Bowdoin is very small which has plus factors and negative factors. It is really nice but the school year weather wise is a short fall and the rest is winter. Maybe a brief touch of spring for the next few weeks. They have a great outdoors club that attracts almost the whole school but it’s winter sports and hiking for the most part.
@reindeercoffee : In your case, the safer bet appears to be WashUStL even though both are outstanding options.
@doschicos yeah, I understand that. It just seems to be the overwhelmingly prevalent culture at Bowdoin, from what I’ve read many times over in their student newspaper and others who worry about it too on CC
@Publisher I think so too, and I think talking to my friends they’ve realized that too. As i’ve mentioned before I already know I prefer Bowdoin academically and WUSTL socially, and it’s really down to which one I value more which I’m unsure of. However a significant barrier right now would be with my parents, who are decidedly on the Bowdoin camp because of the better academics and ‘grad prospects’. I do agree that humanities wise, it has the edge.
I had a talk with them tonight (lots of tears involved) and it really comes down to the fact that yeah they understand that social life is a big part of college but “school is school” and the expenses they’re paying for me to study in the states should come with a good ‘return’ if that makes sense.
What makes you & your parents think that the academics are better at Bowdoin College ?
To the best of my knowledge, this is not accurate. Both are outstanding schools with respect to academics. WashUStL is a much larger school, a university as opposed to a small liberal arts college, which offers a larger variety of courses & social opportunities.
Both are fine academic institutions. It’s not like WUSTL is some faceless school with big classes. You’ll get the LAC-like small classes there as well. I think you should base your decision on fit.
I am sad for you. Your parents are making the best decision for you in their minds. It’s becsuse they love you and want all the best for you in life. If they can find an advantage for you the they want you to have it.
The problem is that wash u in some circles, especially anyone with New England or NE roots doesn’t know the school very well. Or USNWR moving bowdoin up the most recently has made a surge in interest.
It’s more about a top LAC versus a top small university. Wash u is just as good. But a bit different. There are other rankings out there. Find some that project how great wash u is and show them. Also they are top 20 in the most crowded category with heavy weights hypsdg and the ucs etc How would bowdoin rank if rated against that group. Very high but not number 3.
@Publisher I mean that for my major polisci (Govt and legal studies) it would be better at Bowdoin. I think that the two are definitely on par with each other academically, but just as how if I was Premed the choice would easily be WashU, Bowdoin has the edge on g&ls
@reindeercoffee Congratulations on your acceptances - there is no bad choice here.
My daughter considered both schools, we toured both, and she liked both for different reasons. Here are my impressions:
Both places have smart, qualified, motivated students and strong faculty so there’s no bad choice on the academics. Wash U is larger so there are more faculty and more courses available. I don’t know about the Poli Sci department at Bowdoin but the one at Wash U has an excellent reputation. Humanities overall are good quality - it’s much more than a pre-med program.
Wash U felt somewhat more pre-professional and applied than Bowdoin. This is a matter of degree, not an absolute.
Bowdoin’s student body feels quite preppy and sporty, although Bowdoin also cares about diversity - being an early adopter of test-optional admissions reflects that commitment.
Wash U has a LOT of Asian and Asian-American students, which may be a plus for you.
Food is fantastic at both (at least by Western standards).
Hookup culture - you will find it anywhere. And you will find students that are more geared towards serious relationships. And you will find students that have yet to date. Chances are, if you don’t party, it will be easy to avoid hookup culture.
Partying you will find anywhere but also it’s easily avoided. Both campuses will have outside speakers, concerts, and other events that don’t involve drugs or alcohol.
Social media is not representative of student bodies as a whole.
Location: Access to Wash U is probably slightly easier. You’d likely fly in to Chicago and then a domestic flight to STL. Public transportation (light rail and buses) is very good. For Bowdoin, you’d probably fly into Boston and then to Portland by train or air (Portland is a smaller airport with fewer flights) and then from Portland take a shuttle or train to campus. St. Louis is definitely more urban (although Wash U is more suburban, surrounded by upscale residential neighborhoods and a shopping/restaurant/club area called the Delmar Loop which is within walking distance of campus). There is also a huge and beautiful public park nearby with free zoo, museums, etc. Given its a large metro area, internship opportunities nearby are likely to be more abundant than at Bowdoin. Bowdoin is a small, safe, charming town. If you like outdoor recreation, mountains and coastline are easy to access and the Bowdoin Outing Club is very active.
Both campuses have rail service right next door. From Bowdoin you can take a train to Portland - medium-sized, picturesque, and nearby, or Boston, larger and farther away. Light rail from Wash U can get you into the city of STL and from there, points farther afield.
Bowdoin College is a great liberal arts college. But I am not sure that I agree that Bowdoin is clearly better in your desired area of study—I don’t know. I do know that political science & government is the most popular major at Bowdoin & probably a very strong department, but that doesn’t mean that WashUStl is not strong in those areas.
As you know, one school has 1,800 undergraduates & the other has almost 7,000 undergraduates. The larger school should have a wider variety of course offerings.
An important factor in favor of Bowdoin College is the 12 school exchange program which allows Bowdoin students to study for a semester or a year at other member schools which includes Dartmouth College, Amherst, Williams Mystic Seaport Program, Wesleyan, Wellesley, Smith, and 5 other schools
The other schools are Connecticut College, Mount Holyoke College, Trinity College, Vassar College & Wheaton College…
I can’t really comment on the hookup culture at Bowdoin, but I assume it’s probably similar at most college campuses. My S started dating someone the summer before his senior year in high school, and they kept up a long-distance relationship all four years of college, and are still together (moved to the same city) post graduation. So he wasn’t dating anyone at Bowdoin during his time there.
My S is not outdoorsy at all, and was not an athlete, but he does love cold weather. He had never been in the state of Maine before he did a trip the summer before his senior year of high school, but fell in love with Bowdoin and applied ED.
I think both schools are academic peers. My S did a minor in Government & Legal Studies (majored in History and a foreign language) and really enjoyed his time at Bowdoin. He is still on the east coast, finishing his second year of law school, and goes back to Bowdoin for homecoming and graduation.
History, Philosophy, and Political Science are highly rated at WashU and I would make the call for WashU over Bowdoin. But it’s OPs decision ultimately.
Somebody did mention the transportation factor. St. Louis is closer to Hong Kong than Boston and Lambert International doesn’t have as many flight cancellations as Logan International. If a winter snowstorm hits the Northeast, then the traffic situation is a mess.
St. Louis gets snow, but it’s more manageable.
One more question, what are your future career plans and how does name recognition fit in the future? I bet very few people in Hong Kong/Asia in general have heard of Bowdoin. Unless you’re going to law/graduate school, a Political Acience/Philosophy major isn’t going to open too many doors in Asia. Not that there is anything inherently wrong with that.
I admire someone who’s breaking the Asian STEM stereotype, but unless OP is related to Li Kashing or the Ho family, there isn’t much of a future unless the correct school is selected. And Asian culture is still unfortunately close minded at times when it comes to education/careers.
“unless OP is related to Li Kashing or the Ho family, there isn’t much of a future unless the correct school is selected.”
That is more than a tad hyperbolic.
Bowdoin is recognized as being one of the top LACs. For people who are prestige and ranking conscience, Bowdoin does quite well in that regard being #3 on USN rankings.
Let’s not let boosterism get in the way of solid advice.
@doschicos not being a booster-just being realistic. Asians still have an element of practicality.
For PoliSci I would even recommend UCLA over WashU and Bowdoin.
I will tread lightly here, as I do not want to stereotype. For many international students, an American degree is prestigious. Specifically, I read an article where certain Chinese families (the ones who can afford to do so, of course, which is a tiny sliver of the population) desperately want their children to attend an American college or university.
Any American college or university!
The OP can speak to whether this is true in HK. But if you’ve ever wondered why there are so many international students at all sorts of American schools (not just elite ones; right now, there are international students attending–oh, I don’t know–Western Michigan U.), you have your reason. The desire to study in America, coupled with the prestige conferred by a degree from an American school, attracts many bright students from outside the US.
@Hamurtle @doschicos Interestingly, no I am not related to Li kashing’s family but I do know some of his grandchildren well. Nope I’m not loaded btw lol – I’m thinking of doing polisci/philo as I want to get into non-profit work when I graduate. My mother works in civil service so that looks interesting too (perhaps a intl relations focused polisci would be good for that). RE: element of practicality: I would probably consider a double major in economics just to even it out for Hong Kong.
@Hapworth I think that what you said certainly resonates with some of the Asian population that chooses to apply to the US, but when you reach the majority sector in the first world, business oriented society of Hong Kong, a prestigious university + a ‘useful degree’ (economics basically) is what you’re after. Personally, at my school and community we mostly apply to the US and UK because culturally and education wise we fit in better in the Western sphere than here locally. But I digress…
Bowdoin and Washington U are both quite prestigious, with very strong academic reputations, and will offer nurturing academic environments. Bowdoin’s classes will generally be smaller, but that is a common advantage of LACs over U’s and no knock on Wash U. Wash U will offer more majors and classes.
Would you rather be in a semi-urban/suburban environment, or a small-town/rural environment? The outdoor charms of Maine or the city experience of St. Louis?
These student bodies, from what I have read, seem fairly well balanced – maybe a bit more nerdy than jocky, but both have their preppy side too. You can have fun at both, but neither is known as a particularly rabid party school.
The biggest differences will be some standard LAC/U differences and their settings/environments.
@prezbucky As someone born and raised in a bustling city, I have no idea how to judge which I’d prefer because I haven’t experienced the small town environment. Really wish I had the chance to visit 
I’m not someone who’s terribly active in night life, and most of my social activities revolve around finding nice places to eat and hang out with my group of friends.
If nice places to eat is a factor for school choice, I would go with St. Louis. Underrated food scene and this picky Asian from California was pretty impressed. And the son was impressed by the Asian food in St. Louis.
I’m not shilling for WashU-no skin in the game apart from my son attending. I’m not like that guy who shills for Stevens and Hoboken on CC…