Bowdoin College

Like any teenager or early 20-something, it’s easy to spout out complaints about a particular school, but when it comes down to it, most students are glad that they made the decision to attend Bowdoin. Bowdoin represents a place for students to experience a new way of seeing and interpreting life. Students realize that attending college is not about just attending classes, participating in sports, and partying on weekends but doing everything with passion, determination, and the ability to give back. The motto of the “Common Good” resonates strongly in the student population. A startling number of students spend some time teaching before going on to graduate school or a company because they want to share the type of education they received now that they understand what it takes to really learn.

Many students select Bowdoin as their first-choice school because of the intimacy between the administrators, faculty, coaches, alumni, and students; its size; the resources available; the convenient suburban location with accessibility to bigger metropolitan areas; and its overall reputation. When most first-year students experience Bowdoin up close and personal, their love for the school grows. At Bowdoin, they see first hand that what Admissions presents to you as a high school student is not just lip service but a pretty good representation of what goes on when you become a student. Like any college, students go through hardships, but I think, in the end, something always pulls students back. Being a Polar Bear is more than hating the Panther or the Mule—it’s about honoring one’s faculty, coaches, experience, past, and future and the interaction you shared with your peers. Alumni defend their school’s history and reputation because they believe their overall experience was unlike any other. The rigorous demands, the Maine weather, the busy schedules, and the challenge to do well all become part of an education at Bowdoin. The best things about going to college here is the confidence that you gain in yourself to do anything you dream, confidence of the life you lived in college, and confidence for the future.