Bowdoin College Top Questions

Bowdoin is hands down the most amazing place ever. I was totally one of those people who disliked highschool and never put much thought into school spirit. This all changed when I got to Bowdoin. The place and the people are so incredible that you can't help but be proud of it. The people here love to be active. The gym is a campus hotspot while others swear it off prefering the ample outdoors activities that surround the campus. Even in the dead of our intense Maine winters we make the most of it. Its an incredible college experience.

The Bowdoin community is pretty small and tight-knit. With a small campus and small class enrollment, it is easy to get to know a lot of people here on campus, whether it is through class, sports, clubs, parties, or living quarters. The local town, Brunswick, is very nice. Coming from a small town, it is nice to walk downtown through Maine St. and stop in at the local music, coffee, or sandwich shop. It is never too much of a problem to grab food or bathroom supplies from the supermarket or pharmacy, and Bowdoin Security's 'Safe Ride' service will give anyone a ride within 2 miles of campus. We have a high level of school pride and we are very supportive of our sports teams. Sports games tend to have fairly high attendances, especially in games against our Maine state NESCAC rivals, Bates and Colby. A recent controversy with our administration was the recent vote by the faculty to eliminate the possibility of receiving distribution requirement credit for taking a course Pass/Fail (or Credit/D/F as it is known here). Students were upset because this motion infringes on what it means to attend a liberal arts school. Unable to receive credit for a distribution requirement while taking pass/fail, Bowdoin students of the future will be less likely to explore new classes or general areas of study without feeling the pressure of receiving a good grade. It also makes studying abroad for pre-med students much less feasible, as it is difficult to complete all the distribution requirements and other medical school requisites.

When I was first looking at colleges my junior and senior year in high school, I was convinced that I wanted a huge student body. Coming from a small private school in Baltimore, I felt that I needed to have that experience. When I started looking into Bowdoin, the class size was the one thing that made me hesitant about applying, despite the fact that I loved everything else about it--the social house system, the balance of athletics and academics, the food (of course), the campus, the location, etc. I decided that regardless of what size school I went to, I would have significantly more classmates than the 75 I had in high school, so either way, I was going to have a plenty of different experiences. When I got here my freshman year, I found that the class size was practically perfect. Enough people to always be meeting new ones and small enough that I didn't feel overwhelmed. One experience that I'll never forget is when the women's Field Hockey team won Bowdoin's first ever National Championship. The entire campus was at the field house at 1 am on Saturday night to greet them. One of the houses off campus threw them a huge party and practically the entire campus was there, supporting the team until 5 o'clock in the morning. Even security guards were there when the team got off the bus, taking pictures and cheering them on with the rest of campus. It really was a huge testament to our incredible school spirit.

The best thing is the professors and the breadht of the resources. I would change entirely the makeup of the student body; we need less apathy, less perfectionism, more exploration. The only exploration that happens seems to do so off campus, and that sucks. I spend most of my time in the library. Brunswick is really cute. I don't think there's too much school pride, although maybe that's because I don't go to sporting events. There is absolutely nothing unusual about this school, aside from the excellent housing. I'll always remember driving to Colby in the middle of the night for a rookie task with the rugby team. Generally speaking, I think people just feel stuck here. Breaking convention here is very difficult.

What I most like about bowdoin is the ability to do whatever I want. What I mean by this, is that each student is allowed to move freely from one activity to another without being judge or restricted by the adminstration. I know this sounds like all liberal arts schools, but I feel that bowdoin actually stands out in this category.

For me Bowdoin has become more than just a school, but a place that I will always consider home. In the first lines of the "Offer of the College" William DeWitt Hyde highlights the importance of Bowdoin being a home to its students. I was born and raised half a country away, so when I came out here I was worried about the distance from my hometown. I was surprised how easy it was to settle here. From the moment I arrived I felt like I was a part of the College and feel strongly about this place. At Bowdoin there are endless outlets of support and friendship from the first people you meet on your pre-orientation trip, roommates, and proctors to deans, professors, and dining hall staff. There is an almost invisible gap between the students even when they vary in age by four years or more and professors can become incredible influences in your life inside and outside of the classroom. The people at Bowdoin are really what make the experience and the College holds high standards for the students they admit and the staff they hire in order for this to continue. I constantly feel that the College community has my back and I have learned to give that kind of support to everyone I can here. When I tell people that I go to Bowdoin the response varies if they have heard of the school. A lot of people outside of New England haven't heard of it, and yes they usually mispronounce it, but you can't let that get to you. The whole name recognition thing really doesn't matter because if they haven't heard of it it's their loss. You have to know in your head that you're at a great school and it shouldn't matter if someone hasn't heard of it. Sometimes people whine about the food, but they should be punched in the kidneys. It's amazing for college food and the best you will find in the country...seriously.

Its so welcoming, everyone is generally a good person at heart. There is a real sense of community. In a very quaint town--Brunswick--that is a college town, but there are still a lot of very cool places and Portland is only 30min away. Most people do spend most of their time on campus though, mainly because there is always something going on. Its very small, but that helps create the amazing sense of community, the only negative is the limited class offerings.

Best thing about Bowdoin? Probably academics and food. Worst thing about Bowdoin? the size—it's too damn small. In many respects—particularly social aspects of the school—it is like high school.

Student-professor relationships are the best part about Bowdoin. I would change Bowdoin's class withdrawal policy--students should be free to drop a class whenever they want to. The size is just right. When I tell people that I go to Bowdoin they ask where it is, what is is, and why I would want to go to a school in Maine. I spend most of my time in Hatch Science library. Brunswick is a cute college town--cook's corner is convenient and we aren't too far from Freeport and Portland. I don't have any sound claims to make about Bowdoin's administration. There was a mild hazing incident that received more attention then the situation warranted--it only lasted a week or two. School pride has its shining moments e.g., Colby-Bowdoin hockey games. Unusual: we have an incredibly intelligent student body; they are some of the smartest underachievers that I have ever met. I will always remember the traumas of my pre-orientation trip. I was increibly under qualified for the trip, but was assigned to it anyways. For three days, I had to backpack with regular backpackers--it was my first time! I hear a lot of complaints about the Credit/D/Fail policy--why not just make it Credit/Fail?

Bowdoin student love Bowdoin. There's a lot of school spirit even the kids who complain alot show alot of spirit. The one thing I might change is the weather...whcih isnt really changebale but the beginning of winter semester can be pretty miserable. Also, at times the small student body size (which I really like for the class room setting) limits the amount of classes offered and also makes it hard to get into classes.