<p>see title.</p>
<p>Any tips for making your course schedule for freshman fall? What are some good courses to take, best times to take courses, etc. How do you make the best possible freshman fall schedule is basically what I’m asking. Also, can you give a few tips on navigating the social scene during freshman fall? Thanks.</p>
<p>I guess to piggyback off what was said above, which classes at Dartmouth would you recommend people try to avoid?</p>
<p>I also have a question about the social scene - is the stereotype that Dartmouth is an extensively heavy party and drinking school true?</p>
<p>For your freshman fall course schedule, a lot of people will tell you not to take a lab course, but the truth is, the lab is generally the easiest part of most of your introductory science courses; the only annoying thing about labs are the 3-6 hour time commitments they entail. If you’re going into biology or a biology related field, you can go ahead and take Bio 11 which is a prerequisite to basically every useful biology course and also doesn’t have a lab. I think starting with the 16s, no one can test out of writing 5 (freshman writing essentially) and go directly into first year writing seminar, so I’d knock that out as quickly as you can (not everyone will be able to get into writing 5 in the fall, so some of you will inevitably end up taking it in the winter). Basically don’t kill yourself with ridiculous time commitments (ie two labs + a language drill) but definitely start to work in the direction of your major or professional interested if you know what you want to do. If you give me an idea of what you’re interested in, I can give more specific recommendations. </p>
<p>Avoid Math 8 like the plague if you can. Math 8 is the rough equivalent of BC Calculus and it is known, even by math majors, as the hardest math course offered at Dartmouth. If you can test out of it by getting a 5 (maybe a 4 too, not really sure) on BC Calc, do so or if you don’t have to take it for your major (Physics, Engineering, Math, maybe Chem) just don’t.</p>
<p>Do you know if there’s a way to start looking into this now, or are we basically going to have to wait until orientation? I haven’t been able to find much on actual courses, and department websites can get kind of overwhelming.</p>
<p>And thanks for the info, by the way. Much appreciated!</p>
<p>What math course would you recommend taking then? I got a 5 on BC, but I was still planning on taking math 8. I didn’t want to jump to the next step and have the material possibly be over my head. Any recommendations? I really want to take a math course. Thanks.</p>
<p>@collegebound0411</p>
<p>here is a link to the course prospectus. it’s easy to use, and it should give you an idea of what courses are offered and when they are offered.</p>
<p><a href=“http://oracle-www.dartmouth.edu/dart/groucho/prospectus.main[/url]”>http://oracle-www.dartmouth.edu/dart/groucho/prospectus.main</a></p>
<p>as far as what courses are best for freshman fall, my biggest recommendation is to check the class median. there isn’t a wrong course to take. the only time when course selection truly matters is pledge term.</p>
<p>i’ll answer your social life question in the same answer as Calvin’s question.</p>
<p>@1994sunsfan</p>
<p>the one course that everyone tries to avoid is taking orgo at dartmouth. it’s ridiculously hard. i’m not pre-med, but that’s what the general consensus is. there are a lot of courses that require planning because they are incredibly hard, but there really isn’t a course that you should avoid taking. regarding what was said about math 8, it’s hard, but manageable. i’d say that you shouldn’t avoid taking it. just take it in the winter.</p>
<p>@calvinTBOD</p>
<p>i’d say that the stereotype is spot on. there’s very much a work hard, play hard mentality on campus. social life revolves around greek life, though there are alternatives. a few teams have off-campus houses where they throw parties or just chill, and there are school-hosted parties for those that don’t drink. if those aren’t for you, just go out and don’t drink; no one is going to force you to drink. you can play pong with water. no one will judge you.</p>
<p>coming back to adjusting to social life, i won’t give you the stereotypical description of each and every fraternity (it’s up to you to decide where you like to hang out and which house you fit in with the most), but i will give you a few bits of advice. don’t be shy; when you go to a fraternity, talk to the brothers. they’re usually nice guys and are more than willing to answer any questions that you have/talk to you about whatever. if you want to get on table (play pong), introduce yourself to a brother that is on table and ask what the line is. next means you’re next, 2s comes after next, and so on. if it’s your first game and you don’t know the rules, tell the people that you’re playing against. they will teach you.</p>
<p>for fall term, your social life usually revolves around your floor, so get to know your floormates. they are your family until you meet more people.</p>
<p>the biggest piece of advice i have for adjusting to the dartmouth social scene is BE YOURSELF. nobody wants you to be anyone else. people will accept you for you, and you will find friends.</p>
<p>@1994sunsfan: see the link in the first answer. here’s another that will also help:</p>
<p>[Course</a> Guide | Student Assembly Online](<a href=“http://hacktown.cs.dartmouth.edu/gudru/]Course”>http://hacktown.cs.dartmouth.edu/gudru/)</p>
<p>@collegebound0411: i got a 5 on BC too, but i never submitted my ap results form my senior year, so i just took math 3 (which is still hard because the math 3 prof sucks). you can still take math 8; just because you test out of something doesn’t mean that you can’t take it.</p>
<p>@collegebound0411</p>
<p>I took Math 11 after having taken calc BC senior year(multivariable calculus optimized for people coming with math AP credit) in the fall and it was completely manageable, even though half of my classmates had already had some form of multivariable in high school. I believe the median was an A- and although there was a decent amount of work with problem sets and homework, the tests weren’t terrible and as long as you prepare for them and are reasonably okay at math, you’ll do perfectly fine. My roommate and a few of my friends took Math 3 with mixed results. A few people thought it was really easy and a few thought the tests were unfairly difficult, so I’d say it’s really a hit or miss thing. I don’t think you’d regret taking math 11 if you really want to take a math course. </p>
<p>The deal with orgo is that there’s no way around taking it if you are pre-med or going into a biology/chemistry related field/grad school, but there’s no reason to take it if you’re not. Some people take orgo over the summer at Harvard between their freshman and sophomore years, but it’s very fast (10 weeks for both terms combined) and I believe it’s two labs a week and sometimes people don’t get out until 1 am. I was considering doing that this summer, but I eventually decided on doing a research internship. Orgo at Dartmouth is rigorous and thorough and obviously difficult, but such thoroughness means that if you are pre-med, you’ll probably have less studying to do for the MCAT’s orgo sections which is always nice.</p>
<p>Two last questions I’d like to ask:</p>
<p>The first is probably pretty stupid, but do you always have to take courses in order by number? Obviously I’d expect you would in math, but is it possible to take say a biology class on ecology before one on molecular biology? </p>
<p>Also, what is it like when you’re actually picking classes? Do you have all of orientation week to decide, and is there just a counselor to help you pick? How did you really go about choosing?</p>
<p>@1994sunsfan</p>
<p>you don’t have to take courses in order, though some do have prerequisites. for instance, econ 10 requires that you have completed econ 1 and math 3, but you can take any course in the econ major other than econ 20 before econ 10.</p>
<p>and i never talked to my counselor at all. i looked up courses myself and picked them based on distrib and major requirements and class time. next term i’ll have a 10, 11, and a 2, and my classes are earth science 6, russian 13, and econ 22 (first two are for distribs, and they’re layups, and the last is for my major, and also isn’t too hard). i’m taking an easier schedule because i’ll be pledging a house that has one of the hardest pledge terms on campus, so i wanted my schedule to be relatively easy.</p>
<p>I see. Well, thanks for taking the time to do this!</p>
<p>So, I have a question about the party scene. I love Dartmouth. The campus is the most beautiful I have ever seen, and it feels like a place I would be happy at. My question is though about parties/greek life. </p>
<p>I’m definitely not opposed to partying. In fact, I love partying, but I still have days when I just want peace and quiet to study. I also have no intention to joining a fraternity, though I do plan on going to parties here in there. Will not being in a fraternity make my social life suck at Dartmouth, or is there no split between Greeks and non-greeks?</p>
<p>How difficult is it to get “off campus” - to a bigger city or on a trip? Do most kids stay on campus all the time and are there enough activities to tide you over? Does Dartmouth feel like too much of a ‘bubble’ or are there opportunities to get out into the surrounding communities?</p>
<p>@cmarshall497:</p>
<p>there is not a major split between greeks and non-greeks; all parties (with the exception of semi-formals and formals) are open to all, and the fraternities are incredibly inclusive.</p>
<p>greek life does dominate social life. but you can experience it without being affiliated, and i promise that your social life won’t suck if you aren’t in a frat, but be open to it. don’t close doors before you have experienced actually being on campus.</p>
<p>@harborceal</p>
<p>it’s not difficult to get “off campus” at all. the dartmouth coach runs to boston and new york, and the programming board puts trips together to toronto. </p>
<p>i’d say that most kids do stay on campus for the vast majority of weekends in term, but i’d say that there is enough activity on the fridays, saturdays, and sundays to the point that i never felt bored or restless, though the winter months do get grim. </p>
<p>it does feel like a bubble though. there are opportunities to get out into the surrounding communities. i know that there are several organizations that make conscious efforts to do it, and my friend was heavily involved in a big brother/big sister program in the surrounding area, and she loved it.</p>
<p>@ivyeic</p>
<p>Would you say that Dartmouth would be a good place for people with undecided majors?</p>
<p>Also is there a lot of community service/social work that Dartmouth kids do in Hanover and the surrounding community?</p>
<p>@nahman</p>
<p>i think that dartmouth is a great place for undecideds. all of our departments are ranked pretty highly, and i truly think that you can’t go wrong. i came into dartmouth undecided as well.</p>
<p>i know that there are a lot of community service opportunities in the surrounding areas, but that’s not something that i am heavily involved in. you can look up community service opportunities on dartmouth’s website.</p>
<p>this is kind of a random question, but what do you wear to the parties at dartmouth? I’m talking about the casual frat parties. Do girls typically dress up, or would it be weird to come to a party in a sweater and jeans?</p>
<p>@sumobats</p>
<p>people wear whatever they want to parties. if there’s a theme, a lot of people will go all out. girls tend to be dressed casually, but put together.</p>
<p>Hi there,</p>
<p>Are there any mesh-like screens (against mosquitoes and such) in the windows of east wheelock?</p>
<p>Also how much does it cost to use the washing machine and dryer? Are there ironing boards available for student use? Is toilet paper, paper towel and handsoap provided in semi-private bathrooms or do you have to purchase these items yourself?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>