I signed up for an interview/campus tour of Bowdoin a couple of days ago because I really liked the school. However, after looking at a couple of videos of the college and it reminds me a lot of Fordham, excessively preppy/elitist.
I’m a first gen, hispanic, and lesbian and I’m having doubts about how comfortable I’d be at that college/
I can’t miss more than a few days of school for college visits and I feel like at a different college would be a better option for me.
You should definitely visit if you have the chance! I had similar worries about it but after visiting I 100% changed my mind. If you do end up visiting ask random students on the quad about stuff without your parents around and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
I would highly recommend visiting the campus in person and talk to students as suggested above. One resource that I have found that provides a good bit of information from multiple perspectives is the student newspaper “The Orient” - http://www.bowdoinorient.com/. Good Luck in your search.
Please visit, if you can. My son was all set on another school (he is African American, from Appalachia) and he found it a very welcoming environment. Just go in with an open heart and mind, and if it is for you, it will “speak” to you, as it did him, or it won’t. Best wishes!
Definitely visit and talk to students on your own. I got the preppy/elitist vibe when visiting recently with my daughter but understand the college has made a concerted effort to change that image and reality over the past 5 or more years.
I would hardly call the college preppy/elitist. Students here are super down to earth and humble. Sure, there are some “preppy” stereotype students (every school has some), but I would not say that is a majority by any means (and there is definitely a less feel of "elitist/preppy than most of the other top ranked NESCAC schools) and most students have a vast array of backgrounds. Everyone is super welcoming and there is a lot of diversity here! Super friendly students as well