<p>Our daughter has to make a college choice by Monday. She has three beautiful options, all liberal arts colleges. Shes seriously considering Bowdoin. Id like to ask any Bowdoin parents out there about their experience with the college. I dont want to mention her other options, because I want to focus the discussion on your experience with Bowdoin. Has it lived up to your expectations? Has it been transformative for your child? Has Bowdoin been worth the cost? [The college has offered us significant financial aid. We wont take on any debt for college, but it’s certainly not free.] Has Bowdoin been worth the distance or trouble to get to that lovely part of the country? [Shed be coming to Maine from south of the Mason-Dixon line.] Has your child taken advantage of its location near the coast? Was your child prepared at Bowdoin for life after college? We hope that our daughter will be surrounded by other smart, thoughtful, hopeful kids in college. Would you and your child make the decision to attend Bowdoin, if you had to do it all over again? This is an important decision for us. Our family would appreciate any insights you can offer on the value of a Bowdoin education.</p>
<p>My son graduates from Bowdoin next month with a degree in Economics.
We have found Bowdoin to be superb in all aspects; from the quality of the academics, stellar study abroad options, excellent career advice to maybe less important aspects like wonderful food, great dorms and the beauty of Maine.
It is easy to take advantage of the outdoor life with their Outing Club which offers many opportunities to take advantage of the Maine experience.
At all times over the past 4 years our link with the college has been a truly positive one in every aspect.
I could not recommend it highly enough and I feel so appreciate of everything it has offered our son.
Good luck in your decision, and let me know if you have any more questions.</p>
<p>Hey BlindLuck, just to add:</p>
<p>The travel is worthwhile. It’s distant but not hectic to get to because there’s not that many people up there and roads are direct. It’s a safe location. Environmentally, it’s rugged and pristine so long as one avoids the Androscoggin.</p>
<p>The advantage of the coast is, for people who like the ocean and do not like the claustrophobic sense of being surrounded all around by land, an exhilarating feeling of freedom. The natural world has not been obliterated by human technologies. It’s a relatively short and relaxing drive to Popham Beach or Bailey Island – good places to clear one’s head when things are stressful or unclear. There are places in nearby towns to hop on a windjammer.</p>
<p>See the Bowdoin videos on Youtube made by Bowdoin students to get a sense of the context. Also, perhaps review the advancements to the place since President Mills took office. When my kid went to “meet and greet” day, half the people knew him by name, including the president, even though he had been there only once before.</p>
<p>The students are smart, with oblique and very creative interests. It is a more laid back place than others, but the academic intensity is there, and the morale is excellent, because the students have high personal expectations, and the expectations of the institution are very high.</p>
<p>Blindluck, I am the parent of a first year student. My older child is attending another nescac school. I can heartily recommend Bowdoin. (I love the other school too). It was an agonizing decision for her a year ago as she had a difficult choice among great schools. In the end, the factors that swung her toward Bowdoin related largely to the quality of life, and she does not regret her decision one bit. There is a true sense of community, an immediate level of familiarity and comfort with faculty and she eats well every single day. She has come to love what Maine and the immediate area offer as well.</p>
<p>Thanks for the postings - I am an incoming Bowdoin parent. S visited with H and I was not on the trip, so I haven’t seen the school in person. It was the first time S had ever been in Maine, and it was his clear favorite. He applied ED and was accepted.</p>
<p>The comments you’ve made are consistent with the reasons both S and H loved Bowdoin, and are reassuring!</p>
<p>We appreciate your insights on Bowdoin. Our daughter had several fine choices, ultimately decided on somewhere other than Bowdoin. It was her call. Had she made the choice to attend Bowdoin, we would have fully supported her decision. Your comments confirmed our belief that Bowdoin’s an exceptional school.</p>
<p>Son #1 graduating this month. We and he loved it. Can’t say enough about what an incredible education he had. We’re from California, and are so glad he attended, even though it’s in Maine. Unbelievable faculty, admin, fellow students, and parents. We will miss it. Son #2 was accepted to Harvard. Never even applied to Bowdoin. He rejected Harvard after Visitas–too impersonal, too many big classes(800 for beginning Econ!), not enough intellectuals compared to his observation of his brother’s Bowdoin friends, and he thought the kids @ Harvard were way too impressed with themselves for getting into Harvard. He kept comparing his brother’s friends to the kids he met at Harvard, and was soooo disappointed at Harvard. He wished he had applied to Bowdoin, but will now attend Columbia. Actually thought to take a gap year, and apply to Bowdoin, but likes Columbia well enough.</p>
<p>Hi, BlindLuck, would you share where your D ended up, and is she happy with her choice?</p>