<p>McBio, that is really some epic advice. HUGE props to you my man.</p>
<p>xforamenxmagnum, you weren't lucky. Dartmouth selected you for a reason, so savor the moment. Enjoy it. I wish I did so more - it seems like such a long time ago when I received my letter. You will be in such an amazing community at such an amazing school by the time next Fall rolls around, so get excited for that. You worked hard. So buy yourself a drink brother (or sister, or alien, or manbearskeleton and whathaveyounots!), and congratulations!</p>
<p>I was the only EDer to Dartmouth from my school and I got in.. two people I know from other schools were deferred.. and they were outstanding applicants, just unhooked. There's 12-15 people applying to Dartmouth RD from my school and 5 or 6 are absolutely positive that they will be attending this fall, despite the 0 likely letters. One of them has, not even kidding, a ~2.75 GPA, and she's the most confident of all.
Now, numbers aren't everything, but unless you have a 3.5+ (unweighted, I mean) and a SAT score that's at least in the ranges (for Dartmouth, that would be 2100-2400, roughly), you better be -outstanding- (nationally recognized, probably) in something to even consider yourself in contention for a spot in the class.</p>
<p>Of course, it also helps to have hooks. But, remember, schools like Dartmouth have to reject people that are outstanding, well-rounded, even hooked, because there's just too many applicants for too few spots.</p>
<p>So, is it easy to get in? Easier for some than others, sure, but it's not a school that you can ever have in your match-safety pile.</p>
<p>Yea, I agree with Lecaf Oz, the admission process is not luck. It is not like a machine reads your application and randomly says "accept" or "deny". People have to remember who you are after reading your application. You have to stand out. Uniqueness is key. Good luck to everyone!</p>