I was accepted both to Bowdoin and Amherst RD and I’m having a very difficult time deciding where I want to go. I plan on studying Econ and definitely want to double major in some other subject as well. Can someone please help me decide?
Perhaps a bit rich coming from someone who transferred out of Bowdoin after my first year, but I had friends at Amherst and know a couple kids there now and have tracked Bowdoin’s tremendous efforts to become a less insular place than it was twenty years ago. While Amherst has remained essentially the same excellent school during this time, Bowdoin–though always great–has come into its own in terms of balancing the Boston Brahmin contingent with everyone else. And the food…my god, the food, is so good, whereas Amherst’s is famously unremarkable. No idea why Bowdoin of all the LACs puts this emphasis on food, but it really does enhance the experience. The new Wellness Center is awesome, too. Any idea what you’d like your second major to be? That might be the soundest basis for making the decision, at least if there’s an appreciable difference in reputation between the department at the two schools. In the past, Bowdoin’s location might have been considered a big disadvantage, being so remote. But with the arrival of Amtrak minutes from campus, I’d say the two schools break even, unless you have a real preference between gorgeous coastal Maine and the idyllic Berkshires.
Hi @ejohnson2016 ! I was looking at the two schools as well as many other NESCACs this year and eventually went ED to Bowdoin. From my perspective, the major assets Bowdoin had for me were proximity to the coast, the food, Brunswick (really the quintessential college town) integrated into the campus, the sports program I was looking for, the outstanding outing club, and it seemed more cooperative and less ‘cutthroat’ academically - people just seemed a lot more down to earth. I’m also going to double major, with music and something else, and it seems like (at least to me) Bowdoin has a great focus and appreciation for the arts. Also the mascot polar bear is a hell of a lot cooler than a Lord Jeff haha. I by NO means have a ton of experience, and what I’m saying could be just an impression I got, but this is just what I have gathered! Best of luck
I concur both are outstanding schools. Our middle daughter was faced with this choice back 5 years ago. She was torn but decided upon Amherst over Bowdoin. She really really loved both, but being a student of color she felt there was more ethnic and racial diversity at Amherst. Interestingly late June or early July she was accepted off of the waitlist and wound up going to Dartmouth. To this day she still feels she would have done fine and had fun at either school. Best of luck