Bowdoin College Top Questions

If you're able to visit college campuses, vist as many as you can. When you climb out of the car and take your first glimpse of campus, how do you feel? Take note. Spend a few hours strolling around campus and grab a coffee or soda at a local student hot-spot. Can you see yourself frequenting these concrete walkways? This cafe? Eavesdrop on some students' conversations. Observe their dress, their speech, their habits. Be sure to consider several students, not just a handful that look a lot or absolutely nothing like you. If you can, sit in on a class. Listen carefully. Watch the students' faces. Are they engaged? Are you? Walk slowly back to your car, taking note of the buildings, students, trees, quads, etc. Think about all you've witnessed during your visit. Close your eyes and listen. Could you call this place a home? Listen to your gut.

Spend time on campus with current students and see if you feel comfortable in the area and with the other students. Yes, the education is important, but it's likely that you will get a good education whereever you go so it's important that you are happy at college. It really is the best four years of your life. It's also important to remember that there isn't just ONE perfect school for every student. If you don't get into your first choice, you can still have an amazing experience at another school. Also, don't really look at rankings. Yes, it's important, but those rankings are based on hundreds of factors, and most are likely irrelevant to you.

The best advice I can give parents and students about finding the right college is to visit the schools that you are applying to. Being in the environment of the school definitely helped me know right away which school just felt right. I recommend doing a campus stay overnight with a current student and seeing what life is like for a typical student and also to see what is offered at the school (classes, extra-curriculars, food, entertainment) as well as the city or town that the school is in. In terms of making the most of the college experience... do as much as possible without overburdening yourself. Take risks like joining intramural sports teams for a sport you've never played before, or take an acting class if you've never done that. College is definitely a time where you can explore new areas of interests, academically and socially.

I would tell students that they should visit the campus and try to get a feel for how people treat each other. Sit in on a class that is representative of one you might take. Your gut instinct is probably going to be pretty accurate - if you get a vibe about the school that you don't like when you're on a tour, the problem you're anticipating probably will still exist when you attend. There are amazing opportunities available at colleges, from the networking possibilities to the incredible knowledge of professors. Ultimately you only get out what you put in though; it's very easy to be complacent and do the minimum necessary to graduate. Don't. You'll be depriving yourself of most of the value of going to school.

The truth is that Mom and Dad should have some input. Parents are there as they have been throughout a child's adolescense, to guide them into making informed decisions. Parents should be there to remind a student that just because he or she likes the facilities, there are other factors to consider or that just because they had a good time during their stay at a particular college, students should remember that there is more to a college than just the social scene. That said there is a very important aspect to finding the right college that is 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} in the hands of the student. After making a list of schools that meet the academic, athletic, aesthetic, and career oriented criteria, the school must feel like home to the student. When I chose Bowdoin it was because I went there and felt that I had a real connection t the school; I could envision myslelf going there. So Parents I advise you to help your children make an appropriate list for themselves and after that take them to each school and let them decide what feels right.

As a student and a parent, it is important to understand what you would like a school to provide to you and your son / daughter as a student. Depending on your interests and personality, there are certain schools that would be best for you. For instance, a small school can offer unparalleled research and advanced study options, but may not support a large traffic load of companies recruiting for internships and jobs. Try to imagine yourself at that school: would you miss football games or find the ocean invigorating? Do you want to be close to home or have the ability to walk into your professor's office to ask a question on a specific problem? There are so many factors to juggle, having a solid understanding of what will make you happy and what are the most important factors to you will help narrow down your choices. Once you find that perfect college, take a step back and understand all it has to offer - do you want to go abroad, join JV tennis, hike on the weekends with the outing club or start a debate group? The opportunities are limitless and your passion will carry you forward.

Don't worry about rankings or what others think of your choice. Identify what is important to you and focus on choosing the school that is the best fit. Talk to current students at your potential schools. They have the insider information and will give you the real scoop. If you have concerns, bring them up early. Spending four years at a college is a big decision and you want as much information as possible in order to make it. At the same time, step outside of your comfort zone. College is a time to try new things and have experiences you may never have again. Take a class in an unfamilar field and take courses based on the reputation of the professor. Get involved in a lot of activities early and figure out what you are passionate about as time goes on. Don't get overwhelmed and don't feel like you have to have it all figured out. Academics are imporant but much of the learning happens outside the classroom. You are not just paying for a piece of paper to hang on the wall, you are paying for the opportunity for self discovery. Take advantage of it.

The right college is often not the first one you choose. Sometimes it needs to find you. The most important quality that will lead you to the perfect college is an open mind. We often have a college in mind that we think is the ideal, but college is a time of change and growth. Choosing the right college is the first step in that path of change. Keeping an openmind will allow you to accept new academic structures and methods. They might lead you from New York City to small town Brunswick, Me as it did me. I chose the college that was right for me even though, on paper, it seemed to be completely wrong for me. Searching for the right college is a journey unto itself and your choice will help shape the person you become. Keeping an openmind is the key to finding the right attributes for your college career.

The right college for you is the one where you can imagine yourself living and learning for four years. This can be challenging, considering that most people change dramatically during their college years. When it comes down to it, though, I believe that the best colleges offer a broad enough range of activities and academic fields to accomodate such growth. Of course, food, housing, security, and countless other topics will play into your decision as well. But remember that what really matters in the end is what you will have gained by the time you graduate. Although the party scene may seem essential to you now, will it be as important to you by the time you're a senior as the possibility of doing one-on-one research with a professor? So my main advice is to use your imagination. Imagine yourself in the library, on the quad, in the student union, off campus, on campus. Would you be comfortable there? Happy there? Learning there? Trust your imagination. Because pretty soon, that imagined future will become reality. And that reality really is the best four years of your life!

The most valuable advice I could offer to a student making college choices is to pick a college that is a good fit, rather than striving to gain admittance to the so called "top tier" schools. One thing I've valued in my own college experience is finding peers who are passionate for academia; peers who aren't afraid to admit that they love what they are studying. I also think it's important to go to a school and meet people with diverse backgrounds, since one can learn much from befriending "different" people. Finally, finding a school with passionate professors is important. My advisor has really been my mentor at school, and not only have I learned more about biology through working with her, I feel that she knows me well enough to advise me as I leave college. Having professors who know you and know your work well can help you learn and help you make decisions about your future.