Bowdoin College

Essay prompts (2)

1. why us2026-27250 words

   Applies to: All first-year applicants — OPTIONAL. The page labels it: "This optional essay (max 250 words) is available in the Bowdoin Supplement."

   Generations of students have found connection and meaning in Bowdoin's "The Offer of the College," written in 1906 by Bowdoin President William DeWitt Hyde. To be at home in all lands and all ages; To count Nature a familiar acquaintance, and Art an intimate friend; To gain a standard for the appreciation of others' work And the criticism of your own; To carry the keys of the world's library in your pocket, And feel its resources behind you in whatever task you undertake; To make hosts of friends...who are to be leaders in all walks of life; To lose yourself in generous enthusiasms and cooperate with others for common ends – This is the offer of the college for the best four years of your life. Which line from The Offer resonates most with you?

   This is the 2025-26 wording, carried over: Bowdoin College has not republished this prompt for 2026-27 yet. Schools usually post updates around the Common App opening on August 1; we re-check after that and change this text only against an official source.

   source

2. community2026-27250 words

   Applies to: All first-year applicants — OPTIONAL. Titled "Navigating through Differences" and labeled: "This optional essay (max 250 words) is available in the Bowdoin Supplement."

   Bowdoin believes that its broadly diverse and inclusive campus community prepares graduates to be contributing and useful citizens of the world. Every graduate of this institution should be confident in their preparation to be able to navigate through differences and in all sorts of situations. A Bowdoin education does not guarantee these skills, but it does impart a set of tools necessary to bravely enter unfamiliar conditions with the confidence to deal effectively with ambiguity. If you wish, you may share anything about the unique experiences and perspectives that you would bring with you to the Bowdoin campus and community or an experience you have had that required you to navigate across or through difference.

   This is the 2025-26 wording, carried over: Bowdoin College has not republished this prompt for 2026-27 yet. Schools usually post updates around the Common App opening on August 1; we re-check after that and change this text only against an official source.

   source

Bowdoin permits applicants to use AI to "learn more about colleges or the application process," to "brainstorm ideas or reflect on possible essay topics," and to "review grammar or provide feedback after you have written a draft." Applicants "should not use AI to draft, write, or generate your responses," "should not use AI to rewrite portions of your work or modify your tone," and "should not use AI or another tool to translate your written work from a different language into English." "Your essays and written responses should be your own work." Submitting AI-generated writing (such as copy-and-pasting generated material) or embellishing or falsifying any part of your application "is antithetical to Bowdoin's values of honesty and integrity."

How reviews use this page

When you request a review for a Bowdoin College supplement, the feedback is grounded in exactly what you see here: the prompt itself, its word limit, and what the school publishes about its values and programs. That's the whole claim — calibrated to the prompt and the school's own published guidance, scored against a consistent rubric. Not insider knowledge, and never a rewrite: Second Read is a coach, not a ghostwriter. It flags weaknesses and tells you what to fix and why; it never writes a sentence of your essay.

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