<p>hey guys, I'm applying to Dartmouth - RD :P</p>
<p>contacting you from the pleasant Southern California hehe :)
anyone else from around here?</p>
<p>Worst class ever.</p>
<p>Hi guys,</p>
<p>Instead of a line-by-line, here's a more personal response. I actually modified this from a PM I sent to someone. Here's my clearly subjective opinion, although I believe most would concur. </p>
<p>I personally transferred from Columbia to Dartmouth primarily because of overall feel of Columbia. Columbia is a terrific place in some regards, and at times can be beautiful (particularly in the summer/ early fall). Yet New York is a seriously intense city and with it Columbia is an intense school. Warmth and comfort is not on the agenda, it’s a sink or swim environment. Go stand in line at Kent Hall to meet the registrar and it feels like communist Russia. </p>
<p>Also, professors outside of the core are much harder to access. Its not an “intimate" academic environment,” in many ways it’s the opposite. Particuarly in the sciences, it is full of large lecture classes with harsh curves. </p>
<p>Columbia students are relatively intense and it’s a less social school than its Ivy peers. I also found that students are more judgmental and edgy, as opposed to friendly and warm. The New York nights are figuratively dark and at times the school feels like a ghost town. The dorms, similarly, are very quiet and rather anti-social. Even the library is totally quiet as opposed to many schools where there are vibrant 24-hr social areas in the library.</p>
<p>Dartmouth, on the other hand exudes warmth. While the Jocky culture exists, its easy to avoid and frankly its hardly dominant. There are so many amazingly friendly people on campus, and the culture is one of “loving Dartmouth.” Dartmouth goes out of its way to engender a feeling of family, from professors inviting you to their homes for dinner to regular alumni get-togethers when you graduate. Students tend to be work hard-play hard. The students are hilarious and fun, I can’t tell you how many ridiculous fun things I did when I was a student. Stuff like having a party at the river ranch during the summer with half the students jumping from the balcony into the water 50 feet below. Yet interestingly, I found also myself getting into far more intellectual conversations at Dartmouth. When its so beautiful outside it seems to encourage this. It’s a far warmer, friendlier, environment.</p>
<p>Dartmouth encourages you to grow. It makes grants easy to come by, makes study abroad commonplace (and its spectacular study abroad), and sophomore summer feels like a summer camp but for 20 year olds (even better.)</p>
<p>At Columbia I felt like they were taking my money and I was a number. I feel as if I owe Dartmouth something because quite frankly I cannot imagine a school doing more to help me grow personally.</p>
<p>Columbia does do somethings better. There are more classes available (i.e. Sanskrit) and people wanting to go into media or fashion can intern part-time. Also, I think Dartmouth can be socially competitive and preppy. Columbia tends to be more cliquey which is actually comforting to some. For example at Dartmouth all the Indians are less likely to form a big clique that only hangs out with each other. At Columbia this same clique is very sizable. This might actually be comforting for internationals assimilating into the US. I can see how more independent, intense, students might prefer Columbia. I also see how some internationals might prefer the school as well.</p>
<p>But in my personal opinion transferring to Dartmouth was the best decision I've ever made.</p>
<p>^ Bravo! Great post slipper :)</p>
<p><em>whimper</em> Just a week to go for SAT.</p>
<p>Do or die.</p>
<p>This chick is going for it ED! The prospect of skating on a NCAA Championship team was just too powerful of a draw with, of course, D's beautiful campus, sense of community, academics, etc. It nudged out Princeton and Williams. </p>
<p>By weeks end, all should be in including letters of recommendations and arts supplement. For me, it's been a huge logistics exercise, having attended three schools in four years. The essays were the easy part. Whew!!! </p>
<p>Best of luck to all!</p>
<p>^ three schools in 4 years?</p>
<p>Its 11 schools in 13 years for me :)</p>
<p>Thank you so much for this post, slipper. My d is on an official at d this weekend, and is trying to differentiate d, columbia, b and Y.</p>
<p>bleh! SAT tomorrow. dang!</p>
<p>Me!
East Asian
male
180cm</p>
<p>dartmouth ed!
how does the whole interview thing work? the dartmouth site isnt too clear about scheduling one..is it too late to sign up for interview offcampus if i do earlydecision?</p>
<p>no as long as you get it in by the november 1 deadline, you are eligible for an interview. </p>
<p>the sooner your app in though the better. i talked to an admissions lady the other day and she said that they will schedule an interview once they have your common app. if one thing is missing (like 1 rec or something) it's fine. as long as the main thing is in, they will put an interviewer in contact with you.</p>
<p>Hey fellow potential '12s.... check out this thread and tell me what you think:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=405280%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=405280</a></p>
<p>Jeez, pamplemoose. I knew I was a long shot at getting into Dartmouth, but you have put me into a whole other sphere of "unlikely".</p>
<p>whirlybird.... nobody wishes it weren't true more than me. I know exactly how you feel. There was a time when I was like.. okay I got awesome SAT scores, great AP scores, maintained a great GPA. ... Im feeling good... maybe I actually do have a shot at this dartmouth thing. Then.... I realized how it's going to be impossible to get in this year. Now, im totally like... getting in at this point would just be a fluke. I am kinda happy for Dartmouth tho.. they will probably start getting the notoriety they deserve, considering it's probably the best undergraduate school in the ivy league.</p>
<p>p.s.
I was almost considering calling that thread "Why were all gonna die on December 15")</p>
<p>^ Don't worry guys. There is nothing we can do about it. Apply and play along!</p>
<p>Welcome back pamplemoose ;)</p>
<p>Another ED applicant here... just got everything finalized and sent off! I'm sooo nervous though</p>
<p>Sent off? Siht I am sending my stuff tomorrow.</p>
<p>I guess I am the only RDer around.</p>
<p>Nooooo, I am doing RD as well. I am too much of a coward to commit to any one school this early in the game.</p>