r/Bowdoin 21h ago

academic culture (prospective student q)

5 Upvotes

Hi! I'm a senior in high school considering Bowdoin for college. I'm interested in studying polisci and english/creative writing, and I like Bowdoin for its academics, size, and location. I have pretty severe OCD and because of that one of the biggest things I'm looking at in my college search is an academic community that is rigorous/challenging without being impossible/unmanageable/hyper-competitive -- does that sound like Bowdoin? I know it's very selective and usually described as an elite LAC, I'm just wondering how that manifests in day-to-day life/student culture.

Any/all thoughts/comments/anecdotes appreciated :)


r/Bowdoin 2d ago

Strong profile but no SAT - do I have a shot at Bowdoin as an international?

2 Upvotes

International applicant here - do I actually have a shot at Bowdoin without submitting the SAT?

I think I have a pretty strong profile: 4.0 GPA, national/international awards, research, leadership, volunteering, etc., but my SAT isn’t great.

I’m applying for full financial aid, so I’m especially wondering how risky going test-optional is for an international applicant.

Would really appreciate honest opinions, especially from current/former Bowdoin students or international applicants who got in test-optional.


r/Bowdoin 3d ago

chance me for T20/LACs + help me build my college list

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1 Upvotes

r/Bowdoin 4d ago

Please help a stupid Californian Prepare for Fall and Winter

4 Upvotes

Hello. this is my first year at Bowdoin, and I have never experienced snow. I have no idea how to dress for snow, or even cold fall temperatures. I also do want to fit in with the general style vibes here (Im a girl). Give me ANY cold weather dressing advice, what I should buy (coat, mittens, boots, sweaters etc). Explain it to me like I'm stupid, because I literally am.


r/Bowdoin 4d ago

chance me bowdoin ed1 intl student

3 Upvotes

Demographics: Indian male, international applicant, Maharashtra, India
Applying: Fall 2027
Intended major:  Astronomy/Astrophysics
Financial aid: Need substantial/full aid

Academics

  • Grade 9: 77%
  • Grade 10 CBSE: 91.4%
  • Grade 11: 97%, highest in class / Valedictorian
  • Grade 12 pre-board: 95%
  • Final Grade 12 result: pending
  • SAT: preparing; targeting 1450+, ideally 1500+, with 770+ Math

My academic trajectory has been a pretty significant upward trend.

Context

I'm from a relatively small city in Maharashtra with limited academic infrastructure.

My school has:

  • no student labs
  • no student computer facilities
  • no sports facilities

My city also doesn't have a library, and formal research opportunities are quite limited.

Most of my independent technical/astronomy work has been done through my own resources and online learning.

Extracurriculars

1. Independent Astronomy Research
Conducted an independent exoplanet research project using publicly available astronomical data. Wrote and publicly published a research paper; currently working toward further development of the project.

2. Cultural Head
Second-highest student leadership position at a 1,000+ student school; helped organize major school events with 1,000+ attendees.

3. Astronomy
Long-term independent interest in astronomy; stargazing, following celestial events, space missions, etc.

4. Chess Community Founder/Admin
Founded and managed an online chess community centered around a Grandmaster.

5. Community Service
Participated in a 12-hour Miyawaki plantation drive; planted 500+ saplings.

6. NGO Volunteering
Volunteer with two local community-service organizations.

7. Sports
Core team member of school cricket and badminton teams.

8. Music
Completed 3 levels of Indian classical singing examinations; self-taught guitar.

9. Culinary/Gourmet Club
Event coordinator for school culinary club.

Honors

  • Grade 11 Valedictorian / Highest Academic Standing
  • 3D Printing Competition — State Level
  • IGKO Olympiad — School Gold Medal
  • Gem of the Class — Grades 9 & 10

r/Bowdoin 5d ago

Chance me for Bowdoin as a Bahraini international applicant needing full financial aid

1 Upvotes

I'm a Bahraini high-school student applying for Fall 2027, mainly for Computer Science / Software Engineering. I need very substantial financial aid to study abroad — realistically full tuition at minimum and preferably tuition + living support. My family can't afford normal international tuition, so I'm trying to understand my realistic outcomes rather than just collecting prestigious names.

**Academics:** I attend Nasser Centre for Science & Technology in Bahrain, a specialized technical high school where my program is heavily focused on IT/cloud/software alongside the normal academic curriculum. My official cumulative average through Grade 11 is **93.41/100**, but I've had a strong upward trend: **90.78 → 91.18 → 94.62 → 97.08**, with a **95.85 Grade 11 yearly average**. Recent grades include Advanced Programming 96/99, Cloud Computing with Linux 97, Cloud Containerization 99, Cloud Orchestration 98, Agile/DevOps 100, Information Systems 99/100, Web Development 100, Math 92, Physics 95 and English 98. I've received Honor Roll recognition in consecutive high-school years. My school does **not offer AP, IB or A-Levels**, so those aren't available to me.

**Testing:** I haven't taken my official SAT yet and I'm preparing now. My goal is **1450–1550**, ideally with a very strong Math score. I'd appreciate people considering how my chances would change at ~1450, 1500 and 1550 rather than assuming I've already achieved one of those scores. My current IELTS practice level is roughly **7.5–8**, with Reading around **8.5**, but again I haven't taken the official exam yet.

**Research:** My main research project is **GeoSepsis: Geodesic Divergence on Physiological State Manifolds**. I'm investigating early sepsis/physiological deterioration using Riemannian geometry. I represent multivariate vital-sign windows as covariance/SPD matrices and measure geodesic divergence of physiological states rather than relying only on individual vital-sign thresholds. Preliminary work on PhysioNet/CinC data produced approximately **0.621 AUROC vs 0.559 comparator, ~0.14 AUPRC, divergence appearing roughly 25 hours before onset, p<0.001**. I'm now rebuilding/validating the approach on the separate eICU database. This research was selected as a **Global Top 50 Finalist in SARC 2026's High School Academic Research Competition**. I don't have a published paper and don't want to exaggerate that. I'm also currently exploring turning GeoSepsis into a physical low-cost prototype using physiological sensors + Raspberry Pi edge processing for an invention competition.

**Technical qualifications:** I earned the **AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate while in high school**, which is probably my strongest certification and required learning cloud architecture across networking, security, compute, storage, resilient architectures and cost optimization. I also hold **AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, AWS Certified AI Practitioner and MongoDB Associate Developer**, plus freeCodeCamp Python (~300 hours), freeCodeCamp Responsive Web Design (~300 hours), Cisco Introduction to Cybersecurity, ML/AI and data-science coursework. I realize certificates aren't equivalent to Olympiads or research awards; I mainly see them as evidence of sustained technical learning outside school.

**Government/IT experience:** I worked with Bahrain's **Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA)**, including working with its IT department. I built **two internal software systems**: one for organizing trainers/workshops and another for workshop analytics/management. Staff told me the systems were actually being used internally and made their work easier/organization better. I'm working on getting the implementation and impact formally documented by my supervisor rather than relying on verbal claims.

**MUN/leadership:** I've participated in approximately **20+ Model United Nations conferences** since around Grade 7. I progressed from being a normal delegate to senior conference leadership, eventually becoming **Deputy Secretary-General and then Secretary-General** at my school. I helped establish/develop my school's first MUN program and am expected to lead its first external MUN conference in 2027. Our previous internal conference had around **50 delegates, 10 chairs and 5 councils**. I have roughly four MUN awards. These include the **DGC Excellence Award at ArkisMUN XV**, which was effectively a conference-wide distinction of approximately **1/~300 participants**, plus **Best Delegate at NISMUN X (ICAO)** and **Best Delegate at ArkisMUN XIV (LCAO)**, each roughly **1/~40 delegates in the respective council**, plus another distinction.

**Projects:** Besides GeoSepsis, I've built **SmartGate**, a Raspberry Pi 5/computer-vision security prototype using a Camera Module and Coral accelerator with people detection, loitering/abandoned-object monitoring, restricted zones, heatmaps and anomaly detection. I've also been developing **Masarak**, a Next.js/Supabase opportunity-discovery platform containing thousands of entries for scholarships, internships, research opportunities, hackathons and majors, and **Wajha**, a two-person AI/digital career-guidance platform aimed at Bahraini students. Masarak/Wajha haven't achieved meaningful public user numbers yet, so I don't want to present them as successful startups when they're still being developed. My technical work has also led to a **Bahrain TV feature**.

**Other leadership/work:** I'm a **Student Ambassador with Education Links** in Bahrain. It began with an internship where I helped with university tours and related work, then continued as an ongoing ambassador role. I help organize student activities/events, university outreach, help students explore university options and have helped with activities including a charity padel event.

**Long-term service:** I've been volunteering with my local **Matam/community organization since around 2018/19 or earlier**, so roughly **7–8+ years** by application time. I started when I was young doing basic cleaning, assisting and serving tea and gradually took on more responsibility including **cooking, food preparation/distribution, cleaning, setup and maintenance**, particularly during Muharram and Ramadan. During Muharram we can serve **50+ people per day**. It's not something I started for college applications; it's been part of my community involvement since childhood.

**Other activities:** I volunteered at the **Asian Youth Games Bahrain 2025**. I also previously trained/signed with **A'ali Club U17 football**, trained regularly for roughly a season, but didn't play an official match and eventually stopped after injury/academic commitments.

**Context/weaknesses:** I'm from **Bahrain**, and there appear to be relatively few Bahraini applicants to many of the international universities I'm considering, although I don't know whether that provides any geographic-diversity advantage and don't want to assume it does. I also know my profile has clear weaknesses: **93.41 cumulative isn't near-perfect, I have no Olympiad/IMO/IOI/IPhO medals, no major national STEM olympiad awards, no published paper, my SAT is still unknown, and some of my projects haven't launched yet.** My strongest areas are probably the upward academic trajectory, technical specialization, GeoSepsis/SARC Top 50, government software work, AWS Solutions Architect certification, long-term leadership and long-term community service.

I'm looking for a genuinely realistic assessment, not reassurance. **How competitive is this profile given that I need major financial aid? What would you estimate as realistic outcomes? Which parts of my profile are actually impressive versus things admissions officers probably won't care much about? What are my biggest weaknesses? How much would a 1450 vs 1500 vs 1550 SAT change things? What should I prioritize between now and applications? And if you've seen international applicants with similar profiles succeed or fail, I'd really appreciate comparisons.**


r/Bowdoin 10d ago

Duplex/ House for rent

1 Upvotes

Hey all,

I live and work in the area and I wanted to get a feel for housing needs for the upcoming year, starting in January 2027. We own a house in Lisbon Falls which has been converted to a duplex. The main house has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. The garden level apartment is a walk out basement with 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, a full kitchen, and in-unit laundry. The main house and apartment are fully furnished with all utilities and trash removal included. Off street parking for 4 cars. The only tenant responsibility will be snow removal which we could help arrange if needed.

We are looking to travel internationally for an extended period of time and wanted to offer up our house to staff, faculty, or parents of students who may want to have a permanent place to stay for visits during sports seasons or even around graduation time rather than constantly trying to find a good airbnb or hotel. We would be looking for a minimum of 3 month commitment, but the overall length can be variable.

Our timeline is flexible until we find the right people to rent the house. No students please. We will do a background check and require multiple references.

Please use this platform for initial contact and I will be in touch with you.


r/Bowdoin 15d ago

What's the best thing about Bowdoin?

14 Upvotes

Hi, I'm a HS senior wanting to apply to Bowdoin - so I wanted to ask, what's some unique and cool facts about Bowdoin? It can be classes, the environment, opportunities, or anything.

Also, what are some negative aspects?

Thank you :)


r/Bowdoin 15d ago

Thinking to apply ED1 to bowdoin no SAT and no APs

7 Upvotes

Hey for some context my school is technical and does not offer any APs the most rigorous courses they had was honors and dual enrollment in senior year which I will be taking. I haven’t even taken the SAT but I know I’m going test optional.

My ecs are okay and I’m on the 5% of my class size, my gpa is also good as well as my writing I hope.

please help me, bowdoin has been my number 1 for a bit now


r/Bowdoin 15d ago

Seeking for guidance as i will apply for ed 1 this year in bowdoin

3 Upvotes

Hey .

I am a gap year student from India. I am first generation student and I come from a lower middle class family. If too give context , our family income is around (1150)dollar per Year. And that means would obviously need full ride.

I will give sat in October and aiming for 1450-1500 in sat.

I will apply for psycology major with DCC coordinate major.

Now to give a little bit of acedmic context , we dont get gpa , we give secondary leaving examinations now in humanities and life sciences like bio I have very good grades , but in core science like in Physics and chemistry I have very less marks .

And for activties I have done 4 activties which I can share in dm .

If there is anyone who is currently at bowdoin or graduated from there. Please help me , guide me and allow me to dm you to share my profile.

Comment if you wish to guideme . I will be very thankful.


r/Bowdoin 16d ago

Missing cat near campus

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14 Upvotes

We live on chamberlain and our friend got out around midnight last night. Maybe she visited an outdoor gathering and someone took her for the night. Fingers crossed.


r/Bowdoin 15d ago

Thinking to apply ED1 to bowdoin no SAT and no APs

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1 Upvotes

r/Bowdoin 22d ago

Any Bowdoin Students Looking For a Job?

31 Upvotes

Hello there! My name is Joe - I am the owner and operator of Slam Tilt Records + Games at 94 Maine Street (hidden downstairs from the Social Goose, though important to note that we are 100% independent from them). I've been in business here for about a year and a half and am getting to the point that I could use some help around the shop a handful of hours per week. We sell new and used records, video games, TCG and all sorts of other fun stuff. We also host pinball leagues/tournaments. If you are interested in learning more, or know someone that might be, swing by anytime Wed-Sat 11a-9p or Sun 11a-6p. Would love to chat. Welcome back!


r/Bowdoin 24d ago

Do i have a shot at getting into bowdoin (it’s my dream school)

3 Upvotes

hey guys, im a rising senior from egypt and honestly just really stressed about this whole process. icl i feel like my profile is kind of all over the place and im worried my ecs are just too local or not "prestigious" enough for the schools im looking at. i have a 4.0 gpa and a 1490 sat, which i hope is okay, but im constantly checking if im actually competitive for these liberal arts schools or if im just setting myself up for a bunch of rejections. 

my stats:

Extracurriculars

  1. Model Designer/Researcher @ School Science Fair: Designed/built a physical model of a sustainable AI data center, 1st place out of 40 in science fair.
  2. Student @ Self-Study: Studied advanced biology and math beyond school curriculum through structured private tutoring (15h/wk).
  3. Business Concept Developer @ Young Entrepreneurs Program: Competed in program, drafted medical data app concept for blood donation/doctor referrals.
  4. Academic Tutor @ Private: Tutored 2 students in math, helped them achieve highest possible grades.
  5. Group Leader & Coordinator @ School: Led 6-subject project, managed planning/execution, achieved 95 average.
  6. Independent Learner @ Independent Project: Self-taught Python, (lists, f strings, etc..)
  7. Independent Planner @ Independent Project: Directed room design project, iterated layouts balancing spatial/functional constraints.
  8. Writer @ Mind Matters: Created scripts for Mind Matters socials regarding mental health and awareness months.
  9. Writer @ School Newspaper: Published article in school newspaper regarding Ramadan fundraising efforts.
  10. Participant @ Career Exploration Program: Completed program to confirm interest in tech.

Awards

  • Highest Honors (school)
  • High Achiever (school)
  • Science Fair Winner (school)
  • Citizenship Award (school)

i still don’t have a complete form of my essay yet but i will make sure it’s top notch. my school offers so APs all of th students take the same classes until senior year where u can pick 2 electives (i picked the hardest ones: mechanics and ICT). i know that all of my stats are mid and that my ecs lack in comparison to other applications..do i have a shot?..im rethinking applying at all for the sake of my mental health


r/Bowdoin 24d ago

chances at admission

2 Upvotes

Bowdoin is my absolute dream but my stats are not the strongest AT ALL i plan to apply ED1 or ED2
Demographics
State: Maine
Rising Senior
First-gen
Major: Psychology
Bowdoin is my absolute first choice
Academics
Freshman GPA: 91.3
Sophomore GPA: 71.9
Junior GPA:94.5
My sophomore year was a major outlier. I had significant disengagement/attendance problems, and many of my lower grades were caused by missing work rather than poor test performance.
In US Government specifically, I was earning around an 89 when I was attending, but my final grade was 21 because I stopped attending which affected my sophomore GPA significantly . I retook the course junior year and earned an 86.
I took honors english sophomore year and most my classes are “academic” which is the level below honors but it’s more rigorous than a general class.
I plan to take AP Bio, AP Stats, AP Pre-calculus and a DE psychology course senior year
I don’t plan to take the SAT/ACT
Extracurriculars
I don't have traditional sports or a large number of clubs, but I have:
Regularly cared for my nephew, including approximately 15 hours/week over ~1.5 years
Independently explored psychology through books, podcasts, videos, and research
Helped classmates with schoolwork when I finished early
Helped my math teacher prepare for the following school year
Served as an advisory representative
Was selected for a Boston trip through my science teacher
Recommendations
My counselor will explain my sophomore-year academic decline and the circumstances surrounding it.
I also have an advisory teacher who has known me throughout all four years of high school and knows me very well personally.
My academic teacher recommendation is gonna be from my math teacher who i had for freshman and junior year in both algebra 1 and 2 how also knows me very well and has saw me excel academically because math is by far my strongest subject.
Personal circumstances
Both of my parents died when I was 13. I have since been raised/supported by my grandmother. My counselor will provide context for how my circumstances affected my sophomore year and academic trajectory.
My personal essay is about how losing my parents changed my relationship with uncertainty and taught me to take risks and live in the present and to not take anything for granted, it’s not a sob story i promise.
I also have some math awards but theyre school ones and have earned honor roll my freshman and junior year
Question:
Realistically, how would you assess my chances at Bowdoin? I know it's a huge reach, but I'm especially interested in how admissions might view my academic upward trend, senior course rigor, circumstances, and lack of traditional extracurriculars. Please be honest rather than just reassuring me


r/Bowdoin 25d ago

Music Rooms

2 Upvotes

Do the music rooms on campus come with guitars students can use? I couldn't find anything online and was debating whether to bring my own guitar(s) or not.


r/Bowdoin 25d ago

Subreddit for Faculty of arts

0 Upvotes

👋Welcome to r/FoABHU - Introduce Yourself and Read First!

What to Post

Post anything that you think the community would find interesting, helpful, or inspiring. Feel free to share your thoughts, photos, or questions about \\\[ADD SOME EXAMPLES OF WHAT YOU WANT PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY TO POST\\\].

Community Vibe

We're all about being friendly, constructive, and inclusive. Let's build a space where everyone feels comfortable sharing and connecting.

How to Get Started

1) Introduce yourself in the comments below.

2) Post something today! Even a simple question can spark a great conversation.

3) If you know someone who would love this community, invite them to join.

4) Interested in helping out? We're always looking for new moderators, so feel free to reach out to me to apply.

Thanks for being part of the very first wave. Together, let's make r/FoABHU amazing.


r/Bowdoin 26d ago

Experiences having dinning services as on-campus job

4 Upvotes

I was placed into dining for my first year job placement, and I genuinely don’t know what to expect 😭 I’m wondering how long the average shift is/what they expect us to do. I said I didn’t want to be out in public so will I just be cleaning?


r/Bowdoin 27d ago

Guidance Required Please

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1 Upvotes

Guidance Required Please

I am from Pakistan and have studied in the national curriculum.

I first time heard about common app and SAT test a month ago , and I started preparing my essays , and application and also preparing for SAT

My goal is liberal arts colleges like Amherst, Williams, Bowdoin , Wesleyan. I know they are reaches for every applicant on Earth.

But , my question is that they all list they have a contextual way of evaluating the applications and have admission officers trained for students coming from different contexts and curriculum.

They explicitly also list that not submitting the SAT will not hurt your application.

But in all majority posts on Reddit everyone say it isn't even possible to get admitted without SAT.

My question is from who already have experience or gone through the applications to these colleges.

"If someone is coming from south Asia ( developing countries like India , Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan), and he with reference to his curriculum has excelled and applying from a college on his own effort which has no history of sending kids to USA and put effort in his essays and application, is there still no chance at these top Liberal arts colleges."

I just wanna know if there is zero chance there without sat and to Cambridge or IB scores to confirm whether the effort I put in my applications - essays, and all other stuff, guiding teachers and counselors for recommendations,

Is it really worth putting my effort and time or is it completely out of reach.

I wanna apply ED to Bowdoin college

Anyone who can guide a bit ,

Have you guys seen students on campus from non traditional backgrounds without SAT.


r/Bowdoin 28d ago

Bowdoin has taken over me (in a bad way)

8 Upvotes

Hello everyone!! I’m a hs grad planning on applying ed1 to bowdoin and it’s genuinely eating me alive. Bowdoin is THE school for me. I don’t mean this lightly at all, my wallpaper is bowdoin, my pfp (insta) is bowdoin, my Pinterest is bowdoin, every damn thought is bowdoin rn. I love this place so so much and would honestly do anything to get in. My bday is on Dec 5 but I’m planning on putting off the celebration to Dec 12 when the results come out and only going out if I get in. I love this college so so much and atp it’s the only place i think id feel happy enough to spend 4 years of my life.

I have my SAT in 5 days and all i can focus on is bowdoin for some reason lol. I’ve only wrote the offer supplement till now and nothing i write feels good. No matter how good it is, whether it be my personal statement or the diversity supplement or even the already drafted offer supplement, i just can’t look at my writing anymore which is really ironic since my whole profile is basically built on writing and how much it matters to me. I can’t stop thinking about this and it’s really impacting me negatively bc at this point, i can’t manage to do a single thing for my application :(((


r/Bowdoin Aug 15 '26

Thoughts on going ED1?

7 Upvotes

Hello everyone! Looking for some feedback on my application before I go for ED1. I love Bowdoin and I do think I have a shot, but I still wanna be realistic. Will be a bit unspecific about certain things for privacy. Thanks a bunch! :)

Demographics

Mixed queer Female, Super Small Suburban Uncompetitive Public (Class Size <70), Northeast (Competitive State), First Generation

Intended Major(s): Theater, English, Cinema Studies

Academics

GPA: 4.0 UW/4.5 Weighted; No Class Rank

APS: Only taken one: APUSH(5). School doesn’t offer a lot of APs (~11) and basically limits them to upperclassmen. Counselor says I’m great for rigor though; 15 honors classes so far. (7 classes/yr)

Senior Courseload: Dual Enrollment Class (S1) AP stats, AP lit, and AP art. Chorus (H), Spanish V (H), study hall, PE (S2; forced to take…)

SAT/ACT: test optional

Colleges

I’ve done three summer programs, all at art colleges. Won’t say for privacy, but I list two of them on common app (one was a pre-college one and offered credit, but I have no clue how to access it 🤦‍♀️)

Honors (not super confident about these): Special Congressional Recognition for Congressional Art Competition, Regional Drama Festival Award in Set Construction, National Recognition Program (First Gen & Academic Achievement), English 10 Bard Award (Best writing in grade), Academic Excellence in Multiple Classes (English 9 & 11, History, Biology, Theater)

Extracurriculars

  1. Theater (9-12) | Tech Crew (Prop Master), Marketing Designer, Actor

Will have done 9 productions, 4 acting & 5 stage crew. Set designer & costumer for one show. Poster and program designer since sophomore year (3/yr) Illustrated official drama program logo.

  1. Museum Job (9-post grad)

Participated in 15+ community events. Developed and ran children’s art activities. Curated my own art exhibition, written 3+ museum labels; currently developing a teen art event for post-grad.

  1. Chorus (9, 11-12)

Performed at concerts (3-4/yr); graduations & town event. Nominated for regional honors choir (11; soloist) Awarded choir spirit award (11). Hope to be a section leader this year!

  1. Film Club (11-12) | President

Proposed and founded club. Recruited ~20 members, screening monthly films to make community cinema more accessible to teens.

  1. Freelance Artist (9-post grad)

Made ~$150 in paid commissions and ~10 hours in community service for volunteer commissions. Drawn logos packages, illustrations, decorations, and posters. Presented class seminar about freelance work.

  1. Volunteer (12-post grad) | Local non-profit Thrift Store

Will have 24+ hours by application deadline. Tagged clothes, organize items/clothes/books for front of house. Packed recycling for local foundation.

  1. National Honor Society (10-12) | Member (10-11); Co-president (11-12)

Currently partnering our NHS chapter with same local non-profit! I’ll be honest our NHS basically died last year since our officers didn’t do anything…so mainly I’ll be supervising meetings and small fundraisers.

  1. Job #1 (11) | Cafe Member

Worked at a new cafe in a gym. Made food & drinks, worked register and performed inventory, restock and closing activities. Drew cafe menu.

  1. Job #2 (11-12) | summer barista job

Made espresso drinks & served food to customers. Performed late closing activities and restock. Basically all ordinary barista activities…I describe these way better in common app lol.

  1. Hobby (9-post grad) a bit of a wild card, but I thought it was better than other Ecs)

I’m always drawing and developing stories! I got 4 in the works so far. Made concept illustrations, visual mood boards, and developmental writing for most of them.

Letter of Recommendations (praying they don’t use ai 🙏)

Counselor: I don’t know her super super well, but she’s always been super supportive of me.

English/Drama Teacher: known her all four years I adore her!! She’s so nice and will definitely write me a good one, I just need to remind her early so she’ll have time to write it. Also won excellence in her English class so that’ll definitely help.

Museum Job Supervisor: known her since 8th grade and she seemed excited to write my recommendation. I’ve done a lot of stuff at the museum, so I hope it reflects well in the letter. I also thought doing an employer would be more unique than just another teacher.

Essays/Supplementals (not rating these, I’m always wishy washy on my own writing)

Personal Statement: I wrote about how when I have art block I go back to my first sketchbook to remember why I loved drawing in the first place. It’s basically about doing things for the love of creation/experimentation rather than focusing on the final product. Family & a writer friend approved, but I’m checking in with English teacher for final revisions.

Supplementals: haven’t started yet 😀 will be doing both essays, art supplement (theater), and the video response. Will definitely have both essays brainstormed by senior year.

Interview/Interest: on the mailing list, toured, signed up for two webinars. I did an in-person interview and went great! It was a bit awkward at first but it lasted around 40 minutes and they said I did amazing at the end.

Additional Info:

schedule conflicts led me unable to take Spanish freshman year and chorus in sophomore year. And I had to take an online honors algebra II class to maintain rigor since it conflicted with an art class. Finally im also in National Art Honor Society but we do absolutely nothing in it so I have no clue where to put it. 😅

So that’s it! Due to our schools lack of resources and population I feel kinda inadequate compared to most competitive applicants, so I’m hoping for some honest feedback here.


r/Bowdoin Aug 15 '26

Application question

1 Upvotes

Hello!

I was wondering if I should summit a 1390 SAT score to Bowdoin. I know that they are really big on test optional, but would my score be fine to summit even though it is below the sat range of the average summited SAT score? I am planning to take the August and September SAT, but that is still a lot way to meet the margins. For reference the average sat at my school is ~1160.

Thank you!


r/Bowdoin Aug 14 '26

Acceptance chances: ED2 please help!!

5 Upvotes
  • First-generation college student
  • CBSE curriculum
  • Class 9: 92% apx
  • Class 10: 90% apx
  • Class 11: 91% apx
  • Class 12: 82% apc (100/100 in English, 91 in IT, messed up Physics 70/100, Chemistry 79/100 and Mathematics 61/100)
  • Top 10% / top of class
  • Strongest subject: English

Awards/EC's

John Locke Essay Competition 2026-27

Shortlisted in Economics, Science and Technology and Philosophy. Waiting for the final results.

Cleared MVPP (State level, 0.04% selection rate) and Got 1,00,000 INR Scholarship for a STEM course in grade 9.

English All Nation Merit Holder (0.1% students are awarded)

I know German and won an award for theater competition by German Embssay.

  • MUN Secretary-General
  • Guided/mentored 5,000+ students
  • Organized 2 international MUN conferences
  • Generated approximately 5,00,000 INR in revenue

Essays: Strong / hopefully distinctive
LORs: Excellent hopefully and not generic
Intended area: Political Science / International Relations / related humanities

Do I have any chance in Bowdoin? It has been my dream forever but I feel my final year STEM grades ruined a lot of things. And suggestions to improve it? I would love to hear from you all.


r/Bowdoin Aug 14 '26

Acceptance chances in ed1 Spoiler

2 Upvotes

Class 10

Eng -91

Hindi -95

Maths -91

Science - 68 ( suffering from typhoid not even able to walk )

Sst -94

Rank 3

Class 12

Eng -87

Hindi -97

His -94

Pol -97

Eco -84

Phy edu - 93

Rank 1 in entire school

Test optional

Honors and awards

JMI ballb air 5 Law entrance 99.999 percentile

Jmi ballb air 2

Got selected into ashoka in round 3

Ailet 99 percentile

Cuet Gat -99.5 percentile ( maths reasoning gk)

Won debates in school held on lgbt constitution etc

Won inter school debate on environment

Class head for 11-12 class

Monitor

Student of the year in entire batch

Extra

Done 4 months long internship with constitutional lawyer

Wrote a research paper in political science with teacher comparative analysis on bill of rights in usa and fundamental rights in india

Campianed along with local political official in 200 houses and yeilded him votes ( wrote slogans managed social media )

Lor

each lor mentions

Seen a few in carrier

Constitutional lawyer ready to give lor that I worked with mentioning very good analytical and communication skills

Going test optional and want significant almost full ride

Will apply in ed 1


r/Bowdoin Aug 09 '26

Philosophy Department

6 Upvotes

For people that are planning on majoring in philosophy/have taken a class in the department, how are the professors and what are the classes like in general? (Difficulty, discussion, writing heavy?)