<p>I am among the freshman entering the College in the fall( only a few weeks away). I absolutely love Bowdoin and everything, although I haven’t visited the campus since I am an international student. Before a few week ago, I had hardly heard a few complaints about the College, even though I had read hundreds of student college reviews and had talked to a few currently enrolled polar bears( including one from my native country). Sure, there was ‘it might be isolated for some’ and ‘Maine winters are cc-cold’; one international student said that the place is very white, but almost everyone concurred that mostly everyone was very friendly, helpful, albeit a little preppy, laid back and down to earth.Recently, however, I have been starting to have a few doubts about my decision to attend Bowdoin. Maybe it’s the nerves, may it is the varied CC threads I have been obsessively following. Recently, all I have been reading regarding Bowdoin usually has something or the other to say about the extreme preppiness of the students, and how filthy rich the student body is, how it is populated by ivy-rejected snobs who look down on those different from them like minority students, non-jocks etc. I know most of this is complete baloney, since I am a member of the Class of 2017 Facebook group and know the student body to be more multidimensional than portrayed in stereotypes, but I also recognized some attitudes that corroborated with those stereotypes. For instance, I tried contacting my roommate several times but she would promptly appear offline as soon as I would send her a FB message. So maybe people are not that friendly. I know I’m ranting but I am just worried whether I’d fit in. I am a minority/international student, on a full ride-ish scholarship/finaid(so not at all rich), not very preppy or very sporty, but with an intellectual bent. I would appreciate any advice, opinion, refutation, clarification, tip on surviving the first year and fitting in etc etc.</p>
<p>It’s natural to get nervous, but I think your original feel for the school is closer to what you will experience when you get there. I know the kids at Bowdoin from my kids’ school are really nice kids (and they are international like you). You will form your own group of friends and I think in about 6 weeks you will be surprised you were concerned. Who knows about your roommate, there could be other explanations, but it is true that not every roommate is the perfect match. But, you both have your own interests, friends and classes…you aren’t required to be best friends with your roommate (I think the perfect roommate, is a bit like the fairy tale with the prince riding up on a white horse…). It is also hard as time is getting short before you need to leave home, and thus everything gets a bit more stressful, even social media. Hold tight to your previous feelings and excitement about Bowdoin, and enjoy the next few weeks at home…you have four years ahead with the new group of friends you will make (and I am sure there are others who also would categorize themselves the same way you did). I certainly never got the feel that Bowdoin is a cookie cutter school.</p>
<p>It’s a bunch of down to earth peeps living in a freezer. Lots of overlapping social circles, most of them normal. As for the wealthy participants, don’t hold their culture against them. Read the Bowdoin Orient and the Bowdoin Twitter feed. Enjoy.</p>
<p>Thanks, GvaMom and PolarBearVsShark. I guess a lot of this insecurity is coming from the fact that I am leaving home soon to go study in a foreign country. What do you guys have to say in regards to the level of preppy culture at Bowdoin?</p>
<p>I think you find what you look for. Some of the kids might be preppy, but maybe because they don’t really know any different. Take the opportunity to introduce some of them to something else…that is part of what going to a LAC like Bowdoin is all about…learning and growing. I can think of other schools that I would much more easily categorize as preppy, but East Coast has always been more preppy than other parts of the US, so I might expect it a bit more anyway. I think PBvS is right, you will find predominantly, a cross section of normal young adults from across the US with the added spice of some Internationals like and totally unlike yourself. That is part of what admissions is looking for when they form a class. If you were looking for what you are used to, you (and all your classmates) would have applied to a local school. </p>
<p>I love Bowdoin, it is a great school in a terrific area (even if it is a freezer). It deserves the outstanding reputation it has…enjoy the next four years!</p>
<p>BenjaminBraddock,</p>
<p>I am also a freshman this year. Can’t wait to meet you on campus! I’m also international</p>
<p>And, it’s getting cold now, isn’t it? And dark. You see, you have brought it all upon yourselves.</p>
Hi Benjamin Braddock, I’m also an international student who is currently not sure about my decision of choosing Bowdoin…I went visit but I didn’t feel the vibe of the very warm, caring student body as described by many other people. I did feel that the school was pretty white and preppy… I’m not sure if this is not the actual feeling I will get once I start my college experience there but i just want to know about your experience of attending Bowdoin (I assume that you’re a Sophomore now?). Thanks a lot!
Bowdoin is close to where I lived most of my life and where I live in the summer. It may feel “white” because of the town more than the school. Maine is a predominantly white state, but I suspect that Bowdoin has worked hard to create a diverse student body. The campus is lovely, and the school small enough for personal attention. Brunswick is a great little Maine town with good restaurants and plenty close to Freeport and Portland. It is considered a privilege to attend school there.
hi shifanfei,
i’m also a member of the class of 2019. bowdoin’s been my top choice for nearly two years now, so i always knew i was going to attend if i got in. i went to the open house about a month ago, and i have to say it made me even more excited than i thought i could be. i don’t know if you went as well, but i had a really positive experience.
almost all of the prospective members of 2019 i met were friendly, funny, intelligent and very nice people. everyone else seemed really excited about bowdoin too. all the students we met on campus were extremely friendly – one guy saw us standing around with our prospie folders and asked if we wanted to see the college houses. another time i was standing on the cafeteria line talking to another prospie, and the guy overheard our conversation and asked us if there was anything we wanted to know about the school. another guy randomly showed us around his dorm. we spent a lot of time at the outing club and they remembered us when we came the next day and carried on the conversation. i visited a class and talked to the professor afterwards and she gave me her information in case i had any questions. i met the president of the college’s wife and she offered to help me get a summer job at emily’s list next year! basically what i mean to say is everyone was extremely helpful and friendly and wanted to help in any way. it really did feel like they were welcoming us into the community. i could go on and on – there were other instances that i could have easily added to this, but you get the point.
as for the diversity issue, the school is about 65% white, white the US itself is about 77% white. so while there’s obviously still room for improvement, bowdoin is actually more diverse than the country it’s in.
i hope this helps just the smallest bit! see you on campus in a few months!
^^^^^ None of this surprises me one bit…
Bowdoin is a wonderful school. The staff and faculty bend over backwards to help the students and the students,
in turn, seem to fully appreciate the privilege of a Bowdoin education. The students possess a rare combination of intelligence, friendliness and optimism. It is uplifting to visit campus and see everyone committed to excellence .