<p>I feel like I might fit in better with the student body at Bowdoin and, because of the small size, I might be able to distinguish myself better. Bowdoin is in beautiful Maine, has great campus food, beautiful dorms, and is closer to ski mountains. I am worried though that the student body is more preppy, cliquey, and rich than that of Columbia. </p>
<p>Columbia--I'm a bit worried about the Core and if I would be able to handle all the work, as well as the time it takes away from exploring other disciplines. NYC is amazing and there isn't a better place for job opportunities, especially since I probably want to major in economics. Columbia is also more prestigous than Bowdoin. I do worry that Columbia's student body is a bit cold and unfriendly, and there isn't a real sense of campus unity or camraderie. </p>
<p>Also: Columbia did give me a lot more money than Bowdoin in the form of grants--is there any way to negotiate with Bowdoin about this?</p>
<p>As far as the actual school is concerned, I probably like Bowdoin more. But the opportunities for internships and the bonus of having NYC right there makes this a really difficult decision. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>one thing is for sure you cannot go wrong! as far as economics is concerned, columbia definitely beats out bowdoin and hey it is cheaper but i dont know about the sense of community. i imagine that bowdoins wins out but if the weather is awful 9 months out of the year, i kind of doubt it</p>
<p>"Columbia is also more prestigous than Bowdoin. I do worry that Columbia's student body is a bit cold and unfriendly, and there isn't a real sense of campus unity or camraderie. "</p>
<p>This is the same issue I have. Columbia is more prestigious, but I feel like the Tufts camraderie takes the cake...as I discuss on my Columbia or Tufts thread.</p>
<p>"Columbia--I'm a bit worried about the Core and if I would be able to handle all the work"</p>
<p>I think if you got in, you will. Unless you seriously slack off I would not worry too much, they make the core accessible to someone majoring in any discipline, so it isn't extremely difficult.</p>
<p>"as well as the time it takes away from exploring other disciplines"</p>
<p>if you are completely unsure of what you want to study and are exploring like 10 fields, the core might hurt you, but most come in having to decide between 2-4 disciplines.</p>
<p>and you want to major in economics!! - columbia is just awesome for this, the best profs i've had have been econ profs - they were life changing.</p>
<p>"I do worry that Columbia's student body is a bit cold and unfriendly, and there isn't a real sense of campus unity or camraderie"</p>
<p>I felt this way, and it was slightly the case at first, but the longer I spent at columbia the more I found my groove and sets of friends. Now I feel like a smaller community would have suffocated me over 4 years. Most people get into the swing of things and like columbia considerably more as the semester pass.</p>
<p>Let up on columbia if you feel you can't be happy here.</p>
<p>Come to Days on Campus at columbia. Forum posts isn't a good way to decide how to spend 4 years of your life. If they can't sell you in a weekend of seeing for yourself, then by all means go to Bowdoin.</p>
<p>Completely beside the point, but, the S of the president of Bowdoin goes to Columbia.</p>
<p>I agree you should re-visit both. They are very different experiences. Pick the one that feels like you. Don't pick based on fear that you won't be able to handle the work. You will.</p>
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i can't believe you're actually considering this no name school over one of the top 10 schools in the country
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<p>Bowdoin isn't exactly a no-name school. It's ranked 7th among Liberal Arts Colleges by USNews, ahead of schools like Wesleyan, Vassar, and Haverford.</p>
<p>Also, I don't believe you won't be able to find anyone you like. Seriously, my high school is a total prep heaven to the extreme and I'm not like that at all. Before I went there I thought I would hate everyone, but I actually have like 14 friends, with seven of them being very close friends (may or may not seem like a lot to you but I like it :)). |Also, the preps turn out to be really nice people once you get to know them. </p>
<p>But yeah, revisit and look see if you feel like you could fit in and then decide :)</p>
<p>Bowdoin is an excellent school. And, Columbia is not a comfortable place for everyone. It's because they offer such different experiences, and because people seek different things out of their undergraduate experiences, that I suggest revisiting.</p>
<p>Not only is Bowdoin #7(Ahead of Haverford, Wash U, and Dartmouth on the university lists) but for UNDERGRADUATE education, it is so much better, I think, than Columbia. You can go to a great university for grad school where you will develop your skillset, but Bowdoin will teach you how to think in small seminars that encourage participation, where your voice is heard as unique and meaningful, and where teachers will be mentors cheering and pushing you on. You dont get that at a hugh school, and now is when you need it. WHy are people who are smart enough to get into ivy league schools so obsessed with numbers and superficial impressions? This is your life, not some fashion show...</p>
<p>ekmom, you seem to have confused Columbia with a state school, perhaps Berkeley? The beauty of a place like Columbia is that even though it is a large university with the resources that comes with being so large, it offers a lot of the benefits of attending a small college in terms of educational opportunities.</p>
<p>All of the core classes are taught in small sections that are capped at either 21 or 15ish. Many core sections are taught by professors, and those that arent are taught by graduate students who a) are selected through a rigorous and competitive application process and b) are some of the top graduate students in the country since they're at Columbia. I had a grad student for Lit Hum, and it was a wonderful experience. My roommate had the english departments top James Joyce Scholar, Mike Seidel as his professor and he had a great time as well. My CC professor, who went to Columbia College, then got his PhD at Columbia, is going to be director of the Core Curriculum starting this summer, and will still be teaching.</p>
<p>And once you've selected a major and taken some foundational lecture, you take small seminars with all the "star faculty" you hear about. As a history major I had the option of taking a seminar with the likes of Simon Schama, Kenneth Jackson, and next year Eric Foner will be one of the supervising professors for senior theses. In Econ, another of the most popular majors at Columbia, the nobel prize winners teach undergraduates, and the seminar selection is just a ridiculously good as in history. I'm pretty certain you'll have a similar experience in the science departments.</p>
<p>Go to Bowdoin because you don't want to go to school in New York City, but in a mopre pastoral setting. This is understandably appealing to some students. Go to Bowdoin because you want to attend a small intimate college instead of a big university. I'll be the first to admit that Columbia can be a frustratingly opaque faceless monster at times. But don't turn down Columbia if you think the faculty bigwigs don't teach undergraduates or you won't be taking classes in intimate settings. You will.</p>
<p>Visit both schools, and go with your gut. Be happy and enjoy your four years of college wherever you go.</p>
<p>Yeah, but they are still ranked lower than Bowdoin in their respective category. Look, I am sure many people have many different experiences at both Bowdoin and Columbia. Two close friends of mine felt very ignored at Columbia as undergrads. One transferred to Pomona, the other to Swarthmore. They both felt the intimacy with professors made the difference. Maybe it has to do with everyone's individual needs--some people go to college and are more self starters. Others need support. Sure I resent put downs of Bowdoin cause it may not have the same name thing going on as Columbia. But I also think if you focus too much on prestige you're missing the boat, since the fit of the school counts more than anything.</p>
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Yeah, but they are still ranked lower than Bowdoin in their respective category.
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<p>This is called comparing apples and oranges. I mean, that's like saying the Cleveland Cavaliers are better than the Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns because the latter two teams are ranked lower than the Cavs in their respective conference.</p>
<p>LACs and Universities are very different beasts, much like the Eastern and Western conferences have been in the last decade ;)</p>
<p>QUOTE: This is called comparing apples and oranges.
Comparing colleges to sports teams is also comparing apples to oranges. Teams win or lose games and have final scores. College life is not like this. Hopefully, anyway.</p>
<p>You've missed the point. I made an analogy. You made a faulty direct comparison. </p>
<p>It's that each of the categories (LAC, University, East, West) are ranked vis a vis others in the category, therefore the rankings in and of themselves are almost useless in comparing cross categories. Some of the underlying data might be helpful though. </p>
<p>Just as the Cavs being ranked 4th in the East tells you nothing about their relative merit compared to teams in the West (you can check the head-to-head record instead, e.g. the Cavs are 0-4 against the Suns and Rockets, despite those teams being ranked lower in their rankings), being ranked 7th among LACs tells you almost nothing about Bowdoin relative to the major universities.</p>