Bowdoin College Top Questions

I am a participant in 2 marshall arts clubs and have tried many intramural sports.

You can realistically party three nights a week: Thursday through Saturday. A lot of freshmen do this, and a significant number of students drink heavily through all three years (I could be a bit biased coming from the frisbee team, which, along with men's rugby, probably drink more than anyone else on campus). That said, every night has "chem free" options like movies, swing dancing, poetry and music events, etc. Last weekend I went out on Thursday night with the Frisbee team, playing drinking games in one of the college houses until 11pm when we migrated to the pub to hear The Mathematicians play. They have a huge following among the frisbee team, so the concert was a blast. Friday morning I went to class, and around 1 oclock I left with 3 friends to go ice-climbing on Mt. Washington. We stayed in the Harvard Mountaineering Club Cabin between Tuckermans and Huntingtons Ravine. When we came home on Saturday, I went out again to another social house party, where drinking games and dancing were the main events. I finished that night sleeping at my girlfiend's room.

alot of drinking thurs-saturday so if you're not into that sometimes it's hard to find stuff to do. depending on what dorm you live in, doors are open. no one dates here, they hook up. Hockey and basketball games are somewhat popular. If i'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday I am relaxing after a longggg night of homework or finishing homework. There aren't any frat/sororities but the social houses are an interesting replacement.

Social houses serve as the main place to host parties, and most freshman and sophomores rely on the social house scene. Fraternities and sororities are non-existant, which is nice. Athletic events are fairly popular, especially hockey games. Bowdoin hosts a guest speaker every friday, and that is a very popular events.

Hockey and Lacorsse

Parties here are ok, if you are drunk they have the reputation to be awesome. socializing while not drinking here tends to be problematic, though.

Students in dorms generally leave their doors open, and each floor (at least freshman year) generally develops a sense of community. Also, at some point in the year people begin expanding outside of their floor and even outside of their dorm. The dating scene is relatively non-existent at Bowdoin - don't come here expecting to find numerous individuals who are looking for a serious relationship, at least not at first. The couples I know of are very happy but are relatively rare.

Outing Club, Dance groups, Acapella, Instramural sports

Outing Club is big. Lots of skiers, hikers, etc. About half the student body plays a sport. Being on the soccer team has been a great athletic and social experience. No frats, thankfully. Partying primarily on fridays and saturdays. Ivies is the best party week/weekend of the year. Last weekend of April. Not unusual to go Wednesday through Sunday. Some good guest speakers. Christopher Hitchens most recently.

The college brings in a lot of cool speakers and musicians. The outing club is popular and very well funded, great for exploring the amazing wilderness around Bowdoin. Skiing is also close, it's about 2 hours to Sugarloaf or Sunday River.

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.

The athletics are a huge part of the social scene, whether it is people attending games, or athletes throwing parties. If you are involved in a sport you will always have a social outlet to go to. Ivies is the traditional huge party weekend, but as a member of the Track team, i will never get to experience the festivities.

Sports teams are huge here, many people play, but it's division 3 so no one takes themselves too seriously. A cappella is also huge here, as there are 6 groups on a campus of 1700 people. People leave their doors open, and many of your closest friends will be people from your dorm. The dating scene is almost nonexistant. It is more of a hookup scene. Actual couples are scarce, but hookups are not. Ivies happens every spring, and it is the greatest thing ever created. Musical groups come, and it's a huge party for several days. People party on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at most, but almost everyone goes out at least one night a week. Off campus: the surrounding towns are very cool to explore, and Portland is a great resource. Maine is also beautiful and a great place for outdoor adventures.

Everyone is involved in something. You're not a Bowdoin student if you're not. Lots of students do sports, but there are plenty of other activities to be involved in. Tuesday nights the 21 year old students go to the local bar, but other than that weeknights are pretty tame. Thursday is definitely a weekend night - people definitely go out. Social house parties dominate the underclassmen scene. Other than that, most events are small and in people's rooms.

There seems to be a lot offered in terms of social life, but the reality is, most weekends are the same. Either big campus-wide parties or parties at Brunswick apartments, etc., or private mid-night dance parties in your own room. It's pretty much the same scene at any other college it seems. The real benefit is how close we are to the ocean and other beautiful places in Maine - there is so much to do here. Bikerides, walks and midnight trekks to the water have been my favorite memories here so far.

Clubs and extracurriculars are really varied and I think most of them are exciting and cool. I've tried crew, Taiko drumming, organic gardening, and volunteering at a homeless shelter since being here. All of these different clubs/groups were extremely easy to join (and easy to leave if I found that I wasn't crazy about them). Freshman year, everyone left their door open which was awesome. Nobody does this year in Chamberlain, but I guess that's ok. I don't think people over-party or anything but I think they do it regularly over the weekends which is fun. It's nice to de-stress and not be working all the time, and I'm glad people aren't overly academic. The parties aren't insane but they're fun. There are movies and restaurants to go to off campus if you're not interested in partying also.

I met my closets friends freshman year, with a few exceptions. I am still building close friendships with people I met this year. I've met a lot of people through the outting club, which is very popular. Our men's hockey team and our field hockey team are both very popular and competitive. During the week most people are studying until they go to bed, but on Fridays/weekends, students go to parties at the social houses and other places such as the pub. There are also a lot of trips on weekends, either planned by the outting club or by small groups of students.

Hockey is one of the bigger sports on campus to watch, especially the game with our rivals at Colby college. Other sports can be just as big, it really depends on how well they're doing in the season. In the dorms, most students leave their doors cracked, so if you need anything you can open it or knock to say hi. During the week, most everyone is busy with work of some kind, though many are able to chill and relax a little. On the weekends almost everyone goes out to party, often with a couple destinations each night; though if someone wants to take it easy, that's fine too. Some people just chill, play board games, dance, or whatever on a weekend night. But one attraction for everyone, whether or not they plan on partying, is Super Snacks. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights one of the dining halls opens from 10-1am (though you can stay after the doors have closed), and let you get chips, grilled cheese sandwiches, carrots, and other snacks. Whether you're hungry or just want to chill, it's a great place to go.

Bowdoin students LIVE for the annual Bowdoin/Colby hockey game. Watson Arena completely fills up with students outfitted head-to-toe in black; school spirit runs rampant. The cheer heard most often at this hockey game? "Mules are sterile!!" I've met my closest friends through the crew team and ResLife staff. Knowing that people share your interests so closely - 1. Bowdoin chose them and they chose Bowdoin and 2. They're a part of these somewhat self-selecting groups - means a lot. The people in each group are diverse in age and interests, both academic and extracurricular. The thing I love most about both the crew team and ResLife is that with these groups of people, I feel at-home. They're my family at Bowdoin. We have common hour every Friday at 12:30 - Guest speakers come and speak on issues of their choice - the speakers range from Bowdoin professors to activists (like Eve Ensler) or US ambassadors. The variety is really stunning. Usually, these talks gather quite a crowd. In terms of going off campus, having a car is never a bad thing - it makes shopping easy at places like Target, or anywhere in Freeport. But having a bike is great for riding out one of the nearby points to the ocean or anywhere else close by. There is also a bus that goes straight to Portland and Boston from campus, so transportation out of Brunswick is pretty easy.

There are so many popular groups on campus. I'm involved with the Quaker group on campus, which is composed of a great group of kids who extend themselves to many other groups on campus. Most students leave their doors open and leave their belonging around with no serious concern of theft. Everyone attends athletic events, guest speakers and theater performances. It's a small community so, most likely you know someone who you can support that does some sort of activity. I met some of my closest friends randomly and I also made a lot of friends on my floor and on my team.

It's small, but it isnt TOO small. There are lots of little groups of interesting people doing interesting things. However, finding those people and busting out of your little group can be difficult.

There are a lot of organizations on campus, and most students are pretty active in them. The most popular are probably political and sports groups, especially the College Democrats and the Outdoor Club. There are tons of guest speakers on every imaginable topic, and they're generally very well-received (the funny but informative sex talks and the political speakers are a highlight!). Bowdoin has a lot of traditions, way too many to name, but one is a huge spring party and concert known as Ivies. There's always a good band on the quad, blow-up toys, cookouts, and separate parties in different houses and such all weekend. Bowdoin doesn't have frats, but we do have social houses, and everyone is automatically a member of one of these. They're pretty important freshmen year, when you're just getting to know people, and at least one social house has a theme party every weekend (toga parties, beach parties, etc.). Drinking is pretty popular, but most students are responsible about it, and you absolutely do not have to drink to have fun. There is a no-alcohol social house that has activities and there are also alcohol-free places to live, so you can even totally avoid alcohol if you want, though no one will pressure you to drink anyway. Off-campus there's a lot of good shopping about 15 minutes away in Freeport, which has AMAZING outlets, but Brunswick itself has plenty of cool shops within easy walking distance from campus. It has an independent movie theater, and there's a big, regular theater a few miles away, near a Wal-Mart and some other shopping complexes. Portland isn't far away, either, so clubs, stores, and restaurants of all kinds are only about a half hour away. You can get there by bus or find a friend with a car.

Safe campus, active student body. Lots of sports, parties, guest speakers, theater, all is very present.

One of the reasons that I chose Bowdoin was the social life. We don't have any frats or sororities here. We do have social houses, but, to put it simply, they're co-ed and not at all exclusive. Instead, they're basically in charge of hosting campus-wide parties and events, ie. concerts, speakers, apple picking, etc. On the weekends, people definitely party, but there are tons of other things to do as well. Bowdoin shows movies every week, and has TONS of guest lecturers and other events. You will never be bored here. Lots of people are also content to stay in and play board games. A lot of people drink, but I've never really been into drinking, and some of my friends don't drink, and we've been totally fine. The dating scene isn't too prevalent, mostly just weekend flings, but there are some campus couples. Overall, I'm really happy with the social life here. I've met friends through my dorm, clubs, and just randomly meeting and chatting with people. Students here, especially in the beginning, are eager to make friends. I've been lucky enough to live in a quad with great roommates, and we make an effort to be a welcoming hub of friendliness. Right now, I am sitting in my common room, with four other people, three of whom are not my roommates.

dating scene is awful - nothing between hookups and long term relationships

Sports teams play a huge role in campus social life. Also, social houses throw parties throughout the year. Bowdoin has a big drinking scene. While there are students that choose not to drink, alcohol has a strong presence on campus. Freshman year, people tend to make close friends with the people in their dorms. There are also concerts, art shows, lectures and film screenings that students can attend throughout the week.

Popular groups: varsity athletics: almost everyone does a sport. The magic question at Bowdoin: so what do you do? Involved in the sailing team, a big commitment but a great group of people. Most sports teams are close knit. Hockey games are big, thats the about it. Little dating scene, not prevalent. Closest friends met through athletics/ party scene/dorm. No frats. Last weekend: skiing and drinking with friends. Then studying all day sunday. Off campus: ski.

weekends: Social Houses throw parties every weekend, plus games etc are always big social events. Traditional events: Ivies is a weekend-long festival involving music, drinking and fun.

There is a distinct difference between how upperclassmen party and how first-years party. Generally, many people tend to party with their teams, clubs, or floormates. This is the best way for first years to access alcohol, if that is how they are interested in having fun. Often, the College Houses have large parties that are open to any student. These are large and mostly impersonal events, unless they're hosted by one of the better houses with more active, and/or friendly residents, such as Quinby or MacMillan House. (The six other houses are Ladd, Baxter, Helmrich, Reed, Burnett and Howell - Howell being the substance or "chem" free house) Other first-years who aren't as interested in drinking often get frustrated that there aren't more substance free programming events. However, as students get older they are invariably more in tune with social events and have more autonomy (particularly when they are of legal drinking age). Invariably, seniors love Bowdoin infinitely more than they did when they were first-years. Sometimes people complain about the difficulty of meeting new people or people in general, but this is a reality of college that no school can overcome.

Club would be community service. Teams all have full participation although there is an extra added emphasis on hockey and intramurals (namely hockey and basketball and softball). Winter hockey games are well attended, and speakers and other forums' attendance depends on the speaker and/or nature of the talk. Dating scene is relatively live. Its easy enough to find someone to date exclusively or a new person for a one night. On Tuesday at 2? I am either finishing up my work or hanging out with my floor. Parties are expected every night, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, every week of the year. We have no greek on campus, but we do have social houses, which accomplish more or less the same goal without a brother/sisterhood. For the most part, without drinking you can still go to the parties and have a good time. Off campus is mostly just for dinners, pizzas and bowling.

Sports are a huge part of campus life - whether it is varsity, club, or intramural, almost everyone I know participates in at least one sport. The Outing Club is huge on campus, its members range from people who go on day hikes once in awhile to kids who climb mountains and make their own granola and eat so much organic food they have sprouts coming out of their ears.

hockey? frisbee, really fun yes sports events are pretty popular, theater and guest speakers have a smaller more specific crowd no pressure to date, mostly personal preference roomates, random parties, classes, through other friends either working or hanging out with my close friends ivies, havent experienced it but heard its amazing it ranges, some drink every night and others never do, no judgement one way or another no frats, social houses are sweet though, but not important partied, watched hockey game --- restaurants

sports teams, singing groups. Amnesty international. yes. depends on the sport. guest speakers can be good. i dont know about the theater. The dating scene isn't very big but sometimes people will go on dates. They're on my floor. Working or hanging out. Work or hanging out. Ivies. Every weekend. nonexistent. work and partied. super snacks. cafes and shopping.

The social scene at Bowdoin revolves around the social houses. Each house is affiliated with a freshmen dorm, and that is the house that you are automatically placed into. They basically operate like coed fraternaties, except you don't choose which one you're in. A freshmen student can expect a social house party pretty much every Friday and Saturday night. They're a great way to meet people at the beginning of the year. In terms of meeting close friends, almost all of them I met through my dorm. We're a really close-knit dorm. Ivies is probably the biggest tradition at Bowdoin. It's during the last weekend in April, and it celebrates Bowdoin declining the Ivy League's offer to join them, and is now a week-long party. There's also a lobster bake right before the beginning of classes in the fall for the whole school. Not many other schools can say that!

There are tons of things going on at Bowdoin on the weekends and during the week in terms of parties, academic events, speakers, theater, etc. If you look for something to do and can't find anything, then chances are you're not looking in the right place. Bowdoin has so much to offer, but sometimes you have to search to find it.

Freshman dorms here are amazing. All have been renovated or built in the past 3 years, which means they're very modern and still have that sqeaky clean feeling, no matter how many drunken incidents occur. This contributes to a great open-door policy and floors bond very easily. There's a great amount of trust that things won't get stolen- students leave their shoes in the halls outside of their rooms in the built in cubbies and their toiletries in open cubbies in the bathroom. Bowdoin also has some really great guest speakers and drama/a capella/improv/concerts going on every week. Thursday night is Pub Night to get the weekend started at the pub in the Union and there's always a DJ or band playing. The social houses (Bowdoin's form of non-exclusive, coed, Greek system) always have themed parties on Friday and Saturday nights.

Parties are not hard to find at Bowdoin. If a social house (our version of a frat or a sorority, except College-run and coed) isn't throwing a party, one can usually be found in the Tower or in another dorm on campus. However, these parties can often be fun without imbibing. I have friends who don't drink and still go to these parties, and they almost always have a good time. Beer is not hard to find on campus, but I wouldn't say it runs our social life. If students don't want to drink, the dining hall is open from 10-1 on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, and they serve as much snack food as students could ever possibly want. Additionally, we have one chem-free social house that throws all different types of parties, just without the alcohol. One down side to such a small campus is that hooking up can often be awkward. It's impossible to hook up with someone and never see them again - you will run into them at the dining hall, in the union, in the halls of academic buildings, on the quad...you get the picture.

Lets face it- there isn't a lot to do in Maine. Most students go skiing and snowboarding, and most students drink. We have a great alternative to Greek Life through a social house system that includes everyone who wants to come.

the athletic teams are pretty popular. open door policy in dorms - pretty friendly. athletic events are popular. a couple of guest speakers, nothing too interesting. we don't have any money apparently to bring in good speakers. (where is our $45,000 per year going?!?!) there is no dating scene. it's called causal sex. or you are one of the few people who are essentially married to their bf/gf. closet friends = who you were assigned to live with freshman year or who is on your sports team if im awake on 2am tuesday i am either wasting my time listening to music or on facebook, not getting any work done. traditions: ivies = booze fest people party on thursdays and saturdays. that's it. fridays suck here. when you are a senior you have tuesdays as well, which is when everyone goes to the only bar in walking distance there are no frats i wouldn't know what you can do besides drinking - it's pretty much the only source of entertainment out here in maine. bowdoin turns people into alcoholics. mostly because of the boredom. a little because of the work. a lot because it is a good social lubricant and people here are socially awkward or want to be drunk enough to have casual sex. there is nothing to do off campus!! WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF MAINE! you can go to tj-maxx if you want. freeport offers some good outlets which is a big draw.

People in freshmen dorms definitely leave their doors open all the time! Dating scene: casual hook-ups (usually drunk) or virtually married...very little in between I met my closest friends through my freshman dorm, those friends' sports teams, and through my classes freshmen year. If I'm awake at 2 am on a Tuesday I'm watching a movie or laughing with my friends for no apparent reason and am kicking myself for not being in bed already People party on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, but they are also conscious of their work so it's usually some combination of these nights, not all three. We're near Freeport and Portland and the town of Brunswick has anything you can need and is within walking distance, there's also a bus to Boston directly from campus every day!

Besides being on a team, one of tehbest social experiences at Bowdoin is being involved with a college house. Each college house has a different personality and students have the opportunity to get to know other students that live in the house and attend events that the house hosts. One particular house called out to me. One of my favorite nights on campus was attending a party at this college house. When my friends and I arrived, there was newspaper taped to all the walls and people were drawing and writing on it in pastel crayons. The people who weren't participating in this activity were gathered around the snack table-which consisted of an array of melons and coconuts, or dancing barefoot to an amazing live band that the house had booked. It was an amazingly fun and relaxing Saturday night.

Sports teams are the most popular groups on campus. I play on the softball team and absolutely love it. The team is awesome and we all love to play. Who cares if we don't get to play outside until March? Students in dorms leave their doors open ALL THE TIME. I met my closest friends my freshman year. We were all floormates. If I am awake at 2am on a Tuesday, I am either reading, studying, or watching T.V.

girls field hockey, men's ice hockey, both soccer teams, men lax and both basketball are popular. i live in a social house which is awesome. a lot of fun and a good way to interact with freshman. people leave there doors open mostly- it also depends on the attitude of the floor. a lot of people attend athletic events, you probably know someone on the team. there is a dating scene- which most people say doesnt exist because drunk hookups are way more popular. but dating happens. my closest friends i met in my freshman door and then some of their friends. now, i have new friends because of my new dorm. on tuesday- people go to the local bar. either the bar, studying for a test or watching a movie/hanging out in a friends room. the big lobster bake at the beginning is awesome, interhouse olympics, relay for life, ivies, certain themed parties at certain social houses. ivies is the best- a drunken week a spring where there are bands and events etc. someone is partying each night. mainly it is tuesday, thursday, friday and saturday. most people stick with thursday and saturday. we dont have frats anymore- they were replaced with social houses which are co-ed and more inclusive. last weekend- thurs- went out for someone's birthday. fri- class then eve ensler came to speak. went to a movie with friends, night hockey game, went out. saturday- brunch, day hockey game, went out. sunday was for working. there are events by howell house that is chem free.......i would either hang out with friends, watch a movie, go skiing for the weekend, go out and not drink, maybe the library? off campus is shopping, going out for lunch and dinner, go skiing, go to visit other colleges, go to boston, portland, the cape, montreal.

Everyone leaves their doors open; it's a very safe place. I met my closest friends through the rugby team, and I've loved them all ever since.

Everyone is more than willing to help you...with anything. And of course, having less than 2000 students, you get to know who "everyone" is fairly quickly. Which is great whenever you need help with academics or starting a club or anything really...but it kind of sucks for those one night stands and everyone knows what happened. Of course there always is the option of going off campus on the weekend...if you have a car or are over 21. 'Downtown' is good for Saturday morning brunch and a day dabbling in small stores, but after five, if you can't legally drink, then you're on campus. Unless you have a car or know someone who does, then there are always the options of going to commercialized industries and civilization up the road at Cook's Corner or hiking it down to Portland. Both are great places to escape campus, but it sucks that they are not in walking distance. The big group trips to Portland though create stories that last for a long time. Hanging out on campus really isn't that bad though. Pub nights can be amazingly close to being in a real club, and Supersnacks is always a must. Drunk or sober, something exciting is ALWAYS going on EVERY weekend at campus. It takes some adjusting, but after you settle in there are plenty of ways to spice up a dull weekend.

Drinking dominates social life. Partying is the dominant weekend activity. I do not drink. I do not party. This makes life at Bowdoin very dull for myself and other non-drinkers. I am actively involved in Bowdoin's outdoor club, the Bowdoin Outing Club. The Outing Club is a joke, but it is the only way to get away from campus on the weekends. The "hiking" trips are barely picnics, the students are uniformly lazy, and the pace is geriatric. The only reason I still go is that the alternative (another boring day on campus) is even worse. But, everybody seems very happy to be here. I can't figure that one out.

Campus life at Bowdoin is seriously what you make of it -- I know so many people, including myself, who have complained that there's nothing to do on a given weekend and then another weekend I've actually gone to see the entertainment Bowdoin provides or the student theater productions and it's been great. We usually have a few really good speakers (last year, RFK Jr., this year, Eve Ensler from the Vagina Monologues) and a few good bands (Ben Kweller this year). There are also things like Thursday pub nights, where they'll get a live band or a DJ and you can go dance. Student groups on campus are somewhat popular. There's a group for pretty much anything you could want, and it's easy to start a club if what you want isn't offered (which I did myself), but in general Bowdoin fits the norm of extracurriculars decreasing significantly once everyone stops trying to pad their college resumes. The most popular campus groups are community service oriented -- there's a lot of tutoring and mentoring that goes on, both on and off campus. The dating scene at Bowdoin is pretty standard -- either you're hooking up or you're married. Bowdoin does its best to encourage dating, though -- they'll offer coupons to Brunswick restaurants during "Date Week" and they had speed dating this year. There is a lot of drinking, but given what I've heard from friends of mine at other schools, it's nothing overwhelming and I have NEVER heard of anyone getting slipped something in their drink. If you're looking for weed, you will be able to find it, but otherwise it's not that prevalent, and I've only heard of about four people on campus who do cocaine. Like I said, Bowdoin doesn't permit hard alcohol on campus, so if people do that it will usually be in rooms behind closed doors (unless they're stupid, and then they usually will get caught). For underclassmen, the night life pretty much revolves around the non-exclusive coed social house system (Bowdoin got rid of frats eight years ago). Almost every weekend, one of the eight social houses will throw a campuswide with a theme and people will usually go to that. The social house parties are almost entirely freshmen and sophomore, though -- upperclassmen will go to the tower or to the off campus apartments on Pine Street or Harpswell Street. There is very little pressure to drink, other than the pressure of being bored while you're sober in a room full of drunk people. If drinking isn't your thing, there's a very active chem-free scene full of people who are very gung-ho about being straight edge. A few of them are judgmental, but most of them are cooler than half the people who do drink. They have a social house of their own and throw chem-free parties there all the time. As for traditions, there aren't a ton because the social house system is so new, and there is no hazing or initiation for the houses because the turnover is extremely high (almost no juniors live in social houses). However, one house always has the toga party, another always has the '80s party, another has the haunted house, and another has the blacklight party. Ivies Weekend might be Bowdoin's longest running tradition. Though it supposedly celebrates the weekend that Bowdoin turned down the invitation to join the Ivy League, the real reason is that the ivy on the dorms was planted the last weekend in April. There is always live entertainment (OK Go two years ago, Kevin Little last year) and a big "Pinestock" party with campus bands and lots of kegs. It is completely possible to go that entire weekend being drunk or high the entire time you are awake.

We "Brick" our doors to keep them open and they stay open 24/7. It does make it easy to pull shenanigans on people, but all of that is completely friendly. We're in and out of each others rooms all the time. Every weekend we have...Super Snacks; junk food dining 10-1am, a band in the pub, a coffee house at one of the College Houses...and Oh My Gosh! The BEST thing about Bowdoin is that it is frat-free. Instead we have 8 College Houses and the freshman are automatically affilliated to them which means that they get to take advantage of the House in tons of different wonderful ways. We can have birthday parties there, go over to watch tv, go for dinner, go to chat with upperclassmen, party, just hang out, seek advice, participate in House community service...The list is endless. The Houses are there for the students to make their own. During freshman orientation we had a House Olympics, which will always be one of my best memories from freshman year. It was a great way to kick off the year and to really bond with the people in my dorm and my House. Partying is great on campus. All kegs are registered and there is "no" hard alchohol, so if you're looking for a place to be safe and party, Bowdoin is wonderful. Security is constantly going through the dorms at night and through the buildings where the parties are. Parties are registered as well, but that doesn't make partying a drag. Security knows that we drink and won't say anything as long as we're being safe. Security is here to (A) keep us safe, (B) give us rides to the far-away freshman parking lot, and (C) keep us from getting in trouble with real police...or at least thats the way most people see them. We have a lot of fun with the security on campus and know them well. ...On the flip side of that though. If you dont party, then you dont have to at Bowdoin. Lots of people go to parties who don't drink or just dont go to parties and thats OK. Yes, some people drink every week Wednesday thru Saturday, but thats up to them. No one will force you to drink.

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.

Most people play some kind of sport and everyone's on the College Dems' mailing list. Social Houses make up the social scene for freshmen and desperate sophomores. The dating scene does not exist. The hook-up scene is prevalent. A lot of people get really close with their freshman floor. Super snacks is the alcohol free weekend alternate. There are occasionally some mediocre plays and performances and the various a cappella groups are quite good.