youngn-011

At the end of the application process. It came down to Bowdoin,Notre Dame, George Washington, Vanderbilt and Syracuse. Bowdoin had been my number 1 choice forever so naturally I accepted the spot. I visited Bowdoin and unfortunately it did not meet my expectations although this is probably due to the fact that Bowdoin was on such a high pedestal in my imagination as this unreal dream world of euphoria. I got into Syracuse's honours program so I decided to visit when I found out that they were number 1 for public policy and good for IR. The experience went very well but that could be because I never really gave Syracuse much thought so I was pleasantly suprised. I plan to go to law school so I know that I would need to keep my GPA up as well as get good LSAT scores. I feel that the GPA part might be easier to achieve at Syracuse and I would not mind going there for four years. If I decided not to go to law school I know that econ and political science are my other interests to do public policy or something. If this is the case public policy=Syracuse right. I also get the impression that Syracuse would be better on the international frontier as International Relations as well as study abroad would interest me. Also Syracuse has a larger variety of areas of study and probably more course offerings than Bowdoin if I did not go down the whole pre-law part. As an international student with no aid(I found CC in April..unlucky) I had to do apps based on rankings and am ending up with two choices my parents have never heard of. My parents will be paying full tution as we dont qualify for financial aid so pay is almost equal or Bowdoin about 3k higher. However I still LOVE Bowdoin but with a grain of salt.I thrive better in a motivated intellectual environment so it seems Bowdoin will do that for me because I tend to slack if I am not motivated.However the seemingly homogenous(hope Im wrong) student body does not appeal to me.I do not know if it would be worth giving up for Syracuse due to the circumstances?

browninfall

Why are you blowing off Notre Dame?

It's an academic powerhouse, has an incredibly spirited student body, and an alumni network second to none.

youngn-011

cos I already decided on Bowdoin way earlier and am having last minute thoughts. I am under the impression that Bowdoin is every bit of a powerhouse as Notre Dame and is on par with Darthmouth,amhest and middlebury but on CC it doesn't seem that way

torasee

I wouldn't recommend assessing a college based on who happens to post on CC about a particular school. Also law schools will discount a high GPA if they believe it was acquired at a school where high GPAs are easy to achieve.

youngn-011

time is running out so BUMP please

EffectiveMind

Why not consider Vanderbilt or Notre Dame? I would think that Vanderbilt would be a happy medium between Bowdoin and Syracuse.

wtidad

Youngn, Bowdoin and Syracuse are such different kind of schools that it's hard to make a comparison. I am a parent a son who attends a New England LAC very similar to Bowdoin, and a daughter in high school who is likely to have a variety of excellent college options. I'm glad my son is at the top LAC, and I would encourage my daughter to do the same, even if she has the choice of Ivies. I just think it's a higher quality undergraduate experience. Bowdoin is a fine small college, and the quality of your classes, your interactions with professors, and the intellectual life on campus, is likely to be much higher at Bowdoin than at Syracuse. I wouldn't worry aboput GPAs and getting into grad school. On that count, Bowdoin is held in very high regard by graduate and professional schools, which know VERY well how to distinguish among grades and GPAs at different institutions. A 3.8 at LSA is not the same as a 3.8 at Swarthmore (or Bowdoin). Syracuse is somewhere in between, in my estimation.
If you're worried about the international recognition factor, however, then maybe bigger is better. But if you're mostly concerned about having a productive four years an an UNDERGRADUATE, then go to Bowdoin.

wtidad

That LSU (louisiana State Univ), not LSA. Just an example among many of a lower-tier but well-known large state u.

youngn-011

thank you everyone. I have decided to view future plans in the future and go where I will have the best undergraduate experience and well you only get to go to Bowdoin once and this past week thinking about it I love Bowdoin and not to go would be crazy. Also my interests change too much and the Bowdoin environment will help me find myself. Im therefore going to go back to being the solid Bowdoin supporter Ive always been.Bowdoin is a 95% fit and well you cant have everything! I think I had a case of buyers remorse!

morandi

Good for you. Take advantage of all the great opportunities and you will have no regrets. It's a fantastic experience.