<p>I don't remember the exact wording of the freshman housing app, but Dartmouth has triples and quads. </p>
<p>The quads here are really nice.</p>
<p>With A LOT of hard work, do you think it's possible to double major in Mathematics and Economics and minor in Film & Television Studies and graduate in 4 years time with a GPA close to 4.00, and at the same time participate actively in two extracurriculars (filmmaking and chess) with some extra time for sports? =P</p>
<p>I'm a pretty ambitious guy, and it has always been my goal to achieve the above. But now I'm getting pretty worried after hearing so much about the heavy workload...</p>
<p>I've seen a lot of people in PAL who are doing double majors and have quite a few ECs. But it would be good to get a specific opinion on this; I'm considering a double major as well, and I'd like to know just how hard it is.</p>
<p>The 4.0 part is really tough. </p>
<p>I know double majors who have 3.95 GPA's, but I think every year, only the valedictorian has a 4.0 GPA. Last year, the salutatorian had a 3.99 GPA.</p>
<p>But yes, it's definitely possible to double major and minor, do EC's, and still have a really high GPA.</p>
<p>East wheelock isn't so bad - there are a lot of sophomores there who had crappy room draw numbers so they decided to live there for a year. i rage pretty hard, and i'm living in ew next year for that reason.</p>
<p>
[quote]
1)Can you please give a rundown of dorm life at each dorm for incoming freshman?
2) Are there quiet hours in the dorm on a regular basis?
3) Is there roomate matching by early morning types verus late nighters?
4) How noisy is the typical dorm - re: loud music/huge speakers on a daily basis?
[/quote]
</p>
<ol>
<li><p>That's a pretty tall order, as most dorms have at the very least mixed housing. Basically, there are a couple of "all-freshmen" clusters, the River and the Choates (although they are both getting torn down in the next few years). Rooms tend to be smaller, crappier, etc but the atmosphere is really good and floors tend to be more social than all upperclass or mixed floors elsewhere because upperclassmen tend to already have a circle of friends and not use their rooms for much more than sleeping and studying (and even then the bulk of that is done in the library by most people) whereas most freshman are looking to make friends, etc.</p></li>
<li><p>There are no quiet hours per se but generally most people don't study in their rooms but rather go to the library. I can never focus in my room anyway. If it's really that big a deal, you can live in North Hall which is the designated "quiet" dorm and has noise restrictions.</p></li>
<li><p>The questionnaire you fill out when you apply for your freshman dorm will ask you a bunch of questions as to what kind of habits you have and what you want in a roommate. I don't recall if that specific question is asked but I am pretty sure it will be. At the very least, I recall that they ask you to fill in 5 traits that you want in a roommate, so you could indicate something like that there if nowhere else.</p></li>
<li><p>Honestly not that noisy. The walls tend to insulate sound pretty well, even in dorms where people claim the walls are thin (at least that's been my experience) and I've honestly never been on a floor where I've been kept up or kept from focusing because of excessive noise. People will also generally be respectful if you just knock on their door and ask them to turn their music down because it's the middle of the night and you are trying to study.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>
[quote]
2. Grade inflation ?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I like to think we have a "good" amount of grade inflation, meaning it isn't rampant enough that we have a reputation for it and grad schools/employers won't respect your GPA because they'll think you just got it thanks to grade inflation, but on the other hand the professors aren't out to mess you up and half the class doesn't flunk out every year like they do at a place like Reed. Basically, it's really hard to get an A but equally hard to get below a B or B-, and the median of most classes is in the B, B+, A- range.</p>
<p>I dont think the River or Choates are crappy. The river is a little far from everything else, and the choates just isnt very aesthetically nice, but the rooms are decent. Quiet hours are something decided by your floor (if you choose to do so). So for example at the beginning of this year at one of our floor meetings our floor decided on a ist of "living agreements" or something like that, including quiet hours times. mostly, its all just about comon sense though. sleeping times is one of the questions asked on the rooming questionaire. ive never had any problems with noise, per se, and i dont think anyone i know has had any real problems.</p>
<p>how difficult is it to get a GPA of 3.7 or higher as an economics major. is it a ton of work. do dartmouth undergrads get the chance to relax often/some/not much/ none at all</p>
<p>is housing not guaranteed for all four years? Is there even a place to live in outside of campus?</p>
<p>housing is now guaranteed for all four years.</p>
<p>It's not that hard to get a 3.7 GPA in econ.</p>
<p>It really depends on the person though.</p>
<p>Dartmouth is a really good balance of work, EC's, and fun. You'll spend a good amount of time studying, but you'll defn. have time for Extra currics. Almost everyone goes out and has fun on Fridays and Saturdays.</p>
<p>
[quote]
housing is now guaranteed for all four years.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Not true.</p>
<p>Housing has always been guaranteed for freshman and I think with the 10's sophomores (I think fayerweathers is suppose to now be all sophomore housing).</p>
<p>Seniors are first in room draw (this essentially means that any senior who really wants to live on campus can live on campus if they choose). The seniors being first in room draw did present a problem last year in housing as tptb in all of their genius thought that maybe the seniors would not want to live in the new dorms (ha, they were all booked by the time the 25th room draw number came up) and there were sophomores with out housing at the end of last years room draw.</p>
<p>With this years room draw, it will most likely be the Juniors that may have problems getting housing on campus especially those at the bottom of the room draw food chain. The other side of the coin is that most juniors are off at some point of the year either doing a study abroad or taking their leave term. The problem arises upon return as housing is very limited.</p>
<p>Even when it comes to living in greek housing there is a pecking order as far as obtaining a room in the house. </p>
<p>
[quote]
While juniors and seniors are not guaranteed on-campus housing, approximately 85% of the students live on campus in our residence halls, academic affinity programs, and co-ed/fraternity/sorority housing. The remaining 15% live in either college-owned off-campus apartments or other local rental housing options. Our residence halls are grouped into nine communities, composed of one to three “clusters.” Every community has clusters with distinctive identities, and as a result, you will often hear students refer to their cluster, rather than his/her individual building. In all, Dartmouth houses over 3,300 students on campus.</p>
<p>
[/quote]
</p>
<p>i know i don't post often, but i've been following this thread closely. now that i've decided that i'm definitely going to dartmouth (!!!), i just wanted to say thanks for this informative thread.</p>
<p>so it seems as if people think its not too bad to have a "high gpa." does this apply to the sciences (i.e. pre-med people)?</p>
<p>gracias</p>
<p>if you dont party too much, will you be isolated? When I visited campus pn a weekend, everyone was partying so hard...</p>
<p>you don't have to party too hard to be mainstream. i have a ton of friends who either don't party at all and just hang out (there are a ton of college-sponsored extracurriculars) or who go to frats and just don't drink. dartmouth is less party-oriented and more people-oriented. the causality goes one way - people drink a lot because it makes hanging out more fun. they don't hang out because they like to drink. if you're a socially awkward person, regardless of whether or not you drink, you're going to have a slightly more difficult time at dartmouth than most. if you're very socially capable, you won't have a problem at all. in fact, you may even have a better time - if you can accomplish your social goals through your personality alone (without the aid of alcohol), you're at a substantial social advantage to your (drunk) peers.</p>
<p>The administration sucks. That's pretty much the answer.</p>
<p>you sort of mentioned this before, but it is social-suicide to apply for substance-free housing? like if the frat scene is entirely not my favorite place to hang out even without drinking, would I be lonely and bored out of my mind at Dartmouth?</p>
<p>
[quote]
if the frat scene is entirely not my favorite place to hang out even without drinking, would I be lonely and bored out of my mind at Dartmouth?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>No, there's always stuff to do on Campus. Programming Board is always has something planned, clubs organize events every day of the week, you can go for dinner and a movie in Hanover, or just do random stuff with friends.</p>
<p>You can go to dance parties at frats without drinking. The dancing usually happens on the first floor, while the bar and beer pong is in the basement (there are a few frats who hold dance parties in their basement though).</p>
<p>Going to school in the city:
Broadway shows - They cost $$$, and you'll only want to go a few times.
Shopping - You can only shop so often...
Bar Hopping - You'll need a fake ID, a good one, or you'll be left to going to bars that don't card. Bar hopping is really expensive.
Clubbing - You'll be spending $$ if you're a guy. Girls usually have to pay too.
More restaurants - Hanover has decent restaurants in the area. For anything fancier, you'll be spending $$$ in the city.
Museums - only worth visiting once. </p>
<p>Going to Dartmouth:
Movies/Shows - $4 for movies Downtown, usually $5 for shows at the Hop.
Shopping - You'll probably have to take the bus to Boston, or to Lebanon at least, to do any serious shopping. There is a Gap, and a few other clothing stores in Hanover though.
Frats - FREE beer, drinks, and parties.
Restaurants - Hanover has quite a few restaurants - Canoe Club, Daniel Webster Room/Zlin's Bistro, Jesse's Steak house, Molly's, Murphy's on the Green, 5 Olde Nugget Alley, The Orient, Jewel of India, India Queen, Everything but Anchovies, C & A's Pizza, Ramunto's, Carpaccio, Dirt Cowboy Cafe, Subway's, Quizno's, Boloco's. There's also a Ben and Jerry's.
Museums - Hanover doesn't have a decent museum (the Hood Museum is tiny). Go to Boston on the weekends whenever you really want to visit a museum.</p>
<p>can anyone answer the cliquey question?</p>
<p>also, is it true that the freshmen get the nicest dorms because dartmouth doesn't want people to transfer out? I heard this from a current student when I was at dimensions last week.</p>
<p>
[quote]
can anyone answer the cliquey question?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>As freshmen, everyone is chummy because they are trying to get to know everyone and find people that they have things in common with. After freshman year, your circles will pretty much be cemented, and you will mostly hang out with other people from your fraternity/club in which you are heavily involved/whatever and also scattered friends from freshman year that you liked enough to continue hanging out with. You'll still be meeting new people, either through joining new clubs or through new members joining your fraternity/club, but generally people will start to judge you on your usefulness to them more than anything. But I mean it's like that an every elite college.</p>
<p>
[quote]
also, is it true that the freshmen get the nicest dorms because dartmouth doesn't want people to transfer out? I heard this from a current student when I was at dimensions last week.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Did you hear this from a '10? The range of dorms freshman can be placed into run the gamut from the freshmen-only Choates and River, where the rooms aren't bad compared to dorms at some other schools but are considered some of the smallest on campus, to all the way through like the Gold Coast dorms, which are pretty nice and tend to have some of the biggest rooms on campus. Freshmen can also live in East Wheelock which have the best rooms on campus (not counting the new dorms because I don't know anything about them) but of course you have to apply to live there. So, you could get an amazing room as a freshman or you could get a hovel in the River (which also happens to be a 10 minute walk to most of the rest of campus). Conclusion: no, I don't think they are trying to trick people into staying, although I suppose I must add that I wouldn't put anything past the Wright Administration. Dartmouth stands on its own merits and we wouldn't need to resort to things like this.</p>