Coming here, you have the possibility of living in the same dorm room as Hawthorne or studying in the same place as Longfellow. Students are happy and have great pride in Bowdoin. Also, the location is great. The Maine coast is incredible and Brunswick and Portland are great. One thing that happens socially is that it can be cliquey.
Small groups form and become exclusive.
It's funny, though, by senior year, these boundaries seem to break down. I don't think that there is an institutional solution, but rather individual solutions. Also, Bowdoin's biggest advantage can also be the schools biggest disadvantage. Because it is a small school, it can become too small and therefore studying away can be the perfect solution. I really do think that Bowdoin's strength is its people.