haverford vs. bowdoin

<p>Hi guys,</p>

<p>I just was wondering if anyone had any opinions on attending Haverford College vs. Bowdoin College as a transfer. I was admitted to both, and have to decide by next friday.</p>

<p>They were two of my top schools so I'm really excited about both.</p>

<p>My prospective major would be Government at Bowdoin w/ a Latin American Studies minor/concentration. At Haverford it would be Poli Sci w/ a Latin American Studies minor/concentration.</p>

<p>Also, at Haverford I have a really good / almost definite chance of playing soccer (have already talked w/ the coach and I am can go to pre-season training in Brazil w/ them). Bowdoin, is less of a sure thing. They finished second in the NESCAC last year and the few kids who I know of on the team are really really talented players, probably above my level. The coach said I could try to walk on, but he didn't seem as optimistic.</p>

<p>What to do???</p>

<p>Would you rather be in Maine or PA???? That plays a big role in your decision...It is very cold and snowy in Maine...no where near a city...Both of these are excellent schools with equal prestige. One thing about the soccer chance is that you instantly meet a group of kids with athletic ability as well as intelligence..It is a great way to stay in shape...Good luck!</p>

<p>i'm thinking PA....definitely wouldn't mind being close to a big city like Philly</p>

<p>bowdoin's about 20 minutes away from portland, which is the biggest city in maine. it's even closer to freeport, which is nice for food/outlet shopping/seeing yuppies. and brunswick, bowdoin's town, is the largest town in maine (though that isn't really saying much...). just fyi.</p>

<p>i think soccer's the tiebreaker, though - as much as i love bowdoin, i also recall loving haverford, and the fact that i could play soccer there (... were i a soccer player) would seal the deal for me.</p>

<p>good luck with your decision! i'm sure you'll be happy wherever you end up. :)</p>

<p>i thought haverford had a very friendly atmosphere, and a nice new fitness facility being built...it had a small town feel to it yet it was so close to UPenn, Villanova, the city etc....D1 did not like the duck pond! so we did not apply!</p>

<p>i will be applying to both this year as they are among my favorites. i'm from new england and i've always heard of bowdoin but never haverford, but the more i read about haverford, the more i like it. they both have similar endowment/student which is a rough estimate of resources available to students but haverford also has i think a very close relationship with bryn mawr which i would think would almost double the academic, cultural and social opportunities already available. and it's also near the city!</p>

<p>Both schools are VERY hard to get into!
Check out the wait list threads for stats...</p>

<p>my friend's friend transferred from his school and had to choose between bowdoin and haverford. he's decided to come to haverford. the schools are similar in terms of academic prestige.. so i think you need to choose based on where you would be happiest with the complete picture.. socially, academically, etc. and if soccer's important to you, there's nothing wrong with using that as a factor. let me just say that i've had an amazing experience here and couldn't imagine being anywhere else.</p>