<p>Help! I have put my deposit in at Wesleyan and was just accepted off the waitlist at Bowdoin. I only have 24 hours to decide...so any help you can give me would be great. I am planning to major in anthropology and environmental studies, I will row at whichever school I choose, I am really into high adventure/outdoors and sustainable agriculture. My top three choice schools were Williams (still waitlisted), Bowdoin and Wesleyan and I have gotten quite excited about Wesleyan after reading all the facebook entries. I have visited all three..Wesleyan on a Friday night, and the party scene was a bit much for me, but I liked the diversity and the laid-back feel. I have read that Bowdoin is like a continuation of boarding school and very preppy, but I love Maine and the outdoor club is a big attraction. Any advice?</p>
<p>I chose wes over bowdoin and I do not regret my choice at all. i love it here, everyone is so chill and unique and friendly. I decided against bowdoin because it is much more remote than wesleyan (i love being close to both NYC and boston) and that when i visited the student body seemed so one-note and preppy, which was a huge turn off. There are still outdoor excursion-type opportunities here at wesleyan, so don’t fret about losing that. I know that the environmental studies program here is very strong (and that our school really strives to be “green”), but I honestly just don’t know all that much about the anthropology department.
wes all the way! i simply can’t imagine having a better college experience than i have had here.</p>
<p>The Wesleyan Anthropology Department has been very strong for at least the past forty years, as I can personally attest from Wes professors I have known and classmates who went on to become quite distinguished anthropologists. Take a look at the Wesleyan anthro dept. course listing and faculty bios and you will see the incredible breadth of courses offered. In addition, Wesleyan has many resources that would tempt a budding anthropologist–including a PhD program in World Music, a unique program that has been around for 50 years.</p>
<p>And best of all, if you go to Wes, and you are thinking of rowing, you will surely run into my frehman son who may join crew in the fall. Wesleyan has a terrific boathouse right on the Connecticut River, about a mile away. I know it is much more convenient than Bowdoin’s.</p>
<p>In any case, you have two great choices. My son considered Bowdoin but went with Wes early decision because he thought Bowdoin was way too isolated for his tastes. Good luck!</p>
<p>Oh, and one other thing–Wesleyan students actually have a farm on campus, down on Long Lane, not too far from the athletic center. There is a story about it written by President Roth on his blog last month, I believe, which you can aslo find on the Wes website. Wesleyan also has its own student-run Farmers Market.</p>
<p>so… where did you end up deciding?</p>
<p>Bowdoin…it was an agonizing decision but there was just something about Bowdoin that had me hooked. I just had to go with my gut feeling when trying to choose between these two incredible schools.</p>