Bowdoin College Top Questions

The Bowdoin Outing Club is hugely popular and most people go on at least a few outing club trips before the graduate. At the very least, most have gone on a Pre-Orientation trip, which can be biking, kayaking, or hiking, for instance, and these are great ways to meet new people. Sports teams often hang out together on campus. I joined the club ultimate frisbee team at Bowdoin as a freshman and it's been a great way to be part of a team and be active while not having all the commitments of a varsity athlete. Especially in freshman dorms and social houses, most people leave their doors bricked so that friends/neighbors can stop by and say hello. My closest friends are definitely my two roommates, with whom, in fact, I have been roommates with since freshman year. Many people's friend groups at the beginning of freshman year are people on their floor or in their freshman dorm. As time goes on, many still remain friends, but also more time is often spent with sports teams or simply other people they've met through classes or elsewhere. Most people party Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. However, Thursdays and Saturdays are typically the more popular nights, and it's not uncommon for people only go out once or twice in a weekend, choosing to stay low key or perhaps do some work on one of the other nights. If you're taking science or intro language classes, you'll often have Friday classes, but that usually doesn't stop those people from hanging out with friends on a Thursday night - everyone just tries to get their work done early to do so!

the social scene is on campus. revolves largely around social houses (co-ed houses that sophomores and juniors live in). if the campus scene (lots of partying) is not for you, finding a concert or movie in town is alway enjoyable. dorms are very communal and friendly places (for the most part). proctors in first year dorms provide a great service and doors are usually open!

The Af-Am is one of the most popular cultural groups, they have some clout on campus. ASA is popular when the spring semester rolls around and they give away free food and have their annual fashion show. Bowoin theater is very popular, and the Winter and Spring dance shows are always packed. One of the most popular groups on campus is Improvabilities. Their shows are always overcrowded!! No frats or sororities. There are usually parties on the weekends in the social houses, but sometimes there are weekends when there is absolutely nothing to do but your homework. Ivies Weekend is the biggest drinking weekend at the school. Drinking is involved in a lot of activities on the weekend, but if you do not want to involve yourself with that activity, you can catch a movie-most likely in someone's dorm room, grab a bite to eat, but not after 10, because everything is closed, or play spades 'till five in the morning.

Most popular groups on campus: Safe Space, Relay for Life, BSG, Campus Activity Board, Dance groups: Vague, Obvious, Arabesque. Most popular teams: Lacrosse, Soccer, ICE HOCKEY, FIELD HOCKEY (national champs!!!!) Safe Space is a sexual assault advocacy group, has greatly increased its membership numbers and is closely associated with a new Men's group Bowdoin Men Against Sexual Assault and V-Day which puts on Vagina Monologues every year. Athletic events are huge on campus for such a small student body. Guest speakers are every month at Common Hour where famous world leaders/influential people are invited to speak on friday. Students in dorms do not fear for safety or theft. Dating scene: once you date, you tend to never break up. Very hard to break up in such a small campus. Tradition: IVIES every last weekend of May, Bowdoin students celebrate rejecting the Ivy League when receiving an invitation to join by excessive merry-making, debauchery on campus. Also always a huge concert that week by bands such as OK GO, Talib Kwelli, GirlTalk etc. Closest friends met freshman year in freshmen dorms but also sophomore year in social houses and then through other friends. 2AM tuesday either studying or at Joshuas Bar in Brunswick if you are an upperclassman People love to party [period] No frats or sororities, students very proud of that.

Dorm life is great, very open, and fun. People leave their doors open and make friends with their neighbors. Athletic events are very popular and there is a lot of school spirit, especially against other Maine colleges. Guest speakers are awesome--often times very revered in their fields. Dating scene kind of sucks--it's so small that it's hard to just casually date because you are probably already friends with the person. Also it makes break ups awkward and difficult because everyone is friends and knows everyone. On a 2am on Tuesday, if I was awake, I would either be working in the library for an exam the next day, sleeping, or chilling and having late night silly fun with my roommates and friends. There are no frats or sororities and this definitely makes the student body more inclusive. Bowdoin is really fun and there are really fun parties here. But it is also ok if you don't want to drink a lot. The people I am friends with all love to party and have fun drinking but also can have fun sober--that's what it's all about here--being able to have fun anytime.

It would be easier to say the least popular groups instead of the most. It is a small school and different clubs and teams spend most of their time together. The sports teams support other teams whenever we can by attending each other's games and cheering them on. The most popular athletic events are field hockey, men's ice hockey, and football. There are new guest speakers every week, but I never go and am not sure who does go. There is no dating scene here. There are many one night stands, but not many couples. The couples that do exsist last for a long time, a lot of them ending with marriage. The big nights to go out are Thursdays and Saturdays. If you're awake late on any other day, you're doing homework. We have a lobster fest at the beginning of every year, where we all get to see everyone we missed over summer and eat very delicous lobsters! Bowdoin doesn't have any sororities, but we do have affilate houses that every freshman dorm is assigned to. There's not too much you can do on a Saturday night, besides drinking, because we aren't located in a large town with lots of options.

The night scene starts early, people are usually pregaming by 9pm, then out by 11 and things wind down around 1 or 2 am.

tons of student athletes; options for varsity, club, and intramural sports. as for dating, its primarily hookups or huge serious relationships with no middle ground, although there is a movement to "bring dating back to Bowdoin"

Social life revolves around the in-season teams' game schedules. When teams are off campus for games, it's very noticeable. Weekends are Thursday through Saturday, with a sprinkling of random evenings when you and your friends don't have too much work (although rare is the evening when your no-work evenings overlap with your friends'). Fridays are surprisingly quiet, mostly because athletes are resting up for their Saturday games. For freshman, particulary during the first months when not all of them have 21-year old friends yet, weekends mean college house parties and long keg lines, which get old fast. Most upper classmen steer clear of these parties, unless they're other college house members or it's a particular themed party. The dating scene is a hookup scene. Campus Activities Board and other organizations do a very good job of bringing acts to campus - recent performers have been Talib Kweli, Ben Kweller, and Girl Talk. Multicultural groups are surprisingly quiet and border on nonexistent, while sexual health and awareness is a big thing on campus. A Cappella and comedy groups are strong as well.

For Bowdoin being such a small school in small town Maine it is amazing that there is always something going on and that there is never a dull weekend. Bowdoin has a real community atmosphere between the students. You wont find a student body more willing to make sure you have a good day.

Lots of activities and opportunities for students to get involved on campus. Many people are involved with the Outing Club, which takes students on outdoor trips such as sea kayaking, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, whitewater rafting, etc. Students leave their doors open all the time because everyone feels so safe.

Social Houses (what are left over from the fraternal days) are a large source of underclassmen fun. Students generally have an open door policy and will be friendly to you is you want to chill.

The social life at Bowdoin can be lacking at times. If you are looking for a good party to go to, there is a good chance you might be out of luck on a given weekend. There are social house parties which are fun for freshman and sophmores (sometimes), but these get old once you are an upper classmen. However, aside from parties, Bowdoin offers great lectures, plays, and dance shows which are a lot of fun to go to. The dating scene here is also lacking since most peole either get into a relationship their freshman year and stay together all four years, or look for people to hookup with (whatever happened to dinner and a movie?). The biggest party weekend here is called "Ivies" when there is a big concert (this year we had naughty by nature) and everyone just drinks a lot and go crazy. This is a nice outlet for the academic pressure that increases as school comes to a close.

The most important group on campus are the sports groups, affiliate houses, and choral groups. The dating scene is limited because you are at a college and not a university. People at Bowdoin always leave there door open especially if you stay on the campus, but at apartments they tend to lock their doors. One thing to look for is IVIES weekend where there are parties pretty much all the time and its kind of a big drinking event (if you are into things like that).

There is so much to do at Bowdoin! Initially, I was a little apprehensive about living in the small town of Brunswick, Maine, but there are way more interesting activities than I could ever participate in. I run cross country and track. Over half of the students at Bowdoin play a sport and the student body as a whole is really healthy and active. Attendance at sporting events is huge. Students are really supportive of each others sports teams and other endeavors. I really like the residential life in the dorms at Bowdoin. First of all, the dorms are palacial. But, I also really like the social life in the dorms. Everybody leaves their doors open and we all say high in the hall. I also love the casual intellectual discussions that take place all the time in the dorms. Whether it's discussing the upcoming election or talking about a reading assignment for a class, Bowdoin students all have interesting opinions and love a good discussion.

The basic Bowdoin understanding is that sunday through wednesday = work, and thurs through saturday = party. There are no fraternities or sororities on campus, but there are social houses which are essentially the same thing. If partying isnt your scene, there are always performances in the VAC, guest speakers, and supersnacks (a late night opening of the cafeteria for midnight snacking).

Night life - as good as you make it. Don't expect any ragers, but expect fun.

Bowdoin social life is heavily centered around social houses. The social house system is fun and rewarding for freshmen and sophomores. Juniors and seniors do not participate in the social houses, thus leaving them a little socially aliented.

So many things to do ALL THE TIME. I like the outing club, going to plays, the pub. I live in a social house (kind of like a fraternity/sorority except way more fun and without the hazing and excessive amounts of drinking).

-Activities are too bunched up so you'd go weeks without anything and then all of the sudden 10 things at once. If things could be more spread out that'd be more enjoyable and less boring during some times.