My DS is a freshman at Bowdoin who grew up in a major city on the west coast. We researched every top 40 LAC focusing on academic offerings (majors, core curriculum requirements, research opportunities for STEM majors, class sizes, access to professors, ability to double or triple major), student life (residential life, dining halls, diversity of student body, access to clubs and organizations etc), career center/internship opportunities, local community and access to urban areas.

He applied to 20 LACs and was incredibly lucky (it’s all luck) to be accepted to 11 and chose Bowdoin.

Bowdoin has exceeded our expectations! Every LAC really offers amazing academics, but to us, this is what makes Bowdoin special:

- the kind, welcoming, and supportive student body (not competitive at all!) starts with numerous opportunities to meet new students at orientation and many social activities the first weeks of school
- the school spirit and pride (walk across campus and every other student is wearing a Bowdoin sweatshirt)
- amazing dining hall meals with incredible staff (food quality is extremely important for his overall happiness)
- access to outstanding classes (1st semester he got all 4 classes he wanted including the Intro to AI class that had only 32 students!
- resources unmatched to other LACs including every student receives their own computer and ipad as part of tuition (allows all students to begin with the same foundational resources)
- career center that is accessible, they have a require sophomore boot camp in January, plus there’s money available for students who chose an unpaid summer internship
- the residential halls are exceptional. He has a double that has a separate bedroom and living room. And then there’s also a lounge outside his room.
- the Schiller Coastal Studies institute on 2.5 miles of Maine coast and the base for college’s environmental studies program is unmatched
- Portland (35 mins) is an amazing small city with a foodie culture scene
- Boston (easy 2.5 hours by train) is available when Brunswick feels a little slow and he can go see a Bruins or Red Socks game.

Downsides? No college is “perfect”. The weather is not as bad as he thought it would be, but darkness at 4 pm is a tough. He misses ethnic food and the diversity of an urban area, but that’s the exchange to go to a LAC.

Lastly, our other DC is at one of the Claremont Colleges and very active academically and socially across the 5cs. Those are also amazing colleges too, but the exceedingly competitive nature of Pomona students was an unfortunate surprise.

Bowdoin College is an incredible place to spend four years. We feel so lucky our DS is a Polar Bear!

Anonymous wrote:

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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?

Bowdoin and Amherst have artificially low acceptance rates because they advertise themselves as need blind for international applicants. Bowdoin is very selective. There is no significant difference in selectivity for any of the top 10 or so SLACs and Bowdoin is in that group.

The number of international applicants to these two is not much higher than others.

It is significantly higher.

Exactly. Bowdoin cheats the admissions game, but these schools will do anything to pretend they’re elite.

Wow. You clearly have a lot of angst towards Bowdoin. Still getting over being dinged? Or slow day on the cul de sac in rural nowheresville, admiring your degree from a Tier 3 school?

You hold a lot of anger.

Great response. Was "I know you are but what am I" taken?

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Bowdoin and Amherst have artificially low acceptance rates because they advertise themselves as need blind for international applicants. Bowdoin is very selective. There is no significant difference in selectivity for any of the top 10 or so SLACs and Bowdoin is in that group.

The number of international applicants to these two is not much higher than others.

It is significantly higher.

Exactly. Bowdoin cheats the admissions game, but these schools will do anything to pretend they’re elite.

Wow. You clearly have a lot of angst towards Bowdoin. Still getting over being dinged? Or slow day on the cul de sac in rural nowheresville, admiring your degree from a Tier 3 school?

You hold a lot of anger.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Bowdoin and Amherst have artificially low acceptance rates because they advertise themselves as need blind for international applicants. Bowdoin is very selective. There is no significant difference in selectivity for any of the top 10 or so SLACs and Bowdoin is in that group.

The number of international applicants to these two is not much higher than others.

It is significantly higher.

Exactly. Bowdoin cheats the admissions game, but these schools will do anything to pretend they’re elite.

Wow. You clearly have a lot of angst towards Bowdoin. Still getting over being dinged? Or slow day on the cul de sac in rural nowheresville, admiring your degree from a Tier 3 school?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Bowdoin and Amherst have artificially low acceptance rates because they advertise themselves as need blind for international applicants. Bowdoin is very selective. There is no significant difference in selectivity for any of the top 10 or so SLACs and Bowdoin is in that group.

The number of international applicants to these two is not much higher than others.

It is significantly higher.

Exactly. Bowdoin cheats the admissions game, but these schools will do anything to pretend they’re elite.

Bowdoin is elite, there is no pretending. The Ivies and MIT do the same thing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Bowdoin and Amherst have artificially low acceptance rates because they advertise themselves as need blind for international applicants. Bowdoin is very selective. There is no significant difference in selectivity for any of the top 10 or so SLACs and Bowdoin is in that group.

The number of international applicants to these two is not much higher than others.

Most of their peer schools to Amherst and Bowdoin don’t break out their international application numbers in the CDS, so how would you know this?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Bowdoin and Amherst have artificially low acceptance rates because they advertise themselves as need blind for international applicants. Bowdoin is very selective. There is no significant difference in selectivity for any of the top 10 or so SLACs and Bowdoin is in that group.

The number of international applicants to these two is not much higher than others.

It is significantly higher.

Exactly. Bowdoin cheats the admissions game, but these schools will do anything to pretend they’re elite.

Oh, the horror of being able to offer large amounts of scholarship money. What a terrible terrible fact!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Bowdoin and Amherst have artificially low acceptance rates because they advertise themselves as need blind for international applicants. Bowdoin is very selective. There is no significant difference in selectivity for any of the top 10 or so SLACs and Bowdoin is in that group.

The number of international applicants to these two is not much higher than others.

It is significantly higher.

Exactly. Bowdoin cheats the admissions game, but these schools will do anything to pretend they’re elite.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Bowdoin and Amherst have artificially low acceptance rates because they advertise themselves as need blind for international applicants. Bowdoin is very selective. There is no significant difference in selectivity for any of the top 10 or so SLACs and Bowdoin is in that group.

The number of international applicants to these two is not much higher than others.

It is significantly higher.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Bowdoin and Amherst have artificially low acceptance rates because they advertise themselves as need blind for international applicants. Bowdoin is very selective. There is no significant difference in selectivity for any of the top 10 or so SLACs and Bowdoin is in that group.

They don't just "advertise" themselves as such. 90% of Amherst international students are on aid, with an average grant in the high 70 thousands (from what I remember)

Bowdoin accepts 1.4% of international applicants, they may call themselves need blind but they cap acceptances hard.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Bowdoin and Amherst have artificially low acceptance rates because they advertise themselves as need blind for international applicants. Bowdoin is very selective. There is no significant difference in selectivity for any of the top 10 or so SLACs and Bowdoin is in that group.

They don't just "advertise" themselves as such. 90% of Amherst international students are on aid, with an average grant in the high 70 thousands (from what I remember)

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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.

Yes but it’s nowhere near well endowed Bowdoin.

Watch your language.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Yes but it’s nowhere near well endowed Bowdoin.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Bowdoin and Amherst have artificially low acceptance rates because they advertise themselves as need blind for international applicants. Bowdoin is very selective. There is no significant difference in selectivity for any of the top 10 or so SLACs and Bowdoin is in that group.

The number of international applicants to these two is not much higher than others.

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Bowdoin and Amherst have artificially low acceptance rates because they advertise themselves as need blind for international applicants. Bowdoin is very selective. There is no significant difference in selectivity for any of the top 10 or so SLACs and Bowdoin is in that group.