Dartmouth v Davis

College Search & Selection
1

I was completely set on going to Davis for two years now and was ecstatic when I received my acceptance, however I just recently found out that I was accepted into Dartmouth. I know Dartmouth is an amazing school and ridiculously prestigious but i’m just worried that for my major, Davis might better. At Davis I planned to major in environmental policy analysis and planning, but since Dartmouth is a liberal arts school I will be under the more broad major of environmental science. I was concerned that because Davis is such a strong school in my major that I will loosing out on specialized teaching as well as opportunities working in policy making as Davis is so close to the capital. Yet on the other hand, Dartmouth holds an incredible amount of name recognition and could open up unexpected doors for me.
Another concern for me was that Davis seems to have an atmosphere that is more welcoming and inviting where Dartmouth is rather isolated. I’m a bit nervous at committing to a school in the middle of nowhere
Overall though my main question is whether it would be easier for me to succeed and get a job as a graduate from Dartmouth or Davis.

(financial aid to both school is relatively the same)

2

I worked in Yellowstone, which is probably the most influential national park in the world. The people who set the internal park policy by and large did not major in environmental policy in college. While this is only one data point, I’m inclined to believe that their experiences of getting into policy after doing other things are fairly typical. Besides, it’s not as if an ES major can’t take relevant economics and policy related courses.

FWIW, the Dartmouth D plan is outstanding for environmental studies. I would take Dartmouth in a heartbeat, but then again, I don’t mind living in rural areas.

3

With respect, I believe you’d be very foolish to attend UCD, instead of Dartmouth, presuming the finances for each are acceptable.

4

Indeed. If finances aren’t an issue (a big question), it does not make sense to turn down Dartmouth. You’ll find possibilities that you didn’t know about there.