Hey everyone! I was accepted into both Vassar and Bowdoin recently and am really having trouble deciding which school to attend. I really love the hippy vibe / inclusive and diverse atmosphere at Vassar but then also love the location and cozy friendliness at Bowdoin. I plan on majoring in Biology on the pre med track, joining the school orchestra, and rowing. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
Both schools are great for pre-med, but I would give a slight edge to Bowdoin for academics.
The orchestra at Vassar is excellent. Eduardo Navega is the conductor and a phenomenal one! Try to visit and hear for yourself. The concerts are also archived on the music department’s website.
I do not know the latest on the orchestra at Bowdoin . I thiught it was only offered one semester and shared with Bates.
I’ve had students at both schools and if it were me and I were choosing between the two of them today I would choose Vassar, even though I would quickly add that both are fine schools. I disagree with the comment that Bowdoin has some “edge” in academics. I think the schools are basically peers from an academic standpoint, although each school has strong departments that probably cannot be matched (e.g., Bowdoin’s government program). I would point to 2 -3 differences as being key. First, Bowdoin feels very small after the first year or two, while Vassar – with 700 more students and a much larger campus – feels like a bigger pond with a lot more going on. Second, I think the culture at Vassar is more open and relaxed than the culture at Bowdoin, which is a bit more traditional, old money and cliquey.