Bowdoin. It’s a top liberal arts school in Brunswick, Maine. Their crest is made up almost entirely of a creepy-looking sun. Their mascot is the polar bear. Last year, their acceptance rate went up .3%, from 8.8% to 9.1%. Basically a cakewalk now. They’re also known for having a pretty sporty campus, with 45% of the student body participating in varsity athletics. If you play a niche sport like women’s ice hockey or nordic skiing, you might want to take your skills to Bowdoin, and you might think your involvement in sport could give you a leg up in the admissions process. Not necessarily, but let’s talk about it.
Bowdoin attracts students who seek an academic environment similar to other NESCAC institutions. The New England Small College Athletic Conference is comprised of eleven top-rated liberal arts colleges and universities in the US, namely Amherst, Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Connecticut College, Hamilton, Middlebury, Tufts, Trinity, Wesleyan, and Williams. Because NESCAC schools are NCAA D3 institutions, athletics are not their primary focus.
A little about D3 schools: athletic scholarships are not available at D3 institutions (although financial aid is still an option), and D3 budgets are typically smaller, resulting in shorter seasons, limited travel options, etc. But that means you will be part of a team where all players share a genuine passion for the sport, coached by people who share that same passion. And don’t assume that D3 athletics means subpar athletic ability–less than 3% of people who play sports in high school will do so at any level in college. Very few students possess the skills to pursue their sport beyond high school, and utilizing your talents can give your application a slight competitive edge.
Today, as you might have guessed, we’re focusing on Bowdoin. They boast 16 men’s teams and 17 women’s teams, including club rugby and rowing for men and club rowing for women. Each sport has its own distinct guidelines and regulations for recruiting, including limitations on who can initiate communication through email, calls, or in-person approaches, and limits on when communication can begin during your high school career. You need to research and know the regulations for your specific sport, inside and out. To get started, register with the NCAA Clearing House, contact the governing body of your sport for guidance, and educate yourself on the relevant regulations.
You have all the tools to play a sport at Bowdoin, but can you actually get into Bowdoin? Sure, a coach rec letter can give you a slight nudge, but you also need to be able to get into Bowdoin with your own stats, scores, grades, and extracurriculars. NESCAC schools take the concept of student-athlete very seriously:
“All NESCAC member colleges enroll students who will enhance and enjoy the intellectual, social, and extracurricular communities our campuses provide. We seek students who are interested in the wide range of rigorous intellectual experiences offered, and value the role that extra-curricular activities, such as music, debate, theater, political action, and athletics, play on campus.”
Wanting to play sports at a liberal arts school means you need to be a liberal arts student to begin with. So let’s talk about what goes into that.
Grades
If you’re trying to get into an elite college, of which Bowdoin is one, then you need the grades to back it up. They have a single-digit acceptance rate, and the last stat we could find was an average GPA of 3.93. We can only assume that’s gotten more competitive. So, after you hit the showers, it’s time to hit the books. So sorry. That was a terrible joke.
Scores
Bowdoin likes to keep their stats very close to the chest. In fact, on the Class of 2026 Admissions Page, they literally say “no set of statistics or averages can define a Bowdoin student—each of whom are entirely different from one another—but on the whole, the college admits young people who are thoughtful, driven, and curious.”
I mean, okay? Tbh, we hate this kind of cagey non-statement. We work with a lot of clients, and we know that having metrics to aim for helps students set goals during the whole admissions process, but whatever, Bowdoin. Anyways, they don’t publish the middle 50 data for the SAT or ACT, but if we want to make an educated guess, we’d say you’d want to aim for a 1500+ or 34+ on either test. Higher if possible.
Extracurriculars
You know how they said that whole “thoughtful, driven, and curious” thing in that non-statement we found so annoying? Well, that part is good advice–for extracurriculars. We advise our clients to develop a niche and then help them explore those interests. If you want to become a doctor, that might look like you doing internships, summer programs, being bio club president, conducting research, placing well in a national science fair, etc. Whatever you choose, you want to make sure you’re going deeper than just surface level. By the time you get to college, you should have a good idea of what you want to do beyond “medicine.”
A Stellar Essay
The dreaded Common App essay! Oh no! Whatever will you do!
You will write it the summer before senior year, because then you’ll just be done with it. The Common App essay is almost entirely a brainstorming exercise, and please don’t write about your sport. This gives you plenty of time to write and edit your essay and keeps you from freaking out to get it done before November 1st.
Bowdoin also has a short supplemental essay that they’ve had for yeeeaaaars. You pick a line from a poem about Bowdoin and write about why it sticks out to you. Don’t worry–we have a guide for it.
Athletic Talent
Let’s not sugarcoat it. If you're not actively being recruited, it's time to ditch hours-long practices, tournaments, regattas, meets, etc., and focus on extracurriculars that set you up for your academic goals. Let's be real, getting a spot on a college team is a long shot. Unless you're feeling confident, it's probably best to stick to building your niche and hitting the books. But hey, if you're here, we'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you think you've got what it takes to play sports at a collegiate level.
Let me give it to you straight: getting recruited to play an NCAA sport is tough, even if it's just D3. On top of talent, you also need to have the grades, test scores, extracurricular activities, and essays to get into Bowdoin on your own merit. And please, please make sure you're choosing Bowdoin because it's the right fit for you and your future, not just because they want you on their team.
If you need help strategizing for college admissions, navigating the process, or writing your essays, reach out to us today.