Cornell vs Bowdoin: which has smaller class sizes?

The main tradeoff is scale: Bowdoin is a small liberal arts college built around small discussion-based classes, while Cornell is a large research university where class size varies a lot by college, department, and course level. If your question is simply which school has smaller classes overall, the answer is Bowdoin. You are much more likely there to be in seminar-style courses early and often, with more direct access to professors in the classroom.

At Bowdoin, small classes are part of the academic model, so even introductory courses tend to feel more personal than at a large university. Participation, close reading, discussion, and professor interaction are central to how many classes are taught. That does not mean every course is tiny, but the overall environment is designed to keep classes relatively intimate.

At Cornell, class sizes are less uniform. Many upper-level classes can be small and excellent, especially once you are deeper into your major, but large lectures are common in introductory courses, especially in popular fields and in parts of Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and the life sciences. You can absolutely build strong relationships with professors at Cornell, but you often have to navigate a bigger system and may interact more with TAs in some courses.

So if your priority is the more personal classroom experience across the board, Bowdoin has the clearer edge. Cornell can still offer small classes, especially later on, but Bowdoin is the school more consistently aligned with what you are describing.