Columbia vs. Dartmouth

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
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<p>Hey guys! I got in RD to Columbia, Dartmouth, UPenn, and Duke. Right now, I'm really considering Columbia and Dartmouth cuz they were my top choices after Yale (deferred then rejected, but it's all good). I'm having trouble making the decision, and while I plan on attending both Dimensions and Columbia's April 11-12 accepted students days, I was wondering if you guys could help me out. </p>

<p>One of the biggest things that draws me to Dartmouth is the tradition and community that comes with being in Hanover, but at the same time, I don't think I can be a frat boy. That being said, I've attended a small, predominantly white private school in suburban, central New Jersey practically my whole life. Obviously I'm no stranger to the city, but I don't know if living in the city is right for me.</p>

<p>So what do you guys think? Any comments or suggestions are more than welcome and appreciated. At the same time, if you guys could comment on Columbia school spirit/sense of community and tradition, it'd be much appreciated. I'm coming from a school where school spirit is lacking, and I'm looking for a place to go where people are proud to be where they are and enjoy their time on campus.</p>

<p>Ok, end of my babbling. Thanks again in advance!</p>

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<p>if you need school spirit, as in pep rallies & great turnouts at games, I’d recommend dartmouth over columbia.</p>

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<p>Dartmouth has good school spirit, but I disagree that Columbia does not, if you go to our basketball games, fencing games, debate tournaments, dance competitions, talk to people about their experiences here, you’ll find a lot of school spirit. Columbia students in general have high standards, expect a lot and are ready to criticize (and make fun of) any deficiency they see with Columbia or with others around them. So you rarely see people bouncing around telling you how much they are in love with their experience, but people here are proud they go to Columbia, as a senior, despite some disappointments and many hiccups, I wouldn’t have it any other way.</p>

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<p>If you’re looking for community and school spirit, the middle of a city is not a place where you are likely to find it. Dartmouth would definitely have more school spirit and a better sense of community.</p>

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<p>WARNING! trf1021 is a Columbia waitlistee who is trying to get accepted students to turn down Columbia so that he is more likely to get admitted, he was rejected at a bunch of different ivies and Columbia’s probably the best he has left:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/896071-ivy-selective-school-rd-results-2014-comparison-summary-3.html#post1064496857[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/896071-ivy-selective-school-rd-results-2014-comparison-summary-3.html#post1064496857&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/yale-university/894258-official-yale-class-2014-rd-results-thread-3.html#post1064496778[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/yale-university/894258-official-yale-class-2014-rd-results-thread-3.html#post1064496778&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>a direct quote: "if you know anyone who got into Columbia, TELL THEM NOT TO GO! "</p>

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<p>^He is more or less right though. DMouth is a place for drunken bros and ibankers who love each other (and their buttholes).</p>

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<p>^ I disagree, I know many dartmouth kids who like it there, but aren’t drunken bros or i-bankers and thus are not crazy about their school (read: does not want to be a frat boy). It is convenient stereotyping to say that you cannot find school spirit in the middle of the city. On the contrary, Columbia’s location adds to campus, keeps people happier, allows people to seize niche opportunities for their job interests and offers a huge array of entertainment options, even on a low budget. The campus is still however separated from the city and brings people together - and here my point: while Columbia is located in the middle of a massive, vibrant city, being on campus simply doesn’t feel like this (as opposed to an NYU type school), campus is a cocoon with tranquility and the usual college antics.</p>

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<p>confidentialcoll, thank you for your response. But could you please elaborate on that portion of your previous post? People running around and complaining about the deficiencies in their school isn’t really what I’m looking for, unless I’m misinterpreting what you’re saying.</p>

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<p>Haha confidentialcoll, you got me. If you really want my honest opinion, I would choose Columbia, but only because it’s a better school for me.</p>

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<p>come to columbia!
[YouTube</a> - Columbia University!](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZG7gThoGME]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZG7gThoGME)</p>

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<p>My best buddy goes to Dartmouth, and when he came down and me at Columbia and visited over Thanksgiving, he realized how much he was missing up in Hanover.</p>

<p>As for school spirit, you can always find it anywhere you go. I’m a freshman year and I got to chill with Roar-ee, our mascot during our Homecoming game. Just like confidentialcoll said, come to any event and you’re bound to see school spirit. </p>

<p>I went to the Princeton vs. Columbia football game last semester at Princeton worried I was going to be the only one with face/body paint. Not true.</p>

<p>If you really want school spirit, i suggest you join the marching band. They are absolutely overflowing with spirit.</p>

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<p>Keep in mind the reason why Dartmouth might have more of a community feel is the fact that there’s not much else to do in a small down besides aggregate with what makes up the majority of your age group in the area. Trust me, I’m from a small town. There’s definitely a lot of community to be had at Columbia to. I walk past the dorms a lot and I always see big groups of kids in the lounges hanging out, studying together, etc. Now that the weather has gotten better I can barely walk through campus there are so many people hanging out outside.</p>

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<p>I transferred from Columbia to Dartmouth. It was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. The undergrad experience at Dartmouth is so much more tightknit. I think Columbia is right for some people, but Dartmouth was just a much more powerful experience for me. Feel free to ask me any questions.</p>

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<p>all I’m saying is that people are ready to be critical of their alma, which keeps the college on it’s toes and is often refreshing, because you feel people are genuine. Some people will definitely prefer Dartmouth, I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t, slipper1234 clearly did, but you can see the perspectives go both ways, one is not all out superior to the other, just suit different people differently.</p>

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<p>You might have some trouble at Dartmouth if you aren’t ready to embrace your inner drunken fratboy, from what I hear.</p>

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<p>Dartmouth is “fratty” in an Ivy league way. Which means everyone is invited/ attends to every party, the whole campus hangs out together, and its incredibly friendly and intellectual. Its not Auburn.</p>

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<p>You should first go visit and THEN if you still have doubts look through the thread. Everyone here can tell you a lot of things about both colleges but in the end you need to go the place where it clicks for you. so i suggest you visit both first without a biased mind and then think about which one u like more.</p>

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<p>I realize this thread is pretty much dead, but if you’re looking for a community, then I highly suggest putting Duke back into the mix. If this is the biggest factor, then I would recommend at least coming down for Blue Devil Days before making a decision. All it would cost is a plane ticket and a bit of your time, and worst comes to worst you don’t enroll but know that it wasn’t the right choice for you. With that said, here are my reasons for Duke:</p>

<p>1) Community- obviously important to you. It was very important to me. Though it may harm my argument, I applied ED to Dartmouth because I loved the small community. However, when I came and visited Duke, I found an equally close group that rallied around both intellectual prowess and sports. It made my decision easier to come here.</p>

<p>2) Campus- Dartmouth has a smaller campus that I think is great, but the beauty and layout of Duke’s trumps it without question. As a freshmen, I was incredibly excited about having a freshman campus to myself where I could form bonds with other members of my class. In ending freshmen year, I can honestly say I had both an amazing experience and that I wish I could maintain this setup. </p>

<p>3) Weather- significantly nicer than the northeast. Milder winter, earlier spring, later fall, and warmer summers make Duke a better fit for me. I enjoy relaxing on the quad, and with the weather it is more accessible for more of the year. In looking back on my ED app to Dartmouth, I am so glad that I didn’t get in, because I absolutely loathe the cold. I personally would not have enjoyed that experience, though yours may be different.</p>

<p>4) Sports- big factor for me, as I am a major sports fan. The community involvement rallying around the teams is incredible. My best memory of this year is of us winning the title. As Hayword’s shot missed, the entire arena stormed the court and went nuts. Unbelievable experience. Basketball, football, and soccer are some of the most fun events to attend. It really unites the school.</p>

<p>5) Academics- I honestly think Duke is on par with an Ivy League education. Not much more I can say that won’t cause debate, but I think the curriculum here is top notch. </p>

<p>Ultimately I found happiness in coming to Duke. While it is defined as a “fratty” place like Dartmouth, you do not have to get caught up in the culture. There is no harm in visiting, and if you are even considering it slightly I would recommend visiting. I remember looking at Chicago, despite the fact that I had almost already ruled it out, and I am glad I did, because in doing so I gained a new respect for the school and realized that it just wasn’t for me.</p>

<p>Best of luck with your decision.</p>

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<p>i had a great talk today with an alumnus from the 70s. and he said something rather poignant.</p>

<p>the similarities between a duke, dartmouth or in fact most of those other schools that populate the tier are far greater than their differences. they are all top notch academically, have beautiful campuses, great resources, etc.</p>

<p>ultimately you could choose any of the two and receive great experiences, you’ll come out loving your school, but you could replace your degree name and not be very different.</p>

<p>columbia among this lot is truly different and unmistakably so. the city education raises a dimension to your collegiate experience that is unpredictable and exciting. the way the university complements and supplements the city (in part it is perhaps the most intellectual of its eastern peers, and the most committed to real world education) feeds into your educational and personal experience (it is home to future academics and future practitioners in the same breath) adding to the sense of diversity featured on campus. it is somewhere that will never bore you, and if it is - take the subway somewhere and you’ll find something that will surprise you, something you will see for the first time. </p>

<p>lovely things that andy has said of duke, and certainly consider it. but there is in a sense it is a story that has been crammed down our throats since we first heard of college. in fact it is the narrow expectation of the familiar that makes a lot of universities nice places to attend, but rarely transformative.</p>

<p>ultimately if you desire something, different, unique and (dare i say better), columbia is frankly the only one that could offer that.</p>

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<p>Admissiongeek I went to Columbia and transferred to Dartmouth. In my opinion at the undergraduate level I thought the Dartmouth experience was far better (for me at least). You have the rest of your life to live in cities, getting to know 4000 bright students with very committed teaching and access to grants etc (plus the amazing international programs and internship access due to the D plan) is a huge edge. Columbia is a great school but realize that the “excitement” of the city comes at the expense of the undergraduate experience.</p>

<p>Dartmouth is very different than Duke, its much more LAC-like. I don’t think you can paint the schools over with the same brush.</p>