<p>The thing is yesterday I spoke with one of my teachers. He has graduated from Dartmouth. As I have also thought of applying there for ED I asked him for a Recommendation. Seeing my mock results of SAT, my Extra curricular activities, my school result he has agreed to give me one.</p>
<p>But he has given me one condition. And that is he is gonna have a conversation with me, where he is gonna tell his experience in Dartmouth and I have to tell him what I am expecting to get there. He has given me 3 days to search all the information available and tell him about the opportunities I will get there and all the disadvantages I will face.</p>
<p>Now the problem is I have lots to tell about opportunities but after googling for several hours I couldn't find any disadvantages! Now he told me that every place has pros and cons. So it seems anyhow I have to show him the cons.</p>
<p>I am waiting eagerly for replies. Any help will be highly appreciated.</p>
<p>According to some reports, it can be difficult to get the classes you want in some departments. Maybe Google “Dartmouth overenrollment” or some such terms. Some might think the Greek community’s control [too strong a word?] of social life is a negative. </p>
<p>Here’s a more specific disad: Dartmouth’s location is not just an “isolation” factor; it can be a travel issue. If you are on the West Coast, traveling east takes hours (6-hour flight plus 3-hour time change) and then you have a 3-hour ride on the Dartmouth Coach (plus one to two hours waiting time at Logan depending on how your arrival time & baggage claim mesh with the schedule). Not a reason not to go there, but it is a pain. </p>
<p>It seems to me (trying to read between the lines) that your teacher may have something of an axe to grind about Dartmouth. Or, is there something specific about “the disadvantages I will face” that folks here can help with? Dartmouth doesn’t strike me as the easiest place for a person in a wheelchair to go, for example. Not impossible; not undoable. Just not as easy as, say, UC Berkeley.</p>
<p>I don’t consider being at the “lower end” of the Ivy league much of a disadvantage. That’s like being one of the slower guys in the finals of 100 meter dash in the Olympics. You are still one of the fastest guys on the planet - a lot faster than about 99.999% of the population.</p>
<p>“I don’t consider being at the “lower end” of the Ivy league much of a disadvantage. That’s like being one of the slower guys in the finals of 100 meter dash in the Olympics. You are still one of the fastest guys on the planet - a lot faster than about 99.999% of the population.”</p>
<p>Thank you… This is Dartmouth we are talking about, not your local community college.</p>
<p>Haha yeah, by no means am I saying its a bad school. Since they are in the ivy league, they are compared to those schools most often, and they usually are at the lower end of it. I just meant that that would be a disadvantage compare to some of the schools it is compared to, not a complete disadvantage, because it’s still ivy league, or like one of the previous posters mentioned its like being near last at the Olympics.</p>
<p>Are you male or female? I wouldn’t send my daughter there, based on what I have heard about the prevalent “bro” culture (see also the aforementioned frat/hazing issues). It also sounds too insular for my taste, but that’s just me.</p>
<p>In terms of “lower” Ivy idk if I’d agree… I chose Dartmouth over Cornell, UPenn and Brown, but that’s just me. That would rank it 5th of 8 at least. </p>
<p>Also, the Rolling Stones article is biased and factually exaggerated. It almost made me not go to Dartmouth but I’m glad I didn’t give into media sensationalism and actually spoke to students in person. </p>
<p>Regardless, just have an open discussion with your teacher but talk to as many alums as you can (preferably younger ones) – they’re the only ones who know what Dartmouth is really like.</p>
<p>sally305, I sent my daughter to Dartmouth (or, rather, she chose it over other Ivies, and I pay the bills), and both of us (and her mom) are delighted – with her education, with the town, with the entire shebang. But, maybe that’s just me.</p>
<p>^^Same here. My daughter loves the place. And she doesn’t belong to a sorority so hazing was a non-issue for her, nor does she drink. The “Bro culture” will affect you only if you are “bro.” And there are tons of students there who aren’t and have no interest in that sort of thing.</p>
<p>We also sent our D to Dartmouth (she’s a '14), and she couldn’t be happier there. She does belong to a sorority, and there was no hazing involved, unless you count crazy singing, dancing and lots of flair. I have asked her about what I have read on the bro mentality, the frats dominance of social spaces, etc. She insists that almost everyone she knows is just plain nice. She has no issues playing pong (even with girls), and playing pong with a frat boy is not foreplay to a hook up. Sure, there are a couple of frats that are “bro-ey” But even they have lots of nice kids. Everyone finds their comfort level and group of friends. Passing on Dartmouth due to some bad publicity is a shame, as I could not imagine a college with more genuine, down to earth, smart, friendly kids. Add to that: the top school for undergraduate education ranking, the safety of Hanover (very comforting as a parent of a girl), the beauty of the campus. Probably the only negative of the place is just how darn hard it is and how much work it is to maintain a strong gpa (although this is true of any top-ranked university).</p>
<p>^^Exactly. IMO D’s culture is actually easier on girls since the national sororities that are on campus ban alcohol.</p>
<p>to the OP: ~50% of eligible Dartmouth students are Greek. That could be a plus or a minus, depending on your interests. Regardless, it is a very high number relative to many other colleges.</p>