Middlebury vs. Bowdoin

5everindecisive
Sat, 19 Apr 2014 21:13:06 +0000

I’ve looked at a lot of past CC threads about both schools (as well ones comparing them to each other) but I’m still at a loss as to what to do. I’ve been accepted to both, but I legitimately cannot make a decision. I’m not really optimistic that my waitlists will pan out (although I do live in an underrepresented state so maybeeee), so I’ll most likely be attending one of the colleges. I visited both in the past few weeks for the accepted students weekends, and honestly, I was rather ambivalent about Bowdoin but absolutely adored Middlebury. With that being said, I’m not sure if too much of my feelings were dependent upon the architecture/layout of the campus. I thought Bowdoin kind of looked like a bunch of random buildings haphazardly stuck together, whereas Middlebury looked like it rose out of the pages of a fairy tale. I don’t know if gauging a school by its campus is too superficial though… Moreover, the host I had at Bowdoin drank while I was there, while my Middlebury host didn’t, which might have also swayed my feelings since I don’t drink and will probably opt for chem-free housing. I know that alcoholic culture will obviously exist at either school though, and I’m not sure how indicative of anything the few days I spent at both was of the campus life in general. Overall, Bowdoin had slightly better food, better dorms, and a better location (in terms of proximity to shops/things to do), but I loved Middlebury’s facilities/campus, J term, and the overall feeling I got from it.

I guess these are my concerns/questions:
1. I’m currently planning on double majoring in neuroscience and sociology/anthropology and minoring in studio art. I also play the piano and will be continuing lessons in college. Which school offers better departments in these areas?
2. Which school has better placement at prestigious grad/med schools? And is there a sizable difference in prestige between the two? I have a pretty typical, overbearing Asian father who thinks Bowdoin is slightly more prestigious/would open up more opportunities.
3. I was named a faculty scholar at Bowdoin (which is basically just a $3000 summer research stipend type thing) and Bowdoin does offer $2000/yr for national merit. Both schools would still end up costing about the same though, so I’m not sure if the added benefits from Bowdoin would warrant picking the school.
4. I’m much more artsy than I am athletic (I’m not athletic at all), so I’m a little bit worried about the jock presence at both schools, as well as the size in general. Do athletes at either school tend to be stuck-up? Is there a rift in the student body between athletes and non-athletes? Also, I know Middlebury’s student body is slightly larger (2500 vs. 1800), but does that really have a tangible effect on student interaction/the makeup of the student body?
5. Finally, I think the biggest issue right now for me is that Middlebury’s kind of in the middle of nowhere. Bowdoin has arguably more things to do/better access to more urban areas (albeit not by a lot). I think I’m more of an urban girl, which I unfortunately realized after the college application process was over. Is there a huge lack of things to do in Middlebury? I don’t really want to spend all of my time isolated on campus.

I’m fine with listening to advice from proponents of either school, although I think I might be leaning toward Middlebury. Thanks in advance for any help! I’m terribly indecisive and that’s probably not a great character trait to have when deciding what to do with your future. D:

Also, since I don’t want to have to make another thread later… in case I were to get off one or more of my waitlists (at UChicago, Williams, and Amherst), would you personally pick any of those over Midd/Bowdoin? haaaaa I think I’ve descended into ambivalence about my future.