Bowdoin College Top Questions

Social life at Bowdoin has been at times disappointing to me - we have "social houses", which are better than the Greek system, but are relatively infrequently used for activities other than heavy drinking of cheap beer most nights of the weekend. There are other things to do, but you have to try a little harder to find them. There is a significant chem-free sector, but they are often separated from the rest of the students. In terms of dating, it can be difficult to find a middle ground between one-night hookups and long-term, serious relationships. Bowdoin students go to a variety of events - while hockey and basketball games are some of the most popular events, theater, speakers, etc. can also attract large crowds. Students are supportive of a wide variety of things. I am on the rugby team and in the Outing Club, and both have provided me with by best experiences while at Bowdoin. Our Outing Club is one of the very best in the nation, and the Leadership Training program is a particular asset. The rugby team has given me my roommates/closest friends, and is a unique and diverse group of amazing women.

The athletics are a huge part of the social scene, whether it is people attending games, or athletes throwing parties. If you are involved in a sport you will always have a social outlet to go to. Ivies is the traditional huge party weekend, but as a member of the Track team, i will never get to experience the festivities.

Sports teams are huge here, many people play, but it's division 3 so no one takes themselves too seriously. A cappella is also huge here, as there are 6 groups on a campus of 1700 people. People leave their doors open, and many of your closest friends will be people from your dorm. The dating scene is almost nonexistant. It is more of a hookup scene. Actual couples are scarce, but hookups are not. Ivies happens every spring, and it is the greatest thing ever created. Musical groups come, and it's a huge party for several days. People party on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at most, but almost everyone goes out at least one night a week. Off campus: the surrounding towns are very cool to explore, and Portland is a great resource. Maine is also beautiful and a great place for outdoor adventures.

Everyone is involved in something. You're not a Bowdoin student if you're not. Lots of students do sports, but there are plenty of other activities to be involved in. Tuesday nights the 21 year old students go to the local bar, but other than that weeknights are pretty tame. Thursday is definitely a weekend night - people definitely go out. Social house parties dominate the underclassmen scene. Other than that, most events are small and in people's rooms.

There seems to be a lot offered in terms of social life, but the reality is, most weekends are the same. Either big campus-wide parties or parties at Brunswick apartments, etc., or private mid-night dance parties in your own room. It's pretty much the same scene at any other college it seems. The real benefit is how close we are to the ocean and other beautiful places in Maine - there is so much to do here. Bikerides, walks and midnight trekks to the water have been my favorite memories here so far.

Clubs and extracurriculars are really varied and I think most of them are exciting and cool. I've tried crew, Taiko drumming, organic gardening, and volunteering at a homeless shelter since being here. All of these different clubs/groups were extremely easy to join (and easy to leave if I found that I wasn't crazy about them). Freshman year, everyone left their door open which was awesome. Nobody does this year in Chamberlain, but I guess that's ok. I don't think people over-party or anything but I think they do it regularly over the weekends which is fun. It's nice to de-stress and not be working all the time, and I'm glad people aren't overly academic. The parties aren't insane but they're fun. There are movies and restaurants to go to off campus if you're not interested in partying also.

I met my closets friends freshman year, with a few exceptions. I am still building close friendships with people I met this year. I've met a lot of people through the outting club, which is very popular. Our men's hockey team and our field hockey team are both very popular and competitive. During the week most people are studying until they go to bed, but on Fridays/weekends, students go to parties at the social houses and other places such as the pub. There are also a lot of trips on weekends, either planned by the outting club or by small groups of students.

Hockey is one of the bigger sports on campus to watch, especially the game with our rivals at Colby college. Other sports can be just as big, it really depends on how well they're doing in the season. In the dorms, most students leave their doors cracked, so if you need anything you can open it or knock to say hi. During the week, most everyone is busy with work of some kind, though many are able to chill and relax a little. On the weekends almost everyone goes out to party, often with a couple destinations each night; though if someone wants to take it easy, that's fine too. Some people just chill, play board games, dance, or whatever on a weekend night. But one attraction for everyone, whether or not they plan on partying, is Super Snacks. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights one of the dining halls opens from 10-1am (though you can stay after the doors have closed), and let you get chips, grilled cheese sandwiches, carrots, and other snacks. Whether you're hungry or just want to chill, it's a great place to go.

Bowdoin students LIVE for the annual Bowdoin/Colby hockey game. Watson Arena completely fills up with students outfitted head-to-toe in black; school spirit runs rampant. The cheer heard most often at this hockey game? "Mules are sterile!!" I've met my closest friends through the crew team and ResLife staff. Knowing that people share your interests so closely - 1. Bowdoin chose them and they chose Bowdoin and 2. They're a part of these somewhat self-selecting groups - means a lot. The people in each group are diverse in age and interests, both academic and extracurricular. The thing I love most about both the crew team and ResLife is that with these groups of people, I feel at-home. They're my family at Bowdoin. We have common hour every Friday at 12:30 - Guest speakers come and speak on issues of their choice - the speakers range from Bowdoin professors to activists (like Eve Ensler) or US ambassadors. The variety is really stunning. Usually, these talks gather quite a crowd. In terms of going off campus, having a car is never a bad thing - it makes shopping easy at places like Target, or anywhere in Freeport. But having a bike is great for riding out one of the nearby points to the ocean or anywhere else close by. There is also a bus that goes straight to Portland and Boston from campus, so transportation out of Brunswick is pretty easy.

There are so many popular groups on campus. I'm involved with the Quaker group on campus, which is composed of a great group of kids who extend themselves to many other groups on campus. Most students leave their doors open and leave their belonging around with no serious concern of theft. Everyone attends athletic events, guest speakers and theater performances. It's a small community so, most likely you know someone who you can support that does some sort of activity. I met some of my closest friends randomly and I also made a lot of friends on my floor and on my team.

It's small, but it isnt TOO small. There are lots of little groups of interesting people doing interesting things. However, finding those people and busting out of your little group can be difficult.

There are a lot of organizations on campus, and most students are pretty active in them. The most popular are probably political and sports groups, especially the College Democrats and the Outdoor Club. There are tons of guest speakers on every imaginable topic, and they're generally very well-received (the funny but informative sex talks and the political speakers are a highlight!). Bowdoin has a lot of traditions, way too many to name, but one is a huge spring party and concert known as Ivies. There's always a good band on the quad, blow-up toys, cookouts, and separate parties in different houses and such all weekend. Bowdoin doesn't have frats, but we do have social houses, and everyone is automatically a member of one of these. They're pretty important freshmen year, when you're just getting to know people, and at least one social house has a theme party every weekend (toga parties, beach parties, etc.). Drinking is pretty popular, but most students are responsible about it, and you absolutely do not have to drink to have fun. There is a no-alcohol social house that has activities and there are also alcohol-free places to live, so you can even totally avoid alcohol if you want, though no one will pressure you to drink anyway. Off-campus there's a lot of good shopping about 15 minutes away in Freeport, which has AMAZING outlets, but Brunswick itself has plenty of cool shops within easy walking distance from campus. It has an independent movie theater, and there's a big, regular theater a few miles away, near a Wal-Mart and some other shopping complexes. Portland isn't far away, either, so clubs, stores, and restaurants of all kinds are only about a half hour away. You can get there by bus or find a friend with a car.

Safe campus, active student body. Lots of sports, parties, guest speakers, theater, all is very present.

One of the reasons that I chose Bowdoin was the social life. We don't have any frats or sororities here. We do have social houses, but, to put it simply, they're co-ed and not at all exclusive. Instead, they're basically in charge of hosting campus-wide parties and events, ie. concerts, speakers, apple picking, etc. On the weekends, people definitely party, but there are tons of other things to do as well. Bowdoin shows movies every week, and has TONS of guest lecturers and other events. You will never be bored here. Lots of people are also content to stay in and play board games. A lot of people drink, but I've never really been into drinking, and some of my friends don't drink, and we've been totally fine. The dating scene isn't too prevalent, mostly just weekend flings, but there are some campus couples. Overall, I'm really happy with the social life here. I've met friends through my dorm, clubs, and just randomly meeting and chatting with people. Students here, especially in the beginning, are eager to make friends. I've been lucky enough to live in a quad with great roommates, and we make an effort to be a welcoming hub of friendliness. Right now, I am sitting in my common room, with four other people, three of whom are not my roommates.

dating scene is awful - nothing between hookups and long term relationships

Sports teams play a huge role in campus social life. Also, social houses throw parties throughout the year. Bowdoin has a big drinking scene. While there are students that choose not to drink, alcohol has a strong presence on campus. Freshman year, people tend to make close friends with the people in their dorms. There are also concerts, art shows, lectures and film screenings that students can attend throughout the week.

Popular groups: varsity athletics: almost everyone does a sport. The magic question at Bowdoin: so what do you do? Involved in the sailing team, a big commitment but a great group of people. Most sports teams are close knit. Hockey games are big, thats the about it. Little dating scene, not prevalent. Closest friends met through athletics/ party scene/dorm. No frats. Last weekend: skiing and drinking with friends. Then studying all day sunday. Off campus: ski.

weekends: Social Houses throw parties every weekend, plus games etc are always big social events. Traditional events: Ivies is a weekend-long festival involving music, drinking and fun.

There is a distinct difference between how upperclassmen party and how first-years party. Generally, many people tend to party with their teams, clubs, or floormates. This is the best way for first years to access alcohol, if that is how they are interested in having fun. Often, the College Houses have large parties that are open to any student. These are large and mostly impersonal events, unless they're hosted by one of the better houses with more active, and/or friendly residents, such as Quinby or MacMillan House. (The six other houses are Ladd, Baxter, Helmrich, Reed, Burnett and Howell - Howell being the substance or "chem" free house) Other first-years who aren't as interested in drinking often get frustrated that there aren't more substance free programming events. However, as students get older they are invariably more in tune with social events and have more autonomy (particularly when they are of legal drinking age). Invariably, seniors love Bowdoin infinitely more than they did when they were first-years. Sometimes people complain about the difficulty of meeting new people or people in general, but this is a reality of college that no school can overcome.

Club would be community service. Teams all have full participation although there is an extra added emphasis on hockey and intramurals (namely hockey and basketball and softball). Winter hockey games are well attended, and speakers and other forums' attendance depends on the speaker and/or nature of the talk. Dating scene is relatively live. Its easy enough to find someone to date exclusively or a new person for a one night. On Tuesday at 2? I am either finishing up my work or hanging out with my floor. Parties are expected every night, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, every week of the year. We have no greek on campus, but we do have social houses, which accomplish more or less the same goal without a brother/sisterhood. For the most part, without drinking you can still go to the parties and have a good time. Off campus is mostly just for dinners, pizzas and bowling.