Bowdoin College
Reviews

Environmental Studies Major

I love being an ES major. The program is unique and allows you to pick from three concentrations. The programs directors are always looking to help the students with anything! The students in the program are very passionate!

Great

Atmosphere is really nice, freshman dorms are the best I've ever seen, great options for upper classmen, not as many options if you want to live off campus

Drinking Is King

Our campus is drenched in alcohol, but not so hot on the drugs. People here seem to be more about weed than anything else I guess, and people who smoke weed don't seem to comprise a large amount of the student body (but I could just be talking to the wrong people...)

In any case, the social scene here revolves around drinking, but the college is very open and pretty much accepting of the fact that college life for some reason demands alcohol. As such, security and administration isn't that strict about alcohol, but they do have plenty of measures that ensure student safety, which seems to be a policy that works out.

There's not really a lot of pressure to drink (other people around you may drink, but they won't force you to or exclude you for not choosing to do so), but things can get a little weird socially freshman year if you decide to declare yourself chem-free for your living situation.

Hipster or Jock?

I'd say the two most prevalent social cultures are hipster and jock. General consensus is the campus is really attractive - boys and girls. Lots of love for NorthFace in the winter, Brooks Brothers for the guys during interview months, and J Crew for the girls for everyday wear.

Balanced.

People work hard - the library is always filled with all sorts of people. There's a real sense of collaboration and the competition is really only with yourself. Nobody knows one another's GPAs. Facilities are fantastic - macs and pcs everywhere. Wireless even in some off campus buildings. Lots of internship and job search opportunities. Professors easy to reach, but you have to make the effort. A real awesome balance of academics which are challenging and college social life.

Hard work but great learning environment

Bowdoin's classes are full of excellent Profs and fired up high powered students who soak up learning in a stimulating and user friendly environment. Extra time always available with your teachers as well as a fully cooperative atmosphere between students lends well to a non-competitive, except versus your own extremely high standards, place where the sky is the limit for learning.

Great eating !!

Bowdoin's two major dining places offer the kind of fare that does not grow cold to you palate over time. Only once have I shown up at Thorne and did not find something that was attractive- and I probably could have found something if I had gone to the other dining room. So ---like the rankings say with Bowdoin at the pinnacle in most surveys---if you want to eat well, and who doesn't, you need to follow your nose to Bowdoin, especially if you are active in sports and need to keep up the waistline with healthy and interesting food!

An Amazing Place

I absolutely love Bowdoin. It's a fantastic place. The people really are friendly, the professors are smart and are really here to teach, the food is great, and the facilities are beautiful. Yes, the weather 'spring' semester sucks. But you get used to it and it makes for a lot of common ground amongst students. It's a really challenging place, academically, and if you can't find the balance of working hard and playing hard, you'll have a rough time. Most students, though, figure that out and are able to learn a lot, while having tons of fun

Not Too Shabby

Brunswick is a small town of about 10,000 people, so obviously the off-campus dining options aren't the same as they'd be in, say, New York or LA. That being said, there are some pretty great options and a surprising array of different cuisines. There are 2 good Indian restaurants, a few Chinese places, a sushi restaurant, and some Thai restaurants, as well as the only Irish pub/Mexican restaurant I've ever heard of! And because it's small town Maine, the prices are also not that of a big city, so while there are some fancy (and pricey) places, it's also easy to eat out without spending a ton of money

The Professors Really Care About You

Bowdoin has it's up's and down's but if I had to say what the best thing about Bowdoin is how much the teachers care about the students. I have had teachers actually come up to me after class and ask me to meet with them not to talk about grades, but just to see how I was doing in general. You can also go to lunch with your teachers which I would suggest because it makes them seem less terrifying and more human, and it also gives them a chance to get to know you, which could be useful in the future if you would like to do research in a particular subject.

The Food Is Pretty Good

Being from NYC and being the son of parents who love food I have to say I'm a bit of a food snob, so I'm not going to say that the food at Bowdoin is amazing but it is really for cafeteria style dining. Thorne usually has slightly better food than Moulton but because it is bigger a lot more at people go there and the food lines can be horrendous, however the service is pretty quick so I can't complain too much. The express meal option at Moulton makes eating meals between classes a lot easier, and the special sandwiches and entrees are usually really good. I would suggest looking at the menu's which are posted on line before deciding which dining hall to eat at because they usually serve drastically different food at the two dining halls.

It Is Like a Family.

Bowdoin College has just under 2000 students. Everyone knows everybody. We support each others athletic endeavors and enjoy a very real camraderie. I am a member of the Men's hockey team and our sister sport is Women's Volleyball. We attend all of their games, and they attend ours. Sports and academics go hand in hand at Bowdoin. It is a great place to be.

There to Keep You Safe, Not to Bust You

Campus security is one of the best things about this school. They ensure that all campus wide events are regulated and shut down appropriately, they only intrude on your night when you or a friend are in need of such an intrusion, or if a party you are at is getting ridiculously out of hand, and if one is ever put on so-pro or has their name taken down, it is normally justified.

Social Live

The social live is spectacular. Bowdoin although conscious of it's students safety understands that there needs to be a healthy balance between studies and social life. The school held activities are fantastic while the close knit community allows everyone to know each other. As a freshman, within weeks you know mostly everyone.

Off-Campus Dining

There are many different options to choose from outside of Bowdoin. A very short 5 minute walk to Main street allows you to choose from many different restaurants that are good and pretty cheap. I just wish there were more Asian options!

Dining

I love Bowdoin food. There are two dining halls so there is always a variety of food to choose from for every meal. I have visited many other colleges and Bowdoin definitely has the best food! I even like Bowdoin food better than my home food!

Academics- History Major

The department of History has great professors who specialize in different fields based on geography (Africa, East Asia, Europe. America etc). The teachers are excellent and while classes require a lot of reading and research they are very engaging and fulfilling. The essays I have written in my history courses have been the most challenging yet enjoyable and interesting essays that I have written.

Academics

Professors are excellent. They are extremely knowledgeable, all our experts in their fields, and very willing to devote time and effort to your learning. Classes are very interesting, engaging, and difficult. There is a wide variety of courses to choose from.

Bowdoin Covers All Bases

Bowdoin has an amazing diversity of offerings - from academic to athletic and extracurricular, it seems to excel everywhere. If someone had told me this before my going there, I would have been skeptical, but the college really does an amazing job at making sure that everyone has something meaningful to occupy their time with while at Bowdoin, and that there is a thriving culture.

Physics Professors Brilliant, Helpful

The professors are extremely knowledgable and helpful. They clearly have a passion for what they do.

Workload

Freshmen year, I thought that I was doing something wrong because all of my upper classmen friends were able to do their work and still have a social life. I found out that you learn how to efficiently work over your freshmen year and by the time sophmore year begins, you are able to not only do your academics but also join several clubs and sports without feeling stretched.

Biochemisty at Bowdoin

The science department at Bowdoin may not be the largest in the world, but they more than make up for it by the sheer dedication that each professor puts into making the students better scientists and people in general. The department is also not so large that you get lost in the weeds. Every student gets specific attention and is ensured a gratifying education experience.

Sexual Diversity

Bowdoin is an amazing place where many students are comfortable with finding out who they are. Whether that means they are heterosexual, homosexual, transgender, or anything else. The support system at Bowdoin ensures that everyone feels comfortable and safe in their new home.

Academics, Professors, Special Study Options

The Academics at Bowdoin are very strong. Each semester usually includes many interesting classes that are often tailored to a particular professor's experiences and/or expertise.

In my experience I have only had one or two professors that I was not very fond of, and collegeprowler just voted Bowdoin as having the smartest professors.

The Credit/D/Fail option is a nice special study option as it allows you to concentrate more effort and attention on classes for your major, while allowing one of your courses to be more casual.

A Lot of Requirements to Satisfy but Well Worth It!

There are several complicated requirements in order to graduate with a Psychology major, but within the requirements, there is a lot of flexibility and all the classes are very interesting. There are some "required" classes you would think would be boring, but actually turn out to be helpful and worthwhile later. I love the Psychology department because it offers a wide berth of course selections and all my professors are quirky but great!