<p>Hi. I am trying to decide between these two schools. They seem like apples and oranges, but they are both similar in the fact that they have strong focuses on undergraduates and have strong senses of community. If given the option, which school would you choose and why?</p>
<p>P.S. I've posted this in a few forums because I want to hear as many opinions as possible. I'm so torn!</p>
<p>Dartmouth without even giving it a second thought.</p>
<p>Have a son at Dartmouth and a daughter at Rice, who chose Rice over Dartmouth, Cornell, Harvard, Brown, Williams, Amherst, Duke, Stanford, etc. She chose Rice because of the love shown- trustee distinguished scholarship and century scholar scholarship and research mentorship, even though Dartmouth did a nice job with a likely letter. Frankly, we wanted her to go to Dartmouth, which we think is the best undergraduate environment in the country- but the fit isn’t for everyone. That said, she loves Rice and will graduate a year early with a 4.04 and loads of research on her resume. We think she made the right decision and we are happy she went there- saved us some money too.</p>
<p>Rice is very similar in size but the environment is quite a bit diffferent- in a sense Hanover and West Lebannon offer what Rice Village offers, but one is in the South and in a major suburban environment and the other is in a picturesque, but small, New England setting. Rice is an oasis campus in a metropolitan area, Dartmouth is entwined in a quaint and small New England town. Houston ranks as a top urban city in which to live and work, Hanover ranks as a top place to live. Both have strong alumni networks in certain regions.</p>
<p>Rice has equivalent education rankings in some areas, but I would say Dartmouth likely ranks higher in more areas. My understanding is that Rice is recognized in the East by those who matter, though Dartmouth is likely more recognized. If you are from the West or Texas, I think Rice could be more recognized than Dartmouth.</p>
<p>Its all about the fit!</p>
<p>DCU, if you can relate more to these things and don’t mind being cold a lot of the year (you do get use to it), go to Dartmouth-- if not, Rice (ps, you can’t go wrong with either academically, but the fit does really matter):</p>
<ol>
<li>Best undergraduate focused Ivy</li>
<li>Laid back student body </li>
<li>Hanover ranking as 2nd best place to live</li>
<li>Tuck Bridge Program</li>
<li>Would prefer to vist a city, than live there</li>
<li>This: <a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube; </li>
<li>Absence of the cut-throat environment you might see at the other ivies (basically reiterates #2)</li>
<li>Top IR program </li>
<li>GREEN KEY!!! </li>
<li>School spirit – everyone is GENUINELY friendly and really want you to go there. When I visited during Dimensions, every single person I met there really encouraged me to come, unlike at other schools where most current students just ignored us. </li>
<li>Perfect size – I was worrying that Dartmouth would be too big for me, but it turned out to be the perfect size. This depends on person to person though. But I like small classes. Two of the three classes I visited only had 8-11 people in it. </li>
<li>Undergraduate focus – the only Ivy that is a “college”! I really like the fact that there aren’t almost any TA’s teaching the classes, whereas in other big universities I would frequently be taught by a TA. </li>
<li>Diverse – Unlike public stereotypes, Dartmouth is pretty damn diverse, more so than many other small liberal arts colleges I’ve seen. I like that. </li>
<li>Reputedly a very strong alumni network – well, i haven’t been able to confirm this yet, but apparently Dartmouth has one of the strongest alumni networks. Here I come, jobs. </li>
<li>Social scene – yea, sure, the frats are a major part of it, but no means are they all of it. And all the frats/sororities are very open, and the pressure to drink is apparently much less than it is stereotyped in public. </li>
<li>Fun in the Snow</li>
<li>Dartmouth Coach</li>
<li>Greet on campus food, and off campus too</li>
<li>Student satisfaction rankings on that ranking site highest of any other school</li>
<li>The Outing Club</li>
<li>The Appalachian Trail runs through campus- all the trails, cabins, etc for students throughout New Hampshire- Dartmouth is the largest private property owner in NH.</li>
<li>Winter Carnival</li>
<li>Sophomore Summer</li>
<li>Quechee, VT, and Simon Pierce - check it out for dinner or lunch</li>
<li>Benny & Jerry’s headquarters/factory- T shirts and ice cream-- photo opps</li>
<li>According to Wallstreet Journal, highest compensation rankings of all schools after 10 years.</li>
<li>Some prefer green blood to red</li>
<li>Everything is right there- bikes are nice, but things are really close</li>
<li>Being viewed by HYP as inferior, but knowing 26 and that your happier because of all the rest and just smiling.</li>
<li>The golf course, including its use in the Winter ;-)</li>
<li>The SkiWay</li>
<li>The Green and Baker Library- see 6 above</li>
<li>Keggy the Keg : Keggy the Keg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</li>
<li>Occom Pond</li>
<li>Taking the Dartmouth Coach to Boston to see Dave Matthews at Fenway, but not living in Boston</li>
<li>Weekends in Montreal, but not living there</li>
<li>Skiing or boarding at Okemo, Vt.</li>
<li>Visiting Stowe or Burlington, Vt.- Ben & Jerry’s is half way</li>
<li>Maple syrup and cheddar cheese</li>
</ol>