Trying to decide between Haverford and Bowdoin right now! I applied ED at Bowdoin and was deferred then accepted. It was my dream school and I was disappointed to be deferred but am still really excited about the possibility of attending. I’m also super interested in Haverford! Not sure what I want to study but likely in the humanities.
I am worried that Bowdoin is too far from home (around 5hrs) but love being in Maine and the community Bowdoin has to offer.
I like that Haverford is closer to home (3hrs) but am worried suburban PA might be too boring.
Also love Bowdoin’s food/dorms and course offerings! Would have to walk onto the varsity squash team, though.
I have a spot on the Haverford squash team, and the team has been so welcoming and friendly!
I really have no idea what to do, so any advice is really appreciated!
If you really want to play squash, you may want to go where you have a roster spot unless you’re sure you can walk on. With that said, why did you ED at Bowdoin?? What appealed to you?
It’s easy st Haverford to go into the City and do things (if it matters). Haverford is definitely a friendly, happy place. It may be a bit more diverse (or because of size, you’ll have more interaction with a diverse population).
Bowdoin is more isolated so more of the entertainment is based on the campus community. That makes for a tight community. And kids go off to do things together in Maine, which is an amazing state for outdoors activities.
At some level, it really depends on what kind of experience you’d like to have. I don’t think the difference between 3 and 5 hours makes much of a difference – you don’t go home often enough. Neither school is more prestigious.
You could flip a coin. If you don’t like how it turns out, maybe you’ll have your answer!
Without any more info. regarding major / career goals, Haverford may be your better option since you have a spot on the varsity squash team & like the other players.
Haverford College has a very liberal, political correctness oriented campus culture, while Bowdoin College is more mainstream.
By Payscale data, however, Bowdoin graduates who majored in a humanities field earn less than those from Haverford (148th compared to 30th in the site above).
Hello, I have not used Payscale much. Generally, they pay scale for young grads tend to be quite similar, especially for mainstream jobs such as finance and management consulting. For example, if you start out as an analyst at a major firm on Wall Street or one of the leading consulting firms, the base salary is pretty much fixed for all incoming young blood. The real monetary difference will be reflected in the performance bonuses at year end.
I am sorry that I cannot comment on the liberal art type of jobs, as I do not have much experience with those packages. Let’s say you are the principal of an elite private school in NE, and you are hiring a history teacher. Again, I don’t think you would offer a Haverford grad more $$ than you would a Bowdoin alum, when all other things are equal.
Another reason that Bowdoin does not fare better than Haverford on Payscale is that my long-time friend Stan Druckenmiller did not register his annual income in that system
Bottomline - if you equip yourself well in college (the same goes for grad programs) and do a great job, make yourself valuable to your employer/clients, you will be fairly compensated.
@carolineadams Both schools are great, but Bowdoin grads have done really well in my circles. Finally, regarding varsity team - I too played a varsity sport in college, and learned a lot about teamwork and perseverance. If that aspect is important to you, then go to Haverford. Good luck either way!
As you probably know, there is a fair bit of turmoil at Haverford. See
Something you might want to take into consideration. Current students can give you a better sense of how disruptive all this has been and will likely be in the future.
