<p>@Tzar09 - </p>
<p>No doubt Bowdoin’s economics and government are excellent and I’ve seen the same results/rankings you have. For my money, when I look at the line up of professors and their academic publications in government or economics, I’d choose Colby. In pure sciences, I think Bowdoin has Colby beat. I think it’s well understood based on this discussion thread alone that rankings are not always accurate.</p>
<p>I’m also not arguing that Bowdoin’s endowment isn’t higher - it is. I’ve also seen the same public endowment numbers you have and cite in your reply. But my understanding was that from the market peak (the Orient numbers just show points in time at the end of each fiscal year) the decline was larger at Bowdoin - this is based on discussions I’ve had with friends who are Bowdoin alums. I could be mistaken.</p>
<p>As I pointed out in my earlier post, Bowdoin has traditionally beat Colby at getting students placed in graduate schools, internships, and entry level positions at places such as investment banks and consultancies. Bowdoin still “wins” by that measure, but Colby has done a lot to improve in this area and I think over the next 5-10 years the results of these efforts will show up more in graduate school placement results. </p>
<p>On acceptance, I mentioned that Colby’s acceptance rate has become more exclusive on the order of 10 points over the last 15-20 years or so - from the low 40’s to it’s current rate of 32%. I’m not arguing that Bowdoin’s rate isn’t more selective - it is.</p>
<p>You’re clearly passionate about Bowdoin and that’s great. I stated pretty clearly that I agree Bowdoin is still the better regarded school. It’s an amazing place. Bunch of co-workers and good friends went there…</p>
<p>But what I think has changed it that I’ve noticed Colby - its administration, alumni, students - have become comparatively less concerned with where we “rank and stack” compared with Bowdoin, and more concerned with what we as a Colby community can do to strengthen our school/alma mater and in turn distinguish ourselves beyond Waterville. I think losing the “keeping up with the Jones” mentality has been cathartic for Colby and helped it focus on what really matters much more. I graduated 15 years ago (not 30) and when I was at Colby then there was a palpable “we’re not Bowdoin” sentiment. Shedding that is great for Colby. Remember that the Red Sox were the Yankee’s “lady dog” (to quote Pedro) until the Red Sox stopped obsessing about the Yankees and instead focused on just being a great Red Sox team. I think that’s an apt comparison with what Colby is trying to do.</p>
<p>Finally, you surely know that the 3 schools do a lot of alumni events together, especially abroad. I’ve observed in the professional world that CBB alums look out for each other (I take a very vested interest at work in the careers of junior folks who graduated from Bowdoin). Bowdoin is the traditional #1 - I’m not denying that - but all 3 schools benefit when any of the 3 improve because they are so often viewed as a “group” when you get much beyond the Hudson River. Root for Bowdoin all you want, but a strong Colby and Bates is a positive for Bowdoin.</p>