What is Bowdoin known for?

[Anonymous]

It's the well-rounded LAC, which is just fine. It's come up a lot in pre-law and pre-med rankings over the past decade, seems to have good outcomes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has the question in the subject line been answered yet? I quickly skimmed through the posts, and aside from its popularity with Meadow, I couldn’t identify what Bowdoin is particularly known for. I do enjoy the controversy among SLAC fans if Bowdoin is as elite as a WASP school. Fun world.

It hasn’t. It really doesn’t have a standout academic profile, just a very low-key, well endowed college. A big thing with LACs is being able to point at a career or academic program that is very strong, and Bowdoin lacks that.

Bowdoin has more than one standout academic program. So do each of its 5 closest peers (Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Pomona, and Carleton.)

Could you please name some ? Thank you in advance !

I think all of Bowdoin’s academic programs are strong but if I had to pick three, they would be life sciences, political science, and environmental science.

It is also known for very high “quality of life” measures… things like great food, nice dorms, a good town, proximity to a train stop, and a wonderful location for nature lovers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has the question in the subject line been answered yet? I quickly skimmed through the posts, and aside from its popularity with Meadow, I couldn’t identify what Bowdoin is particularly known for. I do enjoy the controversy among SLAC fans if Bowdoin is as elite as a WASP school. Fun world.

It hasn’t. It really doesn’t have a standout academic profile, just a very low-key, well endowed college. A big thing with LACs is being able to point at a career or academic program that is very strong, and Bowdoin lacks that.

Bowdoin has more than one standout academic program. So do each of its 5 closest peers (Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Pomona, and Carleton.)

SWAMP……nary a B or C to be found

There’s a reason these six colleges host admissions events together and use data from one another for benchmarking purposes. They don’t care what random posters on anonymous forums think are fun acronyms when they self-select their peer group.

https://www.sixcolleges.org/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's the well-rounded LAC, which is just fine. It's come up a lot in pre-law and pre-med rankings over the past decade, seems to have good outcomes.

This is how I see it, and the reluctance on naming a visible, well known academic offering other than “this major!” shows it. Bowdoin is just overall decent. No academic department is getting extra love to make it stand out. There’s nothing analogous to Williams’s Art History Department, Pomona’s math department, or Amherst highly covered pre-law resources. It’s just good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to a large, T25 university that this board fawns over, but if I could go back, Bowdoin or Williams would be my top choice.

Good tip!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Government (Bowdoin Public Service Initiative)
English
Environmental Studies

Government is the historical standout. Bowdoin's environmental studies program isn't nearly as robust as Middlebury's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has the question in the subject line been answered yet? I quickly skimmed through the posts, and aside from its popularity with Meadow, I couldn’t identify what Bowdoin is particularly known for. I do enjoy the controversy among SLAC fans if Bowdoin is as elite as a WASP school. Fun world.

It hasn’t. It really doesn’t have a standout academic profile, just a very low-key, well endowed college. A big thing with LACs is being able to point at a career or academic program that is very strong, and Bowdoin lacks that.

Bowdoin has more than one standout academic program. So do each of its 5 closest peers (Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Pomona, and Carleton.)

Carleton fan is in the house!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Government (Bowdoin Public Service Initiative)
English
Environmental Studies

Government is the historical standout. Bowdoin's environmental studies program isn't nearly as robust as Middlebury's.

Bowdoin has a unique 120 environmental/oceanographic research island about 30 min away that students can use.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Government (Bowdoin Public Service Initiative)
English
Environmental Studies

Government is the historical standout. Bowdoin's environmental studies program isn't nearly as robust as Middlebury's.

Bowdoin has a unique 120 environmental/oceanographic research island about 30 min away that students can use.

Oops, 120 *acre*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Government (Bowdoin Public Service Initiative)
English
Environmental Studies

Government is the historical standout. Bowdoin's environmental studies program isn't nearly as robust as Middlebury's.

Do they have any notable government alumni these days?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Government (Bowdoin Public Service Initiative)
English
Environmental Studies

Government is the historical standout. Bowdoin's environmental studies program isn't nearly as robust as Middlebury's.

Do they have any notable government alumni these days?

Amherst and CMC overshadow them in students going into government careers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's the well-rounded LAC, which is just fine. It's come up a lot in pre-law and pre-med rankings over the past decade, seems to have good outcomes.

+1

[Anonymous]

Any recent info on:
1. how hard to get into stem classes, how big are premed stem classes? Earlier post cited 2024 article about there not being enough faculty in popular stem majors and difficulty of getting into classes. is this still true or have they fixed it?
2. Social scene for artsy nerdy non- athletic boy? I’ve heard that even the non-varsity athletes tend to be athletic and play club sports or are heavy into the outdoors club.
3. HOw competitive is it to get summer stem research funding, work in a lab— do most people who apply get it for 1st yr summer, 2nd year summer?How hard to work in a lab during the school year?
4. thoughts on Bowdoin for premed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Government (Bowdoin Public Service Initiative)
English
Environmental Studies

Government is the historical standout. Bowdoin's environmental studies program isn't nearly as robust as Middlebury's.

Do they have any notable government alumni these days?

Can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic, but

Mayor Mamdani of NYC

[Anonymous]

At Swarthmore admitted student day last week, the Dean of admission noted that Bowdoin recently received $$$$ to create a dept (or just classes?) examining impact of AI on — society? or something. So there’s that.