<p>Does anyone know any potential negatives to Bodwoin? (also: what’s the workload like and how achievalbe is it to obtain A’s.)</p>
<p>As an adult visitor to Bowdoin recently, I didn't notice any downside or negatives. It is an academically superior LAC in a small town New England coastal setting. I suspect that a school of 1700 students in a small Maine town could become a bit too familiar for some.</p>
<p>downsides would be if you didnt like a school in rural maine in the north with a small student body and no d1 sports program. then there are negatives..</p>
<p>things you cant deny are great are their dorms, teachers, classes, food, academics and close knit community</p>
<p>It truly is a liberal arts school- if you're considering engineering or business, it's probably not your best bet. It also depends on the setting you want. Oh, and some of my friends don't like it because it's so preppy-that's another individual thing.</p>
<p>Wneckid99 one of my friends is in a 3-2 program for Engineering and Bowdoin has about 3 of them. If you planned to study business then Bowdoin doesn't have them but they have a lot of business opportunities and companies that come for recruiting even if you didn't major in economics. They also have a helpful career planning center who literally throw a lot of help your way. Also the school is as big or small as you make it. I talk to a lot of different people and I feel you can definitely find your niche. It's small enough that you know faces but big enough that the diversity in personalities of people is huge. You don't have to be around preppy people if you don't want to. I would advise against narrowminded about that though because everyone has a story and things to offer which you may miss because of stereotypes. However if this is important to you decision by all means consider it.</p>
<p>To answer your question my main downside learning that there is way more to do than I can handle in my time here and trying to seize as much opportunities as I can without overwhelming myself. Also I came to the sharp realization that I did not have college all figured out as it was a big adjustment for me. I got a lot of help and support and now I'm all good. I tell people not to come here thinking they're the best thin since sliced bread because people who turned down Stanford, Columbia, Darthmouth, Cornell and the like still get here and realize it's a different playing field where everyone or at least most people help each other out. Also if you can't do cold Maine may not be the best bet for you. The buildings are pretty close together and heated so it's not a big problem but if that is a top priority then Bowdoin may not be the best choice.</p>
<p>bowdoin is amazing! i went to the discovery weekend, not expecting it to be so great, and it's really wonderful.</p>
<p>It's funny, sometimes what one thinks is a negative as a twenty year old becomes a positive when one looks back on life as a more experienced adult. I understand your post, but negatives are everywhere, it just depends on how one responds to them. Keep and open mind where ever you happen to land.</p>
<p>The workload is heavy, but the atmosphere is not competitive. Grades are hard earned, as they should be.</p>
<p>it has d1 cross-country skiing and sailing so it’s not a total loss in that area.</p>
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How many students are pursuing the 3-2 engineering program and how many actually complete it? How many are able to transfer to CalTech after 3 years?</p>
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<p>Bowdoin is NCAA Division III for skiing, and for all other NCAA sports. However, the ski team competes in the same events with Division I ski teams, as well as other Division III ski teams, because there aren’t enough NCAA ski teams in New England to support separate DI and DIII schedules. </p>
<p>Bowdoin also competes with larger schools in sports like sailing and squash, but in these cases the DI/DIII distinction technically does not apply, because these sports aren’t sponsored or sanctioned by the NCAA.</p>
<p>any non-athletic downsides?</p>
<p>socially: </p>
<p>some people say its a little cliquey but other people disagree and say that they and most people they know have different friends and different groups who they know through different activities and are meeting new friends all the time</p>
<p>other people say that its a little to jocky, but any school of Bowdoin’s size is going to have a good percent of its student body involved in varsity sports, and Bowdoin is especially well known for having students who are passionate about many different things (sports, politics, nature, science, great books, etc), are open minded, and don’t really fit any definition or stereotype</p>
<p>some people say that there’s too much drinking, but hey, it’s a college, and, if i’m not mistaken, i think a record number of kids roomed in the chem free dorms this year</p>
<p>academics:</p>
<p>USNWR ranked it as the 6th best liberal arts college in the country…i mean if you’re a ratings whore you might want to do Williams or Amherst instead, but otherwise Bowdoin’s a pretty phenomenal school</p>
<p>Tzar, are you a Bowdoin student?</p>
<p>Two current Bowdoin students here:</p>
<p>There is no such thing as a downside to Bowdoin. Princeton Review ranks Bowdoin as having the fourth best quality of life in the US. Food is outstanding, academics are top-notch, students are glad to be at such a great place.</p>
<p>You could make the argument that one doesn’t see enough of the omnipotent Randy Nichols in one day, but other than that this thread is untenable.</p>
<p>Lol, not yet- Class of 2013.</p>
<p>I got in ED, but i talked to a bunch of current students on facebook and CC before i applied.</p>
<p>any of you guys going for the open house session?</p>
<p>yup. on the 17th.</p>
<p>hmm it’s quite difficult for me to arrange to visit since i live in FL, but i think ill be going on the 20th. maybe we can compare our experiences/opinions afterward :)</p>
<p>I like the school but I honestly don’t love Bowdoin.
I even know quite a few upper-classmen that attempted to transfer out but didn’t because of financial reasons.
Nowhere is perfect, not even Bowdoin.</p>
<p>Erroneous.</p>