<p>My daughter is very interested in Dartmouth, but I am concerned about the negatives I've heard about the place since we visited. </p>
<p>It sounds like the only social life there is frat parties, which to me isn't healthy when it's the only alternative.</p>
<p>Can a student thrive at this college without depending on fraternities for a social life?
If a student chooses not to be involved in the Greek society, can they still experience a normal life or do they tend to be viewed as a pariah?</p>
<p>I can understand your concern, but this topic has been discussed here repeatedly. Look at some of the other threads. People find many other ways to socialize, notably the DOC, which is a lively scene all by itself. While it is true that frats provide the dominant social scene for most kids, one does not have to JOIN a frat or a sorority to participate. The parties are open to all. The level of participation is up to the student. They don’t have to hang out on Webster Avenue every weekend. And all frats are not the same. If your D does not like the jocks at one house, she might like the hipsters at another. There are also coed houses. The picture painted by Andrew Lohse does not apply to all of them.</p>
<p>I’m new here- didn’t realize the subject was already discussed- thanks for the response. makes me feel better.</p>
<p>Dartmouth tends to get singled out in the news media due to its Ivy status and Wall Street presence, but most of its frat issues revolve around drinking and drinking represents a major issue at many colleges in rural areas such as Amherst and Williams. Also, the drinking problem contributes to other problems like date rape etc. </p>
<p>When we visited Dartmouth, it was clear the frat culture was prevalent as, for example, the student guide bragged about Dartmouth being the model for Animal House. On the other hand, Dartmouth gets many amazing students from around the world, many of whom do not participate in the frat culture and so if you want to avoid that you can do so. Nevertheless, there still remains the issue of what to do for fun in Hanover (as with other small towns/rural areas) on Friday and Saturday evenings without drinking and this remains an issue that even an eclectic student body can not completely solve.</p>
<p>Also, sororities are not frats. All in all, Dartmouth is an amazing place, and I continue to be delighted with the education the young woman I am fortunate to have as my daughter has received.</p>
<p>I am completely impressed with my son’s (16) experience thus far. The college has met his needs at every turn. Social life choices are varied although the fraternities certainly are a big presence. The more mature and ready for independence a student is, the less of an issue fraternity life should be; in fact it is only upside. For the mature student making smart choices, Dartmouth is an incredible place.</p>
<p>Thanks for the great feed back! Since first posting I looked around and found a lot of highly informative posts addressing my original hesitation.</p>
<p>“Maturity of the student” is an excellent point- I believe her to be mature but I know she is socially inexperienced as she is painfully shy and has low self esteem, this is why I become a little concerned. She is a wallflower.</p>
<p>We both loved Dartmouth when we visited and one of the big things was the impresion we got that both the faculty and students were very supportive of all. If you get in, they want you to succeed.</p>