Hannah

Bowdoin, like any school, can be what you make of it. It can seem like a small school dominated by New England prep school kids who like to get drunk, or you can seek out the many people who are not this way. Bowdoin has many material perks - the housing is much better than many comparable schools (especially for freshmen), the food is really great (even for vegetarians like me), and the location gives you both the advantages of cities within reasonable drives as well as being walking distance from cute shops and restaurants of a small town. And yes, the academics, for the most part, are very good, particularly once you get past entry-level classes. I would comment that school spirit and traditions don't seem to be very important here.

Classes vary at Bowdoin, like any other college, and range from easy lecture classes with 50 people looking for an easy A, or in-depth seminars with a group of intelligent, enthusiastic students. In general, I was disappointed by what I saw as a lack of intellectual curiosity on campus, and I think this still needs to be improved, but I have also had many really great classes and professors, especially as I have gotten beyond freshman year. Professors will be very helpful for the most part if you seek them out, and I think the close interaction between students and professors is one of Bowdoin's strengths. I am in the Environmental Studies and History departments, and have been happy with them so far. Bowdoin's environmental studies program is large and very good, but it also requires you to complete another major in addition, which has been a pain for me. The workload will definitely be heavy, although you can get by without doing that much if you really want to.

Bowdoin's diversity has and is continuing to increase. Economic diversity might be more lacking than racial diversity, however, as Bowdoin students mostly represent the upper echelons of American society in financial terms.

I was surprised at the lack of interest in politics - more students seem to be passively liberal without doing much about it, while a small group are much more active. Maybe it's just the culture of college, but lots of kids are pretty lazy/spoiled.

There are really only a small number of students who dress and act in ways that challenge the status quo - not many "alternative" kids. For example, there are some who share my tastes for indie rock, but classic rock continues to be most popular.

Social life at Bowdoin has been at times disappointing to me - we have "social houses", which are better than the Greek system, but are relatively infrequently used for activities other than heavy drinking of cheap beer most nights of the weekend. There are other things to do, but you have to try a little harder to find them. There is a significant chem-free sector, but they are often separated from the rest of the students.

In terms of dating, it can be difficult to find a middle ground between one-night hookups and long-term, serious relationships.

Bowdoin students go to a variety of events - while hockey and basketball games are some of the most popular events, theater, speakers, etc. can also attract large crowds. Students are supportive of a wide variety of things.

I am on the rugby team and in the Outing Club, and both have provided me with by best experiences while at Bowdoin. Our Outing Club is one of the very best in the nation, and the Leadership Training program is a particular asset. The rugby team has given me my roommates/closest friends, and is a unique and diverse group of amazing women.

Stereotypes might be that Bowdoin students are preppy/rich, but the same goes for most New England liberal arts schools.

I myself, being from the Midwest, had not encountered the New England prep school culture before, and therefore many Bowdoin students seemed at times preppy, rich, and elitist to me. However, though there are more of these types of students than I would prefer, this is also not the rule - Bowdoin's ethnic and economic diversity have been increasing, and there are students from many different backgrounds.

I would advise a prospective student to be realistic about what college is going to be like. It's not going to be perfect, anywhere, no matter what admissions officers tell you (they're probably exaggerating). However, college can also be amazing. My feelings about Bowdoin are very mixed - if someone asks me how I feel about it, I tell them I really like it (more so sophomore year than freshman year). But I also have a lot of criticisms and things I would like to see improve. I'm not sure if there was a better college for me out there or not. I do know that I've had some wonderful experiences at Bowdoin so far, and I look forward to many more, especially going abroad to China next spring.