Can you tell me about Bowdoin?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

College is a time to start to grow and mature. Hard to picture that in the environment PP describes which sounds like Sidwell II.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

College is a time to start to grow and mature. Hard to picture that in the environment PP describes which sounds like Sidwell II.

Really depends on the kid. I have one at larger very competitive university and while all is fine....that student strongly prefers the smaller seminar classes they can access and gets a lot more out of those classes. My impression is that at slacs like bowdoin, most of the classes would be in this format which is a big plus for a student that thrives in that environment.

[Anonymous]

Not to hijack...Does anyone want to share their opinions/perceptions about how Bowdoin, Colby, and Bates differ and the type of college experience/student at each?

Have not yet visited and that's been hard to get a feel for...

[Anonymous]

We toured this summer and the tour emphasized quality of student life (food, dorms), equity of opportunity (financial aid kids getting funds for winter coats), and diversity —I think they are trying to become more diverse. Beautiful piney campus, strong Arctic and environmental studies programs.

The application includes making a video. This sort of turned me off. I feel like that rewards a certain kind of kid—good-looking, among other things. The tour talked very little about classes or academics, FWIW. Didn’t get a very intellectual vibe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not to hijack...Does anyone want to share their opinions/perceptions about how Bowdoin, Colby, and Bates differ and the type of college experience/student at each?

Have not yet visited and that's been hard to get a feel for...

I’m the PP who lives in Maine, I have known lots of kids over the years who have gone to them and have spent time at all three campuses. Bowdoin definitely the most selective of the three, tho Colby and Bates have become increasingly difficult to get into over the years. Anyone who has visited them will tell you, and it is true, that the town Bowdoin is in is the nicest as well, Brunswick definitely feels like a reasonably comfortable and prosperous place whereas Lewiston and Waterville are lower SES and so with the wealth of students going to school there you may have more local tension. The kids I have known who have chosen these schools coming from Maine tend to be fairly preppy, sporty, good students but not necessarily intellectual heavyweights. Colby is the farthest away from Portland of the three of them, it really kind of feels like the middle of nowhere to me but for some kids that’s not a problem and certainly there are beautiful local natural areas to explore. My kid was not interested in the schools, they felt too close to home, but I will say that most kids I know who have chosen them seem to love them, so I expect for the kid who’s looking for that sort of environment they will feel like variations on the same theme and generally all pretty great places to go to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not to hijack...Does anyone want to share their opinions/perceptions about how Bowdoin, Colby, and Bates differ and the type of college experience/student at each?

Have not yet visited and that's been hard to get a feel for...

I’m the PP who lives in Maine, I have known lots of kids over the years who have gone to them and have spent time at all three campuses. Bowdoin definitely the most selective of the three, tho Colby and Bates have become increasingly difficult to get into over the years. Anyone who has visited them will tell you, and it is true, that the town Bowdoin is in is the nicest as well, Brunswick definitely feels like a reasonably comfortable and prosperous place whereas Lewiston and Waterville are lower SES and so with the wealth of students going to school there you may have more local tension. The kids I have known who have chosen these schools coming from Maine tend to be fairly preppy, sporty, good students but not necessarily intellectual heavyweights. Colby is the farthest away from Portland of the three of them, it really kind of feels like the middle of nowhere to me but for some kids that’s not a problem and certainly there are beautiful local natural areas to explore. My kid was not interested in the schools, they felt too close to home, but I will say that most kids I know who have chosen them seem to love them, so I expect for the kid who’s looking for that sort of environment they will feel like variations on the same theme and generally all pretty great places to go to school.

Very helpful, thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

College is a time to start to grow and mature. Hard to picture that in the environment PP describes which sounds like Sidwell II.

I don't know. In a panel we saw there, they told the story of a kid who came and was not attending classes consistenly. Some high level administrator sat him down (maybe even knocked on this dorm room door) and explained that it was a privilege to go there. That he had an opportunity that many others would appreciate and if he did not start using it wisely, it would be taken away."

Basically, that kid was NOT mature enough for college and got the talk I think he needed. It is hard to predict how even good kids will react to being away from home the first time. I am glad that there is an alert adult around to catch that kid early and help him get back on track. That would not have happened at a big state school, but I found it to be a reassuring story.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I don't know. In a panel we saw there, they told the story of a kid who came and was not attending classes consistenly. Some high level administrator sat him down (maybe even knocked on this dorm room door) and explained that it was a privilege to go there. That he had an opportunity that many others would appreciate and if he did not start using it wisely, it would be taken away."

Basically, that kid was NOT mature enough for college and got the talk I think he needed. It is hard to predict how even good kids will react to being away from home the first time. I am glad that there is an alert adult around to catch that kid early and help him get back on track. That would not have happened at a big state school, but I found it to be a reassuring story.

I'm the parent who posted above that my kid attended and this is exactly what I was trying to convey. It is very Bowdoin. I do think part of this is to teach social responsibility and part of their keeping an eye on kids is to keep an eye on any problems that can arise from lack of sunlight, academic stressors, etc. When my kid was there, they brought puppies to school in the winter for the kids to play with. They really do stress to kids that it's a privilege to be there and the school tries to be socially responsible. Town-gown relations are very good.

For what it's worth, my kid - and most of the kids who I saw at the school - were very good socially. They are not kids who cannot handle the world. But this was different than what I experienced at a state flagship.

And, as far as admissions, my kid who attended was well-rounded and a lot of the kids were. My kid played sports in high school and college although was not recruited. Took multiple college-level science courses in high school and won awards in English.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not to hijack...Does anyone want to share their opinions/perceptions about how Bowdoin, Colby, and Bates differ and the type of college experience/student at each?

Have not yet visited and that's been hard to get a feel for...

I’m the PP who lives in Maine, I have known lots of kids over the years who have gone to them and have spent time at all three campuses. Bowdoin definitely the most selective of the three, tho Colby and Bates have become increasingly difficult to get into over the years. Anyone who has visited them will tell you, and it is true, that the town Bowdoin is in is the nicest as well, Brunswick definitely feels like a reasonably comfortable and prosperous place whereas Lewiston and Waterville are lower SES and so with the wealth of students going to school there you may have more local tension. The kids I have known who have chosen these schools coming from Maine tend to be fairly preppy, sporty, good students but not necessarily intellectual heavyweights. Colby is the farthest away from Portland of the three of them, it really kind of feels like the middle of nowhere to me but for some kids that’s not a problem and certainly there are beautiful local natural areas to explore. My kid was not interested in the schools, they felt too close to home, but I will say that most kids I know who have chosen them seem to love them, so I expect for the kid who’s looking for that sort of environment they will feel like variations on the same theme and generally all pretty great places to go to school.

With the 10% set aside for Mainers, how does admissions play out for kids in state as far as selectivity is concerned?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

So effing true - I've been searching for a way to describe that phenomenon and boom you've done it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not to hijack...Does anyone want to share their opinions/perceptions about how Bowdoin, Colby, and Bates differ and the type of college experience/student at each?

Have not yet visited and that's been hard to get a feel for...

I’m the PP who lives in Maine, I have known lots of kids over the years who have gone to them and have spent time at all three campuses. Bowdoin definitely the most selective of the three, tho Colby and Bates have become increasingly difficult to get into over the years. Anyone who has visited them will tell you, and it is true, that the town Bowdoin is in is the nicest as well, Brunswick definitely feels like a reasonably comfortable and prosperous place whereas Lewiston and Waterville are lower SES and so with the wealth of students going to school there you may have more local tension. The kids I have known who have chosen these schools coming from Maine tend to be fairly preppy, sporty, good students but not necessarily intellectual heavyweights. Colby is the farthest away from Portland of the three of them, it really kind of feels like the middle of nowhere to me but for some kids that’s not a problem and certainly there are beautiful local natural areas to explore. My kid was not interested in the schools, they felt too close to home, but I will say that most kids I know who have chosen them seem to love them, so I expect for the kid who’s looking for that sort of environment they will feel like variations on the same theme and generally all pretty great places to go to school.

With the 10% set aside for Mainers, how does admissions play out for kids in state as far as selectivity is concerned?

Hmm good question, not sure I can really answer it with much insight except to say that the only kids I’ve known who have gone there have been some combination of solid academics and recruited athlete. I didn’t actually know about the 10% for Mainers thing as we didn’t look at school seriously, but it does have a local “wow“ factor that is a bit bigger than Colby or Bates. So for example a kid I know of was just deferred in the early cycle, they’re a strong student at one of the top public high schools in the state, very involved in ECs and also a legacy. Everyone kind of thought it would be a go and it wasn’t . So as far as I know the selection process is still pretty tough for local kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not to hijack...Does anyone want to share their opinions/perceptions about how Bowdoin, Colby, and Bates differ and the type of college experience/student at each?

Have not yet visited and that's been hard to get a feel for...

I’m the PP who lives in Maine, I have known lots of kids over the years who have gone to them and have spent time at all three campuses. Bowdoin definitely the most selective of the three, tho Colby and Bates have become increasingly difficult to get into over the years. Anyone who has visited them will tell you, and it is true, that the town Bowdoin is in is the nicest as well, Brunswick definitely feels like a reasonably comfortable and prosperous place whereas Lewiston and Waterville are lower SES and so with the wealth of students going to school there you may have more local tension. The kids I have known who have chosen these schools coming from Maine tend to be fairly preppy, sporty, good students but not necessarily intellectual heavyweights. Colby is the farthest away from Portland of the three of them, it really kind of feels like the middle of nowhere to me but for some kids that’s not a problem and certainly there are beautiful local natural areas to explore. My kid was not interested in the schools, they felt too close to home, but I will say that most kids I know who have chosen them seem to love them, so I expect for the kid who’s looking for that sort of environment they will feel like variations on the same theme and generally all pretty great places to go to school.

With the 10% set aside for Mainers, how does admissions play out for kids in state as far as selectivity is concerned?

Hmm good question, not sure I can really answer it with much insight except to say that the only kids I’ve known who have gone there have been some combination of solid academics and recruited athlete. I didn’t actually know about the 10% for Mainers thing as we didn’t look at school seriously, but it does have a local “wow“ factor that is a bit bigger than Colby or Bates. So for example a kid I know of was just deferred in the early cycle, they’re a strong student at one of the top public high schools in the state, very involved in ECs and also a legacy. Everyone kind of thought it would be a go and it wasn’t . So as far as I know the selection process is still pretty tough for local kids.

Thanks. I have heard that it is in the Charter, but I don't know if that is true or whether it is an informal target and mission. The stats back up that they try to have around 10% which in my opinion is great and important, even if it makes it even a bit harder to get in for kids like mine. I'm sorry for that kid, I hope they get in RD as it sounds like they earned it.

Colby appears to be doing some really good things, the new athletic center is incredible and it sounds like the arts center will be as well. The Alfond money seems to be having a real impact for many institutions in the state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Either be preppy or be happy to become preppy if going there.

Yup!

[Anonymous]

Definitely sporty, preppy, prep kid, not academic heavy weight who loves snow and outdoorsy winter sports wi thrive. A bit insular but ok for some.

[Anonymous]

My New York Latino male neighbor who is in IT went to Bowdoin. I never would have guessed that he did, but one time the postman delivered my neighbor's mail to me and it included a Bowdoin alumni magazine.