<p>I know that Bowdoin is a high-ranking, high-achieving school, but I’m wondering a) how intense the course load is and b) how competitive students are.</p>
<p>One of the reason my daughter applied was because of the general laid back nature of the students. They are very happy, well-balanced collaborative types. Many of the students are athletic, if not in the team sport sense then the type who enjoy hiking, skiing and enjoying outdoor activities, and so these kids are used to keeping work in perspective. The recommended course load for freshmen is 12 hours a semester. They have you take a bunch of placement tests online over the summer so the counselors know where to put you after you show them the courses you’d like to take. The core requirements and distribution requirements make for an interesting mix and it seems like many students who come in set on a major are wooed over to a completely new line of study after exposure to requirements in other areas. My daughter plans to major in Biology and is taking differential calculus, environmental studies, A philosophy course and an intensive writing/reading course which all freshmen take instead of English Comp/English Lit in any field they choose. She chose a government based writing class. They seem to have a very good writing lab to help students get through these intense writing courses. The classes are taught by the cream of the crop. For example the Intro Environmental Studies Course is taught by 3 full professors from 3 perspectives, that of a PhD from Johns Hopkins, a Social Scientist from Harvard, London School of Economics and U. Chicago, and a Humanist Professor from Oxford Cambridge. Even though Bowdoin does not require SATs, my daughter is someone who tested very well, took hard classes, wrote good essays and had shown some leadeship but she was not in the top 10% of her class, never played a sport and even had a couple of C’s on her transcript- so I think they really are looking for smart kids with a passion to learn and are NOT just interested in grades.</p>
<p>Manyamile… Thanks so much for all the info and hope for my DS. This school sounds like nirvana for him. We went to a admission event in our town where Bowdoin was there and they totally blew my S away. Unfortunately it may be a huge reach for my him. He also has high test scores, rigorous classes, school doesn’t rank, but grades are in the 3.5 range with an upward trend this year. I think he should apply though because it is a good fit. He is an Eagle Scout, OA lodge chief, Volunteer Fireman,search and rescue team, 750hrs community service, summers volunteering with conservation efforts all over the country. He is really looking for schools that would embrace his love of learning and passion for the outdoors. He has a pretty good list with some safety’s he loves too, but he would love to get into Bowdoin.</p>
<p>I think those conservation ECs will be especially appealing - he sounds like a wonderful fit! best of luck.</p>
<p>5boys–based on what you have said, you might also want to have your son look into colorado college</p>
<p>I’m currently a freshman at Bowdoin, and I can echo everything that manyamile said. People here really care about their studies, but they’re driven much more by passion than by competition.</p>
<p>ehoss… Thank you, Yes, Colorado College is also high on his list as well as Whitman. He is looking for a small school with discussion based classes and a big outdoor culture. He has Sewanee, and St. Lawrence also, they may be easier to get into for him. Hope to visit some of these schools this year. He will be in Vermont 2nd semester this year at The Mountain School, so hopefully we can visit during Spring Break. We are in CA. Does anyone know if a college is out for Spring Break if you can still visit? It looked like Bowdoin’s Spring Break is the same as my S’s school.</p>