DLoucks

Quaint Maine Street Has Great Variety

Part of my decision to come to Bowdoin was the great location amongst a variety of cuisines. Maine Street features Scarlet Begonias (a nice cafe/restaurant), The Great Impasta (pasta of course!), Richard's (a German restaurant), Henry and Marty's, The Little Dog Cafe, Frosty's (a donut shop that opens at 3 a.m. and is usually sold out by 9 a.m.), and a great little gluten-free bakery called Wildflours. Those are just a few! There is also a Wild Oats Bakery, a Dunkin' Donuts, and Morning Glory (a natural foods store with all sorts of deliciousness!). The star of Maine Street is The Gelato Fiasco, a source of fantastic homemade gelato in a plethora of flavors! Just a bit farther, on Pleasant Street, there is even more variety with a classic lobster shack, Tim Hortons, and multiple Thai restaurants. Whether your preferences are for the Northeastern donut chains or for eccentric ethnic cuisine, Brunswick is likely to have it.

Randy Nichols' Voice Is Like a Warm Blanket

The relationship between security and Bowdoin students is pretty positive. The head of Bowdoin Security is pretty much a celebrity, and freshman dorms await the nights when he comes and tells stories of his past experiences. Security is pretty lax when it comes to alcohol—parties have to be registered, and security will come and check in on a party, but underage drinkers can just set down their drink when security walks in and they won't get in trouble. In the case of hard alcohol, though, security will knuckle down. Bowdoin security is good in providing shuttles for students at night and just being a general all-around positive presence on campus.

A Bit of a Letdown

Don't get me wrong, without Bowdoin's financial aid, I never could have attended this school. However, it was really a let down when I got my financial aid package and the amount left to pay was way out of my family's reach—it's not that I'm not willing to take out a loan, but Bowdoin advertises financial aid that fully meets families' needs. I think if they aren't going to fully meet financial need (which, in all honesty, what colleges can easily do in this day and age?), they should not falsely advertise that they can. However, as for the process, it's not been difficult to get paperwork through, although I've heard about some issues with international students and financial aid.