Bowdoin College
Reviews

Challenging but With Loads of Opportunities

Bowdoin's academics are very rigorous. However, they are nothing to be afraid of because professors are almost always willing to meet and help you. The School offers students with countless academic, athletic and community opportunities.

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

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.

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.

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!

Randy

Bowdoin Security is the best. We even have shirts with the face of our head of security on them, that's how much we love them. They're always watching out for the students, always polite, and some are really funny.

The Bowdoin B

There's a joke between students about "The Bowdoin B" because of how hard it is to get an A at Bowdoin. Of course, there are easy classes you can take to make your semester work load a little easier. However, the majority of classes are pretty tough. On the other hand, grad schools and such know how tough Bowdoin can be, so students don't really freak out too much when they can't seem to get better than a B- in a class.

Best Food and Polar Points- Few Stray from Standard 19-Meal Plan

Bowdoin Dining is a prestigious insitution that is proud of its history of superior quality and variety in the national campus review scene. The two dining halls, Thorne and Moulton offer significantly different dining atmospheres and are accomadating to every length of meal and diet type. The Pub and Cafe accept the 100 dollars worth of "Polar Points" for after-hours eating that are standard with each meal plan. The 10:30-1am "super snacks" are a luxurious refuge from the thursday-saturday night drinking scene.

Many Recently Renovated, Pretty Brick New England Atmosphere

A brand new hockey stadium, fitness center, and a renovated art museum means students are pretty happy with the facilities here. Since there's a small student population, the facilities themselves aren't huge. But everything is generally spanking clean and works well.

What a Small College Has to Offer

Nightlife at Bowdoin is very similar on most weekends. There are a few bars in town you can go to if you are 21+ and Portland is roughly 40 minutes from campus which provides a fun and different nightlife. Most parties on campus are typically held by the social houses on campus or off campus housing. Every once in a while the school will bring in a guest performer that provides a nice twist to the social scene. Some people make their own fun with a small group of close friends and team mates.

Bowdoin is the real deal

If I could go it all over again, I choose Bowdoin again in a heartbeat. There is zero hesitation. Bowdoin is probably the best decision I made in my life. Honestly, colleges all get boring at some point, you go through tough stuff in college, there are ups and downs and it will not always be partying and fun, but Bowdoin is an amazingly well run school. It is so apparent. The administration here will take care of you and take care of you well, and you can tell, by the dining, housing, facilities, all of it is extremely well taken care of and done in the best interests of the students. I never doubt that the school administration is on our side trying to do things in students' interests... from the housekeepers to the extremely friendly health center nurses to the registrar to the financial aid office to Dining service and professors-- they are honestly trying their best to help you out. All of the staff I have met have been so pleasant and competent and seem to enjoy their jobs.

The location cannot be beat as well. I love how it is in a good sized town, right in the downtown location. It's a cute little New England town, not much to do I admit, but it is super easy to get to Boston (or Portland or Freeport-great outlet stores there) by bus or shuttle or Amtrak. (I have been to Boston so many times my Boston friends often get confused as to if I live there actually.) It's the best. It's hard to find a college (one not in the city) that is in such a great location.. so many good colleges are in "rural" settings... that would not work for me.

I have met and made some amazing friends here as well. College has been good to me here, and I will always have immense pride to say I went to Bowdoin.. it is generally the case that people here have strong loyalty to Bowdoin, and I think that really says something about our school.