<p>I applied ED Dartmouth and was deferred. Approximately a week before decisions came out in December there was a lot of activity surrounding my application with admissions people calling my college counselor. I recently realized that my family knows three Dartmouth alumni (one is my aunt, the other two have have given significant amount of money to Dartmouth). All are willing to write something to Dartmouth. Additionally, I am taking the SAT Subject Tests again and am hoping to get higher scores that I can send them in January. </p>
<p>This is my dilemma: </p>
<p>Northwestern is one of my other top choices. I know someone on the board of trustees who would be willing to advocate for me for Northwestern. I am almost positive that if I were to accept their help, I would be accepted. If I accept their help, I have to commit to attending Northwestern if I am accepted. </p>
<p>Here is my problem. I think I have a decent shot at Northwestern without the help of anyone, however admissions are so competitive these days that it is hard to know (especially because they accepted half of their incoming class through early decision). I have no idea what my chances are at Dartmouth even with the help of former alums, they accept a small percentage of deferred applicants. </p>
<p>Should I accept the Northwestern help or place my bets on Dartmouth? </p>
<p>I don’t think either school is significantly enough better than the other to warrant there being much of a dilemma over this. Go with whichever option you’d be happier with. If you think you’d enjoy your time at Northwestern, take that. If not, go with Dartmouth. In my opinion both schools are good enough and neither of them will offer immense benefits that the other wouldn’t. Unless you’re planning on doing engineering (in which case Northwestern is the obvious choice in my opinion), they’re both about equal in most regards, without considering minor differences.</p>
<p>IMHO if you really think you have a decent shot at NW RD with no help, then why don’t you wait and see how it all shakes out it March? Go wherever wants you more(and I’m assuming financially you’re fine with either). But also, just if you plan on ending up East Coast, Dartmouth has a bigger brand than Northwestern…just from what I’ve seen, no judgement on either school I myself am considering applying to both! :)</p>
<p>I think I have a decent shot because I’m strong statistically, and don’t have major weaknesses in application. Having said that, I’m nervous about waiting and seeing how it shakes out because it is extremely competitive and it’s hard to know with schools as selective as Northwestern. I’m just worried I’ll go all in on Dartmouth, and then neither Dartmouth nor Northwestern will pan out. I am obviously applying to other schools, but none that I am as committed to as those two. @Govgirl </p>
<p>The RD round seems to be much more of a crapshoot at NU (and likely elsewhere). I see high stats kids get in but I also see high stats kids denied from NU in RD, so having high stats doesn’t mean all that much in the RD round. These days, having strong stats and no weaknesses isn’t enough; you pretty much need a hook to have a strong shot in the RD round.</p>
<p>And while Dartmouth has a stronger brand in the Northeast, NU has a stronger brand in the Midwest.</p>
<p>Why do you value Dartmouth and NU? Why Dartmouth more than NU? How much more? What are your plans/goals in college and life? How much would you regret not going to Dartmouth if you go to NU and why? Also, are the big donors to Dartmouth willing to use their “bullets” for you? Would Dartmouth adcoms even listen to them (unless someone is single-handedly keeping a school alive, a college isn’t going to hand that someone unlimited free entrance passes to their school).</p>
<p>Thank you for the help everyone. It’s pretty clear to me that it would be foolish to place bets on Dartmouth while Northwestern is an incredible school and I would be lucky to go there. </p>
<p>They are two very different schools with very different student populations. (BTW, my daughter was admitted to Dartmouth but wait listed at NU, where she was admitted and attended, so you never know.)</p>
<p>Dartmouth utilizes all four terms that they offer, they expect you to attend the summer term after your sophomore year and take a different quarter off sometime in your sophomore or junior year so that you are not attending school for two straight years. They also believe in study abroad which would take you off campus for another term or two. Our tour guide hated that about the school - he said it’s very hard to make and keep friends because no one is around for a full September to June.</p>
<p>NU is on a quarter system also but the summer is not as mandatory as at Dartmouth, my daughter never spent a summer in class there. NU has a much larger student population with a greater diversity of students because of the majors they offer. They also have a large sports program which may be a plus or minus to you. </p>
<p>These are two very different environments, which would you prefer?</p>
<p>Well I am curious, what was the flurry of phone calls with your GC and Dartmouth all about anyway? Isn’t that germaine to the discussion? Also, did you list your aunt as a relative who attended? I doubt that counts as legacy but it is something. I don’t think they want letters from family. If the other people want to advocate on your behalf fine, let them call the development office on their own.</p>
<p>btw, I know someone who loved the D-plan so it is a personal thing.</p>
<p>Frankly the notion of someone here or there advocating for you there or here is not the basis of getting accepted to either college. Many applicants and parents of applicants would find that kind of gamesmanship appalling. Accept any help that’s offered, making sure that it won’t work against you. Keep in mind that it might. That said how can you really be sure that the proposed advocacy is real. In any case apply to both colleges. If you get accepted to both pick the one you like best without any consideration to the alleged advocacy for you. And if you don’t get accepted to both the problem is solved for you, hopefully in a positive way.</p>
<p>Well if you have three alumni members vouching for you, and your statistically pretty strong you can definitely get in, so when it comes down to it, it’s about what college you prefer over the other- I would see if you get into Dartmouth first though</p>
<p>I’m with @PurpleTitan on this one. What many people just don’t seem to understand – although it is a simple and reasonable concept – is not all alumni/legacy “hooks” are remotely equal . . . a few will be quite beneficial, while most are essentially meaningless. Let’s presume, just for a moment, that the OP’s three Dartmouth alumni advocates have devoted great time, talent, and treasury to the College’s advancement throughout the last three decades (one was an Alumni Association VP, another led his class’ twenty-fifth reunion fund raising activities that were remarkably successful, and the third is the current President of Dartmouth’s Boston alumni group). They have earned substantial influence on campus and their recommendations will be important. However, the “typical alum” who occasionally provides a small donation, attends a few events annually, has never been involved in institutional oversight or governance, in alumni leadership, in fund raising, in working with the faculty, in providing career advantages to undergraduates (and so forth) is plainly not going to be a significant admissions factor. </p>
My aunt was not listed on the common application. The flurry a week before decisions came out was that they wanted more information about my main extracurricular activity and wanted updated grades from this semester.
I doubt that anything from my Aunt would have much weight on my application. However, I am aware that the other two have donated significant money to the school over the last few years, and am hopeful that maybe that would give me the extra push that I need.