Demographics

Just a month into their college careers, the Class of 2029 is already making its mark on campus. In the sixth annual First-Year Student Survey (FYSS), the Bowdoin Orient gathered data to learn more about the newest Polar Bears.

For the Class of 2029, 63 percent of respondents shared that Bowdoin was their top choice. Of those who applied in either Early Decision I or II, approximately 82 percent reported that Bowdoin was their top choice. In comparison, only 20 percent of students who applied in Regular Decision indicated that Bowdoin was their top choice.

The newest class predominantly comes from suburban areas, at 55 percent. Only 16 percent of respondents reported being from rural areas, with a larger 29 percent coming from urban areas.

As for the Class of 2029’s high school background, 53 percent are from public schools, with 11 percent from magnet or charter schools. Of the 46 percent of respondents who attended private schools, 24 percent went to boarding schools.

When asked about their sexuality, 62 percent of the Class of 2029 identify as straight, aligning closely with the data from the Class of 2028. Sixteen percent identify as bisexual and eight percent identify as gay. Another 18 percent identify as asexual, pansexual, demisexual, queer or questioning.

While the College does not use loans to calculate financial aid, students may still take out loans to meet the cost of their education. For the Class of 2029, around 20 percent expect to do so, an increase from the 16 percent reported by the Class of 2028. Additionally, 84 percent of the Class of 2029 plan to hold a job on campus.

Academics

When asked about their intended majors, government and biology took the lead with 34 percent and 24 percent, respectively. This preference is a continuation from last year’s results, with a slight increase in interest in the government major and a slight decrease in interest in the biology major. Economics and mathematics followed closely behind, with 22 percent and 19 percent of students, respectively, indicating that they wished to major in these fields.

As for career choices, many students were undecided, with 30 percent expressing that they were unsure of their future paths. Mirroring major choices, 14 percent indicated that they wished to go into law, while another 14 percent expressed interest in entering healthcare.

The Class of 2029 was the first to use the new Workday course registration platform for their first semester at the College. While there were students who felt it was straightforward, others indicated that navigating the first-come, first-serve system was difficult.

“It was difficult to navigate the website for course registration. I also only got one course that I wanted. I may have had more classes than I originally chose, but it was difficult to use Workday on the day of registration,” one respondent wrote.

Furthermore, consistent with past years, students expressed that they would have appreciated additional guidance, such as academic advising, before registering for courses.

“I think we should have met with advisors before registering for courses, so that we have some guidance on what classes would be a good fit for us in the first semester. While I enjoy the classes I currently have, it was very confusing using Workday to complete registration without any clear guidance. Furthermore, with the first-come, first-serve system, there were limited class offerings,… which was a little frustrating for me,” one respondent wrote.

The survey’s questions on academic integrity and cheating revealed that respondents had a strong tendency toward academic honesty, with 94 percent indicating that they had “never” or “rarely” cheated on a test or assignment.

When asked about whether they had used artificial intelligence in their academic assignments in the past, the responses were nearly evenly split, with 53 percent replying that they had used it before, and 47 percent that they had not. This represents a significant increase from last year’s survey, in which 36 percent of respondents reported having used artificial intelligence for assignments.

When asked if they believe their academic development was impacted by Covid-19, 64 percent of respondents said “not at all” or “a little bit,” a marginal decrease from last year’s 66 percent. Furthermore, 84 percent of first years were “unconcerned” or “haven’t thought about” the negative impacts of Covid hindering their transition to Bowdoin.

Lifestyle and Beliefs

Respondents were asked about their substance use before Bowdoin. Similar to the Class of 2028, 68 percent of respondents had drunk alcohol. Thirty-two percent of respondents used marijuana, a decrease from 38 percent last year. The percent of respondents who vaped and used cigarettes was similar at 17 percent, while hard drugs, psychedelics and opioid usage sat below one percent.

With a two percent decrease from last year, 12 percent of respondents reported owning a fake ID. Additionally, with a ten percent decrease from the Class of 2028, 26 percent of respondents reported having sex prior to coming to Bowdoin.

Twenty-six percent of respondents reported living in substance-free rooms. Of those living in such rooms, 14 percent reported either vaping or smoking cigarettes, 32 percent reported drinking alcohol and five percent reported smoking marijuana.

Almost universally, students ranked “Academics” and “Social Life” as their top priorities, respectively. On average, students on financial aid viewed “Career Prospects” as their third priority, while students not on aid placed “Mental Health and Wellbeing” in third place instead.

Regarding professional mental health treatment, 42 percent of respondents reported seeking professional treatment before arriving at Bowdoin and 33 percent intend to seek mental health treatment at Bowdoin.

Additionally, those who intended to seek mental health support at Bowdoin placed “Mental Health and Wellbeing” in third place of their priorities on average, while those who did not placed it in fifth place.

Politically, the first-year class leaned liberal, with an average response of 25 on a scale from 0 to 100, where zero indicated the most left-leaning and 100 indicated the most right-leaning. This represents a five-point decrease compared to the previous year. For respondents who are eligible to vote in the United States, 38 percent plan to vote in Maine, 59 percent will vote in their home state and three percent do not plan to vote.

Did you know how to pronounce Bowdoin before you heard it? We did not. Similarly, only 56 percent of the Class of 2029 knew how to pronounce Bowdoin before they heard it for the first time.

Abdullah Hashimi, Ava Moore, Shihab Moral and Claire Shim contributed to this report.

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