(another) would you choose …

[Anonymous]

bowdoin received 15,000 apps and already took at least of 500 seats for ED. Is your dc a URM or first gen?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:bowdoin received 15,000 apps and already took at least of 500 seats for ED. Is your dc a URM or first gen?

sorry, at least 1/3 of 500

[Anonymous]

Realistically OP, you probably won't have to choose. They're both fantastic schools but also very competitive, especially in RD. But from the perspective of someone who spent 2yrs at Tufts for grad school and also has a kid at a different Maine LAC, to me it would really come down to 2 things - location and major.

Location: My kid loves Maine. He wanted cold weather and didn't particularly care about the amenities of a city. He's kind of kid who ate the same sandwich every day for 12 years of school. He's not itching for clubs or bars or museums or shopping. Personally I would have been the opposite - I wanted to see new things, meet new people, etc. I deliberately chose a larger undergraduate school in a city. Which is closer to your son?

Major: As a university (albeit a small one) Tufts will have a wider array of courses and disciplines to choose from if your son might want to explore different areas. Bowdoin will have many more small classes and he'll probably get to know his professors well. Tbh my son needed the latter more than the former. YMMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please don’t think about now. Wait until the results are in.

+1

He very well could only get into one, or neither. Both have very low acceptance rates. Putting the cart before the horse.

[Anonymous]

Getting into either RD is very difficult so this is a ridiculous exercise but Bowdoin is more prestigious if somewhat less well known by the lay pubic

[Anonymous]

We strongly preferred Bowdoin. Is your son outdoorsy?

Tufts is more urban.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Realistically OP, you probably won't have to choose. They're both fantastic schools but also very competitive, especially in RD. But from the perspective of someone who spent 2yrs at Tufts for grad school and also has a kid at a different Maine LAC, to me it would really come down to 2 things - location and major.

Location: My kid loves Maine. He wanted cold weather and didn't particularly care about the amenities of a city. He's kind of kid who ate the same sandwich every day for 12 years of school. He's not itching for clubs or bars or museums or shopping. Personally I would have been the opposite - I wanted to see new things, meet new people, etc. I deliberately chose a larger undergraduate school in a city. Which is closer to your son?

Major: As a university (albeit a small one) Tufts will have a wider array of courses and disciplines to choose from if your son might want to explore different areas. Bowdoin will have many more small classes and he'll probably get to know his professors well. Tbh my son needed the latter more than the former. YMMV.

LOL. I love good, good food yet pretty much ate the same thing for lunch every day when I worked in an office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please don’t think about now. Wait until the results are in.

+1

He very well could only get into one, or neither. Both have very low acceptance rates. Putting the cart before the horse.

Agree. Hope that your DC has some good likelies with admits in the bag as RD doesn't always go well.

[Anonymous]

Neither one

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please don’t think about now. Wait until the results are in.

This.

[Anonymous]

OP - have you visited either school?

[Anonymous]

For a more introverted kid, there is nothing wrong with a place like Bowdoin. In fact, I don’t think you should be encouraging your DC to “hide” as you put it. College should be their time to break out of their shell and experience new things. I was very shy and went to a small liberal arts school (about 2000 students) and I absolutely adored it and left with my very best friends, even joined a sorority.

Whichever one they get into will be fine, no need to belabor the point right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Getting into either RD is very difficult so this is a ridiculous exercise but Bowdoin is more prestigious if somewhat less well known by the lay pubic

Our kid had similar option just different SLAC. Chose Tufts and its been great. Community is welcoming. He’s stayed in and watched movies on the weekend and gone out. He’s gone in to Boston to take advantage at student ticket discounts. He’s already gotten to know his professors and says the food is good. In the end he chose Tufts because of the concern that a SLAC in a smaller town might start to feel too small by Junior Senior year. He’s really enjoying Tufts.

[Anonymous]

These two choices are so elite that no future options would be limited. And both are super expensive so no considerations there. Let her pick which one she feels more comfortable at—the atmosphere/locations are quite different. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting into either RD is very difficult so this is a ridiculous exercise but Bowdoin is more prestigious if somewhat less well known by the lay pubic

Our kid had similar option just different SLAC. Chose Tufts and its been great. Community is welcoming. He’s stayed in and watched movies on the weekend and gone out. He’s gone in to Boston to take advantage at student ticket discounts. He’s already gotten to know his professors and says the food is good. In the end he chose Tufts because of the concern that a SLAC in a smaller town might start to feel too small by Junior Senior year. He’s really enjoying Tufts.

+1 DS deciding bt Tufts and Colby, chose Tufts and is very happy. Also sometimes just sits in common room with friends and watches movies, or goes to Boston or Cambridge. His friends are nice, a little on the nerdy side but then so is he (self-described). Political science major, hopes to go to Fletcher for grad school too. Loves it there!