@wisteria100, except c-c-cold-gate. Homerpuppy hates the cold. 
Yes it’s cold but I agree about Colgate and it’s always been on the list. But it’s a reach especially in RD.
I also think she’ll like Denison. I’ve visited and it does check her cute campus in nice town box for sure. I’ve heard Miami of Ohio is also a beautiful campus although not sure if it’s the best academic fit.
As reported on their comparable Common Data Sets, Colgate’s standardized scoring profile lands a hair higher than Bowdoin’s. By itself, this doesn’t make Colgate a tougher admit, of course, but it’s something to consider when evaluating the suitability of the two schools academically — i.e., however your daughter regards one academically, she should regard the other similarly, IMO.
@homerdog I hear you re: the quaintness factor. There were moments where my DS remarked that he felt like he was at Hogwarts, but there was something about the warmth factor that wasn’t there for him personally. I know BC is a wonderful place, and I was disappointed that he wasn’t as in love as I was. But it’s their journey. The intangible qualities that go into fit can’t be underestimated.
PS it was a major reach for DS, so it’s probably for the best.
@merc81 that’s interesting because I think of Bowdoin as having higher scores than Colgate. Bowdoin’s acceptance rate was less than Colgate’s last year. (14 percent to Colgate’s 25).
I have written in my notes that Bowdoin’s middle 50 ACT scores are 32-34 and Colgate’s are 31-34.
For SAT, Bowdoin math was 720-790 and EW was 700-760. Colgate SAT math 670-780 and EW 650-730.
These are class of 2023 numbers and I think they are accurate.
I’m really enjoying reading along as well! Reminds me so much of my son’s (very recent) journey. My son also did not fall in love with BC like so many do. While it’s a great school for sure (and, yes, the panel did a great job), we found it a bit cold-feeling… figuratively because it was a blue-sky spring day. Kind of the opposite of homey like Homerpuppy (love that!) seems to gravitate towards… and slightly convent-like.
Perhaps she prefers more Georgian/brick rather than Gothic/stone architecture campuses… gives a warmer feel regardless of climate. Richmond, Wake, Miami, Denison have that same feel. Miami was a great safety for S20… it is beautiful and homey… but it might feel a bit big. He also loved Colgate enough to go back for a second look… in the end, it was just too isolated for him… but that drive-up is killer.
Forgive me if I’m confusing this with another thread… because this might have been about 400 posts ago. Lafayette would also tick a lot of her boxes… was high on my son’s list… but I get that it’s hard when no one (in the whole Midwest it seems) has heard of it.
@TennisAddict7 lafayette keeps coming up. I think, if she cannot seem to choose an ED school, then she will have to cast a wider net and it may get added. Sounds like I should maybe look at F&M as well if that ends up being the case.
Keep in mind that Bowdoin is test optional. That means only students with high scores are generally submitting them. Colgate requires all applicants to submit either SAT or ACT scores.
Bowdoin class of 2023 acceptance rate was 8.9%. It’s the lowest of the NESCACs.
@ProfSD ill have to see if I can find what percent were TO at Bowdoin. S doesn’t know anyone who didn’t submit scores. Not that they all sit around and talk about that but it does come up from time to time I guess. (Like the other time when he asked me if I could find his Bowdoin supplemental essay because he and his friends all wanted to read each other’s - most likely thinking they’d all get a kick out of that, not as some competition).
Also, acceptance rates are pretty different between the two schools. That just makes me think Bowdoin is a tougher admit regardless of any report of scores. As we all know, though, those small schools also look for fit through recommendations and essays. It’s not all about scores.
And I can’t make any judgement about scores as far as this search goes since we are still waiting for D to take her first SAT next month.
Isn’t Bowdoin test optional? I think that tends to move scores up b/c students w/ lower scores who are accepted don’t submit them so they’re not in the calculation. Anyway, I think I’ve read that. Just something to keep in mind…maybe she’d apply w/o test scores depending how that plays out. ED w/ sibling preference – could work out! There are a surprising number of siblings at Davidson, I’ve found.
Bowdoin is TO, but does require all matriculating students to report test scores…and those are reflected in the CDS. 2019/20 CDS shows SAT composite mid 50% of 1340-1512(which must be a typo) and ACT 31-34. We don’t know the proportion of students (accepted or matriculating) who did not submit scores.
@Mwfan1921 thanks for the updated info! I must be one year off on my Bowdoin numbers!
So that you understand my source, these are the standardized scoring profiles* from the most recent Common Data Sets that can be compared (Colgate has yet to release a report for its most recent class), which represent the class of '22:
ACT composite
Colgate: 31–34
Bowdoin: 30–34
SAT EBRW
Bowdoin: 650–740
Colgate: 650–730
SAT Math
Colgate: 670–780
Bowdoin: 650–770
Bowdoin, however, enrolls more students (80%) from the top 10% of their high school classes than Colgate (77%).
*Note that all Bowdoin (and Colgate) students are required to submit standardized testing.
https://www.bowdoin.edu/admissions/at-a-glance/class-of-2023.html
This is where I got my Bowdoin numbers 
31 percent of the class of 2023 didn’t submit scores.
@homerdog I agree that Bowdoin seems like a tougher admit, regardless of the SAT/ACT score range. That acceptance rate is ridiculously low! We certainly treated it that way when D20 was looking at colleges. Colgate was on her list, and we considered it to be a bit easier admit than Bowdoin. Still very selective, but generally easier than Bowdoin. The only thing that moved Bowdoin equal with Colgate for us is that D20 is legacy (H is an alum). In the end we didn’t get to test that theory because she fell in love with Hamilton and was accepted ED, but Bowdoin still felt like a reach to us–even with the legacy status and potential EDII.
Well Bowdoin is a tougher admit in part because it is smaller than Colgate. At 3,000 students Colgate is 50% bigger than Bowdoin and lots of other lacs. That definitely makes it a tad easier to get accepted, especially for the unhooked applicant.
Makes sense…those test scores are from students who submitted scores with their applications, and the CDS reflects scores for all matriculants, including those who applied TO.
Re the F&M suggestion, we visited in the fall. Although the school has a lot going for it, I remember you mentioning trying to avoid difficult travel from Chicago. The area around Lancaster is gorgeous, but wow, did the trip back to PHL seem long to us! Perhaps we’d done too much driving in the few days prior, but even so, I wouldn’t call it an easy trip to F&M from Chicago. I could be wrong, but that may be an issue with Lafayette as well. Both have smaller airports nearby, but if you’re looking to go in and out of a major airport, those are trickier.
Splitting hairs IMO. Students at both colleges are bright, given those vary similar test scores.
Bowdoin, no doubt, gets more applications due to its top 5 USNews ranking, location, and other criteria.