Bowdoin: The Big Picture
Bowdoin is a tight knit community with nurturing teachers. The physical lay out of the campus facilitates the unified, community feeling of the student and faculty. The academics are challenging and the professors are supportive and champion their students; it is not easy to "fall through the cracks" here. College town is great--doesn't feel like the middle of nowhere. Portland is near by and so is Boston. The best thing about Bowdoin to me is how tight the students get; everyone knows everyone, and while that can seem annoying sometimes, at the end of the day it's awesome. As a junior, I can really see how my class has come together. While there are different groups of best friends, it is not exclusive and "cliquey." We all have fun together and come together to have fun.
Bowdoin Academic Life
Bowdoin is hard and you have to work hard. For the most part I have been extremely happy with the quality of the professors. Bowdoin students are not overtly competetive with each other--it is more like one is competetive with oneself. Everyone is extremely self-motivated and hard working. The professors in my major (Art History) are incredible. My advisor within the major is truly my champion and she inspires and challenges me, all the while being kind and supportive. Professors are always willing to see you outside of class. Education is geared for learning for its own sake, but having a Bowdoin education does open many doors in terms of getting a good job.
Bowdoin's Student Body
As someone who falls into the "preppy kid" stereotype I will say that I feel like I do fit in at Bowdoin. However, that does nto mean that I only interact with other prep school kids! On the contrary, I think that all different kinds of students interact here--and that's why it's so fun--you get to do things other people are interested in and learn so much from others. Students are definitely politically aware and we do have "intellectual" discussions outside of class. Most kids are probably middle class to upper middle class and on some kind of financial aid. Most students are from the east coast. There are definitely a ton of athletes here, but what is great about Bowdoin is that the "jocks" and non-athletes totally interact and are friends. It's not like there is a "cool, popular" group of jocks versus the other kids. That's what I really appreciate--people here are so willing to make friends. The students here are all about real fun--it's not just about getting hammered all the time or doing drugs for fun. People here are spontaneous--truly fun. We go sledding, skiing, do silly things all the time. It's about laughing and having fun even in the most daily, seemingly boring times. Maybe we are just dorks, I don't know, but everyone even seems to find something to laugh really hard about in the library. Kids here really have a great sense of humor and are active, proactive, go getters.
Bowdoin Student Activities + Social Life
Dorm life is great, very open, and fun. People leave their doors open and make friends with their neighbors. Athletic events are very popular and there is a lot of school spirit, especially against other Maine colleges. Guest speakers are awesome--often times very revered in their fields. Dating scene kind of sucks--it's so small that it's hard to just casually date because you are probably already friends with the person. Also it makes break ups awkward and difficult because everyone is friends and knows everyone. On a 2am on Tuesday, if I was awake, I would either be working in the library for an exam the next day, sleeping, or chilling and having late night silly fun with my roommates and friends. There are no frats or sororities and this definitely makes the student body more inclusive. Bowdoin is really fun and there are really fun parties here. But it is also ok if you don't want to drink a lot. The people I am friends with all love to party and have fun drinking but also can have fun sober--that's what it's all about here--being able to have fun anytime.
