bowdoin vs middlebury

citivas
Thu, 13 Oct 2016 11:58:47 +0000

My S was accepted to both and visited a few times including overnights. So that’s my credentials for what it’s worth. Actual students opinions are probably better…

Middlebury has a larger student population (2,500 vs. 1,800). Middlebury’s campus is far more spread out, which my S didn’t like. Bowdoin is exceptionally contained for it’s peers – you can pretty much get everywhere on campus except the athletic center within 5 minutes or less. Middlebury has great architecture but some like it more than others – I did. It’s mostly pale colored stone buildings. Bowdoin is more traditional red brick but has a few exceptions.

Middlebury is extremely rural. There’s a nice little village town next to it but otherwise you are surrounded by farmland. Bowdoin is more suburban. It’s in a town that’s a tourist destination in the summer, but surrounded by residential areas and other suburban development, yet you can still take walking or biking trails straight to the ocean.

Neither has greek life; both still party, including in some former Greek houses now owned by the schools. Middlebury is known for trying to control it a bit more, but neither are as relaxed about it as Wesleyan. Both have high percentages of student athletes – 35-40%.

Both are great schools and I honestly didn’t find the vibe that different. Midd has a bit more of a jock (“Bro”) reputation than Bowdoin. Midd looked like it had invested more in large new building projects and upgrades than Bowdoin, despite Bowdoin having a larger endowment.

Good luck.