BOSS captures way of life and political tendencies – The Bowdoin Orient

Introduction

In April, the biannual Bowdoin Orient Student Survey (BOSS) was performed to collect college students’ opinions on subjects associated to campus life and the Bowdoin group. Representing almost 20 % of the coed physique, this semester’s survey gathered 376 responses and included extra questions than in earlier editions.

Who is the typical Bowdoin pupil respondent? She is a white lady, identifies as straight (although there’s almost a coin-flip likelihood she’s not) and plans to main in Government and Legal Studies, Biology or Mathematics. Her politics are left-leaning. She doesn’t imagine in God. She has a 3.79 GPA and goes to mattress between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. She drinks alcohol, is single, spends about 4 to 6 hours a day on display time, the identical period of time every week on train and charges her psychological well being as “good” or “fair.” She has discovered group at Bowdoin and would select the College once more, although she’s not sure whether or not she would get on this present admissions cycle.

Politics and Current Events

When it involves politics, college students are usually liberal. Respondents on common scored a 27.1 on the political leaning scale, with 0 representing the furthest left and 100 the furthest proper. While nearly all of respondents have remained comparatively related of their political views, roughly 26 % shifted leftward and 5.6 % shifted rightward since coming to Bowdoin.

86 % of respondents both assist or strongly assist Bowdoin’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion applications. When requested if there must be extra dialogue and debate on campus, 77 % of respondents answered sure. While 83 % of respondents are considerably or very snug expressing their political views on campus, conservative college students are far much less snug doing so. Respondents who reported being uncomfortable expressing their opinions scored a median of 59 on the political leaning scale, whereas those that had been very snug had the bottom rating at 23.9. Additionally, two-thirds of respondents stated Bowdoin ought to have an official hate speech coverage.

Respondents expressed concern about present world occasions, reporting a 1.38 degree of satisfaction on a scale of 0 to 10 with the U.S. navy involvement within the 2026 U.S.-Israeli War in Iran. Respondents held equally low approval scores for the Trump Administration, with the typical religion within the present administration resting at 0.89. On a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 indicating the least concern about U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement’s presence in Maine and 10 essentially the most, the typical concern rating is 6.73.

Students had been requested which candidate they’d most probably assist within the upcoming Maine U.S. Senate elections. Among respondents planning to vote in Maine, 71 % plan to vote for Graham Platner, with Janet Mills and Susan Collins subsequent at 12.72 % and a couple of.47 %, respectively. The survey was performed previous to Mills’ announcement that she had dropped out of the Senate race on Thursday morning.

Academics

The majority of respondents have used synthetic intelligence (AI) earlier than, with solely 10.6 % reporting they’ve by no means used AI instruments, which embrace ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. Alternatively, 67.2 % of respondents who’ve used AI haven’t used LibreChat, the College-provided AI device for all college students. However, solely two % of respondents had not heard of LibreChat.

Fifty % of the Class of 2028 have gone towards a professor’s AI utilization coverage, in comparison with 34 % of the Class of 2029, 38 % of the Class of 2027 and 42 % of the Class of 2026. Seventy % of Digital and Computational Studies (DCS) majors and 64 % of Economics majors have violated a professor’s AI utilization coverage. Almost 59 % of respondents don’t imagine {that a} college-wide AI coverage ought to exist.

In normal, 21 % of respondents throughout all grades have cheated on exams, quizzes or in-class assignments. Notably, 40 % of DCS majors reported having cheated earlier than, the best share of any division, adopted by training and physics majors.

Ninety-three % of respondents strongly approve or approve of their school. A slight majority of scholars imagine their main or potential main wants extra school members, just like responses in earlier years. Over 70 % of respondents in Earth and Oceanographic Studies (EOS), Physics, Computer Science and Psychology report a necessity for extra school members.

However, a number of extra fashionable majors, together with Government and Legal Studies, Biology, and Mathematics, don’t determine a necessity for extra school members.

Amongst all respondents, the typical reported GPA is 3.79, with the Class of 2029 reporting the bottom common GPA by class yr at 3.75. The Class of 2028 and 2026 share a median of three.80 whereas the Class of 2027 carries the best common at 3.82. Furthermore, 66 % of respondents don’t take into account grade inflation an issue.

Incoming Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) pupil physique president Aidan Aybar ’28 has emphasised bettering pupil sleep all through his marketing campaign. Students differ in what occasions they fall asleep, with 38 % going to mattress between 11 p.m. and 12 a.m. Students with excellent GPAs notably comprise the best share of respondents who fall asleep earlier than 10 p.m.

Approval Ratings

To gauge pupil opinions on numerous Bowdoin and Brunswick entities, The Orient requested respondents to fee their approval of people and teams. Ratings had been transformed to approval scores and ranked to raised mirror pupil opinion. Points had been weighted as follows: Strongly Approve (+2), Approve (+1), Neutral (+0.5), Disapprove (-1) and Strongly Disapprove (-2). These had been then summed to create every entity’s whole rating.

The Dining Service continues to reign on the high of the rankings, with a web approval rating of 601.5. Faculty held regular in second place at 492, adopted by the city of Brunswick, Maine (454.5), the Libraries (426.5) and Academic Advisors (420). All 5 noticed elevated scores in comparison with final semester.

Student governance suffered in its approval scores this spring. BSG decreased 82 factors to 125, dropping to twenty seventh place—its lowest rating in BOSS historical past. BSG President Alex Kruse, who debuted at 210.5 final semester, fell 49.5 factors to 161. The Entertainment Board has the steepest decline amongst any entity on the listing, dropping 110 factors to only 49, rating second-to-last. The College House System additionally slid dramatically, dropping 70.5 factors to 120.5 and ending third-to-last.

Several administrative workplaces skilled notable recoveries. President Safa Zaki climbed to ninth place with a rating of 334. Dean Jim Hoppe continued his rebound, rising to fifteenth with a rating of 254—a 164.5-point swing from his low of 89.5 final yr. The College as an establishment jumped 54.5 factors to 389.5, its strongest efficiency. The Health Center (380) and the Office of Safety and Security (392.5) additionally noticed sturdy good points.

The Viewpoint Exchange Series, a brand new addition to the approval rankings this semester, positioned twenty fifth with a rating of 132. The sequence drew an amazing variety of impartial responses, suggesting that almost all college students have had restricted consciousness or engagement with this system. Among those that did weigh in, opinions had been polarized between 66 approvals and 53 disapprovals. One pupil described this system as “a joke meant to placate real and meaningful political discussion,” and one other famous that it “is unnecessary and shouldn’t exist.”

Health and Lifestyle

Over half of scholars have used Counseling Services of their time at Bowdoin. However, solely 14 % at present make the most of Counseling; most college students report “good” or “fair” psychological well being this semester. A promising statistic reveals that college students score their present psychological well being as “poor” or “very poor” are essentially the most approving of Counseling Services.

Of the 22 % of scholars who determine as neurodivergent, roughly 57 % particularly determine as having ADHD.

Allegedly, 37.4 % of respondents use screens for 2 to 4 hours a day. While the info experiences this statistic, we at The Orient aren’t positive about its accuracy. Shoutout to the 1.1 % who had been trustworthy about their 10+ hours.

The historical past division stickers are false. Based on BOSS knowledge, historical past majors don’t get extra dates. In reality, English, economics, physics and anthropology majors are much less more likely to be single.

This yr’s Spring Concert lineup, that includes opener MGNA Crrrta and headliner Peach Pit, was evenly unfold in its reception. Thirty-two % permitted of the artists, whereas 32.4 % disapproved. The remaining didn’t attend or had been unaware of the lineup.

Sixty-four % of respondents have interaction with the nameless social media platform YikYak. The different 36 % may be on Fizz. We don’t know. We stopped asking that query.

This yr, The Orient collected knowledge concerning alcohol, nicotine and different substance use, in addition to knowledge on faux ID possession. Eighteen % of underclassmen respondents report proudly owning a faux ID. Around 87 % of respondents have consumed alcohol, and round 56 % have consumed marijuana/hashish, each throughout the previous yr.

The imply Rice Purity Score amongst respondents is 57. The Class of 2029 has the best common rating at 69, whereas the Class of 2026 has the bottom common rating at 50.

Reflections

When requested to listing their favourite restaurant in downtown Brunswick, the best choice for college students was Watami at 18 % of responses. Shere Punjab trailed in second at 15 %, adopted by Little Saigon, Dutchman’s and Little Tokyo for the highest 5 selections. Speaking of meals, 29 % of scholars are embarrassed to eat alone within the eating corridor, which is the typical for every class yr besides the Class of 2026. By senior yr, embarrassment drops to 22 %.

At the top of the day, respondents report satisfaction with their choice to select Bowdoin: 90 % of respondents would return and select Bowdoin once more, though solely 77 % assume they’d get in in the event that they utilized in the present day. When it involves self-identification, 81 % of respondents described themselves as a “Bowdoin student,” whereas 19 % described themselves as a “student who goes to Bowdoin.” Nearly all—92 %—of respondents report discovering a way of belonging and group at Bowdoin.

Around 40 % of scholars don’t imagine in God, with an identical determine being not sure or agnostic. At 23 %, solely a minority of scholars imagine in God.

As summer time approached, the survey requested college students about their plans after the educational yr.

While 85 % and 79 % of scholars within the Classes of 2027 and 2028, respectively, have an internship lined up for the summer time, solely 40 % of the Class of 2029 have one. Additionally, solely 59 % of the Class of 2026 have post-graduation plans.

At 83 %, a majority of respondents give a rattling, which marks a slight lower from round 87 % final semester.

A runaway trolley is heading towards 5 individuals. You can pull a lever to divert it to a aspect monitor, the place it would hit one particular person. Would you pull the lever? Eighty-seven % of respondents stated they’d.

Our final query requested college students for potential questions we must always add to subsequent semester’s BOSS. We had been amused. Some of our favorites embrace “Do you do pepper flips?,” “U up?,” “What would you name the Bowdoin Polar Bear?” and “Would you love Safa Zaki if she were a worm?”

Ava Arepally, Abdullah Hashimi, Evelyn Dyer, Shihab Moral, Sadie O’Neill, and Miles Palmer contributed to this report.