Bowdoin College

Women's SoccerBrianne Smithson

Women's Soccer Head Coach

Bowdoin College

NCAA DIII • NESCAC

1.6

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Would Recommend

I think she is great person and great with administrative tasks. However, I do not believe she knows that much about soccer. Her teams do not improve. She switched players positions around every game, which doesn’t help. Frustrating to play under. The atmosphere of the program is not great and there is no alumni network compared to other teams at Bowdoin.

Women's LacrosseElizabeth Grote

Women's Lacrosse Head Coach / NCAA Compliance Coordinator

Bowdoin College

NCAA DIII • NESCAC

2.4

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Would Recommend

Coach communications were often disjointed, very awkward. Her affect was direct without recognizing queues social or verbal and visit experience was awful. Despite this, the school is what it is and we went for a visit. My player was brought into office with Coach right after admission tour, Grote took out a notebook immediately and asked what did you learn, what did you like, was testing my player. No small talk, no introduction, no welcome to Bowdoin, just right to that. Assistant sat there twirling her hair and never said a word. Went to practice - my player was invited on the field. No one on the team introduced themselves, said hello, interacted or even waved the entire practice. Not one player. My player audited a class with current player and when they saw someone they knew, while walking there, completely ignored my player and was made to feel invisible. The team culture that day was not somewhere you would feel welcome or would want to spend any time with let alone 4 years. None of the players were approachable. My player loved the school regardless and was going to apply with or without lacrosse. Was asked to fill out an early read, contacted by Grote a week later. Texted back immediately, with multiple follow ups and she never replied.

Women's LacrosseElizabeth Grote

Women's Lacrosse Head Coach / NCAA Compliance Coordinator

Bowdoin College

NCAA DIII • NESCAC

1.2

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Would Recommend

The worst coach I have ever had the displeasure of encountering. An emotionally abusive, out of touch, dishonest person who is a subpar leader and terrible communicator. Her behavior in my time at Bowdoin was unacceptable and the fact she is still a coach at a prestigious institution is laughable. Do not send your daughter to Bowdoin to play under Grote, and if she’s there right now, check in on her.

Women's VolleyballErin Cady

Women's Volleyball Head Coach

Bowdoin College

NCAA DIII • NESCAC

5.0

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Would Recommend

I am so happy I chose Bowdoin College. Coach Cady is exactly what she appeared to be during recruiting and after years of playing for challenging coaches, I am so relieved that I chose to play for her. She is very transparent, has an open door policy, and will be honest about her expectations and why she makes the playing decisions she does. She is always encouraging and doesn't get angry in games. She demands respect and uses her great volleyball knowledge to educate, teach, and celebrate us as players. We also have the best team culture because of her where teammates encourage each other and do not talk negatively about each other. Bowdoin volleyball is truly a unique college volleyball program with demonstrated success because of what Coach Cady has established at Bowdoin.

Women's LacrosseElizabeth Grote

Women's Lacrosse Head Coach / NCAA Compliance Coordinator

Bowdoin College

NCAA DIII • NESCAC

1.0

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Would Recommend

One of the worst coaches I have ever had. Truly terrible. Mean, a bully, teams up against players at individual meetings, and lacks intelligence, especially emotional intelligence. I love Bowdoin, and Liz is not Bowdoin. Liz lacks the capacity for concern over well-being, she has no concern for mental health, she prioritizes her agenda, disguising it as "what is best for the team," and if the record shows anything, she has not been best for the team. I hope she never coaches anyone else again, for everyone's sake.