Hey Everyone!
I hope you all are doing well in this very difficult time. So my son was recently accepted to Dartmouth College; he has yet to commit to a school, so we wanted to know if anyone has experience with Dartmouth about it’s culture and environment. Please let us know the pros/cons and the benefit of an Ivy League education.
Thanks!
@arcanine384 Well, I’m a current freshman so I can address your concerns. An ivy league environment is wonderful. My peers are all intellectually motivated and passionate individuals, and because Dartmouth is undergrad focused most of my classes are small and we get close engagement with the professors and each other. And our professors are alll experts in their fields mostly with considerable professional experience. Interestingly, a number fo them are alumni who came back to their alma mater which just tells you the kind of school we are, creating a love for it in its students.
That’s not even including the vast amount of extracurricular and professional opportunities here. And again, because of our undergrad focus, research positions, funding and other resources are focused on undergrads. That’s the nature of this college.
As for cons, the only thing I can say would be academic rigor. You will have to work more outside of the classroom than before. Because your peers and profs are so highly accomplished, there are are higher expectations from your work. But in my opinion, being in a community like this, especially an undergrad focused one, is worth that.
Anyways, congrats to your son on getting in. Any other concerns?
Is it true that excessive drinking is rampant? (I’m hopeful that it is more myth than truth and would love your feedback.)
@123Mom123 I have addressed this many times…but no, that is a myth perpetrated by the Animal House movie. One important thing to note is that the frat the Animal House movie is based on was shut down.
Let’s look at this logically. We are an ivy. Students here worked very hard to get in and are motivated in terms of academics and their career. Would it really make sense for binge drinking to be the norm? Everyone here is a nerd of some kind, and works hard. I would say most people here drink responsibly. There are a few cases which are not like that but that is definitely the minority.
They addressed this on the first day of orientation, where the whole freshman class was in a room, and we were all told to write down the number of drinks we had on a regular night on a piece of paper, and then crumples them up and throw them around the room. Then we each picked up someone else’s paper. We were told to stand up when they read out a number, and the vast majority stood up for under 3. And that includes about 30% who didn’t usually drink. This is consistent with the polling data of the full college.
Furthermore, to address what I know is on your mind when you asked that question, the name ‘greek life’ applies loosely to much of what we have here. There are a few hardcore party frats, but there are many others which are interested in social justice, or just play video games. The theatre kids and board game club members congregate in another (which is gender-inclusive). And, unlike in most colleges, most events are open to all, encouraging a diversity of people in these environments.
Furthermore, for most people their frat is just one part of what they do. They are involved in far more social avenues than just that.
I plan to remain unaffiliated, for example, and I’m not worried because I know I’ll have access to a number of social avenues.
Extracurricular student societies, for example, are a social option unto themselves,. There are numerous events always going on on campus. Discussions with experts, glow-in-the-dark indoor golf, sledding, board game nights, movies, lectures, trivia nights, music concerts etc. There’s a TON of stuff to do without going to a frat. And that’s not even mentioning just chilling in dorms talking over complex intellectual topics with your friends – which is likely to be a major part of your life here.
P.S. Keep in mind that college confidential is not exactly the best place to get info. Your kids should sign up for virtual hosts. These are students of the college, like myself, who will answer questions and assuage concerns.