Each September, Bowdoin’s Office of Admissions rolls out the red carpet for high school students from across Maine to tell them why the College values them and why it could be a great option for them.
This year, just under eighty students and their families gathered for Bowdoin’s annual Maine Day, a program designed to introduce them to campus life, offer them admissions and financial aid information, and provide insights into why they would love studying here.
They traveled from Kittery, Caribou, the Western mountains of Maine, and the islands of Deer Isle, Mount Desert, and Vinalhaven. Historically, about three-quarters of Maine Day attendees end up applying to the College.
In her welcoming remarks, Kathryn Stegeman, senior associate dean of admissions, explained that enrolling Maine students is part of the College’s mission.
“Bowdoin's job is to serve the common good, and we see keeping Maine students here for their education—and employed afterward in the state—as part of that work,” she said.
Currently, 10 percent of Bowdoin’s student body comes from Maine, representing sixty-five high schools statewide. “Mainers play an important role in community-building at this institution,” Stegeman added.
After registering in Studzinski Hall, the high school students and their family members were treated to a short a cappella concert by the Meddiebempsters before listening to a presentation about Maine’s job market for college graduates. They also heard from Bowdoin’s director of student aid Mike Albano and a panel of current Maine students.
Mid-morning, the attendees split into smaller groups for campus tours, and the program concluded with a free lunch in Thorne Dining Hall. Stegeman teased the meal first thing in the morning by reading aloud that day's list of main dishes and dessert, encouraging guests to “hold that menu in your thoughts!”
“You can thrive in Maine”
The keynote speaker, Katie Shorey, director of engagement for Live + Work in Maine, painted a picture of the state’s workforce landscape. Her organization, she explained, sits at the intersection of marketing and economic development, with a mission to attract and retain workers.
“Maine employers and communities need people,” she said. “The state needs 75,000 people over the next ten years for our workforce to keep up with the number of people retiring.”
Shorey spotlighted robust sectors in Maine—such as insurance and the outdoor economy—and several thriving businesses, including MEDRhythms, a company that recently raised $60 million to expand its pioneering music- and neuroscience-based therapy; Flowfold, a Gorham startup that grew from selling handmade sailcloth wallets at craft fairs to become a national retailer; and WEX, a South Portland–based fintech firm employing 5,000 people worldwide.
“These are just a few stories of the companies that are here,” she said. “There are a lot of innovative things happening.”
“If you do leave,” she added, “consider bringing your talents back. Maine needs your ideas, energy, and creativity.”
Nuts and Bolts of Applying to Bowdoin
Stegeman shared a few application tips with the students. “Bowdoin is an incredibly rigorous academic experience,” she said. “We want to make sure you're prepared for that rigor, so we look for evidence that you’ve challenged yourself in high school.”
She also encouraged students to highlight meaningful extracurricular involvement. “How are you part of your community outside the classroom? This can be student government, theater, a job, or being responsible for younger siblings or grandparents. Those things count when we consider how you will contribute to the community here.”
Albano explained that Bowdoin is need-blind and meets the full calculated need of every admitted student—it is one of only ten colleges and universities in the country to adhere to both practices. A need-blind policy ensures that a family’s ability to pay does not affect admission decisions.
"We're a no-loan institution," he said. "We replace all loans with scholarships and meet 100 percent of demonstrated need."
He encouraged families to use the financial aid calculators on Bowdoin's website to estimate their expected contribution.
While half of Bowdoin students receive financial aid, about two-thirds of Maine students receive aid, he added, which includes a campus work commitment of five hours per week.
Mainers at Bowdoin
The program ended with a panel of students from Houlton, Weld, and Kennebunk speaking about their paths to Bowdoin and their academic and extracurricular experiences on campus.
Bella Ardell ’26, a sociology major and economics minor from Houlton, said she was immediately struck by the sense of community she felt during her campus tour, which ultimately convinced her Bowdoin was the right fit.
Eli Shifrin ’27, an environmental studies major from Weld, said he was drawn to the opportunity to keep studying Maine’s environment. Since high school, he's been researching the Androscoggin River, and he's “still learning about it, which is really special,” he said.
The students credited Bowdoin’s liberal arts curriculum for consistently surprising them and broadening their perspectives. Ardell said she had never participated in theater in high school, but after a course her first year she has since taken four more classes with the same professor. “I’m not majoring in theater, but I’ve gained so much from it—for both my work and social life,” she said.
Camilla Rawlings ’26, of Kennebunk, noted that Bowdoin’s “welcoming vibe” makes it easy to try new things, like joining intramural soccer or club sports.
Shifrin noted that he had departed from his typical academic areas last semester when he signed up for an introductory gender and women’s studies class. “Not a class I thought I would take in high school. But I took it, and I loved it, and I’m taking more classes in the department,” he said.
He continued: “The great thing with Bowdoin is that with each new interest I have, I am supported by the community, and I get to learn more about myself each semester.”
