Bowdoin College Top Questions

It's not always the most enjoyable part of the search, but I strongly recommend taking a good look at the academics that are offered at the school and meeting with the professors and administrators at the school. Even if the school has a great reputation for academics, it's important to make sure that the school offers the things that you are interested in. Also, it was very helpful for me to make a list ranking everything that I was looking for in a school such as extracurriculars, academics, financial aid, study abroad opportunities, etc. There are enough schools out there that there is going to be one that offers everything that you need without having to make compromises. It's your education. Not only did you earn it by being accepted, but you'll also have to pay for it, so you shouldn't have to compromise.

Even after ample research through the internet, guide books, and visits to colleges, it is quite impossible to know whether a specific college will be the right fit. I never got the hunch that my school was "it", but based on what I wanted from a school ranging from class sizes to financial aid, I made my decision and have never regretted it. Most people are adapatable to their environments if they tried, so ultimately, it is the attitude you use to approach attending that chosen school that is the most important - a school may seem perfect during the visit, but may not be exactly so once the student is immersed in the academic and social environment. Yet, it is how the student seeks and strives for what they want in their college experience, and how they make the best out of their college experience that makes the biggest difference and becomes the most memorable.

First impressions are often correct, but they aren't necessarily the best way to judge something. The day I visited Bowdoin, it was raining hard, it was cold, and I don't remember anything particularly exciting happening. That may in fact be the best way to describe the entire experience as well. However, I would never go back in time to choose a different school. Bowdoin is slow paced, and far enough away from a city to feel connected to nature, while still being a day trip away from some of the East Coast's biggest cities. So, don't weigh your first impressions of a college too heavily. At the same time, first impressions are powerful, and if there is one thing that I can say without a doubt made my college experience the best that it could be, it was this, "ignoring the general education requirements". A liberal arts education is about finding out who you want to be, and learning how to remake yourself should you end up being something different. Explore your interests first, and you'll be surprised how many of the general education requirements get done while you are doing so.

Go with what seems best. It usually is.

An openness to the "experience" of college divorced from specific expectations of that experience.

The "right" college is not about applying to the highest-ranked or toughest-to-get-in to school. It is about looking at everything, from the academics, to the food, to the sports and other things that you will spend time doing on campus. You might find that the cultural groups on campus, or the library facilities, or the food are among your most important priorities. I would remind students that you can be happy at almost any school, and finding the "right" school is about finding yourself and understanding will make you a happy student for the next four years of your life. Parents, if you are helping your child pay for school, then your job is to find out how compatible your son or daughters top choices are with your financial situation. Getting into the school is only half the battle, and make it clear to your son or daughter that you will do the best that you can in helping them attend the school if their choice, but that they may need to keep their minds open to make this decision the best one for the whole family. Good luck and don't stess.

Speak with professors and students because they make up the heart of the school. There are innumerable opportunities if you seak them out.

Visit colleges and attend college that feels right for you.

Relax. The idea of a "right" college is stupid. There is no way that you will know what college will be right until you go. The process is stupid and not worth getting worked up over.

If you or your child can cut it academically at a school, then don't worry about the finances. The price tag of that degree may be high but it's priceless; moreover, you may qualify for a substantial amount of financial aid. Many expensive schools have great financial aid packages and paying for that prestigious education might be easier than you thought. College ought to change how you think and view the world. You might not know it right off, but a good college should not only engage students academically, but challenge them to think about social, ethical, and environmental problems and prepare them to contribute to the outside world. Good education means the lessons of the classroom being more than facts and lasting long after a lecture or discussion has ended and beyond the final exam. You are not gaining just qualification from getting a degree; you are learning how to construct your own world view.