<p>We only have our one child’s aid package to go by…but Bowdoin’s “need blind” status will definately not be disputed in our home! lol</p>
<p>Sorry, I didn’t list all of her stats. She has a black belt in martial arts, gold in fencing, MUN, Mock Trial, and etc. I’m not going to list everything.</p>
<p>Bowdoin was need blind with my son. One of only a handful of schools that no longer include loans in their aid package.
My son chose Bowdoin over an Ivy League school that had a regular decision admit rate of 8.5%.
From what I’ve seen, many schools once considered “safety schools” are no longer so.</p>
<p>@pettifog: Thanks for the kind words. Hang in there and keep fighting for Bowdoin. Hoping for a great result for your son going forward.</p>
<p>@BeeMom: Thank you! I’m still in a pleasant state of shock at the outcome, and so grateful to the Bowdoin adcom.</p>
<p>@Helenstreet: Your daughter has amazing stats and impressive accomplishments! Good luck to her today.</p>
<p>@greeneggs3: Interesting to hear about your son choosing Bowdoin over an Ivy. My son had zero interest in applying to his Dad’s (that’s me) alma mater. While I was disappointed at first, I now realize that Bowdoin is a much better fit for him than Yale could ever be. Although he is missing out on that awesome New Haven pizza.</p>
<p>helenstreet - your D’s stats are off the charts. maybe the fact that she’s 16 makes her not as appealing. I’m sure she’s great and mature, but a personal college like Bowdoin may think that she’s too young to handle college life. </p>
<p>Also, it could be that she’s overqualified and that Bowdoin doesn’t think she will come if she is accepted. Conn college does this so much. They have a a huge wait list for kids that are too smart to go there.</p>
<p>good luck!</p>
<p>i doubt bowdoin is yield protecting. other students admitted to bowdoin have stats as high as hers. there’s a random element to this process and sometimes that randomness seems unjustified. still, helenstreet - i’m sure your daughter has received good news from the ivies today. congratulations to her.</p>
<p>Helenstreet- there is a random element at play in ALL of the highly selective schools. Its just the nature of the beast given how the Common App has increased the number of students applying to the highly selective schools. On the day the committee at (Bowdoin, Chicago, insert school) read your daughters application she just might have been unlucky enough to be just another fantastically qualified candidate that somehow they just couldn’t find room for- maybe you’re from a state that is already overrepresented on that day or there were 4 other students who also had black belts or the person right before her had applied for 2 patents based on her high school research project. It really is that competitive. The people sitting on these admissions committees are doing the best they can to sort this out but its not completely logical and somebody who gets presented one week and gets in might be presented in a different week and not get in. it’s impossible to know and totally understandable to be perturbed by it, yet…your daughter is incredibly accomplished and is going to do extremely well wherever she goes. Bowdoins admissions are need blind and they are well off enough financially to only give grants so I am sure it has nothing to do with money (not true for internationals though). I don’t really know about the yield protection angle, although from what I have seen from their administration, that seems unlikely. They clearly are interested in applications from high schools and areas of the country that are underrepresented in the student body like the far south and mountain states, so that could be a factor.</p>
<p>Decision: Waitlisted</p>
<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2370 (800 CR, 770 M, 800 W)
[</em>] SAT I superscore (breakdown):
[<em>] ACT (breakdown): Didn’t report
[</em>] ACT superscore (breakdown):
[<em>] SAT II: Chemistry (800); Literature (780); U.S. History (800)
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>] Weighted GPA: 5.2 (?)
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/466
[<em>] AP (place score in parentheses): Chemistry (5), Psych (5), Eng. Lang. (5), U.S. History (5), Stats (5)
[</em>] IB (place score in parentheses):
[<em>] Senior Year Course Load: 7 APs
[</em>] Number of other applicants in your school: 2 or 3, I think
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Debate (Secretary), Academic Challenge, some others
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Job for three years
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service:[/ul]Library, Habitat, nothing special really; not that many hours either[ul]
[<em>] Essays (Include Subjects):[list]
[li] Common App Main: Four fragmented anecdotes about my life, on the weirder end of the spectrum[/li][</em>] Other:[/ul][<em>] Teacher Recommendation #1: Great
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation #2: Great
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Don’t know
[</em> ] Additional Rec:
[<em>] Interview: Good
[</em>] Art Supplement:[/list]Other[ul]
[<em>] Date Submitted App: Don’t remember
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): OH
[<em>] Country (if international applicant):
[</em>] School Type: Large public
[<em>] Ethnicity: White
[</em>] Gender: M
[<em>] Income Bracket: $40-45
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/ul]QB Finalist, maybe geographyReflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Solid academics, maybe debate
[</em>] Weaknesses: Volunteering, maybe singular focus on debate in extracurriculars
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Lots of other qualified applicants
[</em>] What would you have done differently?:[/ul][/list]Other Factors:
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: Princeton '17!</p>
<p>“i don’t think visiting has any bearing on admissions decisions, particularly since its impractical for many.”</p>
<p>PB2002,</p>
<p>Actually many schools track indications of interest and a visit is a big one.</p>
<p>Helenstreet,</p>
<p>Your daughter is so young that i would consider a year off and a new round of applications next year, with a clearly targeted ED application to her favorite. With money an issue, the options for a year off may be limited, but living at home with a job and a significant volunteer gig is not the end of the world.</p>
<p>Bowdoin probably thought there was little chance she would attend if accepted, and indeed your daughter’s counselor’s categorization of Bowdoin as a safety (negligent advice) was sensed in Maine.</p>
<p>These days, yield and acceptance rate are ruling a lot of admissions. An early decision application is a huge advantage.</p>
<p>As an aside, I am very surprised she didn’t get into Scripps. All I can imagine is they didn’t think she would ever go and that accepting her would just deflate their numbers. I am a huge fan of the Claremont schools, my D on her way to Pitzer with an ED.</p>
<p>Good luck to your daughter. I understand your frustration and know how trying this week is for so many kids.</p>
<p>Jonathan, </p>
<p>I realize that many schools track this information, but having worked in the Bowdoin admissions office, I know that they don’t put much stock in campus visits.</p>
<p>Some interesting stats. Looks like they are anticipating admitting some students from the wait list.</p>
<p>[College</a> boasts new record with 14.5 percent acceptance rate ? The Bowdoin Orient](<a href=“http://bowdoinorient.com/article/8121]College”>College boasts new record with 7,052 applications, accepts 14.5 percent — The Bowdoin Orient)</p>
<p>No need to worry about Helenstreet’s daughter. Apparently she has landed on her feet with admissions to Stanford, Columbia, Barnard, Columbia, Vassar, and USC!</p>
<p>Thanks for the update, torasee. Glad she has some wonderful schools to choose from!</p>
<p>Thinking of Bowdoin as a “safety” seems a bit arrogant.</p>
<p>I’d say it’s a recipe for disappointment.</p>
<p>I came across this article from 2 years ago. Thought it might be helpful for those skeptical of Bowdoin’s need blind admissions policy. Reference the next to last paragraph…</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.bowdoindailysun.com/2011/02/dean-scott-meiklejohn-table-for-twelveinside-bowdoins-admissions-committee/[/url]”>http://www.bowdoindailysun.com/2011/02/dean-scott-meiklejohn-table-for-twelveinside-bowdoins-admissions-committee/</a></p>
<p>Like people have said, the admissions committees are putting together their puzzle piece by piece. Applicants really won’t see the whole picture until they get to school; they only know that someone found them to be a good fit. “Survival of the fittest” to that context within that time frame.</p>
<p>Wow HelenStreet, job well done! Amy Chua would be proud: too many superlatives to list.</p>
<p>Does anyone know much about ME winters? I’m thinking of buying some winter gear for my son while it’s in the stores on sale. Boots? He usually wears his Timberlands throughout the winter…will those be OK? Or should he have “real” snow boots? Super warm coat or just layers? Anything else I’m not thinking of? Would love input! Thanks!</p>