<p>Ok, so my child has been to Blue Devil Days at Duke and Dimensions at Dartmouth and still can't decide. Liked both.
Does anyone have any input/suggestions/decision making info that they can share. thanks</p>
<p>Well, for my son, the isolation of Hanover[ and the implicit implication that all kids do on the weekends is drink at the Frat houses, because there is nothing else to do in Hanover] and the cold weather, were key factors is deciding against Dartmouth [ we're from an urban area in Calif, so it would have been a BIG change for him]. Add the fact that freshman can't have cars[ and he loved the freedom his gave him] and he decided on a larger U in a big city.</p>
<p>^^ A big U student just got killed outside his school. I'd rather have a drunk kid than a dead one.</p>
<p>^^drunk kids die too, ya know. Every year. Alcohol poisoning.</p>
<p>2 great choices. I am biased, as S attends Duke and it has been great for him! Feel free to PM if you think I might be helpful.</p>
<p>mpm, ya, people choke to death too when they eat, lol.</p>
<p>I adore the south -- the people, the weather, the everything. Duke. As if my opinion matters!</p>
<p>you can't go wrong.
Choose the social fit is my opinion. Both schools have excellent grad school connections and recognition in the job market. Both are rigorous. Both have tons of school spirit and a truly diverse student body. Dartmouth wins in the "undergraduate focus" overall, but Duke is very young at heart and good to undergrads.
One has great weather and a student body in shorts most of the year. The south has a great economy and lots of job opps. One has a huge cultural arts program offering that serves the Triad..although I was impressed with what Darthmouth brings in for their students culturally.<br>
My son is at Duke, but he thought Dartmouth was terrific.<br>
Enjoy your wealth in this decision. If you aren't sure you can go Greek, go to Duke where there are options and more access to things to do off campus</p>
<p>Ditto the 2 great choices sentiment. My knowledge is in the opposite direction of mafool, and Dartmouth has been great for my daughter. Too bad your son has no slight inclination, one way or the other because it would make the choice easier. I do want to say that while Dimensions was a weekend geared toward admitted students, the impressions he likely came with from the weekend with (I am assuming he was impressed by very friendly, fun-loving and engaged students who love their college experience, was excited about opportunities, the excellent faculty, the faculty-student relations...) are reflective of the everyday experience.</p>
<p>wondering the same</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. I agree that he has great choices. I think that the two schools are similar in many ways:
1. same kind of student (work hard, play hard, down to earth type kids)
2. rankings
3. placement after graduation
So, basically what it comes down to are the differences:
1. size
2. sports
3. weather
4. D-plan vs. semesters
5. very rural vs. city
Does anyone else see any other factors that he should consider?
Thanks! He promises that he will decide by the Wed or Thursday.</p>
<p>It's true that NC weather is nicer in the winter than NH weather, but I understand that there's an alumni retirement community in Hanover that attracts lots of Dartmouth grads. I can't imagine that many Duke grads would plan to retire to Durham.</p>
<p>now, that** is** planning ahead, gadad! ;)</p>
<p>(Though I believe there is no shortage of Duke grads working and thriving in the Research Triangle )</p>
<p>I think #5 is the most important. There are hundreds of city kids that chose Hanover for the the exact opposite reason of menloparkmom's son. They wanted a BIG change from city life and moved to the Dartmouth bubble, but it was all about personal fit. D-Plan is a plus and a minus, IMO, but not academically. OTOH, if your son is a big sports fan, there is nothing like pitching a tent in Camp K-ville before the game with Carolina.</p>
<p>"Nice" weather is in the eye of the beholder. I hate heat and humidity, and consider most of the South to have a climate not fit to support human life. I love fall and winter. Of course, I'm a native New Englander who chose to move farther north! :) Many people would regard this as crazy.</p>
<p>When you say "sports," are you thinking about your S participating in sports, or watching? If he regards having a big time college sports scene in "money" sports like basketball on campus as a plus, that would favor Duke. If he is attracted to participating in skiing and other outdoorsy activities, it would favor Dartmouth. The outdoor activities at Dartmouth are reputedly outstanding.</p>
<p>The D-plan has its plusses and minuses. A plus is flexibility and the ability to go for internships and the like when everyone else is in school. A minus is the academic pressure of a shorter term.</p>
<p>On size: Duke is certainly bigger, but Dartmouth isn't tiny. It has about the same number of undergrads as most "mid-sized" private universities, plus a modest number of grad students in the professional schools and other programs.</p>
<p>Re Duke's faculty and administration, I don't recall reading anywhere that the large group (wasn't it at least 60?) that made a public statement condemning the falsely-accused lacrossse players has apologized, nor has the administration rehired the coach they fired before the facts were in...perhaps I'm wrong. I must say that the holes/doubts in that case were obvious at this distance from the very first news reports, so the fact that some of the faculty was so eager to condemn their own students says something about their relationship to me. Perhaps their resentment was fueled by the apparent special treatment given to varsity athletes and their over-the-top party lifestyle, if some of the reports are to be believed. (As always, that is a big IF.)</p>
<p>My biases are that I'm not particularly comfortable in the South for a variety of reasons, and my S just decided on Dartmouth over a different urban university. :) Good luck!</p>
<p>Two great choices - my D is at Dartmouth, but looked hard at Duke as well.
She preferred the slightly smaller size of Dartmouth and the cohesiveness of the campus and the little college town feel. She also was looking for something very different from life in the South, and Duke wasn't different enough climate wise.</p>
<p>The good news is that whichever one is chosen will be found to be wonderful, and the "right" decision.</p>
<p>My D is also trying to decide between the two D's. For whatever it's worth, the numbers say that Dartmouth is a more competitive school than Duke. Here is the comparison:</p>
<pre><code> Dartmouth Duke
</code></pre>
<p>Admissin Rate: 13.2% 18.8%
Yield: 50% 41%</p>
<p>This means that Dartmouth is more selective and more admitted students choose to go there. The assumption, of course, is that the numbers are not biased. I wonder whether any body has any argument against these numbers.</p>
<p>Numbers aside, I think that Duke is more well known to the general public because of its basketball prgram (my favorite for 20 years), its law school and medical school, and a larger student population. On the other hand, Dartmouth's association with the Ivy League helps its reputation.</p>
<p>My main concern about Dartmouth is the Frats and drinking, and is Duke any better?</p>
<p>^^ Exactly - it might go down to the wire (been there), and the choice might be more emotional that intellectual, but either will be great.</p>
<p>I think in your son's gut he knows where he wants to attend. One of the biggest complaints that people have about Dartmouth is that the school is in the middle of nowhere, it's cold, and it’s a small town. Yes!! Dartmouth is all of those things as you knew or should have known that when you applied (Hanover is not moving). The school did not all of the sudden was going to move to some tropical location. For my D, she has lived in NYC all of her life (she is the poster child for there is NYC and there is everywhere else), knows that she is coming back after graduation and was looking for a change of pace.</p>
<p>There are also comments about the crunch granolas, drunken frat boys, preppies,etc. But guess what? You are going to find them at almost every school in the country (barring the highly religious ones as even the schools with no Greek presence are not at a loss for drunks).</p>
<p>They are both amazing colleges which will give your son a good education if it is his desire to obtain one. Ask yourself, is this a school that I would recommend to others. I remember my daughter telling me that she had a great time in high school, and she really liked it but she wants to love her college. Can you see yourself saying I love being at ___________<a href="you%20fill%20in%20the%20blank">/u</a>.</p>
<p>I really cannot tell you how they do it at other schools, but I have never seen anything like what Dartmouth does as far as having a sense of community that begins the moment you are officially the class of 12. It’s almost like having a baby; everyone is so excited at the prospect of your arrival. From Dimensions to being greeted by the H-crew at the beginning of your DOC trip, to doing the salty dog rag when the trip comes to a close. Having orientation where you are the guest of honor and everything is planned with you in mind (last year 12 days, 165 events). </p>
<p>You’ll go to convocation, matriculation and having your group picture taken where you will forever be the class of '12. You’ll be celebrated at home coming as you run around the bonfire nine times wearing your '12 jerseys, some having your face painted but everyone having a good time. You'll travel in shmobs (freshman mobs) and you'll will find your niche and like minded people. You’ll want to host prospies because you want them to know how special Dartmouth is and how next year they can ave the same amazing experience. </p>
<p>As Blue says, the D-plan can have its +s and -s, the biggeset one I have seen is that the students miss their friends. In some way I think they are pod people when you think about how much they love their school. While many start going abroad sophomore year, they look forward to sophomore summer. My D took a class sophomore summer, with a professor who had over 300 sutdents sign up for his class. He opened additional sections to accomodate everyone who wanted to take the class and still took the class out in small groups to get to know all of his students. It is not unusual to meet a professor for coffee or take a professor out to dinner (there are funds to offset the costs).</p>
<p>I don't think that no one should have to convince anyone to come to Dartmouth. For those that are students and alumni, I think their blood really does run green. Their decision to attend is something that resonates in their spirit. They chose Dartmouth and they don’t look back concerning the “what ifs” because for them it is the right place for them.</p>
<p>In the end, I hope that all of you go where you can have the greatest overall experience possible. The call of '12 will be a stellar group as all those before them. Like it or not it with or without you, it will happen. For those who chose to attend, Congratulations, I think you will be in for a great 4 years.</p>
<p>In a few weeks my D will be leaving Hanover, moving to the next stage of her life. I sent my child off to be with "those people' and she never waiver or looked back. For her it has been a great 4 years and they are her people. She can look back and say that she has loved being at Dartmouth. She took advantage of the cold and took PE as gym, knew nothing about hockey and is now a huge hockey fan. Joined the greek system and is not a drunk (while it was dimensions this past weekend a lot of the upperclassmen were camped out at Baker because there are midterms this week). She has had some great experiences, made some life long friends and received a great education.</p>
<p>At the end of the day as everyone else had said there really is no wrong choice and whatever your son chooses, it wil be the right one for him.</p>