School Description
Provided by Bowdoin CollegeBowdoin College’s fundamental mission remains the offer of a challenging liberal education for undergraduates in a residential setting that supports the values of the common good while embracing and reflecting a complex and diverse world. We believe that the best undergraduate education benefits from opportunities for close interaction between faculty and students, and that to teach well in their disciplines faculty must be excellent and engaged scholars and artists. Moreover, we are committed to the creation of a vibrant intellectual community based upon the active scholarship of our faculty throughout their careers. Its residential character allows Bowdoin to extend students’ learning and growth as citizens and leaders beyond classrooms and laboratories.
Bowdoin is an independent, nonsectarian, coeducational residential, undergraduate liberal arts institution founded in 1794. It is located in Brunswick, Maine, a town of 21,000 on the Maine coast. Study at Bowdoin leads to a bachelor of arts degree in one of over 40 departmental and interdisciplinary majors. Bowdoin enrolls approximately 1,710 students from across the country and around the world.
A liberal arts education at Bowdoin isn’t about being small and safe – it’s about having the support to take surprising risks. That means caring more about the questions than giving the right answers. Discovering you’re good at something you didn’t think was your strength. Making connections where none appears to exist.
You’ll soon find that a Bowdoin education is without boundaries. Subjects spill over each other – philosophy is not disconnected from politics, art can be a lens for understanding social change. Somewhere in your life here, you’ll get to the point where there is real beauty in what you’re doing. You’ll look up from your books and papers, scripts and canvases, and realize you’ve fallen in love with something. It may be a new way of thinking. Or whole new way of viewing yourself in the world.
More than 120 buildings are a part of the approximately 215-acre Bowdoin campus. They range from Massachusetts Hall, built in 1802, to Kanbar Hall, a 26,000-square-foot award-winning educational facility that was completed in 2004; LEED certified "green" residence halls completed in 2005; and a new recital hall, that opened in spring 2007. Bowdoin's Coastal Studies Center, located eight miles from campus on 118 acres of Orr's Island, was completed in 1998.
Our extended, natural campus offers students unparalleled opportunities for fieldwork with Bowdoin scientists, artists, and scholars:
* The Coastal Studies Institute, a nearby 118-acre tract of field, forest, and coastline.
* The 200-acre Kent Island Scientific Field Station in the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, Canada.
* Coleman Farm, an 83-acre coastal farm with salt marsh
* The Bowdoin Pines, 33-acres of white pines adjoining campus
Bowdoin College
From Wikipedia, The Free EncyclopediaBowdoin College (bo?d?n), founded in 1794, is a private liberal arts college located in the coastal New England town of Brunswick, Maine. The college enrolls approximately 1,700 students and has been coeducational since 1971. It offers 33 majors and 4 additional minors; the academic year consists of two four-course semesters, and the student-faculty ratio is 9:1. As of 2009, U.S. News and World Report currently ranks Bowdoin sixth among liberal arts colleges in the United States. Forbes ranks Bowdoin 15th overall for liberal arts colleges and universities combined. Furthermore, Bowdoin College was named a "New, Small Ivy" and one of the hottest schools in America by Newsweek. Brunswick is located on the shores of Casco Bay and the Androscoggin River, 12 miles (19 km) north of Freeport, Maine, 28 miles north of Portland, Maine, and 131 miles (211 km) north of Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to its Brunswick campus, Bowdoin also operates a 118 acre (478,000 m²) coastal studies center on Orrs Island in Harpswell, Maine and a 200 acre (809,000 m²) scientific field station on Kent Island in the Bay of Fundy.
History
Bowdoin College was chartered in 1794 by Governor Samuel Adams of Massachusetts, of which Maine was then a district, and was named for former Massachusetts governor James Bowdoin, whose son James Bowdoin III was an early benefactor. At the time of its founding, it was the easternmost college in the United States. In 1806, 13 Harvard graduates opted to accept a Bowdoin degree along with their diploma from Harvard.
Bowdoin came into its own in the 1820s, a decade in which Maine became an independent state as a result of the Missouri Compromise and the college graduated a number of its most famous alumni, including future United States President Franklin Pierce, class of 1824, and writers Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, both of whom graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1825.
Quick Facts
- Location:
- Northeast
- Setting:
- Small Town Setting
- Type:
- Private
- Size:
- Small (Under 2,000 Undergrad)
- Mascot:
- Polar Bears
Students & Campus Life
- Undergraduate Enrollment:
- 1,647
- On Campus Housing:
- Available
- Full Time Students:
- 100%
- Athletic Programs:
- Available
Degree Programs at Bowdoin College
Bachelor's Level Programs
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Agriculture and Natural Resources
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Natural Resources and Conservation
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Natural Resources and Conservation
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Environmental Studies.
A program that focuses on environment-related issues using scientific, social scientific, or humanistic approaches or a combination. Includes instruction in the basic principles of ecology and environmental science and related subjects such as policy, politics, law, economics, social aspects, planning, pollution control, natural resources, and the interactions of human beings and nature.See more schools with programs in Environmental Studies.
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Environmental Studies.
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Natural Resources and Conservation
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Natural Resources and Conservation
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Arts & Humanities
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English Language and Literature
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English Language and Literature
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English Language and Literature
A general program that focuses on the English language, including its history, structure and related communications skills; and the literature and culture of English-speaking peoples.See more schools with programs in English Language and Literature
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English Language and Literature
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Film and Theater
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Film and Theater
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Dramatic/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
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Dramatic/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
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Foreign Languages
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Foreign Languages
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Classics and Languages, Literatures and Linguistics
This general program focuses on the literary culture of the ancient Graeco-Roman world and the Greek and Latin languages and literatures and their development prior to the fall of the Roman Empire.See more schools with programs in Classics and Languages, Literatures and Linguistics
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French Language and Literature
A program that focuses on the French language and related dialects and creoles. Includes instruction in French philology, Metropolitan French, Canadian French, African and Caribbean Creoles, French regional dialects, and applications in business, science/technology, and other settings.See more schools with programs in French Language and Literature
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General Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
A general program that focuses on one or more of the Romance languages of Western, Central, and Southern Europe. Includes instruction in philology, linguistics, dialects and pidgins, literature, and applications to business, science/technology, and other settings.See more schools with programs in General Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
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German Language and Literature
A program that focuses on the German language and related dialects as used in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, neighboring European countries containing German-speaking minorities, and elsewhere. Includes instruction in German philology; Old, Middle, and High German; Plattdeutsch and other regional dialects; and applications to business, science/technology, and other settings.See more schools with programs in German Language and Literature
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Russian Language and Literature
A program that focuses on the Russian language. Includes instruction in Russian philology, Old Russian, Modern Russian and dialects, literature, and applications to business, science/technology, and other settings.See more schools with programs in Russian Language and Literature
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Spanish Language and Literature
A program that focuses on the Spanish language and related dialects. Includes instruction in Spanish philology, Modern Castillan, various Latin American dialects, regional Spanish dialects, and applications in business, science/technology, and other settings.See more schools with programs in Spanish Language and Literature
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Classics and Languages, Literatures and Linguistics
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History
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History
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History
A program that focuses on the general study and interpretation of the past, including the gathering, recording, synthesizing and criticizing of evidence and theories about past events. Includes instruction in historiography; historical research methods; studies of specific periods, issues and cultures; and applications to areas such as historic preservation, public policy, and records administration.See more schools with programs in History
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History
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Music
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Music
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General Music
A general program that focuses on the introductory study and appreciation of music and the performing arts. Includes instruction in music, dance, and other performing arts media.See more schools with programs in General Music
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General Music
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Philosophy
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Philosophy
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General Philosophy
A program that focuses on ideas and their logical structure, including arguments and investigations about abstract and real phenomena. Includes instruction in logic, ethics, aesthetics, epistemology, metaphysics, symbolism, and history of philosophy, and applications to the theoretical foundations and methods of other disciplines.See more schools with programs in General Philosophy
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General Philosophy
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Religion/Religious Studies
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Religion/Religious Studies
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General Religion/Religious Studies
A program that focuses on the nature of religious belief and specific religious and quasi-religious systems. Includes instruction in phenomenology; the sociology, psychology, philosophy, anthropology, literature and art of religion; mythology; scriptural and textual studies; religious history and politics; and specific studies of particular faith communities and their behavior.See more schools with programs in General Religion/Religious Studies
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General Religion/Religious Studies
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Visual Arts
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Visual Arts
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Art History, Criticism and Conservation
Students of Art History study of the historical development of art as a social and intellectual phenomenon. Art History programs include the analysis of works of art, and art conservation, art history research methods, connoisseurship, the preservation and conservation of works of art, and the study of specific periods, cultures, styles, and themes.See more schools with programs in Art History, Criticism and Conservation
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Fine Arts and Art Studies
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Fine/Studio Arts
A program that prepares individuals to generally function as creative artists in the visual and plastic media. Includes instruction in the traditional fine arts media (drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, CAD/CAM) and/or modern media (ceramics, textiles, intermedia, photography, digital images); theory of art; color theory; composition and perspective; anatomy; the techniques and procedures for maintaining equipment and managing a studio; and art portfolio marketing.See more schools with programs in Fine/Studio Arts
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Art History, Criticism and Conservation
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English Language and Literature
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English Language and Literature
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Interdisciplinary Studies
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Classical, Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies
Students of this program study the cultures, environment, and history of the ancient Near East, Europe, and the Mediterranean basin from the perspective of the humanities and social sciences, including archeology.See more schools with programs in Classical, Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies
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Mathematics and Computer Science
A program with a general synthesis of mathematics and computer science or a specialization which draws from mathematics and computer science.See more schools with programs in Mathematics and Computer Science
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Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies
Any instructional program that is derived from two or more distinct programs to provide a cross-cutting focus on a subject concentration that is not subsumed under a single discipline or occupational field.See more schools with programs in Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies
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Neuroscience
A program that focuses on the interdisciplinary scientific study of the molecular, structural, physiologic, cognitive, and behavioral aspects of the brain and nervous system. Includes instruction in molecular and cellular neuroscience, brain science, anatomy and physiology of the central nervous system, molecular and biochemical bases of information processing, behavioral neuroscience, biology of neuropsychiatric disorders, and applications to the clinical sciences and biomedical engineering.See more schools with programs in Neuroscience
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Classical, Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies
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Life Science
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Biology
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Biology
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Biochemistry
Study the chemistry of living systems in these four, six, or eight year programs. Students of biochemistry learn the intricacies of the chemistry of living systems and their chemical pathways and information transfer systems. This program includes instruction in bio-organic chemistry, protein chemistry, bioanalytical chemistry, bioseparations, regulatory biochemistry, enzymology, hormonal chemistry, calorimetry, and research methods and equipment operation.See more schools with programs in Biochemistry
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Biology/Biological Sciences
Students in this program study general biology at an introductory level. This major provides students with a broad overview of biology and includes instruction in general biology and programs covering a variety of biological specializations.See more schools with programs in Biology/Biological Sciences
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Biochemistry
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Biology
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Biology
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Mathematics and Statistics
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General Mathematics
A general program that focuses on the analysis of quantities, magnitudes, forms, and their relationships, using symbolic logic and language. Includes instruction in algebra, calculus, functional analysis, geometry, number theory, logic, topology and other mathematical specializations.See more schools with programs in General Mathematics
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General Mathematics
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Natural Sciences
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Chemistry
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Chemistry
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General Chemistry
A general program that focuses on the scientific study of the composition and behavior of matter, including its micro- and macro-structure, the processes of chemical change, and the theoretical description and laboratory simulation of these phenomena.See more schools with programs in General Chemistry
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Geochemistry
A program that focuses on the scientific study of the chemical properties and behavior of the silicates and other substances forming, and formed by geomorphological processes of the earth and other planets. Includes instruction in chemical thermodynamics, equilibrium in silicate systems, atomic bonding, isotopic fractionation, geochemical modeling, specimen analysis, and studies of specific organic and inorganic substances.See more schools with programs in Geochemistry
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General Chemistry
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Geology
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Geology
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Geology/Earth Science
A program that focuses on the scientific study of the earth; the forces acting upon it; and the behavior of the solids, liquids and gases comprising it. Includes instruction in historical geology, geomorphology, and sedimentology, the chemistry of rocks and soils, stratigraphy, mineralogy, petrology, geostatistics, volcanology, glaciology, geophysical principles, and applications to research and industrial problems.See more schools with programs in Geology/Earth Science
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Geophysics and Seismology
A program that focuses on the scientific study of the physics of solids and its application to the study of the earth and other planets. Includes instruction in gravimetric, seismology, earthquake forecasting, magnetrometry, electrical properties of solid bodies, plate tectonics, active deformation, thermodynamics, remote sensing, geodesy, and laboratory simulations of geological processes.See more schools with programs in Geophysics and Seismology
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Geology/Earth Science
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Physics
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Physics
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Chemical Physics
Study structural phenomena in this combination of the disciplines of physical chemistry and atomic/molecular physics. Students of this program are taught heterogeneous structures, alignment and surface phenomena, quantum theory, mathematical physics, statistical and classical mechanics, chemical kinetics, liquid crystals and membranes, molecular synthesis and design, and laser physics.See more schools with programs in Chemical Physics
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General Physics
A general program that focuses on the scientific study of matter and energy, and the formulation and testing of the laws governing the behavior of the matter-energy continuum. Includes instruction in classical and modern physics, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics, mechanics, wave properties, nuclear processes, relativity and quantum theory, quantitative methods, and laboratory methods.See more schools with programs in General Physics
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Chemical Physics
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Chemistry
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Chemistry
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Social Sciences
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Anthropology
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Anthropology
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General Anthropology
A program that focuses on the systematic study of human beings, their antecedents and related primates, and their cultural behavior and institutions, in comparative perspective. Includes instruction in biological/physical anthropology, primatology, human paleontology and prehistoric archeology, hominid evolution, anthropological linguistics, ethnography, ethnology, ethnohistory, socio-cultural anthropology, psychological anthropology, research methods, and applications to areas such as medicine, forensic pathology, museum studies, and international affairs.See more schools with programs in General Anthropology
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General Anthropology
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Area, Ethnic, Cultural, and Gender Studies
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Area, Ethnic, Cultural, and Gender Studies
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African-American/Black Studies
African-American Studies focuses on the history, sociology, politics, culture, and economics of the African-Americans. The program focuses on the African-Americans of the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean but also including reference to Latin American African-Americans.See more schools with programs in African-American/Black Studies
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Asian Studies/Civilization
This four year program focuses on the history, society, politics, culture, and economics of the peoples of the Asian Continent. Asian Studies programs include the study of Asian diasporas overseas.See more schools with programs in Asian Studies/Civilization
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Central/Middle and Eastern European Studies
Students of this program study the history, society, politics, culture, and economics of one or more of the peoples of what is historically known as Central/Middle and Eastern Europe. The areas studied as part of this major include Austria, the Balkans, the Baltic States, Belarus, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Ukraine, related borderlands and island groups, and migration patterns.See more schools with programs in Central/Middle and Eastern European Studies
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Latin American Studies
A program that focuses on the history, society, politics, culture, and economics of one or more of the Hispanic peoples of the North and South American Continents outside Canada and the United States, including the study of the Pre-Columbian period and the flow of immigrants from other societies.See more schools with programs in Latin American Studies
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Women’s Studies
A program that focuses on the history, sociology, politics, culture, and economics of women, and the development of modern feminism in relation to the roles played by women in different periods and locations in North America and the world. Programs may focus on literature, philosophy, and the arts as much as on social studies and policy.See more schools with programs in Women’s Studies
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African-American/Black Studies
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Economics
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Economics
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Econometrics and Quantitative Economics
A program that focuses on the systematic study of mathematical and statistical analysis of economic phenomena and problems. Includes instruction in economic statistics, optimization theory, cost/benefit analysis, price theory, economic modeling, and economic forecasting and evaluation.See more schools with programs in Econometrics and Quantitative Economics
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General Economics
A general program that focuses on the systematic study of the production, conservation and allocation of resources in conditions of scarcity, together with the organizational frameworks related to these processes. Includes instruction in economic theory, micro- and macroeconomics, comparative economic systems, money and banking systems, international economics, quantitative analytical methods, and applications to specific industries and public policy issues.See more schools with programs in General Economics
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Econometrics and Quantitative Economics
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International Relations and Affairs
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International Relations and Affairs
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General Political Science and Government
A general program that focuses on the systematic study of political institutions and behavior. Includes instruction in political philosophy, political theory, comparative government and politics, political parties and interest groups, public opinion, political research methods, studies of the government and politics of specific countries, and studies 0f specific political institutions and processes.See more schools with programs in General Political Science and Government
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General Political Science and Government
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Psychology
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Psychology
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General Psychology
A general program that focuses on the scientific study of individual and collective behavior, the physical and environmental bases of behavior, and the analysis and treatment of behavior problems and disorders. Includes instruction in the principles of the various subfields of psychology, research methods, and psychological assessment and testing methods.See more schools with programs in General Psychology
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General Psychology
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Sociology
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Sociology
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Sociology
A program that focuses on the systematic study of human social institutions and social relationships. Includes instruction in social theory, sociological research methods, social organization and structure, social stratification and hierarchies, dynamics of social change, family structures, social deviance and control, and applications to the study of specific social groups, social institutions, and social problems.See more schools with programs in Sociology
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Sociology
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Anthropology
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Anthropology
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Technology
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Information Systems Operation and Management
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Information Systems Operation and Management
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General Computer Science
A general program that focuses on computers, computing problems and solutions, and the design of computer systems and user interfaces from a scientific perspective. Includes instruction in the principles of computational science, and computing theory; computer hardware design; computer development and programming; and applications to a variety of end-use situations.See more schools with programs in General Computer Science
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General Computer Science
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Information Systems Operation and Management
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Information Systems Operation and Management
Students
General
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Full-Time vs. Part-Time
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Men vs. Women
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Race/Ethnicity
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Geography
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In State vs. Out-of-State
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Top States for Incoming Freshman
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| Percent of Students International: | 3% |
Housing
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 99% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | Yes |
Athletics
| Member of: | NAA, NCAA |
| Sports Include: |
Football (New England Small College Ath Conf) Basketball (New England Small College Ath Conf) Baseball (New England Small College Ath Conf) Track (New England Small College Ath Conf) |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | Expenses | ||
Published Tuition and Fees: |
$ 32,990 | ||
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 32,650 | ||
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 340 | ||
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 5,033 | 11% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 753 | 7% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 20,921 | 44% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 3,600 | 37% | |
Any Aid: |
44% |
Selectivity (Undergraduate Only)
| Acceptance Rate: | 25% (Most Selective) |
Application Requirements (Undergraduate Only)
| Application Fee: | $ 60.00 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Not Required |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Recommended |
| High School GPA: | Recommended |
| High School Rank: | Recommended |
| High School Record: | Required |
| Recommendations: | Required |
| TOEFL: | Required |
| Test Scores: | Not Required |
College Advice |
Question: Bowdoin Early Decision?I was wondering whether or not I had a chance of getting into Bowdoin College early decision. Especially if you personally got in. I go to a small private school in North Carolina. I'm a rising senior who makes mostly straight As with the occasional B+. I taking all the hardest classes. SAT scores: Critical reading: 650 Math: 670 Writing: 690 Subject: Literature: 680 US History: 730 AP scores: US History: 5 English Lang: 4 Euro Hist: 330 months ago
Best AnswerSAT Critical Reading: 650 - 750 SAT Math: 650 - 730 You're just at the bottom of the mid-50% range in terms of SATs. Your subject tests also seem to be in line with those numbers. AP scores aren't always used in admissions. Your GPA sounds fine. Your courseload sounds fine. Based on the info you've provided, you do have a chance. Remember, though, that grades and scores are two of several factors that go into admissions. No judgement can be made on solely those two. Essays, recommendations, and activities are extremely important. |
Question: Out of these colleges which has the best economics and history programs?-Reed -Bates -Kenyon -Bowdoin -Conn College -Skidmore32 months ago
Best Answerdespite what frankie said, that's a very good list of schools. they all have reputable history programs, and i imagine good economic programs, too, but off the top of my head i would say bowdoin is the strongest. all of them are excellent liberal arts colleges, though. |
Question: Which of these Maine schools/colleges do you consider the best, and why, also what I need to get in?I'm interested in Environmental Science and Writing. I'm looking into Bates, Colby, and Bowdoin. COA looks kind of neat, but the size is not what I'm looking for in a school, and I want someplace where I can meet more people but at the same time find a tight knit group I fit into. Bates...and the others are reaches for me. I'm a Junior, but hey if I got into one of them then that would be amazing. I plan on a 3.5 gpa end of senior year, working really hard this year and next. I'm not so hot at testing, looking at 600s in the english portion, but probably a 550 on the math section SAT. I'm a smart kid but math isn't my strong point. Good at talking and stuff so definitely will interview! So if any alums or current students or super smart college guru kind of people want to give me some advice about them, and what I need to get in that'd be wonderful. Thanks a bunch=) infusionismusic36 months ago
Best AnswerAll three of these schools are highly respected and will give you a good education. They are similar in many ways, but each has its own feel. I think you definitely need to visit in order to decide. Hopefully some alumni from these schools will see your question and give you an answer. If not, try again. You might also try posting a question on the Princeton Review chat boards. There are a lot of kids on there who might have something useful to say. |
Question: My son is very interested in attending Bowdoin College in Maine, can anyone tell me more about it?We live in Oklahoma and I've researched it a little but I'd like to hear first-hand from someone who knows more about it. Thanks!39 months ago
Best AnswerHi, Glad to know your son is interested in Bowdoin! I would be happy to answer any questions you might have. My name is Scott Hood. I am vice president for communications and public affairs at Bowdoin. I'm not a Bowdoin grad, but I've worked at the college for over 17 years and would be glad to help. What would you like to know? |
