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the bowdoin orient

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

50 Things To Do Before You Graduate

Essential activities for every Bowdoin student (according to the Orient)
1. Go to an igloo party 2. Tour the Bliss Room in Hubbard 3. Streak the Quad 4. End the night at Brunswick Diner 5. Find your way into Bowdoins network of underground tunnels 6. Visit the glow-in-the-dark rock room in Druckenmiller Hall 7. Go to Frostys when it opens at 4 a.m. 8. Pull an all-nighter in the Chamberlain Room 9. Eat at all of Brunswicks Asian restaurants (10 and counting) 10. Win dinner at Thornebe the last to leave 11. Hang out with Security at a College House party 12. Throw a College House party 13. Attend office hours with President Mills 14. Tuesdays at Joshuas 15. Charter a club 16. Get drunk off coffee brandy 17. Do an independent study 18. Be mentioned in the Security Report 19. Find the red spoon in all the art in the Gelato Fiasco 20. Climb Mt. Katahdin 21. Be retweeted by @bowdoincollege 22. Write your name on the chapel bathroom door 23. Go squirrel fishing or ice fishing 24. Visit Professor Morgans office 25. Go to a concert in Portland 26. Win an intramural championship 27. Skip a class 28. Write a Letter to the Editor 29. Spend a night at Colby or Bates 30. Attend a naked party 31. Take a class on the 16th floor of Coles Tower 32. Find the Brunswick commons, then explore 33. Dance floor make-out 34. Hit the cyclehook up with someone from every class year you overlap with (ex: 11-17) 35. Get drinks with a professor 36. Go to four Brunswick bars in one night 37. Go to Crack House (even if you pledged you never would) 38. Get a lobster roll from Libbys Market 39. Get your recipe used at Thorne or Moulton 40. Go polar-bearing 41. Pee on every social house 42. Befriend a Brunswick resident 43. Do something inappropriate at the Inappropriate Party 44. Get invited (and go) to a professors house for dinner 45. Have an ice-skating date on the quad 46. Swim in the bioluminescence at the Coastal Studies Center 47. Become real friends with someone you meet at Ivies 48. Attend a Bowdoin Film Society screening 49. Go on an Outing Club trip 50. Be (mis)quoted in the Orient

Illustrations by Mik Cooper. Adapted from a list created by Bowdoin Student Government and the Oce of Residential Life.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

the bowdoin orient

On the house: the College House affiliate experience

BY NORA BIETTETIMMONS
ORIENT STAFF

So are there fraternities at Bowdoin? Get readypeople are going to ask you this question over and over during the next four years, and probably long after. There is no Greek life at Bowdoin, and the student handbook explicitly prohibits fraternities and sororities. Bowdoin phased out its co-ed fraternities in the 1990s and the College Houses (or, as theyre more commonly called, social houses) were instituted to replace the Greek system. There are eight social houses on campusLadd, Baxter, Reed, Macmillan (Mac), Quinby, Helmreich, Burnett and Howelland they are primarily inhabited by sophomores. After much discussion and deliberation, the Office of Residential Life has instituted some substantial changes for the College House system this year. In the new system, each floor of a first year brick is affiliated with a different College House; your friends on the floor below you will be affiliates of a different House and your fellow affiliates will all live in different dorms. (Refer to the inset for a full list of floor and House affiliations.) Every first year is paired with a buddy or two from his or her affiliated social house. The houses approach the buddy system in different ways when I was a first year, my roommate and I had one buddy; when I lived in Ladd as a sophomore, every first year had a boy buddy and a girl buddy. The buddy relationships are what you make of them, and they tend to

be the strongest during the first few weeks of school. Dont be afraid to ask your buddy to a meal; its a great way to connect with people you wouldnt otherwise get to know. But if youre not a huge fan of your buddy, dont worry about itsome people just dont click. A lot of first years and social house residents will view the dynamic between first year bricks and the houses as one fueled exclusively by alcohol.

The buddy relationships tend to be the strongest during the rst few weeks of school.
Without a doubt, beer and a few boxes of Franzia will be present at many College House functions. Affiliates are invited over early when Houses throw parties, and Houses will occasionally host pre-games with a keg or a few thirties. But the social houses do not exist solely to give first years alcohol. When I lived in Ladd, there were a few incidents when first years indicated that they believed our sole purpose was to get them drunkone weeknight, the house was very casually hanging out, and a handful of affiliates came over and blatantly asked for alcohol. It was really weird and uncomfortable and we didnt have any to give them. That being said, social house residents really do want you to feel comfortable coming over, watching TV, playing video games, doing homework, or asking for advice. Its just important to know what is appropriate when.

College House residents are on campus now for their own orientation, a lot of which involves getting to know their affiliates. I should note that even though Orientation is a dry week for everyone, the alcohol prohibition has, in practice, been less strict for sophomores, juniors and seniors on campus this week. As a Ladd House resident, College House orientation was one of the best weeks Ive had at Bowdoin. Orientation is a bizarre time for first yearsbeing herded to various activities feels like day camp, and youre probably hearing from friends at other colleges who are getting drunk at frat parties every night. Ive been there. Two years ago, in reaction to the Colleges expansive definition of hazing, the Orients editorial board likened Orientation to hazing: first years are singled out based on age and forced to participate in activities against their will. Obviously, Orientation is not hazing, but it isnt a particularly fond memory for most students, either, especially because rules are more strictly enforced this week. First years have been kicked out during orientation, so being new to campus doesnt give you a free pass to be stupid. It will be over soon, though, and youll be starting classes, making friends, joining clubs, partying and stressing over homework before you know it. Try to live in the moment this week and actually experience Orientationbecause when its over, youll know just how good you have it.

Perspectives
My relationship with the College House system began as I imagine it does for most first yearswith pilgrimages to whichever house happened to be hosting a campus-wide party. But once the awkwardness of the first few weeks (What dorm do you live in? Where are you from? Which pre-o were you on?) had faded, I no longer felt the need to take drunken refuge in the anonymous crowds of campuswides. I preferred smaller, less rowdy evenings, and found them at my affiliate house, Reed. Eventually I realized that the distinction between sophomores and first years did not prevent me from befriending house residents, and by the time the year ended, many Reed residents were friends of minepeople I met for breakfast nearly every day. Looking back, I wish I had acted less sheepishly at the beginning of the year. Reed House had welcomed me from the start; I was just too shy to take advantage. -Garrett Casey 15 Reed House 2012-2013 A lot of the first social events of your first year are hosted by the Houses, like the Inter-House Olympics. I remember charging en masse from Boody Street towards Farley after painting our faces and getting our blue Reed shirts. My floormates and I gave each other piggy-back rides onto the turf field and competed alongside our Boody Buddies in all of the challenges planned by the Inter-House Council. It was a great night of getting to know people that ended with my floormates and I talking until late. Other College House programming is definitely worth taking advantage of as well: Reed House had us over to watch the Super Bowl and presidential election results, which were good opportunities to hang out with a different crowd. -Michael Colbert 16 Moore Hall 2012-2013

For much of my first year, I waited for a personal invite from a resident before venturing over to my affiliate house. I figured that houses sent out mass invitation emails as an obligatory measure, and that anyone who they really wanted to hang out with would received a hand-penned note by owl. This, in retrospect, was stupid. The more the merrier is a popular sentiment at Bowdoin, especially when it comes to social house events. Dont let a little social anxiety prevent you from chilling at your affiliate house early and often. -Sam Chase 16 Helmreich House 2013-2014 Heres some wisdom from a seasoned upperclassman (just kidding, most of us still have no idea what were doing, and if we seem like we do, it just means were good at faking it). These are things Ive done, worried I was going to do, witnessed, or heard aboutand I want to warn you about them. Dont get too drunk the first Thursday night at your affiliate house; no one wants to wake up not remembering their first night of college. If you hook up with someone in a social house, be prepared to meet his or her friends in the morningprobably because theyre sitting right outside the door when you leave. Throughout the year, go to events at your affiliate College House. Even if the people living there seem scary, repeated exposure turns them into real human beings--and you might even become friends. If you make plans to have brunch with your buddy, show up. Its rude not to, and if they end up having any say in whether you should live in a College House, they probably wont feel inclined to let you in. (Actually, if you make plans with anyone, show up; no one likes being stood up.) Dont try to be the chillest-girl-at-the-partyno one will think youre cooler because you think everyone else is lame. If you dont want to live in a College House, thats okay; I promise sophomore year will be just as fun. Make real friends with people older than youwe all need places to stay when we come back for Homecoming, so were inclined to be friends with you as well. -Natalie Kass-Kaufman 15 West Hall 2011-2012

I remember trying to appear calm and cool to members of MacMillan (Mac) House during Orientation. I didnt want to be that freshmanthe one with a million questions who gets excited about anything and everything. I acted more like a sorority pledge than a first year Polar Bear. What I didnt realize was that its okay to be impressed and/or overwhelmed by the College House scene. Youre not rushing a sorority; the house members arent picking the coolest freshmen and offering them bids. They want to be there to answer your silly questions and listen to your excitement about your first campus-wide party. Once I got over my freshman complex, having friends in Mac turned out to be really useful. Two of the girls in the house bought me fabric and taught me how to drape a toga for my first Epicuria toga party. Once I accepted the fact that I was inescapably a nave freshman, I started to benefit from the wisdom Mac had to offer me. -Emma Peters 16 Coleman Hall 2012-2013 I spent the majority of the Inter-House Olympics trying to leave. The tug-of-war, dodgeball and racing around felt more like measures of fitness than ways for house members to bond with their affiliates. My buddy and I exchanged a few half-hearted words (Hey man, Im your buddy. Oh cool!was the entirety of our relationship). Before long, I felt more intimidated than welcomed. With a bad first impression of the College Houses, I kept dismissing house members friendly gestures as disingenuous. Not until I re-metsomeone who had tried to befriend me at the Inter-House Olympics did I realize that I had judged too soon. Instead of making friends with her early on, I was too guarded and simply shrugged her off. Were now good friends. In retrospect, I should have given everyone a chance from the start and attended at least a few (or even any) house events. Once I opened up, College Houses became more than just venues for parties and drunken hook-ups; they became places where I met some of my best friends at Bowdoin. -Hy Khong 16 Reed House 2013-2014

the bowdoin orient

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

BOWDOIN PROTIPS
In a long line at the pub, call in and order over the phone to jump the line. When entering the Coles Tower elevator lobby, use the left door; its way faster. Get on a courses waiting list before the course cards are even out. The Caf often gives out free leftover food in Smith Union late at night. Ask for a coffee card at the Cafget it stamped when you buy a coffee and every seventh coffee is free. You get a discount at the Caf for bringing your own reusable mug. Download the Bowdoin Dining app. BSG sponsors free Brunswick Taxi rides every weekend night. We have a radio station, WBOR 91.1 FM. The water fountain on the second floor of HL (in the staircase) is the best on campus. If you check out a reserve book an hour before closing, the remaining hour pushes into the next day, so you turn two hours into ten. Bowdoin has two woodworking shops. Befriend the shuttle drivers... ...And the housekeeping and dining staff. Its nearly impossible to get transported by drinking beer. If youre trying to get into a high-demand class, declare a temporary minor in that subject to get priority. Make your periods 14-point to instantly lengthen any essay. Thanksgiving dinner: a) dont miss it b) arrive very early or very latethe food will still be there. And all three lines lead to the same spread. There is only one easy way to get out of the Reed basement, so dont descend on a crowded night unless youre prepared to stay down there for a bit. Studzinski Hall is not just for music majors. When applying to social houses, check the box on the application. Use the computers in the basement of HL, but print upstairs. Buying Bean Boots, or the equivalent, is a worthwhile investment. Use your OneCard downtown: Dominos Pizza, Aki Sushi and Hibachi, Flipside Pizza, Henry and Marty Restaurant, Joshuas Restaurant and Tavern, and Wild Oats Bakery and Caf. Showing your student ID at Wild Oats will give you a 10% discount on Sunday. Best bathrooms: Smith Union hallway gender-neutral bathroom. Hubbard side staircase floor-and-a-half bathroom. Adams first-floor kitchen/bathroom. Hubbard second floor bathroom, right next to the water cooler. Chapel bathroom. Worst bathrooms: Hubbard basement.

bowdoinorient.com

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

the bowdoin orient

Sex and the small town campus: a 2013 grad reflects

BY TESSA KRAMER
CONTRIBUTOR

When I was asked to write an article about what to expect from the Bowdoin hookup and dating scene, my first thought was: Ive finally made itI am Carrie Bradshaw. My second thought was that theres no way to give universal advice on this subject when everyone has such diverse sex (or-lack-thereof) lives at Bowdoin. So I put on my thinking cap and set about unraveling Bowdoins proverbial sex-and-relationship sweater to find the common threads. There are certain inevitabilities that come with the Bowdoin hookup scene. Will your friends take photos of you while you make out with your dreamy senior crush at Pinefest? Probably. Will you wave at your calculus professors children on the Quad as you walk back to your dorm on Sunday morning, still wearing your toga from Epicuria? Who hasnt. Will you miss the entirety of the Ivies concert because you hopped the fence to hook up with a charming young gentleman in a random unlocked Pine Street apartment instead? Im not going to say its unlikely. Will you spend a romantic evening getting naked with a townie in a storage closet in Harpswell apartments? Oh, weve all been there. At this point you might be won-

dering what golden nuggets of advice could possibly be hidden amongst such Shakespearean-quality love stories. The first is that if you take hooking up and dating at Bowdoin too seriously, youll make things pretty awkward for yourself. If you cant have a good laugh about your most recent foray into the widespread mating ritual that is Saturday night at Bowdoin College over brunch the next morning, you will likely be quite miserable. Second: no matter how outrageous and objectively mortifying the situation you find yourself in, you are probably neither the first nor the

If you are looking for that special someone, dont go to Crack House every weekend night and then complain that none of the blackout randos there will take you to Scarlet Begonias.
last to be there. Or at the very least, someone has definitely done weirderprobably in the same bed! And that is a comforting thing to keep in mind as you inevitably discover that everyone from your roommate to your proctors mothers gynecologist will hear about your escapades. Third: Bowdoin is a one-of-akind bubble of awkwardness. It is a place where you are basically guaranteed to run into your crush while housing nachos at Super Snack

when you havent showered in four days. A place where it is statistically unlikely that you and your best pals have not made out with at least three of the same people. A place where your friends will joke about that one time that you hooked up with your first-year floormate literally until the day you graduate. Theres no real advice to be given here, but you may as well acknowledge these inevitabilities now and save yourself some time. It is also important to realize that there will come times when it feels like all of your friends are in happy relationships with the perfect balance of meaningful mutual interests and awesome sex, while you are the only one still looking for love in Baxter basement. But as you crank Bon Iver and sob into a care package from your parents, remember that this is simply never the case. And chances are, some of your wifed-up friends are jealous of the fact that you can go out there on a Friday night and rub your crotch all over whatever inviting crotch comes your way on the dance floor. You lucky duck, you. A final inevitability of the tour de romance at Bowdoin is that people will complain about it. A lot. You will spend hours grumbling about the dating or lack of dating scene at Bowdoin. But if you dont like how things are going in your love life here, change how you are doing things. If you are looking for that special

ILLUSTRATION BY MIK COOPER

POLAR BARES: Embrace social awkwardness head-on when you attend one of Bowdoins few naked parties (Number 30 on the Orients list of 50 Things To Do Before You Graduate, see Page 2.)
someone, dont go to Crack House every weekend night and then complain that none of the blackout randos there will take you to Scarlet Begonias. If you want to have some fun, non-committal dance floor make outs, dont hang out with your roommates every night and then say that theres no way to meet new people. Its not rocket science, but it is also easy to get stuck in a rut. There is no cure-allyou will still face plenty of heartbreak and disappointment. But thats not a Bowdoin problem, thats just life. And if all else fails, just consult Cosmopolitan magazine and do the exact opposite of whatever it suggests. Now go get em, bears. Tessa Kramer is a member of the Class of 2013.

Making the most of Orientation daze

THE FRESHMAN FIFTEEN
JULIA BINSWANGER
I remember a lot of awkward introductions. Bowdoin forced me to stand in a large circle on the Quad with 30 strangers, and asked everyone to please say his or her name, where they were from, andfor some reasonwhat everyones favorite gender was. Most just said female or male, but one brave hipster soul claimed she didnt believe in gender because it is a social construct. Im not a fan of situations where Im forced to bond with others. Call me old fashioned, but I like my icebreaking to happen with a bit of spontaneity. Its just classier. Thus, when I went into first year orientation, I decided the best way to handle myself was to be super sarcastic and skeptical towards everything. The man was not going to tell me how and when I should bond with people. I would do it on my on time, in my own way. Whenever I had to stand in some sort of bonding circle and interact with others, I would turn to the person next to me and make fun of whatever we were doing. I was a rebel without a causeat least until I figured out that my plan was ultimately backfiring. In reality, joking with others about a mutual dislike of bonding games was actually bonding with them. It was Bowdoins master plan the whole time. And then I realized, much to my dismay, that I was actually one of those dorky kids who likes college orientation. I liked that we were kept busy and the days felt long. I liked that we got to meet Barry Mills and sign that silly book. I liked that we were constantly meeting interesting people. I liked watching skits and hearing speeches; I liked how welcoming everyone was. Already, I was beginning to learn one of the biggest lessons about being a first year at Bowdoin. Your expectations are skewed almost 80 percent of the time. So many of my first impressions turned out to be completely wrong. I wrote off College Houses as fratty places to avoid, but now Im living in one. That being said, as awesome as Bowdoin is, these may not necessarily be the best four years of your life, and thats okay. Sometimes I was a really happy-go-lucky first year seizing opportunities and discovering new things about herself, and other times I was really cold and wished I had gone to school in California. A lot of people struggle with adjusting to college. Former straight-A students are horrified to see the first C+ of their lives. Others who are mentally still in high school will go on about how great old friends are and keep trying to click their heels three times to return home. Some fall in love with the idea of freedom and partying so much that they go overboard. Some people will already have a really awkward hook-up story by the end of Orientation. But dont worry, young ones: this is also just a part of Bowdoins master plan. Everyone finds some kind of footing eventually. I know I did. Go on and get excited. Being in college gives you way more street-cred than being in high school. Perhaps you are dismayed that youre back on the bottom of the pyramid. But remember, though the bottom may not be very glamorous, you have so much less accountability than everyone else. You can make mistakes because youre new here. Thats what youre supposed to do.

the bowdoin orient

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Eat this up: A food primer for Bowdoin and Brunswick

BY ERICA BERRY
ORIENT STAFF

Also try: Little Dog Coffee Shop, Bohemian Coffee. Have your birthday dinner at: Little Tokyo. This Main Street staple has a back party room available for all your sushi, udon, bubble tea, and fried tempura ice cream dreams to come true. Also try: Little Saigon, Scarlet Begonias, Shere Punjab. When you just cant face the dining hall: Flipside. Feast at this farmsourced pizza joint on Main Street with a 12-inch $8 personal pizza; toppings (with highlights like maple-roasted bacon, roasted Anaheim chilies, and fresh basil) are 50 cents a piece. Individual slices vary by day and are priced $2.50-$4. Also try: Lemongrass Vietnamese Restaurant, Big Top Deli. If you can borrow someones car: Fat Boy Drive-In. This retro drive-in across from Brunswicks Naval Air Station serves up thick frappes, loaded burgers, and killer onion rings with both a nostalgic checker-floored interior and drivein curb service. The fact that its only open March to October makes it all the more appealing. Also try: Maes Cafe and Bakery in Bath and Thai Villa on Pleasant St. close to the highway.

BOWDOIN EXPRESS: Colloquially known as the C-Store, this convenience store on the lower floor of Smith Union is open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. during the week and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on the weekends. Swipe your OneCard for late night pita chips and hummus or ice cream (try Maines own Dolcelino cookie sandwiches), stay to replenish your stock of basic medications, or get another package of just-addwater pad thai or brownie mix. THE CAF: Upstairs in Smith Union. Check the board for daily specials and seasonal drinks, and try the Sunrise Smoothie with a shot of espresso for an afternoon pick-me-up. Opens at 7:30 a.m. on weekdays, closes during the dinner hours, then continues to caffeinate most nights until midnight. Accepts Polar Points, OneCards and cash. JACK MAGEES EXPRESS: Cash in on a OneCard meal credit between 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. (weekdays) to select items for a quick bag lunch. Rotating entrees include veggie Caesar salad wraps, pepperoni focaccia pizza, and burritos; all lunches include chips, fruit, cookie and a cup of soda. JACK MAGEES PUB AND GRILL: This popular Smith Union venue hosts comedians and trivia nights, satiates your late-night, fourthmeal cravings for curly french fries and quesadillas, and offers phone pre-ordering so your buffalo chicken calzone is waiting when your study group ends. Closes at 12 a.m. Sunday to Wednesday and 1 a.m. Thursday to Saturday, and accepts OneCard. USING ONECARD DOWNTOWN: Load your OneCard up with money for laundry, and spend the extra dollars downtown when you swipe to pay at Dominos Pizza, Aki Sushi, Wild Oats Bakery and Cafe, Flipside Pizza, Henry and Marty, and Joshuas Restaurant and Tavern.

PHOTO BY KATE FEATHERSTON

THE MAINE FEAST: Bowdoins annual beginning-of-school lobster bake is one of the reasons the food is consistently ranked #1 in the country.
PEPPER FLIP: A Bowdoin dining hall social phenomenon. Make a bet to someone (If I make this pepper flip you have to eat soft serve with your hands / wear a toga all night, etc.) and flip the pepper shaker. If they accept it and you land the shaker right-side-up, they have one chance to rebut the bet with their own chance to land a flip. If they dont make it, they have to fulfill the bet. On the other hand, if you land the pepper shaker upside-down on the table, you must complete the bet instead. Traditionally, you only get one flip per meal (no practice rounds), but the rules vary. POLAR POINTS: As a first year, you begin each semester with 100 points, which work as OneCard dollar equivalents in all of the above Bowdoin dining options as well as various vending machines (located in Smith Union, Coles Tower, Stowe Hall, Osher and West, HawthorneLongfellow library basement vending cafe, and Farley Field House). Most people run through these quickly and end up restocking OneCard funds online, but its all about the pacingtheres no rollover if you dont finish your points by the end of the semester. SUPER SNACK: Come to Thorne Thursday to Saturday nights from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. to eat nachos, cookies, grilled cheese, hot dogs and other comfort foods under neon lights to a soundtrack of guilty-pleasure sing-alongs in the background. Swiping in counts as one of your meals, so budget accordingly. ON THE TOWN Book for Family Weekend at: Trattoria Athena or Enoteca Athena. Alleviate your winter blues with a visit to one of Brunswicks two havens for Greek and Italian food. Mason jar glasses and twinkly lights set the scene, with fried risotto balls, hearty fishermans stew, and syrup-soaked vanilla custard filling the table. Also try: Henry and Martys, Frontier Cafe, El Camino. Laze here instead of doing your homework on Sundays: Wild Oats. It wont take you long to move past the floral nursing home interior and seize the daily smorgasbord of homemade soups, salads, cakes and baked goods.

ILLUSTRATION BY MIK COOPER

OFFICE HOURS: Number 44 of the Orients 50 Things To Do Before You Graduate, Page 2.

Course selection: a brief how-to guide

BY ELIZA NOVICKSMITH
ORIENT STAFF

The Bowdoin experience extends well beyond academics, but a large part of college is unavoidably spent in the classrooma Bowdoin student with four classes will spend on average 12 hours in class per week, and much more than that in Hawthorne-Longfellow or Hatch Library. The days of evenly-spaced periods of history, math, science and English are over: you are no longer obligated to have a well-rounded schedule. And because of this newfound freedom, it is well worth your time and effort to put some thought into choosing courses first semester. This is the time to experiment with new disciplines and to see what you like and what you dont; try not to confine yourself to the handful of departments you liked most in high school. Though some of you first years may have mapped out your whole

life in seventh grade and already know exactly what youll be taking all eight semesters of college, most will be going into first semester with only a hazy idea of where your academic interests lie. Below a few thoughts on figuring it out. PROFESSORS The critical factor in course selection. Classes with fascinating descriptions can be mind-numbing and awful when entrusted to a boring professor. Conversely, the most eccentric, niche courses taught by a passionate and engaged professor often end up being the ones you will enjoy and remember the most. If youre having trouble narrowing your class list down to four, ask upperclassmen for advice, starting with the proctors in your dorm. Go through the course reviews on Bowdoin Student Governments website. Keep in mind that its not a comprehensive database and

some reviews are outdated, so its a good idea to double-check with someone in person. Online reviews tend to oscillate between extremesthose who post reviews probably took the time to do so because they had either a fantastic or terrible experience and wanted to encourage or dissuade others from making the same choice. PRE-MAJOR ADVISOR The first professor you will likely interact with is your pre-major adviser, and youll probably be able to tell what kind of resource he or she will be pretty quickly. Some professors will tell you exactly what courses they think you should take; others will let you to chart your own course and only give advice if you ask for it. If your pre-major advisor is the latter sort, and you find it frustrating that (s) he doesnt do much more than sign your forms: fear not! Use it as an excuse to get to know other profes-

sors who can fill an advisory role. DISTRIBUTION REQUIREMENTS Meeting Bowdoins requirements is pretty painless. Its really just three, maybe four classes that you will have to budget out time forthe rest can be taken care of in the course of completing your major, and the first year seminar is mandatory. People will tell you that you have to finish the distribution requirements by sophomore year; this is a suggestion, not a rule. As a junior, I had yet to fulfill my natural sciences requirement. If you aim to get one out of the way each semester, youll be in the clear by senior year. COURSE TIMES If timing is everything for you, you can probably make it work so that you never have class before 11:30 a.m. If youre really strategic,

and do not plan on taking science classes, you may never have to set foot in a classroom on a Friday. Figure out what you want the structure of your day to be, and that will automatically help you narrow down classes. However, let that be a guideline, not a hard and fast rule; a great professor (or a class youre excited about) is worth an early alarm. ADD/DROP Lastly, but most importantly, nothing is written in stone until the end of add/drop period. If you go to a class on the first day and get a bad vibe, or see the syllabus and realize its not quite what you thought it would be, switch into another class. Fifteen weeks is a long time to be studying for tests and writing papers on a topic that doesnt interest you. The semesters when I was too lazy to follow that advice have been my least favorite at Bowdoin.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

the bowdoin orient

The old college try

You asked, we answered:

We went on the Class of 2017 Facebook group and asked what questions you wanted us to address in this issue. The results are below. All answers are from Orient staff members. What is the hardest transition from high school? Building a completely new schedule. Youve spent the last 12 years having a very clear understanding of exactly where youre going to be for the majority of your day. Thats over now. Its easy to get into a trap of thinking, oh I only have an hour between these classes. I cant get anything done then. But you actually can. I try to get up at the same time everyday and do some work at breakfast before my classes, because Ive learned I work better in the morning and it gives me a lot more structure to my day. What is the best two- to five-mile running route near campus (something to get up and do before class in the morning as a daily workout for less intense runners)? The Brunswick Commons is great for quiet runs in nature. Its about a mile up Harpswell Road from Longfellow Avenue, and there are a handful of great off-road trails. You can also reach it from running on a path behind the Farley soccer fields. What advice do you wish someone else had given you? If you think youll ever want to take an upper-level English class, all else being equal, take an English first-year seminar. If you think you might want to do Outing Club trips at some point, do it freshman year. If it feels hard to leave for a weekend day/night now, know that it will only get harder as commitments build up later on. Best places to thrift? The Salvation Army (affectionately called Sal-Vo by its loyal Bowdoin customers) far up on Pleasant Street has some unbelievable finds if youre looking for old school LL Bean duds or jeans to cut into jorts. Estilo, a consignment store with more contemporary items and great purses, is also on Pleasant Street, but its right at the intersection of Maine and Pleasant, so its an easy walk from campus. Theres also a Goodwill in Topsham, on the way to Target, that has great finds if you can finagle a car.

ou are on the brink of a host of new experiences: from watching the sun rise on the Quad as you slink home from an essay-writing marathon to dancing on tables in Ladd House. We know the academics and the extracurriculars at Bowdoin will challenge you and define much of your next four years here. But throughout all of this, you will be flanked by 498 other members of the Class of 2017. And, during any given year, youll be surrounded by 1300-odd students in different class years. Were not sure if we believe the mythical statistic that 40 percent of Polar Bears marry another Polar Bear, but we have no doubt that many of the still-strange faces around you will become wonderful friends for years to come. First Year Orientation is designed to ease the transition from life as you knew it to the brave new world of college. And these first few weeks require you to be just that: brave. Do not immediately cut yourself off from social opportunities by constantly Skyping, texting or Facebook messaging your friends from home. Some of you have not had to make new friends in a while and are loathe to put yourself out therebut isolating yourself on the internet is not going to help. There is no way you will meet each and every one of your classmates during the five days that Orientation lasts. You will likely find comfort hanging out with your Orientation trip group, the people who live on your floor, and the teammates you meet right off the bat. But everyone comes to Bowdoin from different backgrounds and experiences and you will do yourself a disservice if you dont branch out from those early clusters. Youll be much happier moving through Bowdoin if you keep your mind open to new friends everywhere from your Econ 101 review session to the Thorne salad bar to the beer line at Helmreich House. We know this is easier said than done. Finding a group of friends isnt difficultas youll soon find, if you havent already, it requires pretty minimal effort. The much harder thing is to continue making friends once you feel established here. During Orientation, its common to interpret staying open to new people as something being asked of you, rather than advice being given to you. But Bowdoin is small and by senior year, it can feel really small. Be selfish and keep making friends. If you join an extracurricular next week and then never go back after this Thanksgiving break, thats fine, but you wont regret meeting the people you did during your time there. In his commencement address at Syracuse University this past spring, author George Saunders said that the most important thing students can do as they go out into the world is to err in the direction of kindness. He observed that as humans grow older, they grow kinder, and he urged his audience to speed this process up. Here at Bowdoin, weve found that as we grow older, weve grown more accepting of the discomfort of small-stage social interactions. We learn to appreciate the awkwardness of the Bowdoin hello, the unease of sitting across from a two-time hookup in a six-person class, the leap of faith in branching out from your roommates to eat dinner with a friend you met on a rafting trip. Everyone you now meet on campuseither on the dance floor or in the elevatoryou will meet again. Cultivate open-mindedness, forgive first impressions, and relish that which is not immediately comfortable. Staying open to friendships may not be one of Bowdoins distribution requirements, but youll give yourself a lot of credit if you continue to make new friends through senior year. This editorial represents the majority view of The Bowdoin Orients editorial board, which is comprised of Claire Aasen, Erica Berry, Nora Biette-Timmons, Marisa McGarry, Sam Miller, Sam Weyrauch and Kate Witteman.

Culture shock: facing campus stereotypes

opportunity to thrive here if you are different. Know this: Bowdoin constantly catches you off guard and it When I was originally asked to will do so when you least expect to write this, I wasnt sure Id have any be surprised by this place. advice to give incoming students. When I was asked to write this, I Entering my junior year at Bowdoin, asked some of the people Im closest Im more and more convinced that I withsome who fit the superficial wont know the answer to this place Bowdoin mold to the nines, others until Im handed my diploma; only who couldnt be farther from that then will everything make sense. image if they triedwhat advice As it stands, I would not change they would give to incoming stuany of the decisions I made over dents. the last two yearsthat includes the The answer, while seemingly cligood and the bad. There have been chd, was resoundingly to be yourplenty of both to go around. But each self. Thats a tall order to follow and decision, each mistake, each experiit wont seem like a difficult thing to ence, has only led me closer to finddo until youre here. If there is one ing my place at Bowdoin and trustthing that becomes harder and harding that it is the right school for me. er to do, it is staying true to yourself. Coming from a public high school Social standards influence people at in the conservative South as a Hisany institution, and Bowdoin is not panic gay male, Bowexempt from that redoin seemed like Coming from a public high ality. heaven and hell at the So Ill say it again: school in the conservative be yourself. Do you. same time. I was surrounded by people South as a Hispanic gay Follow your passions that, superficially, I relentlessly and never male, Bowdoin seemed had little in common apologize for doing like heaven and hell with. so. Eventually, youll But that was my find all the people at the same time. first mistakeassumhere that youre suping that someones posed to find. Once appearance gave me any idea about that happens, Bowdoins suffocating who they were as people. My first faade will melt away into a limitpiece of advice? Do not take anyone less and liberating place. It can take a here at face value. Whether she is an frustrating amount of patience. athlete or a NARP (Non-Athletic But heres the test of its validity: on Regular Person), whether he is black your first nightafter Orientation, or white, Asian or Hispanic, a poet which you will make it through, I or a musician, you will not know his promisetake a walk around the or her story if you do not ask. campus and remember what you see At Bowdoin, it can be easy to asand how you feel and how uncertain sume that no one shares your intereverything seems. Two years from ests, goals or passions. When your now, do the same, and youll find colleges student population seems that this place will have transformed to overwhelmingly hail from New into something magical. All it took England, you might be quick to aswas time. sumeand it would be a hasty conDaniel Eloy is a member of the clusion to drawthat there isnt an Class of 2015. BY DANIEL ELOY
CONTRIBUTOR

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The Bowdoin Orient is a student-run weekly publication dedicated to providing news and information relevant to the Bowdoin community. Editorially independent of the College and its administrators, the Orient pursues such content freely and thoroughly, following professional journalistic standards in writing and reporting. The Orient is committed to serving as an open forum for thoughtful and diverse discussion and debate on issues of interest to the College community.

Erica Berry, Editor in Chief Managing Editors Claire Aasen Marisa McGarry Sam Miller Eliza Novick-Smith Sam Weyrauch News Editor Nicole Wetsman Features Editor Elana Vlodaver A&E Editor Natalie Clark Sports Editor Sam Chase

Nora Biette-Timmons, Editor in Chief Associate Editors Ron Cervantes Natalie Kass-Kaufman

Opinion Editor Connor Evans Page 2 Editor Joe Sherlock Web Editor Matthew Gutschenritter Web Master Brian Jacobel

Photo Editor Kate Featherston Asst. Photo Editor Hy Khong Business Managers Hy Khong Maya Lloyd

The material contained herein is the property of The Bowdoin Orient and appears at the sole discretion of the editors. The editors reserve the right to edit all material. Other than in regards to the above editorial, the opinions expressed in the Orient do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

the bowdoin orient

Annotated Campus Map

Important places and where to find them
Original map courtesy Bowdoin Communications