Bowdoin: The Big Picture
Bowdoin is great. It's a smallerish college so you really do get to know the professors and deans and lunch ladies. You may not know them your freshman year, but definitely beginning your sophomore year you really start to get to know everyone, and this sense of community is a great feeling. In my home town, few people have heard of Bowdoin. But it is fun when you run into someone who has heard of it, because generally they declare that it's a great school. On campus, a lot of people hang out in the Union (Smith Union) since the cafe, the pub, the mail center, and the gym are all located there. A number of comfortable chairs and couches are set up around the Union so it's a nice place to study when you don't want complete quiet. Otherwise, the libraries generally have a number of people in them, and if you live in a social house or dorm, a lot of times people hang out in the common spaces there as well to do work etc. Definitely, the greatest show of school pride is during the Bowdoin-Colby ice hockey games, which are always packed with yelling fans. The cheers between our two schools are the best part and definitely make the game.
Bowdoin Academic Life
I have never been in a class where the professor has not known my name, and that includes my gigantic organic chemistry class as well (which, though I considered it gigantic was really only maybe 50-60 people max). Students study an average amount. There are definitely a number of students who are incredibly smart and are rarely seen doing work but get great grades. There are also those who lock themselves in the library for hours. Most people do work all day long all week long, Monday through Thursday, but dinners during the week are usually long and generally people hang out at night before everyone goes to bed. Students are not overly competitive, at least not against each other. Almost every student I have encountered is willing to explain a concept or help a classmate out, even if technically within the class, the students are competing against eachother for the higher grade. This is a great environment for learning because the only competition that people feel is generally with themselves, trying to improve their own grades, and not comparing themselves to anyone else's acheivements. As a chemistry major, since the department is tiny, there is a lot of contact between students and faculty, and you really get to know everyone in the department. The classes are challenging but the professors are great and very helpful. It is definitely possible to start helping a professor out in his/her lab even as a freshman, simply by asking. The chemistry department as really tried to increase their contact with the students by holding weekly lunches at Thorne dining hall, so that students and faculty have a chance to see eachother in a non-classroom setting. The requirements at Bowdoin are not bad, and most are fulfilled without even realizing it, especially as a freshman when students typically explore a little by taking classes outside one particular field.
Bowdoin's Student Body
A number of students wear sweats or jeans to class. The dress can be pretty laid back though some do look a bit nicer from day to day. Many times, students hang out with sports teams, and joining a sport team, even a club team, is a great way to have another outlet other than those with whom you live. Most students are "JOBs" - from Just Outside Boston, but in general Massachusettes and Connecticut and Maine. Though there are definitely sizable populations from Florida and California, which is interesting. On average, most students are of middle class. Obviously there are both upper class and lower class students as well. Bowdoin is definitely mostly liberal, but the conservative voice does not go unheard and has its own following of dedicated students. Students are fairly politically aware, especially the government majors, and since a large proportion of the student body studies government, this means a large porportion is quite informed.
Bowdoin Student Activities + Social Life
The Bowdoin Outing Club is hugely popular and most people go on at least a few outing club trips before the graduate. At the very least, most have gone on a Pre-Orientation trip, which can be biking, kayaking, or hiking, for instance, and these are great ways to meet new people. Sports teams often hang out together on campus. I joined the club ultimate frisbee team at Bowdoin as a freshman and it's been a great way to be part of a team and be active while not having all the commitments of a varsity athlete. Especially in freshman dorms and social houses, most people leave their doors bricked so that friends/neighbors can stop by and say hello. My closest friends are definitely my two roommates, with whom, in fact, I have been roommates with since freshman year. Many people's friend groups at the beginning of freshman year are people on their floor or in their freshman dorm. As time goes on, many still remain friends, but also more time is often spent with sports teams or simply other people they've met through classes or elsewhere. Most people party Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. However, Thursdays and Saturdays are typically the more popular nights, and it's not uncommon for people only go out once or twice in a weekend, choosing to stay low key or perhaps do some work on one of the other nights. If you're taking science or intro language classes, you'll often have Friday classes, but that usually doesn't stop those people from hanging out with friends on a Thursday night - everyone just tries to get their work done early to do so!
