<p>Son was admitted to Yale and Dartmouth colleges; his current plan is a math/econ major and likely career in business/finance after working and pursuing an MBA. Please share your opinions about the pros and cons of attending Yale vs. Dartmouth for this future direction?</p>
<p>Both schools will provide him with an excellent education.
Both school will are heavily recruited for business and finance.</p>
<p>Dartmouth will be more undergrad focused.</p>
<p>Yale is Yale and depending on your son, there may be a big wow factor just in that.</p>
<p>In the end it is going to come down to his personal preference. (my D did not like Yale and was disappointed when visiting Harvard as the vibe she got was that she people were just there because it was Harvard and Yale and felt it was not the right place for her)</p>
<p>Your best bet would be to ask your son what drew him to each school and why does he feel that one is better than the other.</p>
<p>This is why it is important for him to visit both schools to determine which is going to be the better fit for him.</p>
<p>Thank you for your reasoned input. I'm curious where your perspective comes from, are you a student, prospective, alumn, parent, other?</p>
<p>parent....</p>
<p>As a Dartmouth student, I can tell you that Dartmouth is HEAVILY HEAVILY recruited by major financial firms - Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Lehman, you name it, they all come here. A lot of the leadership in these corporations (particularly Goldman Sachs, I've noticed - they love Dartmouth and often give presentations here) consist of Dartmouth alumni who are more than willing to network with current students and offer advice and their perspective. </p>
<p>The Career Services here is awesome. You can go in there anytime and speak with a representative. They'll help you with your resume, cover letters, interviewing skills, contacting alumni in your field of interest, etc. There's an extensive online database for jobs and internships specifically for Dartmouth students. </p>
<p>Also, I don't know if you know about the D-Plan - it's what gives Dartmouth students an edge over the competition when it comes to internships. Whereas most college students get internships in the summer, the D-Plan allows Dartmouth students to take, say, their junior winter off and instead pursue an internship, thus allowing them to bypass the competition and gain valuable work experience more easily and effectively.</p>
<p>Ultimately - a huge percentage of the graduating class ends up working in finance and consulting. Dartmouth certainly has a name on Wall Street, amazing alumni network, and the D-Plan. You're son CANNOT go wrong here.</p>
<p>Then again, I don't know much about Yale. I'm sure it gets recruited just as much because of its reputation. Ultimately, you're son will be able to succeed in finance regardless of where he goes between these two schools. I just wanted to let you know what Dartmouth can bring to the table. Let me know if you have more questions.</p>
<p>careerwise, it will not matter. i can tell you this. my good friend had a 3.2 GPA at dartmouth, where the median GPA is mid 3.3. but even with a below avrage GPA he did not have a problem getting internships and is now being worked to death along with the 3.9s as a first year analyst at Morgan Stanley</p>
<p>You can end up with some really good connections at Dartmouth. Along with the examples already cited (the firms which have Dartmouth alums at the top seem to target Dartmouth students more heavily), I can tell you that, for example, my fraternity (it's a national, so I just mean the Dartmouth chapter), has a very strong presence at Bridgewater Investment. So much so that I have heard that they make it a point to take at least one person from my fraternity a year as an intern (as long as we have an appropriate finance track econ major). Other such stories abound around campus, and of course I'm sure you know that connections go a long way in business. Your son definitely will not go wrong in choosing Dartmouth for finance. I can't say much about Yale as I don't know these kinds of details...</p>
<p>Yale---no decision, don't listen to these dartmouth kids, almost everyone is a Reject from Yale. They are BOTH great, but YALE TRUMPS Dartmouth any deay of the week.</p>
<p>just the rantings of a person who is bitter about his own college choice and trying to blow off steam in hopes he can get a transfer.</p>
<p>I would say Dartmouth, because it is a smaller school and you are likely to make more close personal contacts with people who end up getting jobs in finance.</p>
<p>And...apparently Yalies can't spell one syllable words.</p>
<p>Interesting how the "dartmouth kids" (apparently we aren't special enough to warrant a capital letter, being rejects from yale and all, and I also don't know why you would assume that everybody that posts on the Dartmouth board is a Dartmouth student, because then what does that make you?) approached this topic reasonably and maturely, and one self-proclaimed yalie just had to jump in there with a flame.</p>
<p>actually....i am perfectly fine at Cornell....just like i won't say that somoene should choose MIT over Cornell, to choose Dartmouth over Yale is just ridiculous unless there is something particular about it</p>
<p>i don't think anyone posting was claining dartmouth was "better" than yale, just that the opportunities abound at both schools like bitter ivy rejects on a cornell campus that, as far as future career in finance goes, there's little difference. let the other factors be part of the decision.</p>
<p>like bball says, Yale is a superior school in many aspects--there's no doubt about that. and dartmouth has its merits as well. but as far as a future in finance goes, your son will have no problems regardless of where he goes. it should come down to the campus visit.</p>
<p>like the example of my friend, if your son can manage to even barely graduate with a degree in econ, he's more or less set for life</p>
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just like i won't say that somoene should choose MIT over Cornell
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<p>Now are you implying that MIT is worse than Cornell? It's not even the names of schools, but the sense of absoluteness, as in "X is better than Y, so there's no logical reason to pick Y over X." Where are you coming up with these arbitrary judgements?</p>
<p>Xanatos, just out of curiousity, what fraternity are you in that has the strong representation at Bridgewater?</p>
<p>Both schools are excellent. I would make a decision based on what college is the best match for you in terms of environment and atmosphere.</p>