Independent study is very popular at Bowdoin, chiefly owing to the motivation of the students and accessibility of the professors. Such projects allow the student (typically a junior or senior, but not always) to choose a topic, set specific goals and schedules, and work closely with a professor. An independent study usually replaces one of the four classes the student would normally take, and works like a class credit toward graduation and, if applicable, the major.
Many projects begin as an extension work that a student and professor explored earlier--or had to pass up--in a traditional classroom course. Sometimes students with similar interests will band together, find a professor, and use the independent study model to create what is for all intents and purposes a private class. Popular professors have been known to direct three or four projects in one semester. in addition to their classroom duties.
Some independent studies evolve into Honor Projects. This last feature of the curriculum, however, is much more involved than an independent study; a typical Honors Project spans two semesters, involves periodic oral defenses before the project spans two semesters, involves periodic oral defenses before the academic department, and may culminate in the publication of scientific data or a hundred-page paper. An Honors Project is always a solitary endeavor, and each department at Bowdoin encourages only the most motivated (i.e., graduate school-oriented) students to pursue such a project.
Independent studies and Honors Projects are among the most attractive features of Bowdoin College. It is rare, even at the highest academic levels, for students to enjoy such unfettered access to world-class faculty. Such close-quarter interaction is why intellectuals are drawn to small, elite colleges such as Bowdoin, and it is why they leave equipped with superior critical-thinking skills and broad knowledge of cultural, historical, and scientific fields.
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