WashU vs. Bowdoin

mamabear232
Sat, 28 Apr 2018 14:37:56 +0000

@reindeercoffee Congratulations on your acceptances - there is no bad choice here.

My daughter considered both schools, we toured both, and she liked both for different reasons. Here are my impressions:

Both places have smart, qualified, motivated students and strong faculty so there’s no bad choice on the academics. Wash U is larger so there are more faculty and more courses available. I don’t know about the Poli Sci department at Bowdoin but the one at Wash U has an excellent reputation. Humanities overall are good quality - it’s much more than a pre-med program.

Wash U felt somewhat more pre-professional and applied than Bowdoin. This is a matter of degree, not an absolute.

Bowdoin’s student body feels quite preppy and sporty, although Bowdoin also cares about diversity - being an early adopter of test-optional admissions reflects that commitment.

Wash U has a LOT of Asian and Asian-American students, which may be a plus for you.

Food is fantastic at both (at least by Western standards).

Hookup culture - you will find it anywhere. And you will find students that are more geared towards serious relationships. And you will find students that have yet to date. Chances are, if you don’t party, it will be easy to avoid hookup culture.

Partying you will find anywhere but also it’s easily avoided. Both campuses will have outside speakers, concerts, and other events that don’t involve drugs or alcohol.

Social media is not representative of student bodies as a whole.

Location: Access to Wash U is probably slightly easier. You’d likely fly in to Chicago and then a domestic flight to STL. Public transportation (light rail and buses) is very good. For Bowdoin, you’d probably fly into Boston and then to Portland by train or air (Portland is a smaller airport with fewer flights) and then from Portland take a shuttle or train to campus. St. Louis is definitely more urban (although Wash U is more suburban, surrounded by upscale residential neighborhoods and a shopping/restaurant/club area called the Delmar Loop which is within walking distance of campus). There is also a huge and beautiful public park nearby with free zoo, museums, etc. Given its a large metro area, internship opportunities nearby are likely to be more abundant than at Bowdoin. Bowdoin is a small, safe, charming town. If you like outdoor recreation, mountains and coastline are easy to access and the Bowdoin Outing Club is very active.

Both campuses have rail service right next door. From Bowdoin you can take a train to Portland - medium-sized, picturesque, and nearby, or Boston, larger and farther away. Light rail from Wash U can get you into the city of STL and from there, points farther afield.