Some questions for current Bowdoin students from a perspective student

Colleges and Universities A-Z Bowdoin College
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<p>I applied to Bowdoin because I heard such great things about it. I had an interview with Colby, and on my way back I stopped by Bowdoin. It was break for them so I didn’t see the usual bustle of college students, but the campus looked beautiful. No tours or interviews were running at this time, and this was the only weekend I could get away from school work and sports unfortunately, so I won’t have another opportunity until those letters come out. (I didn’t love Colby)</p>

<p>I have some questions for students or those who know Bowdoin well…</p>

<p>Bowdoin is a really small school with roughly 1700 students. My first high school had almost 1000 kids, and by sophomore year I felt like I knew basically everyone in the school and felt tired of not meeting new people. I transferred junior year to a private high school, with about 500 kids, and I’m DEFINITELY tired of the same people everyday. I liked the bigger school atmosphere better. Do you feel like within the first year or two you know almost everyone, or do you feel like you are constantly meeting new people? I recently stayed the week with my friend at UNC Chapel Hill, and she barely waved to anyone walking around campus because the school is so big and you can’t even dream about meeting a good portion of them. I’m trying to figure out the pros and cons of the bigger and smaller schools I applied to, Bowdoin and Colby being the smallest and Notre dame and UPenn being the biggest.</p>

<p>Also, I remember reading somewhere (maybe the fiske guide?) that Bowdoin has a very liberal student population and the majority of students are in general very involved in politics. Being neither a liberal nor involved in politics, would I feel out of place or uncomfortable? Not saying I’m an ultra-conservative fanatic, am just wondering if not being liberal and not being involved in politics would put me in a very small minority at Bowdoin.</p>

<p>I stumbled upon Bowdoin by looking at another website and looking at their rankings for certain aspects. Of course, Best Food, Dorms, Classes, Management, Quality of life and Happiest students immediately caught my eye and caused me to further research the school and find it had other things I was interested in. I was wondering how accurate these things are. Are the food and dorms all this site says they are? What’s weekend/night/party life like, active or dead?</p>

<p>What’s the setting like? I know nothing about Maine, and visiting these schools was my first time being in Maine. I fell asleep arriving at Bowdoin and immediately again leaving Bowdoin, so I didn’t get to see the surrounding area much. How far is it from a city? Do students leave campus often?</p>

<p>Thanks for reading this post, and just answering one of these questions would be extremely helpful to me! thanks!</p>

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<p>I can try to answer a few of your questions-
1. For me at least, coming from a high school of 1200, Bowdoin is the perfect size. I know/recognize enough people to feel comfortable but it's definitely not like high school where you know everyone. An important benefit of a smaller school to consider is class size and student/professor relations. At a school like Bowdoin, it's really easy to get to know your professors and have meaningful, discussion-based classes. At a larger school, such classes simply do not exist.
2. Like most college students (outside of Bob Jones and Brigham and Young universities), Bowdoin students are liberal. But people here are not going to judge/question your political beliefs if you don't make a big deal about their's. As for being political, I think most students have a vague concept of both their own political beliefs and what's going on in the world. We're certainly not activists, however.
3. I do think Bowdoin lives up to its promises as far as classes, housing, and food go. You'd be hard pressed to find better freshmen dorms or dining facilities. Weekend life is what you make it, but I think there's usually something for most people. If you like parties, you can find one. If you're more interested in art or culture, there's often a lecture or performance going on.
4. Brunswick is a cute town. Bowdoin is within walking distance of many shops, cafes, and restaurants. Freeport (outlet capital of Maine) is just 15 minutes away and Portland is within 30 minutes of campus. I don't leave Brunswick very often, but I know lots of people who go shopping in Freeport frequently and my roommate goes swing-dancing in Portland every other Friday. I think all of this depends on what kind of access you have to a car.</p>

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<p>Wow that was a great post, everything I was looking for. Good to hear every conversation isn't about politics which is what I expected from what I read. </p>

<p>Even freshman year you know your professors? I know in soph, jr and sr year you have more specialized classes and are more likely to know them but that's pretty impressive if you mean freshman year.</p>

<p>Thanks so much for your post, it makes me even more excited about Bowdoin! Did anyone find anything they disliked at Bowdoin? I haven't heard a bad thing yet.</p>

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<p>any others?</p>

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<p>i am in love with bruswick. bowdoin definitely has the best town out of all the schools i applied to. i would love to attend...or at least get in.</p>

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<p>I'm currently a student at Bowdoin...I was initially concerned about the size after coming from a 2100 person high school, but it usually doesn't feel TOO small. After awhile you will recognize a lot of people, but its still big enough that you don't really know everyone. </p>

<p>Most of the students here are pretty liberal, but there is a small but mighty bastion of conservatives to balance out the spectrum. For the most part students seem to be politically aware, but not necessarily super involved. This year is obviously a little different because of the elections but I wouldn't say it's a hugely politically active campus like you might find at schools like Wesleyan or Brown. </p>

<p>As far as staying on campus on weekends, it really depends. You can completely isolate yourself and stay on campus forever if you want to, though it's fairly easy to get out. There's a shuttle to Freeport and Portland on weekends, and the Outing Club does tons of trips all the time if you want to explore Maine. Sometimes I do feel like I get tired of being stuck inside the "Bowdoin Bubble" but it's more a matter of being proactive and seeking something interesting to do, because there certainly are many opportunities to do so. </p>

<p>This segues into your question about weekend life - there are usually tons of things going on around campus every weekend. Like Kata said, there are parties and artsy things and sporty things and outdoorsy things etc etc etc. </p>

<p>The dorms and food are amazing. I've visited a lot of friends at other schools and am still convinced that our dorms are great and our food is the best. The freshmen dorms are beautiful. </p>

<p>To answer your question about professors, it's very easy to get to know your professors, even freshman year. Freshman fall I was in a big history class of 35 and my prof still knows my name and says hi to me when she sees me around campus. </p>

<p>There are a handful of things that sometimes bug me about Bowdoin but for the most part there really isn't anything to complain about.</p>

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<p>^^ would you mind telling us some of the things that sometimes bug you??</p>

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<p>thanks guildenstern for taking the time to type that response! Typo in my first post, my first high school had about 2000 kids, not 1000. </p>

<p>Those all sound awesome, I love outdoors and of course nice living quarters, as well as good relationships with teachers. I am also curious as to what bugs you, what could be a little annoying to you could be someone else's biggest pet peeve :)</p>

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<p>In regards to what bothers me about Bowdoin:</p>

<p>Bowdoin provides AMAZING resources for nearly everything you need. Academic advising, career counseling, internships, off campus study processes, etc. You want it, they've got it. Obviously this is a great thing, but sometimes I get a little worried about how much they are walking us through the entire thing. Bowdoin to me is definitely sometimes a little utopia - so different from huge state universities - and I get worried about being <em>completely</em> independent in the "real world." This is one person's opinion, though, and obviously the extensive resources are great.</p>

<p>The other thing that bothers me is also one of those positive/negative things. A lot of the kids on campus are super duper well-rounded, and well, to be frank, sometimes this ends up with people being super-duper well-rounded, but not always the most interesting, passionate people. But this is by no means the norm - it's just easier to notice in a smaller student body. </p>

<p>Other things that bug me about Bowdoin: they really need to put salt on the ice that coats all the quad diagonals. It's very slippery. But that is not really a big deal...like I said...there are only a few things that bug me, and they are really little things like that.</p>

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<p>thanks. these things are all good to know when making this decision.</p>

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<p>guild:</p>

<p>NaCl is a no-no in enviro-friendly states. :)</p>

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<p>Thanks! This was a great post---especially the things that irk you about Bowdoin. Thanks for being frank about it.</p>

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<p>Thanks guildenstern! Those do sound a little annoying, but I don't think I would be driven crazy about them, just a little irked like you. Thanks again</p>

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<p>I completely agree with what Caitlin said-especially about the lack of edginess among the student body (not that I'm particularly edgy or different or anything) but I do tire of everyone being shiny and happy all of the time. </p>

<p>I also find Bowdoin students to be ridiculously cliquey. This year it's been really important for me/my sanity to meet people outside of my regular group of friends.</p>

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<p>would you say it's hard to enter outside cliques at bowdoin? or are students more open and welcoming?</p>

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<p>Oof, if you put it that way, I'm not "edgy" by any sense but I do have a biting sense of sarcasm. Some people take it the wrong way and it seems Bowdoin students might too. On the flipside, however, it could be a pro for me to get rid of my bitter tongue. Sigh, can't get too concerned now until that rejection (probably)/acceptance (unlikely) comes.</p>

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<p>one should remember that although people have a sense of a typical bowdoin student, it does nothing to suggest the individual characteristics of people in the student body. failing to be "edgy" does not translate into failing to recognize and appreciate sarcasm. i'm sure you'll find people who will appreciate yoru sense of humor.</p>

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<p>right, I wasn't thinking in terms of that, more of the description of "shiny and happy" kids all the time :)</p>

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<p>Yeah - like Kata said - there are cliques - but it's fairly easy to transcend them. It's a small school and most of the people don't have sticks up their butts so if you want to hang out with other people it's easy to do so. </p>

<p>Everyone is kind of shiny and happy, except less so in the winter, cause the weather is so miserable...</p>

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<p>I've heard that the Bowdoin student population is very homogeneous... lots of girls with blonde hair dressed in Hollister, that kind of thing. What do current students have to say about that?</p>