<p>I really like that Bowdoin is a smaller community where students get to know each other and their professors well. However, I am worried that I would feel restricted by the variety of classes offered here. How often do students find themselves saying, “Oh I really wish I could take a class about ______, but it’s not offered here”?</p>
<p>Any input would be great! Thanks!</p>
<p>I had a similar worry, but then I looked through the course catalogue, compared it to other, same but also larger schools and it was at least as comprehensive. And, some of the classes (esp. in English, which I like) seemed quite innovative and exciting. They will send you a catalogue if you ask, or when you visit they are everywhere.</p>
<p>I would trade, any day, access to professors for variety of classes. Professors at Bowdoin are there for you. If you're interested in a nuance of some subject, which may not be offered in the course catalogue, professors tend to bend over backwards to help find ways to explore that particular nuance. Bowdoin has the resources and connections to make this happen, so don't just look at the course catalog and think you are limited to only those options. Schools like Cornell have excellent prof's as well, but getting to them is more problematic, especially as a freshman.</p>
<p>"How often do students find themselves saying, "Oh I really wish I could take a class about ______, but it's not offered here"?"</p>
<p>Basically never. I have the opposite problem. Each semester when we sign up for classes I am interested in about 20 of them but must accept the reality I can only take 4...</p>
<p>Also, in your later years here you can do independent research. There is also a self-designed major program.</p>
<p>Independent studies and research are amazing, because you can really do whatever you want. For instance, this semester I am working on an honors project in Computer Science that evolved out of 1 on 1 work I've done with my advisor since the summer of my freshman year. I also decided I wanted to learn the internet scripting language PHP, so I proposed a project with another professor, and we're developing open-source software to benefit Ronald McDonald House (Code</a> for a cause | Portland Press Herald)</p>
<p>So yes - I would say you can really cover any material you want. Sometimes professors will ask you to do independent studies with them that you have to dodge even. This can be the case if you have an interesting skill they'd like to use - I've had bio professors want to do bioinformatics projects with them, and I spent some time last semester programming C++ for a neuroscience project involving rats being trained.</p>
<p>Sorry for a CS-heavy example, but it has been my experience here :-p</p>
<p>haha oliver, I've written an Orient article this week for that neurosci rat project. Good to know who was behind the scenes.</p>
<p>hahaha I'm not to blame for any remaining bugs - but I definitely ironed a ton of them out :-p</p>