How did Bowdoin acceptance rate become so low?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Times and college reputations go up or down. Bowdoin has sky rocketed up while Wesleyan, Trinity, Vassar, Middlebury, and Bates have not.

Well, yes and no. Bowdoin has always been high. Others have indeed gone down. Bowdoin has been top 10 in US News 37/41 years (not that U.S. News is really relevant anymore, having jumped the shark at all, but to your point).

https://andyreiter.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/US-News-Rankings-Liberal-Arts-Colleges-Through-2026.xlsx

[Anonymous]

That stock picker nailed it. Long hold on WASP-B. Sell Hamilton, Colgate, Colby, Middlebury, Bates, Trinity. Buy Davidson. Hold Wesleyan and Holy Cross.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Portland ain’t NYC, Boston, DC, or Chicago.

And?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Could someone let me know what WASP-B stands for? I tried googling it and clearly I am too tired or something, but I couldn’t figure out the colleges.

It is a fictional creation created by someone who is posting on this thread pretending to be several different posters. Same Shit Different Day.

You are not reading this thread if you think it is a fictional creation. Bowdoin belongs with WASP — and no other SLACs do. Endowment, yield, admit rate - everything. If you want to make an actual, rational argument why it does not belong, please do so. Oh, wait! You can’t…

It does belong with WASP, as do about 8-10 schools which have basically identical academic profiles and are also extremely wealthy. Where you are mistaken is in believing that they are different than the rest of the group because they aren't.

But if you want to play the acronym game there do a quick google search.

WASP exists in the context of top liberal arts colleges.
SWAMP (add Middlebury) exists in the context of top liberal arts colleges
WASP-B returns WASP plus maybe the B signifying something about ethnicity and demographics. For additional context Goggle then added:

"These institutions (like Williams, Amherst, Wesleyan, Vassar, Bryn Mawr, Middlebury, etc.) were historically feeders for the Ivy League and were dominated by this WASP-B demographic, shaping their culture and admissions for decades." Ironic that there is no mention of Bowdoin because Bowdoin most definitely belongs in this group.

So your rational argument is that 1) there is no WASP or WASP-B because, say, 10 schools are all the same. So no difference at all between Williams and, say, Hamilton and 2) I googled and this is what google says.

You have an interesting interpretation of “rational.” Do better.

Someone needs mommy to get their meds.

[Anonymous]

Didn’t realize Bowdoin has that much money.

[Anonymous]

People say there’s few seats but it’s the easiest top school to get into from DD’s private.

[Anonymous]

Big gaps between the little 5 and the rest. Giving a momentum to Colby(money), Holy Cross(Boston proxy play), Davidson(warm weather and Charlotte proxy). Been to W& L too rural and name are negatives. Trinity and Conn College not much positive. Colgate, Hamilton, Middlebury trending slightly down. Bates no money and poor location trending down. Vassar location is negative and vibe is very liberal slightly down. Wesleyan not great location and like Vassar way liberal maybe woke. Big winners Bowdoin and Davidson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t realize Bowdoin has that much money.

All of WASP-B has well over a million per student. They are the big time.

[Anonymous]

Money and location are the keys. WAS-B can annually apply $150 million plus from endowment income to operating budget the other lacs aren’t close. Huge advantage.

[Anonymous]

Add in Pomona $3 billion plus!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bowdoin and Amherst acceptance rates are artificially low because they are need blind for international students. This adds a couple of thousand extra applications every year. Bowdoins acceptance rates for internationals is under 2% but the application numbers pad things making them look a bit selective more than they are.

I still think it’s an insanely tough admit for DMV kids. I feel like recruited athletes and legacies are demographically similar to many DMV applicants and they need to fill those few remaining unhooked spots with different types of kids and not just ones from the same high performing urban centers.

I was surprised to see that BCC sent 7 kids there last year. I have no idea if any are athletes or legacies.

Athletes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Big gaps between the little 5 and the rest. Giving a momentum to Colby(money), Holy Cross(Boston proxy play), Davidson(warm weather and Charlotte proxy). Been to W& L too rural and name are negatives. Trinity and Conn College not much positive. Colgate, Hamilton, Middlebury trending slightly down. Bates no money and poor location trending down. Vassar location is negative and vibe is very liberal slightly down. Wesleyan not great location and like Vassar way liberal maybe woke. Big winners Bowdoin and Davidson.

Wesleyan and Vassar too woke my ass: https://www.bowdoin.edu/communications/faq/smith-union-encampment-faq.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Money and location are the keys. WAS-B can annually apply $150 million plus from endowment income to operating budget the other lacs aren’t close. Huge advantage.

What is WAS-B? People keep making up things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Money and location are the keys. WAS-B can annually apply $150 million plus from endowment income to operating budget the other lacs aren’t close. Huge advantage.

I assume you forget to “P”? Almost 1.5 million per student.

[Anonymous]

For the future, I’d look at Middlebury, CMC, and Davidson. CMC is soon to surpass Poopmona