Bowdoin vs Amherst

Colleges and Universities A-Z Bowdoin College
1

<p>Bowdoin vs Amherst: Tough choice! both appealing for similar/different reasons:

  • Likely major: neuroscience
  • Grant portion of Amherst fin aid package is double that of Bowdoin (About $6,000 diff, not a deal-breaker but worth noting) – though today I got a letter from Bowdoin saying I’ve been named a Faculty Scholar and get a one-time $3,000 stipend for research, travel, etc. so that’s good…
  • I like the Amherst area/five-college consortium, but then again, there’s something about the rugged Maine coast thing and Portland’s cool …
  • I am outdoorsey (backpacking et al), play jazz trumpet, run XC (recruited at Amherst; interest from Bowdoin coach but not to same degree).
    – Bowdoin has a much better Outing Club! And an ocean…
  • Food is better at Bowdoin; polar bears are better mascots than “Lord Jeffs” (what isn’t)!!
  • Amherst is closer to Boston, has no core and is higher rated</p>

<p>Thoughts?</p>

2

<p>is Amherst actually closer to Boston? I drove there from here, and it took about 5 hours - it's only 2:15-2:30 from here to Boston.</p>

3

<p>I'm told it's about 1-1/2 or 2 hours max. by car from Amherst to Boston. My brother goes to Williams (1.30 hours drive west of Amherst) and he's driven to Boston from Williamstown a couple of times in 3-1/2 hours in fairly lousy weather...I'm too tired to do the simple math but it seems to add up, more or less. But O.K., not much difference between Amherst and Bowdoin there...now my choice is harder!</p>

4

<p>Amherst is slightly closer to Boston than Bowdoin (1 1/2 hours versus about two hours). FWIW, Bowdoin is very strong in neuroscience . . .</p>

5

<p>Well, at the risk of sounding downright protective of the Bowdoin student body....if you can't decide which college to attend, go to Amherst. Why? Because Bowdoin kids are generally more down to earth and not as full of themselves. If you can't notice this difference, you are Amherst material for sure ;)</p>

<p>Other than that, proximity to Boston, what we call our mascots, etc. are usually toward the lower end of the "tip the scales" spectrum. You will find, most likely, that hanging with your friends at school will become more important than how close Boston is :)</p>

6

<p>anitapita:
Of course, there are much more relevant reasons to choose between/attend any of the top 10-12 LACs than most if not all those I cited...sorry, that really wasn't meant to be taken seriously (except for the financial aid part, unfortunately) and I hope you didn't. I'm in Florida and given time/expense haven't visited either school yet. I've been in touch with students/alum/coaches/professors and read everything I can find to try to differentiate from a distance between two superb schools that each stand out in more important ways, tangible and intangible, than those on my late-night list of mostly minor/trivial stuff ...the visits will help. Then, it may boil down to financial aid. Thanks for input. And true about Boston; no matter where I end up I'd probaby make that road trip once a year tops!</p>

7

<p>"Well, at the risk of sounding downright protective of the Bowdoin student body....if you can't decide which college to attend, go to Amherst. Why? Because Bowdoin kids are generally more down to earth and not as full of themselves. If you can't notice this difference, you are Amherst material for sure"</p>

<p>Have you spent much time at Amherst? I don't find this to be the case at all. I think the student bodies are likely extremely similar at both schools.</p>

<p>athiker, have you visited Amherst? It's a lovely school in a wonderful area.</p>

8

<p>Congratulations on your acceptance to Amherst. Have a ball.</p>

9

<p>yeah, both student bodies are probably pretty similar, like most places...some down-to-earth, some not, etc. Obviously most are very protective and proud of their respective schools, a good sign!</p>

10

<p>anitapita don't make us Bowdoin students look closed minded.</p>

11

<p>(because by and large, we aren't)</p>

12

<p>Ouch! ;) Oliver you are such the board police. :)</p>

13

<p>Actually if your interested in neuroscience, Bowdoin would be better. Just perusing through the Amherst course catalog, I have noticed that Amherst does not have as many courses for neuroscience majors. We have courses ranging from Molecular Neurobiology to Neuronal Regeneration to Laboratory in Behavioral Neuroscience: Social Behavior (in which you get to use live animals and perform neurosurgery on them). Just something you might want to consider.</p>

14

<p>:-p</p>

<p>I wish I had your smiley face making skill.</p>

15

<p>Students at Bowdoin find so much to do at Bowdoin that they rarely go to Boston for something to do. Don't make your decision on location to the city. Visit on accepted student days and see what feeling you have after each....</p>

16

<p>:) :) :) ;) ;) ;)</p>

17

<p>argh my internet achilles heel!</p>

<p>:-(</p>

18

<p>I was wait-listed at Oberlin and Vassar but accepted at Bowdoin. Now I see people comparing Bowdoin with Amherst. Wow. I know I wouldn't have gotten into Amherst. How did I get in here?
I'm quite excited.</p>

19

<p>Bowdoin is rated higher than both Oberlin and Vassar...slightly lower than Amherst. But they are all comparable schools, in the end. Just goes to show what a crap-shoot college admissions is.</p>

20

<p>If your brother goes to Williams, you just have to go to Amherst to keep up their rivalry:)</p>