bowdoin v. williams college

I don't want to give the impression that Williams isn't a great school. I hope people realize that!

To the father who asked about getting financial aid- I was on financial aid but wasn't tied to running at all. Running definitely did help me get in because I was a recruited athlete, but I didn't get any money from track. It is like that with all the NESCAC schools, and supposed to be that way at all DIII schools. In fact, that's the main difference between DIII and DI- no athletic scholarships in DIII. (I have heard rumors that you can get "scholarships" at some DIII schools in the midwest, but that's just rumor and heresay.)

Bowdoin has a very good record for giving financial aid to people that need it. That's one of the top items on the agenda for (relatively) new president Barry Mills... trying to make Bowdoin more attainable. They helped me out a lot... and while I have to pay back loans, it's not bad at all because they're consolidated.

However, I don't think the lack of running money should discourage you from steering your daughter to look at smaller schools. If she's got some talent, it can help her get into a great academic, social and athletic situation.

Anyway, I'm glad that this discussion hasn't fallen into a "Bowdoin sucks"/"Williams sucks" debate. Both schools must have very mature and intelligent alumni....

Please, please visit both schools overnight. Bowdoin has a some semi-normal guys and probably more than its fair share of odd sorts. You just have to spend some time with them to understand what I'm saying. Williams has a lot of very fast guys (for a d3 school). You will have a very hard time making their top 7 if you aren't a 9:30 - 9:40, or better, guy in high school. Then again, Bowdoin is pretty fast right now -- they just don't have the numbers that Williams does. Coach Farwell is excellent, Coach Slovenski is different. A couple of years ago some guy wrote on here that people used to think Slovenski was a crazy genius, but now they just think he's crazy. He's probably a crazy genius again, given his recent success. Read his book (Old School America, I think) for a little insight.

Dean M. , what did you run in HS? Did you improve at Bowdoin?

I agree with almost all that's been said so far. I was in your exact position when I was deciding on schools and ended up going to Williams, where I was very satisfied with the academics, campus, running, social life - everything, really.

Financial aid at Williams, at least in my experience and that of my good friends, is very generous. Supposedly, every student in the incoming class is going to graduate with a max of 14K in debt at the end of four years and I wouldn't be surprised if they go entirely debt-free soon; it's nice to have a $1.6 billion endowment for a school of 2,000.

As an alum, the Williams name certainly gets you in some doors. I got my current job through an alumni connection (my employer only interviewed at the Ivies and Williams) and the top grad schools, med schools and law schools love Williams students (not to mention I-banking and consulting firms, if that's your thing).

That said, I loved Bowdoin and would have gone there in a heartbeat if I had only gotten in there. Brunswick is a nice town and Portland is a great little city to visit on weekends. The academics are, of course, very strong and while it may not have quite as much name recognition as Williams, the people that you need to know about the school - grad schools and/or potential employers - know about it and know how good it is.

Good luck with your decision. At either place, you'll get a top notch education in a beautiful area, and you'll improve as a runner to boot.

Brandeis will win NE regionals this year. Mark it down

Congratulations!

I would also consider your possible majors. Although I certainly would echo the other posters in saying that Williams has a better reputation, Bowdoin has great programs in chemistry and biology. They do well with medical schools. Obviously, if you want to study marine biology. Bowdoin is better - they have a new coastal research center. When I was there, the history department was a little weak, but they seem to have beefed up.

Running-wise, I found Coach Slovenski to be an open guy - he never claimed to have all the answers. He would listen and try to allow different people to find their own paths to success. He let my friend try running 100 miles a week while we ran 70. He does have a little bit of a tendency to err on the side of caution. "If you are under-trained and healthy, you compete. If you are over-trained and injured, you don't." He was a real straight shooter and dedicated. He has a good sense of humor.

Now, his political philosophy was horrific, but that is neither here or there. Let's just say he agrees with Wejo much of the time.

final bump...thanks for everything so far

Hey so what is your decision? Williams or Bowdoin?

Go Jumbos.

I would definately go to Williams. It's not just a little more prestigious, it's really in a whole different league as far as name recognition goes. The average joe on the street might not know the difference between the two but on "The Street" (Wall Street) or really anywhere where it's going to matter that people know about your school, they will. Among the people who will be interviewing you for jobs, Williams is the most impressive thing you can have on your resume (even moreso than Harvard or Princeton).

Also, the area is absolutely beautiful. It's a little remote but there's more than enough to do. Also, you can run on dirt for miles and miles.

i decided on bowdoin

Good luck kid.