<p>I’m a high school senior from Wyoming looking at liberal arts colleges across the nation, and I’m also currently applying for a Questbridge scholarship. Out of all the Questbridge colleges, I’ve narrowed my choices down to Amherst, Bowdoin, Princeton, Wesleyan, and Vassar. I’d like to major in English with an emphasis on Creative Writing, and possibly minor in Visual Arts. What makes Bowdoin stand out among the other colleges, and would it be a good choice for my major? I’d love input from anyone on this matter.</p>
<p>Well I’m no expert on the college but from what I have researched I heard it has one of the best campuses in the country, as well as some of the best food and dorms, too.</p>
<p>Good luck w/ the process you’re going through; from the schools you are applying to and the questions you are asking I have no doubt that you will be happy when you have picked a college.</p>
<p>As far as why you should choose Bowdoin over other Liberal Arts Colleges, I’ll make some responses about your major and about what I feel makes Bowdoin stand out, but you’ve really got to visit the schools you’re interested in yourself, spend time on campus, talk to random students, spend a night, and really get a feel for the places. You should have a positive gut reaction to the place that you will call home for four years and in the end only you can really figure out why you would choose one school over another.</p>
<p>As far as your specific questions:</p>
<p>English: Bowdoin has a historically renowned English department with both Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Nathaniel Hawthorne in one of its early classes (Longfellow’s room at Bowdoin is the home to four first-years every year). Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin (undeniably one of the most influential books in American history) in another first-year dorm. English is always one of the top-5 majors at Bowdoin and the major to professors on campus (not counting those on sabbatical) ratio is about 5 to 1. This means that, especially at the upper levels, English classes at Bowdoin are small and dynamic. You mentioned creative writing specifically. Each year, Bowdoin has a “writer-in-residence” who teaches several classes about the writing process and there are regularly classes in creating poetry and prose.</p>
<p>More on creative writing here: [Creative</a> Writing (Bowdoin, English)](<a href=“http://www.bowdoin.edu/english/creative/index.shtml]Creative”>http://www.bowdoin.edu/english/creative/index.shtml)
This past year’s Writer-In-Residence: [Margot</a> Livesey (Bowdoin)](<a href=“http://www.bowdoin.edu/faculty/m/mlivesey/]Margot”>http://www.bowdoin.edu/faculty/m/mlivesey/)</p>
<p>As far as the visual arts, Bowdoin has both a minor and a major with concentrations in Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Photography, and Sculpture. You will find it easy (at least in a scheduling sense) to minor in or double-major in visual arts at Bowdoin. Last year, the school completed the renovation of our art museum which has been called (by people other than us) the grandest public building in the state of Maine. It’s collection is extensive and impressive and can be viewed here: [Bowdoin</a> College Museum of Art](<a href=“http://www.bowdoin.edu/art-museum/]Bowdoin”>Museum of Art | Bowdoin College)</p>
<p>I don’t like talking about Bowdoin vs. other schools because I go to Bowdoin and not other schools. I’m sure others here will be more willing to make direct comparisons (whether they are qualified to or not). I would say that the outlier on your list is Princeton. It is undoubtedly a fantastic school where you will receive a great education but it is a university that has graduate programs and almost 3x as many undergrads as Bowdoin. You will certainly get an education in the liberal arts there, but it is not a liberal arts college.</p>
<p>As far as what makes Bowdoin stand out in general, indeed our food is tops (usually 1st or 2nd ranked in the country) and our dorms are “like palaces,” but there are much more important distinctions. The college has as its founding mission a commitment to the common good that manifests itself on campus in hyperactive participation in community service activities and service learning courses (including a class I hope to take next year, “Theater, Dance, and the Common Good,” which will demonstrate the power of theater and dance to effect social change and include as a component the creation of a work that will seek to improve a social problem in Bowdoin’s community). Bowdoin is also privileged in its location to be in a quintessential New England town of 20,000 (Bowdoin is classified by guides as “Suburban” rather than Rural and it sits right along I-95), 15 minutes from Freeport (the home of L.L. Bean), and 1/2 an hour from Portland (the largest city in Maine which has great dining, it’s own symphony, and all the resources of a real city). The school owns a breathtaking island and coastal research center about 20 minutes from campus that is also used by student organizations and visual arts classes. Finally, Bowdoin is a warm and friendly community that is NOT the least bit competitive or grade-obsessed. I can truly say that I do not know the grades of even my closest friends and some of them don’t even know their own grades–they never bother to look. This last may very well be shared by the other institutions on your list, I cannot be sure, but it is a quality that I love about Bowdoin and that I felt it necessary to include.</p>
<p>If you’ve got any more specific questions, I’d be more than happy to answer them.</p>
<p>Good luck again with this process!</p>
<p>Could anyone compare the philosophy department between Bowdoin&Bates?</p>
<p>Thank you</p>
<p>Since two of the posts have mentioned dorms, it’s worth some additional comment. I think prospective students should consider Bowdoin’s many impressive characteristics and attributes but I don’t think one should weight the dorm quality too heavily. This year’s freshman dorms include quints – five kids – two of whom have to be in a bunk bed situation in a 3- bed part of the quint. That’s not a “palace dorm” in my opinion. That said, Bowdoin’s academic creds (and other quality of life measurements) stand on their own. I just wouldn’t rank the dorms high on “reason to choose” list any more.</p>
<p>It’s also important to point out that the quints you’re mentioning are going to be 3-room quints. 1 large common room and 2 bedrooms (one w/ 3 students, one w/ 2). At the vast majority of schools in this country, three first-years to a room is not at all uncommon, but they would not have a common room to share. Further, wherever the first-years are, their dorm will have been newly built or renovated within the past five years (most of them in the past 3). While a quint might not be the best situation, the fact remains that underclassmen dorms are still new, clean, and fantastic. Upperclassmen housing, while spacious and incredibly varied, is on the older side and could use some updating. Based on what I’ve seen at other schools, however, including those in Bowdoin’s peer group, Bowdoin’s housing offerings are still great.</p>
<p>Bowdoin is the only LAC I’ve toured in the past 18 months that has 3-person dorm rooms for incoming freshmen this year. Of 30+ freshmen friends going into 20+ colleges coast-to-coast, I don’t know one other person in (or assigned) a 3-person room. It’s important to remember that when a college lands on a “Best of” list from Princeton Review, the expectations are very high. Does that mean a college has an obligation to not downgrade a category like freshmen housing the very year of a published accolade? That’s debatable. Yet it makes sense to maintain an established strength as a simple matter of market positioning theory.</p>
<p>i must admit to not knowing what ‘market positioning theory’ is, or if it is, indeed, a ‘simple’ matter. i do know that this past year has thrown a wrench into most, if not all, colleges and universities as the economy depletes resources they once counted on. i suspect each school is now challenged as to how best maintain it’s most important asset–it’s faculty–and the resources those faculty need to challenge and educate students. it’s not clear to me that the folks at Bowdoin ever had, as a goal, to have ‘dorms like palaces’ for their students. but i would not be surprised if one important goal was to provide the best possible undergraduate experience for it’s students, and where they live is only one aspect. it has been stated that they were adding a few extra students each year to help with budget issues. they have to be housed somewhere. perhaps fewer are studying abroad–for economic reasons–and also need to be housed on campus. . .i don’t really know why they are creating 3 person rooms but trust it is temporary and necessary.</p>
<p>bottom line is one goes to Bowdoin for the education, not the housing. those who run the school seem to bend over backwards to make the students comfortable, entertained, and most importantly, challenged, during their four years at the institution. let’s hope adding another student, here or there, to each dorm won’t destroy their stated mission.</p>
<p>Just a quibble. Princeton does offer a liberal arts education. So do most universities. All this means is a well-rounded education in basic disciplines rather than a vocationally oriented degree such as engineering.</p>
<p>Princeton is not a liberal arts college, but it does provide a liberal arts college.</p>
<p>I am not shilling for Princeton. Both of my children chose LAC’s.</p>
<p>SundayMorning1: Perhaps so, but as you’ll soon realize once you actually get to college and start studying, the separation of the common room from the bedroom is far more important than the number of people in the bedroom. Whether a bedroom contains two people or three doesn’t really matter if all you do is sleep there. If, on the other hand, you also have to study, eat, and socialize there, even the relationship between a pair of roommates can become quite strained. This is based on the experience of my 30+ friends who have actually been in college for a few years.</p>
<p>Don’t worry, you’re going to have a fantastic freshman year and a great housing situation. In my experience, the freshman quads were more enjoyable than the doubles b/c you had that many more interesting people who you got to spend a significant amount of time with. Think how much fun you’re going to have with 5 close friends from day one! <whimsical>Oh to be a first year again… </whimsical></p>
<p>And mythmom, I totally agree with you, that’s why I said in my original post, “You will certainly get an education in the liberal arts there, but it is not a liberal arts college.”</p>
<p>ok here’s kinda an offbeat question: what about bowdoin compared to other schools like davidson or carleton? These are schools I’m seriously considering (not the only ones though-the others are larger universities like princeton, yale, harvard, etc) and I would like to hear from bowdoin students…why did you choose bowdoin over other schools during your application process?? and don’t forget to mention davidson and carleton if you can…</p>
<p>I can’t really talk about Davidson much since I didn’t look at schools down south, but I was accepted and visited Carleton before going to Bowdoin. To be honest, the schools are very similar, at least in terms of what you expect when going to a selective LAC. The main reason I chose Bowdoin over Carleton was distance. Living in Jersey, Bowdoin is a six hour drive away whereas Carleton would be a 20 hour drive which is too much for me eight times a year. That’s not to say that if Carleton was the same distance I would have chosen it over Bowdoin. Quality of life at Bowdoin is pretty awesome with everything being almost comically done well (housing, food, campus, etc.). Carleton is nice, but Bowdoin is consistent across the board and that put it over the top for me when comparing it to other LAC’s.</p>
<p>For someone interested in history or film studies, how would Bowdoin compare with say Amherst, Middlebury or Wesleyan?</p>
<p>Wesleyan and Middlebury have the best film studies programs of the lot. Wesleyan in particular has graduated a large number of successful Hollywood folks. You’ll find excellent history departments at any of the top 10 LACs.</p>
<p>I chose Davidson over Bowdoin and Carleton. I agree with one poster who said that you’re going to get a similar experience at all of the “Top 10” Liberal Arts Colleges. You might be exposed to a little bit more competition and a more diverse array of students (not just ethnically but socioeconomically) at the big three (Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore) simply because they have greater name recognition. Mostly, the kids who know Davidson, Bowdoin, Carleton, and other peer schools are the ones who went to prep school and have good college counselors who tell them about these great small colleges. At Bowdoin, you’ll get a lot of Northeastern Prep School Kids, at Carleton, you’ll get a lot of midwestern prep school kids, and at Davidson, you’ll get a lot of Southeastern prep school kids. All these schools are making a concerted effort to expand diversity. Davidson, I’d say, is probably the least diverse of the three, which was a significant factor that really bothered me and that I had to get over in deciding. Still, Davidson has made a lot moves to expand diversity, notably becoming the first liberal arts college in the nation to eliminate loans for students. </p>
<p>Ultimately, I felt that I’d be happy at any of these three colleges. In the end, it came down to Davidson and Bowdoin for me. There wasn’t enough about Carleton that distinguished it from D or B for me to stomach the Minnesota winters. Things became a lot clearer for me on my final visit to Davidson and Bowdoin. The schools felt incredibly similar. Davidson felt like it had a more grueling academic environment (which was something I actually wanted), I liked the campus better, I liked the school spirit, and I liked the weather. </p>
<p>It’s funny that one poster said that Bowdoin does things comically well, because I would say the same about Davidson. We are a small college with some top notch D1 Sports Teams (which really makes the school come together), amazing professors (Princeton Review #1), hard working students (Princeton Review #10), good food, beautiful campus, weather, and location. To boot, they even do your laundry for you here! In many ways, I’d say that Davidson offers the ultimate college experience.</p>
<p>I agree that all three schools are top notch. But my guess is that Davidson and Bowdoin have a lot more prep school kids than Carleton. There simply aren’t as many prep schools in the midwest. Also, about 75% of Carleton students come from public schools, compared to only about 50% at B and D.</p>
<p>James28, I’d go with redandtheblack’s numbers more than TheGrabler’s personal impressions. The differences between these three schools may not be that great academically but are pretty in your face socially. </p>
<p>Davidson has a Greek scene that’s standard southern huge, the student body generally more monied, private schooled, and tanned, and D1 basketball dominates even with the disappearance of Stephen Curry. The culture will feel more conservative (by standards of generally liberal liberal arts colleges) and pre-professional/Road More Traveled. </p>
<p>There may be lots of Carleton looks - think fierce individualism - but popped collars are a rare find, frats/sororities are four letter words on campus (well, at least frat), Ultimate is THE official campus sport (their men’s team defeated Colorado for the national championship last year), and Minnesota “nice” - think culture shock if from some parts of the northeast. </p>
<p>Bowdoin - harder to pin down - probably because it sits somewhere in between.</p>
<p>Could any one person find true happiness at any of the three? Sure.</p>
<p>The Greek Scene here is by no means “standard southern huge.” I am personally definitely not pledging, and the only thing that Frats do is throw parties here. All the parties are open, we don’t have sororities, and hazing is STRICTLY outlawed. Frats are also non-residential. In terms of any southern school, Davidson puts very little focus on Greek Life in the standard sense of the term.</p>