Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aren’t they the same size? Both are relatively isolated so go with where your kid likes best. Econ is a strength at Williams.

Bowdoin has an Amtrak station one block from campus. Literally 15 minutes from Freeport, quick trip to Portland or Boston. Small town Maine does not = isolation.

Tbf, Williams is equally close to Boston and an hour from Albany.

Albany is no Portland

Anonymous wrote:Williams is far more well regarded

No it’s not, people who know top LACs will know both

Anonymous wrote:Williams is far more well regarded

OP here - to this comment, my kid did say that it seemed as if all of the athletes he met at Williams were targeting ivies and “had to settle” for Williams - but Bowdoin kids mostly conveyed that they had that school as first choice - just anecdotal based on his conversations with the kids, but pretty interesting. Would def make sense if Williams is seen as being more well regarded as poster indicates

My kid preferred Bowdoin.

The faculty are very happy, which shows. The school has great resources (including an island!). The administration feels a responsibility to help kids succeed.

Your kid has two great options. Good luck to her.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One of our kids chose Bowdoin over Williams. Both exceptional schools. In terms of claustrophobia, Brunswick is larger than Williamstown and has more to offer, Portland is nearby, and Boston is a 2+-hour train ride from campus. But a substantial number of students at both schools, including athletes, spend at least a semester abroad. Our kid, also an athlete, found the students, professors, coaches, and staff at Bowdoin to be open, friendly, and welcoming — obviously a subjective impression, but one that held up through three visits to campus. Good luck. Don’t think you can go wrong.

OP here - thank you for this - what did your DC consider when making this decision, and what ultimately tipped the scale for Bowdoin?

Land the helicopter

PP: For our kid, the focus of his intended major at Bowdoin lined up slightly better with his interests than the comparable major at Williams. But his decision probably had as much to do with more subjective reactions to the people he met at each campus. While he enjoyed the people at both schools, everyone at Bowdoin — the dining hall staff, a department chair, other students and future teammates, a campus security guard who gave us parking advice — were kind, enthusiastic, down-to-earth, and seemed to love the place and their experience there. He met great people at Williams, too, but the vibe at Bowdoin just really felt right.

Williams is far more well regarded

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aren’t they the same size? Both are relatively isolated so go with where your kid likes best. Econ is a strength at Williams.

Bowdoin has an Amtrak station one block from campus. Literally 15 minutes from Freeport, quick trip to Portland or Boston. Small town Maine does not = isolation.

Tbf, Williams is equally close to Boston and an hour from Albany.

Anonymous wrote:Aren’t they the same size? Both are relatively isolated so go with where your kid likes best. Econ is a strength at Williams.

Bowdoin has an Amtrak station one block from campus. Literally 15 minutes from Freeport, quick trip to Portland or Boston. Small town Maine does not = isolation.

If you would like to compare these schools in terms of your child's intended major of economics, this analysis may be of interest:

https://ideas.repec.org/top/top.uslacecon.html

Anonymous wrote:One of our kids chose Bowdoin over Williams. Both exceptional schools. In terms of claustrophobia, Brunswick is larger than Williamstown and has more to offer, Portland is nearby, and Boston is a 2+-hour train ride from campus. But a substantial number of students at both schools, including athletes, spend at least a semester abroad. Our kid, also an athlete, found the students, professors, coaches, and staff at Bowdoin to be open, friendly, and welcoming — obviously a subjective impression, but one that held up through three visits to campus. Good luck. Don’t think you can go wrong.

OP here - thank you for this - what did your DC consider when making this decision, and what ultimately tipped the scale for Bowdoin?

One of our kids chose Bowdoin over Williams. Both exceptional schools. In terms of claustrophobia, Brunswick is larger than Williamstown and has more to offer, Portland is nearby, and Boston is a 2+-hour train ride from campus. But a substantial number of students at both schools, including athletes, spend at least a semester abroad. Our kid, also an athlete, found the students, professors, coaches, and staff at Bowdoin to be open, friendly, and welcoming — obviously a subjective impression, but one that held up through three visits to campus. Good luck. Don’t think you can go wrong.

My kids is at Bowdoin and has never hinted at claustrophobia.

Aren’t they the same size? Both are relatively isolated so go with where your kid likes best. Econ is a strength at Williams.

which feels more claustrophobic over 4 years? DC being heavily recruited by these coaches, and likes teams equally, econ major, easy going kid, not too concerned with grades etc