Anonymous
01/15/2025 14:58
Subject: What is Bowdoin known for?
Anonymous wrote:Has the question in the subject line been answered yet? I quickly skimmed through the posts, and aside from its popularity with Meadow, I couldn’t identify what Bowdoin is particularly known for. I do enjoy the controversy among SLAC fans if Bowdoin is as elite as a WASP school. Fun world.
It hasn’t. It really doesn’t have a standout academic profile, just a very low-key, well endowed college. A big thing with LACs is being able to point at a career or academic program that is very strong, and Bowdoin lacks that.
Anonymous
01/15/2025 14:50
Subject: What is Bowdoin known for?
Has the question in the subject line been answered yet? I quickly skimmed through the posts, and aside from its popularity with Meadow, I couldn’t identify what Bowdoin is particularly known for. I do enjoy the controversy among SLAC fans if Bowdoin is as elite as a WASP school. Fun world.
Anonymous
01/15/2025 13:51
Subject: What is Bowdoin known for?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
❖ Williams College
❖ Amherst College
❖ Swarthmore College
❖ Pomona College
They are the top LACs that seem incredibly difficult to get into. Bowdoin isn't part of this group but it is right up there.
Yes, it actually is. Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Bowdoin, Pomona. These are the top 5.
Said no one ever.
+1, Bowdoin is the highest level of the tier below the WASP schools. There’s no worthwhile opportunity you miss out on choosing a WASP over Bowdoin, but there’s so much you miss out on with choosing Bowdoin over any of the WASP colleges.
Do tell!
Williams- largest connection to Cambridge/Oxford fellowships in the nation, Art history and math program, best LAC for finance, tutorial program, WEPO
Amherst- consortium, Open curriculum, best pre-law admissions for an lac and overall 2nd in the country
Swarthmore- honors program, best top lac for grad school admissions, best non-specialized lac for engineering
Pomona- Most competitive/Highest Yield LAC, Downing Scholars program, Cambridge Program, best college consortium in the country, the best lac on the west coast, Math program.
Bowdoin- has a cool mascot.
+1 this is why wasp is above the rest. Are there good lacs? Yes! I love Davidson and Wellesley and many other low tier lacs like Kenyon, but it’s having these strengths and access to elite post grad resources that makes them better.
Anonymous
01/15/2025 13:45
Subject: Re:What is Bowdoin known for?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Bowdoin is REALLY struggling with a lack of faculty, source so the pitch dorks don’t come up: https://bowdoinorient.com/2024/12/06/as-student-enrollment-trends-and-liberal-arts-values-collide-faculty-disagree-over-how-to-respond/. It has much fewer faculty than peer institutions that’s limiting student academic opportunities.
Yikes to that neuroscience department…
Neuroscience majors can rarely get jobs with just a bachelor's degree. This is a hot major at many schools, and kids graduating are regretting that choice.
Not stopping it from being a big major at bowdoin. Having only 5 faculty and burdening profs with 50 advisees is awful. The whole purpose of an LAC is to teach, and professors can’t do that under so many expectations.
Anonymous
01/15/2025 13:43
Subject: What is Bowdoin known for?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
❖ Williams College
❖ Amherst College
❖ Swarthmore College
❖ Pomona College
They are the top LACs that seem incredibly difficult to get into. Bowdoin isn't part of this group but it is right up there.
Yes, it actually is. Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Bowdoin, Pomona. These are the top 5.
Said no one ever.
+1, Bowdoin is the highest level of the tier below the WASP schools. There’s no worthwhile opportunity you miss out on choosing a WASP over Bowdoin, but there’s so much you miss out on with choosing Bowdoin over any of the WASP colleges.
Do tell!
Williams- largest connection to Cambridge/Oxford fellowships in the nation, Art history and math program, best LAC for finance, tutorial program, WEPO
Amherst- consortium, Open curriculum, best pre-law admissions for an lac and overall 2nd in the country
Swarthmore- honors program, best top lac for grad school admissions, best non-specialized lac for engineering
Pomona- Most competitive/Highest Yield LAC, Downing Scholars program, Cambridge Program, best college consortium in the country, the best lac on the west coast, Math program.
Bowdoin- has a cool mascot.
Bowdoin has Arctic studies!
...and the best lobster !
Anonymous
01/15/2025 13:01
Subject: Re:What is Bowdoin known for?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Bowdoin is REALLY struggling with a lack of faculty, source so the pitch dorks don’t come up: https://bowdoinorient.com/2024/12/06/as-student-enrollment-trends-and-liberal-arts-values-collide-faculty-disagree-over-how-to-respond/. It has much fewer faculty than peer institutions that’s limiting student academic opportunities.
Yikes to that neuroscience department…
Neuroscience majors can rarely get jobs with just a bachelor's degree. This is a hot major at many schools, and kids graduating are regretting that choice.
Anonymous
01/15/2025 11:42
Subject: What is Bowdoin known for?
Anonymous wrote:This thread has taken a fun turn
I was just thinking the same thing! Usually they turn ugly. But this has taken me down memory lane.
Anonymous
01/15/2025 11:28
Subject: What is Bowdoin known for?
Anonymous wrote:It's a great school. Many boosters on here try to casually include it when mentioning WASP, but it's a notch below, along with Middlebury and perhaps a few others.
+1, I don’t know why parents try to fight the facts so much
Anonymous
01/15/2025 11:20
Subject: Re:What is Bowdoin known for?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Bowdoin is REALLY struggling with a lack of faculty, source so the pitch dorks don’t come up: https://bowdoinorient.com/2024/12/06/as-student-enrollment-trends-and-liberal-arts-values-collide-faculty-disagree-over-how-to-respond/. It has much fewer faculty than peer institutions that’s limiting student academic opportunities.
These are embarrassingly low faculty numbers. It’s concerning that their students aren’t getting into labs until SENIOR year. Definitely not WASP level, this changed my mind that it may be over ranked.
This issue seems widespread across the college too. Must be really limiting for students.
Anonymous
01/15/2025 09:23
Subject: What is Bowdoin known for?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
❖ Williams College
❖ Amherst College
❖ Swarthmore College
❖ Pomona College
They are the top LACs that seem incredibly difficult to get into. Bowdoin isn't part of this group but it is right up there.
Yes, it actually is. Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Bowdoin, Pomona. These are the top 5.
According to Bowdoin grads and parents of Bowdoin students.
Anonymous
01/15/2025 02:59
Subject: Re:What is Bowdoin known for?
Anonymous wrote:Bowdoin is REALLY struggling with a lack of faculty, source so the pitch dorks don’t come up: https://bowdoinorient.com/2024/12/06/as-student-enrollment-trends-and-liberal-arts-values-collide-faculty-disagree-over-how-to-respond/. It has much fewer faculty than peer institutions that’s limiting student academic opportunities.
Yikes to that neuroscience department…
Anonymous
01/15/2025 02:40
Subject: Re:What is Bowdoin known for?
Anonymous wrote:Bowdoin is REALLY struggling with a lack of faculty, source so the pitch dorks don’t come up: https://bowdoinorient.com/2024/12/06/as-student-enrollment-trends-and-liberal-arts-values-collide-faculty-disagree-over-how-to-respond/. It has much fewer faculty than peer institutions that’s limiting student academic opportunities.
These are embarrassingly low faculty numbers. It’s concerning that their students aren’t getting into labs until SENIOR year. Definitely not WASP level, this changed my mind that it may be over ranked.
Anonymous
01/15/2025 02:29
Subject: Re:What is Bowdoin known for?
Bowdoin is REALLY struggling with a lack of faculty, source so the pitch dorks don’t come up: https://bowdoinorient.com/2024/12/06/as-student-enrollment-trends-and-liberal-arts-values-collide-faculty-disagree-over-how-to-respond/. It has much fewer faculty than peer institutions that’s limiting student academic opportunities.
Anonymous
01/15/2025 02:16
Subject: What is Bowdoin known for?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
❖ Williams College
❖ Amherst College
❖ Swarthmore College
❖ Pomona College
They are the top LACs that seem incredibly difficult to get into. Bowdoin isn't part of this group but it is right up there.
Yes, it actually is. Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Bowdoin, Pomona. These are the top 5.
Said no one ever.
+1, Bowdoin is the highest level of the tier below the WASP schools. There’s no worthwhile opportunity you miss out on choosing a WASP over Bowdoin, but there’s so much you miss out on with choosing Bowdoin over any of the WASP colleges.
Do tell!
Williams- largest connection to Cambridge/Oxford fellowships in the nation, Art history and math program, best LAC for finance, tutorial program, WEPO
Amherst- consortium, Open curriculum, best pre-law admissions for an lac and overall 2nd in the country
Swarthmore- honors program, best top lac for grad school admissions, best non-specialized lac for engineering
Pomona- Most competitive/Highest Yield LAC, Downing Scholars program, Cambridge Program, best college consortium in the country, the best lac on the west coast, Math program.
Bowdoin- has a cool mascot.
Bowdoin has Arctic studies!
Anonymous
01/15/2025 01:13
Subject: What is Bowdoin known for?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
❖ Williams College
❖ Amherst College
❖ Swarthmore College
❖ Pomona College
They are the top LACs that seem incredibly difficult to get into. Bowdoin isn't part of this group but it is right up there.
Yes, it actually is. Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Bowdoin, Pomona. These are the top 5.
Said no one ever.
+1, Bowdoin is the highest level of the tier below the WASP schools. There’s no worthwhile opportunity you miss out on choosing a WASP over Bowdoin, but there’s so much you miss out on with choosing Bowdoin over any of the WASP colleges.
Do tell!
Williams- largest connection to Cambridge/Oxford fellowships in the nation, Art history and math program, best LAC for finance, tutorial program, WEPO
Amherst- consortium, Open curriculum, best pre-law admissions for an lac and overall 2nd in the country
Swarthmore- honors program, best top lac for grad school admissions, best non-specialized lac for engineering
Pomona- Most competitive/Highest Yield LAC, Downing Scholars program, Cambridge Program, best college consortium in the country, the best lac on the west coast, Math program.
Bowdoin- has a cool mascot.
As someone who doesn’t know anything about lacs, reading about WEPO and Downing scholars was surprisingly interesting. Cool to see these colleges in connection with such high profile universities.