I was accepted to Yale through SCEA in December and decided to only apply to Bowdoin in the RD round. I was recently accepted, and now I’m faced with this difficult decision. Before deciding on applying to Yale SCEA, my list was mainly comprised of small LACs like Bowdoin because I really valued the familiarity and closeness of a small school experience. However, I love Yale and a lot of the invaluable opportunities I would have there. I am scared of being in huge lectures (instead of small discussion based classes) and not being able to form close relationships with my professors and instead being taught by TFs. I don’t want to be blinded by prestige, but Yale’s prestige would also help in the future (I would like to hopefully attend med school). I could see myself being happy at both schools, but I don’t know which to choose. Does anyone have any advice about this decision?
Yale
If you are accomplished and smart enough to gain admission to Yale and Bowdoin, you will get into medical school so your decision should be focused more on the type of undergraduate experience you want to have and less on perceptions of prestige. Medical schools don’t care very much about your academic pedigree. What they do care about are academic performance (particularly in the core pre med science classes), MCAT scores, recommendations, experience/motivation as regards medicine, and their impression of you when you interview. You will not harm your chances of gaining admission to medical school by choosing Bowdoin nor will you substantially improve your chances by choosing Yale. Decide where you would be happiest for 4 years and don’t look back.
I suspect you have visited both schools. Both are excellent as you already know. Think about the setting. If you want to be in a smaller quaint town (I am from about 10 miles north of Bowdoin) then Bowdoin is definitely a good choice. If you want a larger city and easy access to the even larger cities nearby then Yale would be your choice. Research opportunities, if desired, are likely to come more easily at Yale.
It really depends on the type of experience you have! Bowdoin is known for small classes with great professors whom you will become close with over the years. It is easy to get involved with research on campus either during the year or over the summer and close bonds with teachers leads to great recommendations for graduate school. Smaller school=more research available to undergrad students. Many Bowdoin students go on to medical school and Bowdoin is really strong in the sciences! As I’m not a Yale student, I can’t really compare the two.
The setting of each school is also vastly different. Yale is in New Haven (not my cup of tea), which is very different than Brunswick, which is a small quaint New England town. It is the perfect college town in my opinion as there are many restaurants, a few movie theaters, and cute little shops. Freeport and Portland are 15-30 minutes away and they are great places to explore; Bowdoin provides free shuttles to both. There is also a train that is a 2-3 minute walk from campus that goes to Boston, so getting around is super simple. Brunswick is also right next to the ocean (it has its own coastal studies center) and a short drive from the mountains. The Bowdoin Outing club provides a lot of trips around Maine, which is a beautiful state (as you will learn through your pre-o trip if you enroll).
I would also say the atmospheres are very different at both schools. Bowdoin students work very hard, however they are not competitive with each other and rarely if ever talk about grades. People study together and everyone is very friendly. Professors are extremely accessible and can help you out whenever. You can even ask one to lunch (#1 ranked food in the US btw) and I’ve become close with many of my professors even as a first year. I can’t speak for Yale as I don’t know.
What do you plan on studying? Do you plan on studying abroad? What kind of atmosphere do you want?
OP you can’t go wrong. Two amazing options. post #2 addresses you career path and ^ addresses quality of life.
They are very different places and will give you different experiences.
S # 1 is at Yale and we came back last month from visiting Bowdoin for S # 2 – loved it. You are a very fortunate student to have the privilege of making such a choice.
Do your campus visit days. Go with your instinct and don’t look back. Go for what you want / need for the person you are NOW, not who you imagine yourself to be in a couple of decades.