<p>I Will apply to One of these early, but I cannot make up my mind at all. Can anyone highlight some significant factors or differences I should take into account?</p>
<p>Thanks :)</p>
<p>i <3 Amherst...but my next door neighbor may love Dartmouth. If you don't know which you like better maybe you shouldn't be applying early at all.</p>
<p>Don't do early decision unless you are both rich enough to pay for either no sweat and have visited the campus and researched the programs and are sure it is where you want to go.</p>
<p>Personally, I would choose Dartmouth because it is a university and not a LAC and I would probably enjoy that atmosphere and student body more. Not to mention the prestige is probably a little higher as well as recruiting and options for majors. Dartmouth is one of the top colleges that is just a "heard of" to most common folk, but Amherst is a "what?" all together. I assume it might be different if I was close to either school.</p>
<p>If a school is need-blind and guarantees to meet full demonstrated need, why should one Not apply early?</p>
<p>Please can anyone explain this to me?</p>
<p>i think the above poster was saying that if you are not sure which college is better for you, you should not apply early. I am an international so i am not sure how the need blind process works for nationals. however, if it were u p to me i would choose Dartmouth just because of the more opportunities after graduating you will get.</p>
<p>Because the school's idea of how much need you have may be shockingly different from your idea.</p>
<p>Also, if you have two schools you like, generally you shouldn't apply ED. You better be 100% sure you LOVE your ED school and wouldn't want to go anywhere else.</p>
<p>"If a school is need-blind and guarantees to meet full demonstrated need, why should one Not apply early?"
Because YOUR concept of need can be VERY DIFFERENT from the calculations of the financial aid office. "Need" is often met with LOANS- money you will have to pay back. You need to read the numerous threads in the Financial aid forums about the hazards of applying ED if financial aid is going to be a factor for you family.</p>
<p>Mashur, Amherst is need blind for internationals starting this year; I'm not sure whether Dartmouth is too. Also, Dartmouth may have higher name recognition for random people on the street (ivy league + Superbad), but that's not very relevant. For anyone that matters, it will probably be a wash.</p>
<p>Menloparkmom is correct that you should be wary of applying ED if financial aid is a factor. I would call admissions at each school and ask what their policy is on breaking the ED contract if the financial aid is insufficient. They may also have financial aid calculators so you can get some idea of what they will think your need is.</p>
<p>Amherst and Dartmouth are actually quite similar, but there are some key differences.
1. Amherst has semesters, Dartmouth has the D Plan, which is a flexible quarter system
2. Dartmouth has an active Greek scene, Amherst doesn't.
3. Dartmouth is in a scenic, somewhat isolated rural location (hanover, NH - pop ~11k). Amherst is in a more populous area (especially when school is in session), with easy access to Northampton.
4. Amherst is part of the 5 college consortium, and there is quite a bit of interaction with the other colleges in the area (UMass, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Hampshire), with a free bus system running between them. I don't think there are any colleges especially close to Dartmouth.
5. Dartmouth has DI sports, Amherst is DIII.
6. Amherst is an LAC with access to some university resources through the consortium. Dartmouth is a university with an LAC feel.</p>
<p>I'd say Dartmouth, but that's more out of blind intra-Ivy loyalty than anything ;)</p>
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Amherst is part of the 5 college consortium, and there is quite a bit of interaction with the other colleges in the area (UMass, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Hampshire), with a free bus system running between them. I don't think there are any colleges especially close to Dartmouth.
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<p>Middlebury is about the closest. I know some D kids travel there and vice-versa, but definitely no cross-registration or anything like that.</p>
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Dartmouth indeed. On average, their graduates are the highest paid grads in the US. Amherst grads don't even come close. That alone says something about the Dartmouth undergrad degree qualification.
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<p>Actually, it's kind of difficult to determine that. Perhaps it just means that Dartmouth kids are more prone to take leadership positions rather than Amherst kids. Maybe Dartmouth kids are more interested in finance and business fields than Amherst students. </p>
<p>IMO, I think you can get a great education at both Amherst and Dartmouth. :P</p>
<p>^ OK then. :)</p>
<p>Elastine;</p>
<p>Reading your other posts, it appears that you are an international seeking finaid. Thus, your question needs to be more focused, i.e., which schools are seeking more international students (most colleges in the US) and which offer significant finaid to internationals (just a handful). But, I'm not sure many on cc really know or understand the intracacies of international admissions as it pertains to finaid, even in (supposedly) need-blind schools.</p>
<p>You could take a look at the Forbes rankings.</p>