Bowdoin College Top Questions

Rigorous and challenging. There is lots of support from TAs (who don't teach the classes, they only hold study sessions or time to come in with questions), Professors, peers, and much more.

Good professors

I have never been in a class where the professor has not known my name, and that includes my gigantic organic chemistry class as well (which, though I considered it gigantic was really only maybe 50-60 people max). Students study an average amount. There are definitely a number of students who are incredibly smart and are rarely seen doing work but get great grades. There are also those who lock themselves in the library for hours. Most people do work all day long all week long, Monday through Thursday, but dinners during the week are usually long and generally people hang out at night before everyone goes to bed. Students are not overly competitive, at least not against each other. Almost every student I have encountered is willing to explain a concept or help a classmate out, even if technically within the class, the students are competing against eachother for the higher grade. This is a great environment for learning because the only competition that people feel is generally with themselves, trying to improve their own grades, and not comparing themselves to anyone else's acheivements. As a chemistry major, since the department is tiny, there is a lot of contact between students and faculty, and you really get to know everyone in the department. The classes are challenging but the professors are great and very helpful. It is definitely possible to start helping a professor out in his/her lab even as a freshman, simply by asking. The chemistry department as really tried to increase their contact with the students by holding weekly lunches at Thorne dining hall, so that students and faculty have a chance to see eachother in a non-classroom setting. The requirements at Bowdoin are not bad, and most are fulfilled without even realizing it, especially as a freshman when students typically explore a little by taking classes outside one particular field.

professors are wonderful. don't limit yourself--take a hodgepodge of classes and when you connect with a professor, get to know her/him! you'll find your passions in the most unexpected places at bowdoin. professors are truly dedicated to the students, so take advantage of it! (find the art department and gender studies department) the atmosphere is not competitive between students at bowdoin. students seem to be more competitive with themselves (remember, learning is a privelege and fun- even when you're swamped, try to gain perspective!) while it may not happen until junior year, it is true-- professors have you over for dinner to their houses. i've been at least five times. there's nothing better than escaping campus for an evening to have a homecooked meal and experience the family side of the professor you've come to know so well, intellectually.

Academics here at Bowdoin are great. I feel that Bowdoin is a very academic driven school. Your whole life surrounds around academics. When I watch TV, I always feel guilty, because I know that I can be finishing that paper or reading a chapter of Marx or Foucault. My least favorite class was Computer Science 101 and Bio 76. I felt that Comp Sci was taught as if it were higher than an introductory course. Bio 76 is sooooo boring. Students study at Bowdoin all the time. There are even some losers who are in the library on the weekend when the sun is out...I've been one of them in the past. Class participation is usually common. There are always those times when the professor asks a question and no one responds. But in smaller classes, there is always discussion. The most unique class I took was Visual Arts 165. No reading!! But we had a different project due every week. The professors here are usually good. I have developed good relationships with some professors, while others I did not like them at all. One professor was ignorant to such a common fact. One professor I had was too outspoken.

Professors know your name and are very open to getting to know YOU outside of class and helping you with assignments. Students study alot and library is never empty. Class participation is very common, hardly ever an awkward silence. Bowdoin students have intellectual passions and often follow them outside of campus taking on multiple independent studies and pursuits. Students are not competative with each other but with themselves. Most unique class on Film Noir a freshman seminar also an class entitled Art & Life where a small group of students single-handedly curated an entire exhibition in the Bowdoin Museum. Art history department very popular and very accessible. Challenging and interesting, always reinventing new classes. Pyschology department one of the hardest on campu along with natural sciences. Great professors, respected in their field and always challenge students. Professors are always open to officehours and hours outside of that. Want to help you in life, will willingly write recommendations and encourage you. Bowdoin is very academically challenging and demanding, must put in effort to get good grades. Education is not geared toward getting jobs, no Business or Marketing offered.

Bowdoin is hard and you have to work hard. For the most part I have been extremely happy with the quality of the professors. Bowdoin students are not overtly competetive with each other--it is more like one is competetive with oneself. Everyone is extremely self-motivated and hard working. The professors in my major (Art History) are incredible. My advisor within the major is truly my champion and she inspires and challenges me, all the while being kind and supportive. Professors are always willing to see you outside of class. Education is geared for learning for its own sake, but having a Bowdoin education does open many doors in terms of getting a good job.

Academics at Bowdoin are difficult, but the professors do everything they can to make it easier on us. The bonds formed between professors and students are something I've never would have expected. All classes don't call for participation, but teachers do encourage asking questions. Outside of the classes there are "intellectual conversations", and there are also some non-intellectua converstations. The students here are very competitive and take bad grades harsly. I'm a major in the Geology department, and the professors are awesome. I can talk to anyone of them and receive help any time I need it. The great thing about living in Maine is the beautiful landscape. As a geology major, I often make fieldtrips that bring me closer to the beautiful area.

Small classes. You develop great relationships with professors. They have you to their house for dinner, they ask you about your sports games. They love Bowdoin as much as the students.

There are so many interesting classes and great professors at Bowdoin that I wish that I could take classes for my whole life.

professors are amazingly dedicated and accessible. classes are challenging. everyone works really hard. lots of studying. small classes and lots of discussion, especially in higher-level courses. students willing to help one another, not competitive with one another. professors have lunch with students, invite classes over for dinner. liberal arts education focuses on learning how to think creatively and present one's thoughts intelligently.

Most professors know your name and do take note of whether or not you come to class, even in classes of 35 or more and even if they don't take attendance. I've found that intellectual discussions outside of class and the library aren't very common; mostly it revolves around talking about your life, how much work you have, or other people. The minimal academic requirements are a definite plus about Bowdoin. As a freshman, make sure you get your 101 classes out of the way but DON'T only take 101's freshman year, especially during your first semester, because you will most likely become very disillusioned with the academic scene, and you don't want that to happen your first semester.

I address each professor in my major by their first name. Students really have the common good of the class in mind instead of competing for grades.

Academics here are phenomenal. Lots of classes to take with awesome professors. Class sizes are generally small, so lots of opportunity for student-professor interaction. Students aren't very competitive here. We all want to succeed, but we don't really worry about what grades other students are getting.

Classes are really small so professors know you by face and name. Classes are generally very hard in comparison to other schools but if you get in you'll be able to handle them. Students talk intellectually outside of classrooms - sometimes too much (hence the stereotype). Bowdoin requires you to talk certain general education courses which are definitely broaden your horizons but are sometimes a pain.

The academics at Bowdoin are great. You can chose from a wide variety of course topics and the classes are usually taught very well. The professors who I have had are very approachable and always willing to help you with any academic issue you may have. Classes range anywhere from 12 students to 35 students, but even in these larger classes the professors have made an effort to remember my name. The students are really engaged in class discussions, and it makes it really interesting to hear the opinions of your classmates. Although the classes are really interesting be prepared to do lots of reading, and writing, because most of the classes here are not easy.

The professor knows EVERYONE in the class! The downside of this is that they know when you are not there. My least favorite class I have had was psychology. In my opinion psychology is a "weed out" class to determine the people who really want to major in psychology or neuroscience. My roommate studies ALL the time! Studying is something you have to do and there is no such thing as an easy class. The amount of material and outside reading for each individual class varies. Finding a balance between studying and social life can be done while keeping a decent gpa.

I love my classes at Bowdoin! The professors are really nice and easy to talk to. Professors at Bowdoin are all leaders in their fields and since there are no graduate student, all the research positions in faculty labs go to undergrads. This is something that just doesn't happen at large universities. I chose Bowdoin over Princeton and Duke because I really thought Bowdoin offered a better undergraduate education. After a year at Bowdoin, I am more sure of this decision than ever.

You will know most of the people in your classes, and the professors will know you by you name. That is just the way it is at Bowdoin, I have never had a class over 50 students. The average class size is probably around 35 students.

Academics are really good here at bowdoin - a product of being a top ten liberal arts college I suppose. The teachers are good, but you have to throw yourself out there to get to know them. That is no surprise. The workload is hard, but that's what you get for coming to a very good school, again no surprise. People make academics a priority, so going out every night is not really a Bowdoin thing. Why are we here? To learn. If you want a party school go to ASU or something, cause Bowdoin is all about the education.