I’m a U.S expat in Australia trying to figure out the best fit for pre med… I’m super excited to be accepted by Bowdoin, Amherst, and Barnard, and am interested in neuroscience/psychology while completing the pre recs for med school. Research opportunities and publications over the summer are quite important, a supportive pre-med advisor, and groups such as campus EMS (emergency medical services) are things I am looking for.
From my understanding Amherst and Bowdoin have slightly higher rates of admissions to med school than Barnard, but I also know that numbers aren’t everything, and that I truly want to find a place where I’ll be happy. I know to people at Bowdoin who absolutely love it, and in many ways it sounds great: friendly people, amazing food, engaging professors. My only concerns are that Maine is quite far away (even though I have family in Pennsylvania, it seems a bit more remote than NY or Massachusetts). I’m also having a bit of trouble deciding between the small rural campus or bustling city of NYC…
It would be great to hear from anyone who has experience with Bowdoin’s pre med, and how it stacks up against places like Barnard and Amherst. Thanks!
Bowdoin is known for its science departments! (Neuroscience especially but psychology is also respected as well) Amherst is more known for social sciences/prelaw. Bowdoin has a very collaborative environment so it is not cutthroat in anyway (not sure about Amherst, but I’ve heard Barnard can be stressful). You will have an advisor at Bowdoin, and there is a hospital in Brunswick, ME where you could volunteer and have an internship during the year if you want. Bowdoin also does a lot with research, more so than Amherst or Barnard. Brunswick, ME is a very cute suburban town 30 minutes north of Portland, ME, which is basically a smaller Boston. There’s stuff to do without being too distracted from a huge city. Amherst, MA is also nice. At Bowdoin, they would care about you as both a person and a student (common good); students love the school and the food/dorms/etc are all amazing. Great atmosphere. When I toured Amherst, I felt as if it was more preppy or uptight, whereas Bowdoin felt laid-back. It depends what you like. Whether you choose to attend Bowdoin or Amherst or Barnard really doesn’t matter; it’s what you do when you’re there and where you feel you can succeed. All three are great schools!
Bowdoin is a great college,and would be a great choice. All three would. I just thought I would clarify something from the last post. Amherst actually was the first college in America to have a neuroscience major, and it is a particular area of program strength there. This article ranks it as the best undergrad neuroscience program in the nation.
I also have no reason to think that Bowdoin has more research opportunities than Amherst (or that it has less). Both have plenty, more than you will ever need.
Both of them are great choices, and there are plenty of reasons to choose one over another. Just not that one.
Also thanks @2015snl! I’ve heard so many great things about Bowdoin that it’s hard to want to go anywhere else… Only worried that there might be more opportunities at Amherst/it has a better location. But I wonder if there’s less of an jock population at Bowdoin compared to Amherst… As someone who’s a non-varsity athlete (might play intramural soccer/row) I’m a bit worried about the number of athletes at Amherst and how that contributes to social life
Bowdoin pre-med/neuroscience major here. On top of everything else in this thread (which is all pretty accurate), I’d like to add that Brunswick really isn’t that isolated. It’s maybe 20 minutes further from Boston than Amherst and is connected to the Amtrak and Concord Bus routes. As for jock culture, I can’t speak for Amherst but here at Bowdoin it’s not an overly dominant part of the campus culture (unless you want it to be). Yeah, a lot of parties are hosted by and centered around the sports teams, but you’ll stop noticing it after freshman year. The pre-med support has been great. Bowdoin has a pretty laid-back and collaborative atmosphere, and the dining/housing/facilities are all great. Midcoast Hospital (~10 minutes away) has a great medical scribe program, and there are EMT classes offered all the time in the area. PM me if you have more specific questions.
All schools terrific. My D is trying to choose between Amherst and Biwdoin too. She is leaning toward B because she feels the students seem happier, but I completely disagree with first post. Amherst has a higher % of internationals, minirities and public school students. It felt extremely diverse on campus. Bowdoin has greater % of private school students and in my opinion feels way more “preppy”. Bowdoin is not remote anymore. It would have felt remote 30 years ago, but the Amtrak now goes directly to campus and Portland has had a real resurgence.
Sorry if I’m late.
I’ve been to both Amherst and Bowdoin (committed to Bowdoin now) and academically, the schools are almost indistinguishable . However, I was turned off by the Amherst environment. I thought I wouldn’t like Bowdoin because it’s known for being preppy and athletic but I love the Bowdoin students so much. Very very welcoming, supportive, laid back yet passionate and dedicated. Amherst is definitely more stressful than Bowdoin.
In all, I’d say, Bowdoin just has the happiest group of students. It’s hard to stop smiling when you’re on campus and surrounded by the amazing people, food, and everything.
Thanks @igloo256! I had a great visit at Bowdoin but am still a little torn. What specifically turned you off Amherst? I know people say it’s quite intense… Also how diverse did you find it?
Amherst may be the most economically and ethnically diverse top tier LAC in the country, rivaled only by Vassar. Bowdoin is a great school, and very inclusive, but it is not known for diversity.
Here’s a NY Times article about how Amherst changed itself from the all-prep school college it used to be years ago.
Hi @aussiestar ! I’m going to Bowdoin but I was considering Amherst as well so I might help. I loved that Bowdoin seemed well rounded - academics are strong, but they are not overwhelming to the point which you can’t do anything else. Amherst gave me the impression that the academics were so intense that it became stressful, and you barely had time to do anything else. I got this feeling from visiting and from researching around. For example, see these two articles by Amherst students:
