Bowdoin College Reviews

Online classes have improved since the spring of 2020 but still isn't on par with the on campus experience. But that hasn't prevented Bowdoin from charging full price. If they didn't have an endowment around $1.8 billion you might think they can't afford it, but in fact they do have a considerable endowment and still are looking for ways to charge more.

Bowdoin, like many of their peers (NESCAC and Ivy schools) is worried first and foremost about their reputation and endowment. Academically it is top notch and is not for the faint of heart.

Socially it's like a Prep School on steroids, if you are looking for a party school this likely isn't the place for you, also the local Police are known to come down hard on the students and the school does more to ensure their reputation is intact than support their students.

As a high end academic school athletics is secondary. Historically they were well integrated into the culture, but as the school has evolved and eliminated things like sororities and fraternities, athletics, especially for the men, has become less valued.

Two examples come to mind. The men's football program has only won 3 games since 2015, and the hockey program, which has a very distinguished history, has struggled for the past 4-5 years since the long term coach retired, as his replacement has struggled.

I have enjoyed my experience at Bowdoin thus far! The professors are all extremely knowledgable, kind, and caring. The students are unique, fun, great people.

I took classes online last semester. The professors were able to adjust content so it felt more engaging.

One of the best undergraduate institutions in the nation. Once you're a Polar Bear, always a Polar Bear.

Professor's try really hard to adapt and provide the best learning experience for students. The school even sent out free iPad Pros to every single student in the school which we get to keep.

Bowdoin is an all-around stellar school. It is comparable to the ivy league in terms of the quality of education.

I was a senior during the year we transition to online school, and most of my classes were seamlessly transitioned to online learning.

I took classes online just like every other college student during the pandemic, for being a small liberal arts school that has never taught online, I would say Bowdoin did a pretty good job at coming together to teach virtually. However the school does not offer online courses with the exception of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I couldn't have picked a better school! I am absolutely in love with my college and proud to be a Bowdoin student. The professors and staff are there to help support you during your academic journey and the students are amazing! The campus is very welcoming and the food is great!

The profs did about as well as they could have, but some profs lacked an empathy for those international students who couldn’t attend live lectures. Pretty run of the mill, but with the school going online for potentially the whole next year for students I fear for the longevity of the online learning experience.

I went to Bowdoin very excited! I am from SC and I wanted to see a different area of the country. I’m outgoing so I wasn’t worried about the transition, but what I found made me intensely unhappy at Bowdoin.

-Academically, Bowdoin is great. Profs are great (if a little quirky), but always make themselves available.

-Bowdoin is a VERY culturally homogeneous place. Bowdoin’s reputation as a happy campus stems from homogeneity: a vast majority of students are from the Midatlantic or Northeast, and went to private or boarding schools.

-Socially, Bowdoin takes on a boarding school culture. Acapella performances, plays, and ultimate frisbee teams are big on campus, and if you don’t love these, it’s hard. Many people act aloof, tense, and unfriendly, and the parties are pretty bad. Socially it’s pretty dead here.

These things, combined with a large athlete divide, caused me to transfer. All I can say to incoming students from more diverse backgrounds is to tread carefully.

Bowdoin College is an incredible place and I would recommend it strongly to anyone applying. The professors are unmatched. Maine is wonderful. I've built life long friendships and a deep connection with the Bowdoin community.

Online courses were not available during my 4 years at Bowdoin College, but I'd imagine the experience is still enjoyable.

I expected more to be honest, this would have been a great school if I was only interested in doing schoolwork but there isn't much life on the campus at all in addition to the lack of diversity but what else can I really expect from a PWI that's never had to make space for someone like me for like 400+ years.

Some professors were being difficult but most of mine were being so lenient and I actually learned more than I did before in the one STEM course I was in because I was no longer being forced into group work with closeted racists who dismiss me and every answer I give because they don't think a black woman like me is smart enough to come up with something worth while but they would never say that because again it's implicit racism and everyone's scared of being outwardly racist.

Bowdoin supports its students and does whatever it can to facilitate it's students learning all they can.

Bowdoin made it as painless as possible to finish my semester from a distance. It was challenging, but not because of the school.

Did not enjoy my time at Bowdoin. Most students are upper middle class white kids who are totally disconnected from the world.

Great school, but still far too elitist. I enjoyed my time but found that Bowdoin prioritizes rich students' needs like dining and financial aid spending is still limited here compared to at other colleges like Vassar. The town is also not located well.