<p>I plan on revisiting both Duke and Dartmouth but I would be interested in what the pro's and con's of both are.</p>
<p>Dartmouth</p>
<p>Pros:
In Classic New England town
Prestige of Ivy League
More undergraduate focus
Smaller classes </p>
<p>Cons:
Snow and lots of it.</p>
<p>snow is actually a pro for me. I ski!</p>
<p>CON of dartmouth</p>
<p>It's like a high school, seriously if you
do something the entire college will
know about it hahahah. That could be
a pro for the LAC lovers out there, but
Dartmouth is an EXTREME of small class
sizes.</p>
<p>Oh, and there's nothing to do there but
drink. Seriously, lol. I took the LEAD
summer business program there, and I
wandered around a lot during break times.</p>
<p>There's lots of theatre plays, so that's nice.</p>
<p>And it gets really really muddy. And like half
the school in the main courtyard thing is
under construction xD.</p>
<p>Overall, I got used to all of it and still loved
the experience though. But for that tuition?
Depends how much money you can squeeze
out of Dartmouth (which shouldn't be hard)</p>
<p>I posted this in another thread. There are SUBSTANTIAL differences in location and culture between the two schools. You just have to decide which you want to become a part of. Lumping all schools together on a national basis, then going wherever you get in based on some "objective" criteria or "feel" criteria, isn't necessarily the best way to go. WHERE a school is determines so much and I don't mean weather.</p>
<p>I had this choice (plus Brown). Personally what swayed me to Dartmouth was the undergraduate focus. No T/As, a more tightknit campus, lots of grants/ undergrad resources (highers undergrad spending among the Ivies), the Dplan (sophomore summer), Dartmouth professor led study abroad for MAJORS and languages, and a more liberal atmosphere. Dartmouth's undergrad focus has absolutely turned out to be a big plus for me, from getting me a job (the Dplan means you get special Dartmouth only year round internship opportunities at top firms) to getting me into grad school (lots of great recs from profs I actually knew). Also having a river for the summers and a ski mountain and outdoor ice skating pond was a plus. </p>
<p>In regards to Radron's comments, the school year is incredibly active and social. Summers are quieter everywhere.</p>
<p>Thanks! Anything else?</p>
<p>ccd, if skiing is a plus for you, then you are in luck with dartmouth!!! not only does it snow a lot, but it is one of only two colleges that actually owns its very own ski mountain! Middlebury is the other</p>
<p>Thanks everyone</p>
<p>Go with Dartmouth. I would argue that the atmosphere is more intellectual.</p>
<p>To defend Duke...it has a great party scene/social atmosphere, strong athletics and has a lot of research/internship opportunities</p>
<p>I say Duke- Dartmouth is literally in the middle of nowhere.</p>
<p>There was a reference to Dartmouth in the movie "Superbad" if that helps.</p>
<p>@radronOmega - Dartmouth is hardly an extreme of small class size and it is nothing like a "high school." You do something incredibly stupid, people will find out no matter what. Dartmouth is large enough that not everyone knows you and small enough to achieve the pros of small class size and avoid the cons of big universities.</p>
<p>I disagree with your assumption that a summer at Dartmouth in a high school program is indicative of Dartmouth college life. The frats (which you were hardly exposed to, if at all) go without saying as an activity, but if you're not interested in that culture, over half my floor doesn't drink and we have no trouble finding stuff to do.</p>
<p>You can be happy and sufficiently entertained no matter what kind of person you are here. I have never felt like I needed to get off campus because I'm in the middle of nowhere.</p>
<p>Yes it is muddy when wet. There is no longer construction on the green (if there was in the first place?), though there is some construction elsewhere because the school is putting a lot of money into new buildings and renovations.</p>
<p>other thoughts -</p>
<p>One of my professors was interviewing for a science position at a prestigious research university. The department head comes in and the first thing he says is, "Here at X, we don't give a **** about undergrads. We're a research school."</p>
<p>Needless to say, it turned off my professor, who eventually wound up at Dartmouth, where he does research but also has the opportunity to connect with undergrads. For this, I am grateful and I believe it is an extremely beneficial distinguishing factor. My teachers know me my name, and my gov professor came up to me one day after class and invited me to his office, tried to convince me to major in gov. You would have more trouble getting that sort of attention other schools on this caliber.</p>
<p>Dartmouth is great. Good luck with everything.</p>
<p>i'd go for dartmouth</p>
<p>but you definitely should revisit and, aside from factors like financial aid and proximity, the general feel and environment of the school is probably the most important part of your decision to choose one over the other. you're spending four years of your life there. you better like it.</p>
<p>i'm sure you will, whichever one you choose.</p>
<p>As someone who had to make the same decision last year, I personally hated the fact that Dartmouth was so isolated.
Duke's got better weather and seemed to have a stronger math program.
Dartmouth felt more like high school than Duke did.. both have sick parties though.
I thought I was going to hate the fact of small groups.. however.. I'm currently pledging a relatively small fraternity and couldn't be happier with the people I hang out with, even if it is not hundreds. I think the concern was more so not being able to find people I liked..
On the other hand.. if I saw "Superbad" beforehand, that might have been enough to pick Dartmouth, :p</p>
<p>Thanks everyone!</p>
<p>While Dartmouth is my favorite Ivy, I'd choose Duke. </p>
<p>I'd probably rate the two schools evenly for great academics and great social life, but Duke's athletic life is so far superior. Dartmouth's athletic life is like prep school-level and the school ranks at the bottom of the Ivy League in the Directors Cup standings (124th nationally vs 11th for Duke). </p>
<p>I also think that the location of Dartmouth can be a big plus for some (and perhaps you) with its great outdoors program and nearby skyway, but probably more folks prefer a larger and less remote scene if the full four years of college life come into consideration. The weather is obviously very different-as I write this, it is 34 degrees in Hanover and 78 degrees in Durham. </p>
<p>Student loyalty and alumni passion for their school is probably in the top 5 in the country among all colleges and both schools place students with all of the "right" employers in large numbers.</p>