“The OP has two amazing choices, and I’m sure she’ll do well wherever she decides. She really needs current students from both colleges to weigh in on the specifics she asked about.”
@CottonTales, I wasn’t the one who brought up this issue. Another poster, without any direct connection to Dartmouth, did. But if @gigichuck has concerns about the environment for persons of color at Dartmouth, perhaps they’d be the best ones to reach out to her to share their experiences (as your kid did about Amherst.) And of course hearing from other current students about the specific issues in her original post would be helpful.
Computer Science is indeed very strong at Dartmouth. The computer language BASIC as well as the first computer time-sharing system were invented there by two Dartmouth professors, One of the professors, John Kemeny, later went on to become the president of Dartmouth College. And the college carries on this strong tradition of CS to this day.
^Current students are preferable, of course. But, let’s face it, if we depended on them entirely, this thread would have died on the vine a long time ago. Nor would it be an issue if every post were full of high praises. Posters with glancing references to friends, or to colleagues they’ve met from the colleges in question or to trips they’ve made in passing the campuses, only get knocked when they say something negative. ~O)
Congratulations!
Now we’re all going to PM you advice on safety
There’ll be an international orientation before the regular one so email international admissions to ask them the starting date of international orientation and whether they’ll send shuttles to airports, which ones.
Welcome to the Ivy League, kiddo!