Students at Bowdoin are more likely to connect with students at surrounding LACs just because there are more of them close enough to attend sporting events or parties. It is likely that students at Bowdoin will know students at the other schools from high schools, boarding schools, even summer camps, or have a sibling or cousin at a nearby school. Grinnell is sort of a ‘one-off’ as it is a distance to other LACs in Minneapolis or Carleton/St Olaf, and sports aren’t that big at Grinnell. There are certainly other schools in Iowa like Drake or Cornell, but those seem to attract a different type of student than Grinnell.
Well, there is something to that. Amherst, Smith, UMass, etc have the 5 colleges. Colby Bates and Bowdoin have a similar thing, they allow their students to take classes at Colby/Bates/Bowdoin without an issue of those courses being accepted. I don’t know if any CBB students take advantage of that, but the option is open to them.
As a Bates parent and alum I haven’t seen kids take classes at the other schools. That’s not to say it doesn’t happen, just that I’m not aware of it. What I have seen is kids going to games or parties at the other schools or making friends at them through other friends. There’s a nice rivalry between the CBB schools, a rivalry that works because at heart the students at the 3 schools are more similar than dissimilar.
A small difference-Bowdoin, itself in a cute little town, is about a half hour from Portland, a very fun small-medium sized city with great shopping and restaurants. Grinnell is more like an hour from Des Moines.
The public high school vs. private difference is probably mostly due to the fact that Bowdoin draws more kids from the NE, Grinnell from the MW and private schools are more common in the NE than the MW. I wouldn’t worry about it. These are not kids running around with their noses in the air talking about their yachts. They’re often a more racially and economically diverse group than you’d find at at a typical middle/upper middle class suburban high school.
People keep assuming Grinnell has a reputation in the midwest comparable to what an elite LAC in the northeast has in that region.
But, in the midwest the most prominent, well-known, & prestigious colleges in a given state are also usually the biggest. Appreciation of LACs & even mid-size privates is not widespread in the region. There is also not the clammoring for prestige & obsession with rankings you find on the coasts; top students are often happy to go to the in-state flagship. Having lived a long time in New England & now the midwest, I’m always amazed when I hear a young midwesterner say something like, “I goofed off in high school so I didn’t have the grades to get into a big[!] college.”
Bottom line is if you are an excellent high school student in New England or NY & choose Bowdoin, you are likely to get high-fives from your teachers, coaches, & a few neighbors. A similar student in the Chicago or Kansas City areas who chooses Grinnell would be more likely to get puzzled looks than congratulations.
Thanks for all of the advice. S19 going to Bowdoin!
@homerdog I remember your response to my post on the Grinnell 2023 thread and I really appreciate it. I’ll also be at Bowdoin 2023!
Thanks. Lots of very useful information.
“I believe that the college owns a nearby island or some other inholding…”
I think that you are probably referring to the research center on Orr’s Island.
https://www.bowdoin.edu/coastal-studies-center/
Bowdoin does not own the entire island, just a part of it. It is however a beautiful spot and a great location.