<p>So sorry to hear you feel administration is lacking. DS graduated last May and throughout the 4 years at Bowdoin we had nothing but excellent experiences dealing with any part of the process. Maybe here in Maine folks take a more relaxed approach but don’t misinterpret that as vague or inept. Being part of the Bowdoin community will, I’m sure , be a wonderful time and an enriching experience.
Good luck and congratulations for choosing Bowdoin!</p>
<p>Perhaps they were work study students who were instructed to be a little vague about dates since the mailings were in process…or were being sent out over the course of a few days. I certainly hope you don’t have to suffer through game playing. That would be awful.</p>
<p>I think orientation trip sign up is electronic - it’s submission of a form via Blackboard. S received an orientation packet on Monday 5/13 (postmarked from Brunswick 5/9) that had all this information.</p>
<p>Should I be concerned if we haven’t seen an orientation packet yet? We are only in NH so I would have thought it would be here by now…? Anyone else not received his/her packet yet?</p>
<p>liddyb4-- our experience for the past 3 years has been nothing like that. We have received e-mail responses within 24 hours to every e-mail and generally have reached a helpful person by phone (or return call that day) every time we’ve called. On one occasion, a staff member from one office gave a more precise answer to an e-mail question I had sent to two offices because I was not sure which had authority in that regard. First answer wasn’t wrong. Second was just more closely tailored to our situation. Offices dealt with: Registrar, Res life, Dean, Bursar, Athletics, Student Employment/Aid, Security. What surprised me was that the course registration process was not online before now. S finally will get to register online for his final semester.</p>
<p>liddyb4 wrote: “Case in point - it seems utterly shocking that the orientations don’t have electronic submission sign up. So my S calls the school and asks for guidance - and the woman at the other end of the phone seemed stupefied by his phone call.” </p>
<p>Am I to understand that he asked clerical staff why the college didn’t have electronic registration? Is this the context of the difficulty you encountered?</p>
<p>Other random restaurants nearby or within an hour’s drive:</p>
<p>Brunswick:
Big Top Deli – Ultracasual, self serve, not expensive, relaxed.</p>
<p>Topsham </p>
<p>Freeport:
Azure Cafe – Casual, medium expensive, classy.
Gritty’s – Pub atmosphere, beer beer beer, sometimes loud.
Derosier’s – Low key, inexpensive, subs-n’-pizza self-serve, relaxed.</p>
<p>Damariscotta:
King Eider’s Pub – Pub atmosphere, very cozy.</p>
<p>Portland:
Old Port Sea Grill – Upscale casual, traditional, moderately expensive, classy.
Silly’s – Hippy joint, inexpensive, upbeat, alternative, hard to find.
Street & Co – High-end, expensive, romantic, somewhat hard to find, artisan seafood menu.</p>
<p>Random lodging a bit out of the way: (Assuming your flight isn’t the next day out, and it’s just you two.)</p>
<p>Boothbay Region:
Spruce Point Inn – Ocean front lodges, expensive with weird hidden fees, classy-romantic; to get away from those “just lost my kid to college” blues. Takes a while to get to. You may not want to leave.</p>
<p>Nobleboro:
Mills Pond Inn – Quaint, adorable, romantic. Moderately priced, sometimes very limited availability. Also good for getting rid of the blues. Can’t recall if it allows younger children. Yes, you have to leave.</p>
<p>For the adventurous:
Monhegan Island:
Monhegan Island Inn – Old style inn on an artist’s retreat island; accessed by ferry. May be cold (wind chill 30F) at times in late August, or temperate. Ferry not for the sea-sick. All foot-paths and hiking trails on the island. Only tolerable for a day or so.</p>
<p>Day trips somewhat out of the way:</p>
<p>Camden-Rockport-Rockland – That Down-East feel; Rockland Breakwater Light. Ferry to Isleboro from Lincolnville.</p>
<p>Owl’s Head Lighthouse – Spectacular view; tiny, beautiful pocket beach with picnic bench. No dogs, plox.</p>
<p>D is a rising senior and she spent the summer of her 1st year and this summer working/doing research, so the W & I have spent many a long weekend in the area. If the Inn is full, the Capt Daniel Stowe Inn is nice. Also check out he hotels/B&Bs in Brunswick and Freeport. Many great things to do in the area, museums, historic sights, outlet shopping, as well as excellent dining, both very casual like the 5 Island Lobster Co to the trendy Tao… Let me know if you need additional info.</p>
<p>So much great information on this drama-free thread! Any suggestions for a good bank in town, or is it better to help our son set up a banking/checking account before getting into Brunswick? Somewhere I read that there is BOA ATM on campus.</p>
<p>When S started at Bowdoin in 2010, we opened a TD Bank student checking account for him because it was the no-fee ATM on campus and also a convenient bank at home, but shortly afterwards, Bowdoin’s contract for ATM changed. We kept the TD account as there is a branch at the Hannaford’s grocery store next to campus and still convenient at home. Though I am not a booster of Big Banks, to minimize fees, it probably is a good idea to have an account at a bank that has many ATMs so S can use them w/o fee in Brunswick and elsewhere. It took a while for S to realize that paying $5 in bank fees to take out $20 didn’t make sense.</p>
<p>We are in the process of doing the bank thing too. A friend who is a rising Senior suggested Bank of America. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>S just finished his first year, he has BofA; we have a branch in our town and it’s there as well. He hasn’t mentioned there being any issues. My bank account isn’t there, but I can deposit money in his account here as needed.</p>
<p>If the ATM in Coles Tower currently is Bank of America and student is likely to hit the ATM often, that probably is a good choice because there are so many BOA branches/ATMs wherever you go and student can avoid fees. We got S his own credit card his junior year and now he uses that for most of his purchases and just makes his monthly payments from his checking account. He seems to use little cash.</p>
<p>Debating whether to sign up for this for our son or to just stay with our regular health insurance plan for coverage. I know that everyone’s different, but any thoughts/suggestions? If he has a cold/bronchitis and is seen at Student Health is that type of visit covered regardless of whether one signs up for Bowdoin Student Health Insurance?</p>
<p>^^I got the same goodies in the mail yesterday and had the same question :)</p>
<p>Has anyone figured out the answer to this question yet? I don’t want to opt out of basic student health services, but we will probably keep d on our own insurance for major coverage.</p>
<p>Bowdoin students seem to keep their shoes outside their rooms in wood storage boxes. Do those come with the room? If not, suggestions on what to bring for shoes/boots?</p>
<p>Bowdoin health insurance - I think we’re going to waive this, but I’m still not sure…</p>
<p>Microwave/fridge rental - This revelation made my week; will not have to take up half the storage space in the car for this!</p>
<p>Shoe storage box - very cute! Very Asian thing to remove shoes upon entering the house (which I always do!)</p>
<p>Bowdoin College Facebook post said 40 days till move-in day (as of yesterday)
OMG!!! </p>
<p>Son is in a Quint, that sounds like a lot of people for a 2 bedroom/1 common room suite…</p>
<p>RockRidger, S was in one of the Bricks first year and the shoe cubbies were outside all the rooms, provided by the college, and yes, they were very handy. He lived in a social house sophomore year and I’m not sure the cubbies were there, but they might have been. As for footwear, besides whatever everday stuff your student wears, by the time there’s the likelihood of snow, be sure to have boots or other footwear that will be good for at least several inches of snow, and heavy socks. LL Bean is in Freeport, 20 minutes south of Brunswick, and many students pick up a pair of Bean boots there.</p>
<p>itsallgood1 – We have a BlueCross/Blue Shield policy and had to use it for S only once in his three years. He slipped and fell one winter night and was afraid he’d broken his nose, so he went to one of the local ERs to get checked out. We just had to pay the ER co-pay under our BC/BS policy. We have waived the Bowdoin policy each year. Bowdoin Health Services seems to cover most of the run-of-the-mill illnesses and have free prescriptions for the most commonly used. S was treated for a sinus infection and got meds for that and that’s about it. No charge to us. You have to check your own health plan to be sure coverage will be adequate. S played a varsity sport, but we had no need to get any additional coverage for possible injury as our personal policy covered sports-related injuries.</p>