Bowdoin vs. Notre Dame for economics: which is better for undergrads?

For undergraduate economics, Notre Dame has the edge if you want a broader, more professionally connected economics experience, while Bowdoin stands out more for intimate liberal arts teaching and close faculty access. Bowdoin’s program is well respected, but the experience is more intentionally small-scale and discussion-driven.

At Notre Dame, one concrete advantage is course breadth. A larger economics faculty usually means more chances to explore areas like econometrics, development, public policy, finance-adjacent topics, and specialized seminars without feeling like the department’s offerings are narrow. That matters if your interests shift once you get into intermediate theory or data-heavy coursework.

Bowdoin’s biggest differentiator is the classroom experience. Economics there tends to feel very personal, with small classes, strong writing and analytical expectations, and faculty who are highly accessible. If you want economics taught in a way that stays closely connected to the liberal arts, with room for real discussion rather than a more scaled-up department feel, Bowdoin does that extremely well.

For internships and first jobs, Notre Dame benefits from being a larger national university with a very active alumni network and more built-in preprofessional infrastructure. That can be especially useful if you are considering consulting, finance, policy, or business-facing roles where alumni connections and employer familiarity matter. Bowdoin also places students well, but the path can feel more self-directed and less plugged into big-campus recruiting systems.

For grad school preparation, both can work very well, especially if you do strong quantitative coursework and research. Bowdoin may make it easier to build close mentoring relationships for recommendations, while Notre Dame may give you more options in advanced econ coursework and related quantitative classes.