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Health & Fitness

The Professor's Road Trip - Bowdoin University

Ever thought about exploring your love of languages and cultures at the collegiate level? Then follow The Professor to Brunswick, Maine. It's a charming, walkable town, a picturesque slice of historic New England, and home to Bowdoin College. Thanks to the college's thriving Department of Romance Languages, it's also a great place to study Spanish, French, or Italian.

The first thing you need to know about Bowdoin is that here in Maine, it's pronounced "Bo-dun."

Now that your ear is tuned in to correct pronunciations, join The Professor in saying “bonjour” to the Department of Romance Languages, where students can major in French, Spanish or a combination of any two of these three: French, Spanish and Italian. Reading and speaking languages, understanding cultures, and studying abroad are all important parts of the program.

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Outside of class, Romance Language students have even more opportunities to practice and learn. They say “ciao” over espresso and biscotti during Italian Coffee Hour, for example. The department founder is none other than the 19th-century poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He was one well-rounded scholar — and the language students here are too. They delve deeply into related subjects such as art history, Latin American studies, history, English, and Africana studies. Many Romance Language graduates go on to study law, literature, or international business. Others pursue careers in teaching, translating, Foreign Service, or one of dozens of other possibilities.

Bowdoin's other 30-plus programs are as interdisciplinary as Romance Languages. It's a small, private college where the student body numbers about 1,700 (tiny by today's standards but nowhere near as small as it was back in 1802, when the first class of just eight students enrolled.)  Admissions are competitive, and U.S. News & World Report ranked Bowdoin the fourth best liberal arts college in the nation. What does this mean once a student enrolls? Bowdoin's students, few in number but big on academic commitment, find that the university values risk-taking above giving correct answers. Professors really care about helping students find what makes them passionate, whether it's open-source software development, avant-garde theater, or just about anything in between. And just like in the Romance Language department, subjects spill over into one another in all disciplines. As Bowdoin's website reads, "Philosophy is not disconnected from politics. Art can be a lens for understanding social change."

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Wondering how students from such a broad, interdisciplinary program decide on a career direction? Bowdoin Career Planning has that covered, with a whole online community of professionals and experts to help students plan for life after college. As for off-campus attractions, The Professor looked around the region and is positively amazed by the nearby mountains to ski, rapids to paddle, and shorelines to explore. Apparently the students in the college’s enthusiastic Outing Club are impressed, too. And for rainy days, The Professor found something fascinating at Bowdoin that you don't see everywhere: the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, filled with photographs and artifacts collected from Arctic explorers.

To learn more about Bowdoin University’s application requirements and deadlines for Romance Languages and other programs, please visit www.bowdoin.edu.

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