. Kids seemed happy.

[Anonymous]

We have a family member who graduated from Bowdoin within the last 5 years. Really nice young adult, outgoing, smart, well-liked. They had a great experience at Bowdoin - played a sport, met other smart interesting people, has a good job in Boston now. This family member was a recruited athlete (strong student but acknowledged that even back then athletics was their hook and wouldn't have gotten in otherwise). When not in season for their sport, they did a lot of partying and had a lot of fun. This is similar to the experiences of a couple other friends' kids who have also attended. We visited campus a couple times during that time and also during some of our other trips to Maine. Brunswick is a cute town but could certainly feel small after a short time there. We did an official tour when DC was looking at colleges. Our DC liked it but didn't love it which surprised us. Other than saying that it felt "curated" and a little stuffy (I could agree with the "curated" but didn't see the "stuffy"), DC couldn't quite put their finger on what wasn't working for them. DC loved the other two nearby schools (ended up at one) and those Maine SLACs, IMO, are far more similar to Bowdoin than they are different. Frankly I think DC just didn't want go somewhere that another family hadn't already attended, just very much wanted their own experience (DC also had zero applying to our alma maters as well). Besides having a really strong application, your DC should have a tolerance for cold, gray weather. Not everyone is built for Maine winters and mud season!

[Anonymous]

Loved that school! DD did not get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a family member who graduated from Bowdoin within the last 5 years. Really nice young adult, outgoing, smart, well-liked. They had a great experience at Bowdoin - played a sport, met other smart interesting people, has a good job in Boston now. This family member was a recruited athlete (strong student but acknowledged that even back then athletics was their hook and wouldn't have gotten in otherwise). When not in season for their sport, they did a lot of partying and had a lot of fun. This is similar to the experiences of a couple other friends' kids who have also attended. We visited campus a couple times during that time and also during some of our other trips to Maine. Brunswick is a cute town but could certainly feel small after a short time there. We did an official tour when DC was looking at colleges. Our DC liked it but didn't love it which surprised us. Other than saying that it felt "curated" and a little stuffy (I could agree with the "curated" but didn't see the "stuffy"), DC couldn't quite put their finger on what wasn't working for them. DC loved the other two nearby schools (ended up at one) and those Maine SLACs, IMO, are far more similar to Bowdoin than they are different. Frankly I think DC just didn't want go somewhere that another family hadn't already attended, just very much wanted their own experience (DC also had zero applying to our alma maters as well). Besides having a really strong application, your DC should have a tolerance for cold, gray weather. Not everyone is built for Maine winters and mud season!

Which other nearby school did your DD end up at?

[Anonymous]

One of my kids attended and graduated from Bowdoin.

It's generally an upper middle class prep school vibe. There are lots of kids from New England. You should like winter - not just tolerate it but like snow. The kids are generally nice, well-rounded and outdoorsy. The academics are hard and the administration can be somewhat parental. This last point is good and bad - they look after the kids in prep school fashion (for ex, first semester, my kid's friend was called in because one of the professors noticed they hadn't been as upbeat and the school wanted to make sure they were okay) but I also thought that as junior/ senior year and then graduation approached, the school controlled who got certain opportunities - internships, who got into certain classes, etc. It's not too different from private schools in that way but I attended and graduated from a flagship.

The town is cute and the school runs shuttle buses to Freeport. Portland is half an hour away but requires a car or a ride from someone. Lots of kids do junior year abroad. The kids form close friendships and the school emphasizes 'giving back.' Some of my kids' friends went on to law school, medical school, vet school - but others became teachers (the school actually produces quite a few teachers), another worked for a religious charity for years, another taught English abroad. Again, the school emphasizes 'giving back.'

Yes, admissions was hard and I was thrilled when my kid was accepted.

[Anonymous]

Either be preppy or be happy to become preppy if going there.

[Anonymous]

IMO Bowdoin is the best SLAC on the East Coast. Sure Amherst and Williams are slightly higher in the rankings, but Bowdoin matches them in quality of education and far surpasses them in quality of life and overall happiness. Outcomes and prestige are comparable these days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of my kids attended and graduated from Bowdoin.

It's generally an upper middle class prep school vibe. There are lots of kids from New England. You should like winter - not just tolerate it but like snow. The kids are generally nice, well-rounded and outdoorsy. The academics are hard and the administration can be somewhat parental. This last point is good and bad - they look after the kids in prep school fashion (for ex, first semester, my kid's friend was called in because one of the professors noticed they hadn't been as upbeat and the school wanted to make sure they were okay) but I also thought that as junior/ senior year and then graduation approached, the school controlled who got certain opportunities - internships, who got into certain classes, etc. It's not too different from private schools in that way but I attended and graduated from a flagship.

The town is cute and the school runs shuttle buses to Freeport. Portland is half an hour away but requires a car or a ride from someone. Lots of kids do junior year abroad. The kids form close friendships and the school emphasizes 'giving back.' Some of my kids' friends went on to law school, medical school, vet school - but others became teachers (the school actually produces quite a few teachers), another worked for a religious charity for years, another taught English abroad. Again, the school emphasizes 'giving back.'

Yes, admissions was hard and I was thrilled when my kid was accepted.

I am glad your kid had a good experience, but this makes it sound so sheltered I almost don’t understand how it is so highly ranked. Did your DC graduate recently?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:IMO Bowdoin is the best SLAC on the East Coast. Sure Amherst and Williams are slightly higher in the rankings, but Bowdoin matches them in quality of education and far surpasses them in quality of life and overall happiness. Outcomes and prestige are comparable these days.

Bowdoin is way whiter and less economically diverse than AWS.

“Overall happiness” doesn’t stem from anything innately Bowdoin but because kids have a huge safety net in their lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One of my kids attended and graduated from Bowdoin.

It's generally an upper middle class prep school vibe. There are lots of kids from New England. You should like winter - not just tolerate it but like snow. The kids are generally nice, well-rounded and outdoorsy. The academics are hard and the administration can be somewhat parental. This last point is good and bad - they look after the kids in prep school fashion (for ex, first semester, my kid's friend was called in because one of the professors noticed they hadn't been as upbeat and the school wanted to make sure they were okay) but I also thought that as junior/ senior year and then graduation approached, the school controlled who got certain opportunities - internships, who got into certain classes, etc. It's not too different from private schools in that way but I attended and graduated from a flagship.

The town is cute and the school runs shuttle buses to Freeport. Portland is half an hour away but requires a car or a ride from someone. Lots of kids do junior year abroad. The kids form close friendships and the school emphasizes 'giving back.' Some of my kids' friends went on to law school, medical school, vet school - but others became teachers (the school actually produces quite a few teachers), another worked for a religious charity for years, another taught English abroad. Again, the school emphasizes 'giving back.'

Yes, admissions was hard and I was thrilled when my kid was accepted.

I am glad your kid had a good experience, but this makes it sound so sheltered I almost don’t understand how it is so highly ranked. Did your DC graduate recently?

In a increasingly crappy world, being a sheltered oasis is a huge plus point

[Anonymous]

I live about 45 minutes from the campus, though my kids do not go there. Campus is adorable, classic New England feel, and the town is quite nice and safe. It’s definitely a first choice type school for local kids who are very strong academically but want to stay close to home. I also know many many adults who went there for college years ago coming from other parts of country, graduated and went off to big cities and then decided they really loved Maine and so came back here to live and raise their families. Don’t worry too much about ME winters, the Portland area is only a few degrees colder than Boston, it’s not like you’re up on the Canadian border. And Maine is so beautiful, Portland is a terrific little city, it’s a great place to live. I don’t know what their policy on cars is but students who have cars are probably better equipped to take advantage of life beyond campus so that would be a consideration.