Bowdoin Biology Major

I once saw Bowdoin described in a college review magazine as a college where every student wears L.L.Bean sweaters and collared shirts. I have also heard that all the students who are accepted to Bowdoin have really high SAT scores.

Not at all! While a lot of students wear winter jackets from L.L.Bean, there is a wide diversity in the styles of cloths worn by students, which reflects the diversity of the student population. More importantly, high SAT scores are not a requirement to get into Bowdoin. You are not required to report an SAT score, though you can send it in if you want. They instead look at you as a whole person, not just as a number. Good grades and high involvement in extracurricular activities are good features to have. It is important to note that the admissions process at Bowdoin is very selective.

The best thing about Bowdoin is the seemingly endless abundance of student organizations. Whether its the Outing Club, the Literary Magazine, the Film Society or an a Capella group, there something for every kind of person to get involved in.

If I could change one thing about Bowdoin, I would offer class credit for laboratory time (which is currently considered as extra course time, be it biology, chemistry, math or economics).

Bowdoin has a student population of about 1700, which is just right for me. You can get to know a lot of people well and still make new friends year after year.

When I say I attend Bowdoin, most Mainers smile and talk about an art exhibit or science conference they might have seen on the campus once. I grew up overseas, so most of my other friends had not heard of Bowdoin, or Brunswick for that matter.

Where I spend time on campus varies throughout the year. I always spend a good amount of time in the library and dining halls. When its warm, I spend a lot of time running, hiking, and reading outside. During the winter I spend a good deal of time in the pool, at hockey games, and in my own very warm room.

Brunswick is the best college town you can imagine. It has great food joints for dates. It has very close pizza delivery places (they will deliver pizza straight to your room) and movie rental places. Bath, about 15 minutes drive away, has a large movie theater and a large shopping mall.

There is a great deal of school pride (GO U BEARS). The polar bear mascot makes for some creative cheers and there is always a large student crowd that attends sporting events, cheering athletes on and singing along with the pep band.

An unusual thing about Bowdoin is its proximity to the Maine coast. You can bike to the ocean in a few minutes. While the nearest beach is about a 30 minute drive away, there are some beautiful walking paths and bike routes that are easy and great to go along.

An experience I will always remember is competing the Bowdoin IronBear mini-triathlon. Students, locals, and professionals all compete in a short swim, bike, and run centered in the campus and many Bowdoin students come out to cheer on their friends and provide them with water and food when they cross the finish line. You feel like you really belong to a tight community where everyone is excited and supportive of each other.

Students usually complain most about the printers on campus, which are abundant but prone to frequent break-downs. However, Bowdoin has a vigilant Information Technology team that usually fix problems quickly. Students will also complain about the winter cold, which is tough, but outdoor skating and snow ball fights make it manageable. These same students will complain about the heat in the Spring.

Professors always come to know your name and remember you even after the semester is over. One of my favorite classes was Behavioral Ecology, where we took field trips to numerous research stations, ran around fields catching dragonflies with nets and helped band birds. My least favorite class was Chemistry 109, which was very dull, but it lead me to do very interesting things. Students study and work VERY hard. The reading load is pretty heavy and class participation often amounts to about 10-15% of your grade. I once heard a group of football players discuss quantum physics while they ate dinner (no joke, only once). The academic environment is NOT competitive at all. Friends often take classes together and form large study groups where they can both learn and vent their frustrations about the course work or professor. The most unique class I've taken has to be "English 254: Renaissance Sexualities." It was very difficult and was taught by a professor that plays key-tar and sings in an '80's rock cover band.

I am a biology major and the biology department at Bowdoin is amazing. They have large laboratories and numerous field stations, including one on Kent Island in the Bay of Fundy and on an island literally 20 minutes from campus by car. I have done a lot of work at the Bowdoin Marine Laboratory and worked with a professor over the summer. I have come to know him well and I been able to work very hard with him and drink beers with him at summer BBQs.

Bowdoin has rigorous academic requirements, which really require you to study a little bit of something, and allow you to study a lot of what you're interested in. I have enjoyed every moment of it, even the late nights. I feel very prepared to enter the job world and I have Bowdoin to thank for that.

Bowdoin is a very liberal environment, where anyone is welcome. Bowdoin has one of the oldest African American Societies in America, the LGBT organizes an annual "Out Week" where all sexualities are recognized and respected. Bowdoin Men Against Sexual Violence (BMASV aka "be massive") is a new and powerful organization. Students of all different kinds interact on campus almost every day. However, at dining halls you typically will see a table of white girls, a table of African Americans, and a table of athletes, but I can guarantee that people will often lean over and talk between the tables. There are a lot of Bowdoin students from Boston and the surrounding area. However, Mainers, Californians, and international students are also well represented. There are many students from wealthy backgrounds and many students on financial aid, but you wouldn't be able to tell jut by looking at people.

In freshmen doors you will always see doors kept open. Its a very welcoming a safe environment. There are many fun traditions, including Ivies Weekend (when a big band, such as OK Go! or Third Eye Blind may come to campus), and the Colby vs Bowdoin Hockey game, where tradition songs and insults are yelled along with the cheering. Student involvement off campus is always community centered. Many students volunteer in soup kitchens and I myself have volunteered in the Emergency Room at Mid Coast Hospital.

I just have to say that I have enjoyed Bowdoin more than I ever thought I could. As a biologist, I have learned about bird anatomy while skinning an owl. I have done laboratory research at the Coastal Studies Center and taken lunch breaks to swim in the ocean off the docks. I have played in numerous campus rock bands and won many a snow ball battle on the quad. I have been able to better myself as a student and as a person. I think these are the opportunities that Bowdoin offers to its students, and all it takes is a little effort to explore them.