<p>I am interested in any info about Dickinson. I am most interested in academics,social life, and the intensity of the work load. Any info will be reatly appreciated. Thanks</p>
<p>It's a terrific school, period. Beautiful campus, great kids and outstanding academics. Most of what you're asking can be found on their website and on <a href="http://www.studentsreview.com%5B/url%5D">www.studentsreview.com</a> I would think. Kids who go there love it.</p>
<p>Now, collegeparent, I don't think there is a school in the world where you can make the statement "kids who go there love it" implying that everyone is happy. The fact is, there is no universal "good fit" school for every one. :)</p>
<p>Dickinson has solid academics, a nice campus (although my daughter did not like the traffic on the streets which break up the campus), and excellent study abroad programs. Dickinson is especially strong for biology, international relations, and foreign languages. They have some awesome study abroad programs. If you are pre-med or pre-law, Dickinson is a great choice academically.</p>
<p>However, like many schools, Dickinson has a prevailing "type" of student. If you fit that type, yes, you are likely to be very happy there. If you don't fit the type you are likely to have a different reaction. I would describe Dickinson's "type" as being preppy and career-oriented. STudents tend to be white, middle to upper middle class from the northeast. Typical dress is going to lean more towards A&F than grunge. There is very little racial or economic diversity on campus. Dickinson students are good kids, but someone who is looking to be surrounded by artsy/quirky /individualistic kids or who wants a wide mixture of different types of people might not find it at Dickinson. (Not to say there aren't people like that there, just that overall Dickinson's student body does not have the artsy/quirky/individualistic feel of, say, an Oberlin or Skidmore.)</p>
<p>And, while the Dickinson administration is working hard to overcome the school's nickname of "Drinkinson" they are not quite there yet. Social life still revolves heavily around drinking parties. Great if you are into that, not so great if you aren't because there aren't a whole lot of other options in Carlisle, PA.</p>
<p>So, while Dickinson does have good solid academics and a nice campus, a visit is in order to see how well it fits what you are looking for. Some kids do love it, some kids don't. Which doesn't mean that Dickinson is a bad school (it is not!), just that it probably isn't for everyone.</p>
<p>I'm from the town. It's in a very politically conservative area, and Dickinson is located right in town. There's a movie theatre within walking distance, as well as a WalMart and a strip mall. The only mall in town has a BonTon and a Bath and Body Works. Virtually no public transportation exists, and the closest decent mall is half an hour away in Camp Hill.</p>
<p>There are nice restaurants in town, but shops close early on weekdays and I'm not sure how late they're open on weekends. Lots of antiques stores.</p>
<p>I'm not very familiar with the student body, but I can say that the facilities I've seen are very nice. I didn't do a real prospective visit because I decided early on to go to school outside of Carlisle, but I did dance at a nearby ballet school and their summer program utilized some of Dickinson's facilities, such as the Kline Center (athletic building) and the Holland Union Building (post office, dining room, and convenience store) and those buildings are also pretty nice.</p>
<p>I'm also not very familiar with the academics.</p>
<p>Catrina,
My daughter is a freshman at Dickinson. I would say she does not fit the "mold" mentioned above, and neither she nor any of her friends are into the party/drinking scene. She is extremely happy there. You can email me with specific questions.</p>