How did Bowdoin acceptance rate become so low?

[Anonymous]

This is not new. Their a ceoqnce rate has been low for many years.

[Anonymous]

Some LACs who had Covid bulges are permanently increasing their student body a bit, e.g.Middlebury. Unfortunately I don’t think they are making all the investments to keep the services/opportunities per student the same as it was when the class was smaller.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd say top 5 LACs are pretty clear
1) Haverford
2) Swarthmore/Smith
3) Wellesley/Scripps/Williams/Amherst
4) Claremont McKenna/Middlebury
5) Bowdoin

+1, exactly!

Dumbest ranking yet, and that's saying something!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Williams, Pomona, Harvey Mudd, and Swarthmore are definitely getting smart kids who are competitive everywhere.

As for the other SLACS, Bowdoin is very appealing. They are not included in WASP because they have the wrong letter. B is a difficult letter to work with when it comes to acronyms.

But generally, I'd say that Bowdoin is way up there for 18 year olds interested in small liberal arts colleges today. The Bowdoin people I know all seem to have loved their experience.

I see that you are back again today with a slightly different approach. Sorry, nothing has changed and nobody is buying your spiel.

Hey sweetie, I see you are back to troll a school to which you have no connection. Why? Lots of schools for your kid to consider. No need to comment on what you don't know.

Wander along little troll.

You are adorable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some LACs who had Covid bulges are permanently increasing their student body a bit, e.g.Middlebury. Unfortunately I don’t think they are making all the investments to keep the services/opportunities per student the same as it was when the class was smaller.

It’s a money grab prioritizing the present over the future. The larger student bodies will come to haunt them in another decade or two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some LACs who had Covid bulges are permanently increasing their student body a bit, e.g.Middlebury. Unfortunately I don’t think they are making all the investments to keep the services/opportunities per student the same as it was when the class was smaller.

It’s a money grab prioritizing the present over the future. The larger student bodies will come to haunt them in another decade or two.

To pull from the topic of this thread, Bowdoin was around 1,600 students in 2000. Now it's 1,850 (and was nearly 2,000 in 2021). Did it hurt Bowdoin two decades later?

[Anonymous]

Bowdoin's selectivity may have come on a bit in very recent years. In the 2021 U.S. News guidebook (published in 2020), for example, Bowdoin tied for 8th by Selectivity Rank. For context, this is how the top 22 schools appeared:

︎1. Pomona
2. Harvey Mudd
2. Haverford
4. Amherst
5. Hamilton
5. Swarthmore
5. Williams
8. Barnard
8. Bowdoin
10. Washington & Lee
11. Wellesley
12. Colorado College
12. Smith
12. Vassar
15. Carleton
16. Colby
17. Colgate
17. Davidson
19. Claremont McKenna
19. Grinnell
19. Middlebury
19. Wesleyan

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some LACs who had Covid bulges are permanently increasing their student body a bit, e.g.Middlebury. Unfortunately I don’t think they are making all the investments to keep the services/opportunities per student the same as it was when the class was smaller.

Middlebury increased their student body by 50 students coincident with a new dorm which as 50 more beds. It is negligible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some LACs who had Covid bulges are permanently increasing their student body a bit, e.g.Middlebury. Unfortunately I don’t think they are making all the investments to keep the services/opportunities per student the same as it was when the class was smaller.

Middlebury increased their student body by 50 students coincident with a new dorm which as 50 more beds. It is negligible.

Resources aren’t just about beds. In theory, lacs could fit 20,000+ students on their campus, but the access to resources would plummet over night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bowdoin's selectivity may have come on a bit in very recent years. In the 2021 U.S. News guidebook (published in 2020), for example, Bowdoin tied for 8th by Selectivity Rank. For context, this is how the top 22 schools appeared:

︎1. Pomona
2. Harvey Mudd
2. Haverford
4. Amherst
5. Hamilton
5. Swarthmore
5. Williams
8. Barnard
8. Bowdoin
10. Washington & Lee
11. Wellesley
12. Colorado College
12. Smith
12. Vassar
15. Carleton
16. Colby
17. Colgate
17. Davidson
19. Claremont McKenna
19. Grinnell
19. Middlebury
19. Wesleyan

Interesting. It appears that once every LAC went test optional, Bowdoin became ever popular.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The app increases are pretty obvious in some respects. Social houses, Maine is beautiful, college owning private islands and having various climate/environmental research institutes appealing to a generation concerned with climate change, amazing food, great social culture known for being filled with nice people, and if you’re desperate for civilization, you can get cheap tickets to Boston from Portland.

Williams is nice, but the culture is a bit overly serious and intense with no access to the rest of the world. Amherst is hit or miss for a lot of people. Bowdoin, along with Pomona, is a feel-good lac with nice vibes that younger kids like. It may get a slight boost in apps from Mamdani also.

Colby also owns private island, strong env focus.

[Anonymous]

In terms of a current analysis, this site placed Bowdoin fifth among LACs by selectivity, after Barnard, Swarthmore, Pomona and Williams:

College & University Rankings in 2026 https://wallethub.com/edu/e/college-rankings/40750

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In terms of a current analysis, this site placed Bowdoin fifth among LACs by selectivity, after Barnard, Swarthmore, Pomona and Williams:

College & University Rankings in 2026 https://wallethub.com/edu/e/college-rankings/40750

Wallethub rankings aren’t very good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In terms of a current analysis, this site placed Bowdoin fifth among LACs by selectivity, after Barnard, Swarthmore, Pomona and Williams:

College & University Rankings in 2026 https://wallethub.com/edu/e/college-rankings/40750

Wallethub rankings aren’t very good.

If not fifth, where do you think Bowdoin should place by selectivity among LACs?

[Anonymous]

Should lac rankings include Barnard? They get so much resources from Columbia U.