Bowdoin College Top Questions

yeah there are preppy and a lot of athletes

Yes however that is not necessarily bad. There are plenty of people who do not fit those categories as well. It seems like the school is slowly leaving part of the upperscale college for prep school kid image behind (hopefully).

Most students are definitely from New England, or from outside of Boston, which can be intimidating at times.

Somewhat

In my experience yes

Bowdoin students are definitely smart - there's no denying that. As to the "preppiness" of Bowdoin students, while we may wear collared shirts or expensive jeans, we are not nearly as preppy as comparable liberal arts schools. Also, we care a lot less about how other people see us than the stereotypical prep. Bowdoin may be less ethnically/racially diverse than some schools but there is lots of geographic and socioeconomic diversity... It certainly doesn't feel like all the same people.

Not always. There are all types o people.

for the most part

I think you can find groups fitting a stereotype at any college, but no one group dominates; there is a niche for everyone

I myself, being from the Midwest, had not encountered the New England prep school culture before, and therefore many Bowdoin students seemed at times preppy, rich, and elitist to me. However, though there are more of these types of students than I would prefer, this is also not the rule - Bowdoin's ethnic and economic diversity have been increasing, and there are students from many different backgrounds.