<p>Dartmouth is a good school and all, but it seems to me to be something like the logical extension of a NE prep school or a NE summer camp…</p>
<p>That said, I have nothing against either NE prep schools or NE summer camps since I have attended both. But I have outgrowned them, I guess…</p>
<p>wow this thread is ridiculous. Harvard >>>> Dartmouth. It’s only 4 years, tell your kid to suck it up</p>
<p>Prodigalson I think you have a lot to learn about Dartmouth. Amazing study abroad programs, grants/ research opportunities, professors who take you to dinner, amazing natural beauty, intimate classes, arguably best study abroad programs (dartmouth run) in the country, amazing graduate placement, and incredible alumni community/ support. Unless you are attached to the school its difficult to sometimes see its perhaps intangible elements that are so valuable in the long run. </p>
<p>Clearly Harvard has an edge in terms of prestige and overall recognition. But its hard to argue that there too many schools with a better undergraduate experience than Dartmouth.</p>
<p>Burn all his clothes (shirts, pants, sneakers, etc.) and replace his old clothes with Crimson-colored clothing.</p>
<p>That way he’ll have to go to Harvard.</p>
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<p>Harsh, but not necessarily untrue…</p>
<p>Shawbridge makes a pretty good case for what sets Harvard (Yale, Princeton) apart from other schools:
<a href=“What makes HYP different - Parents Forum - College Confidential Forums”>What makes HYP different - Parents Forum - College Confidential Forums;
(post #4)</p>
<p>Shawbridge does not valid points. As a Wharton grad, I’ve appreciated the school’s reputation and ability to help me do what I’ve wanted to do all over the world.</p>
<p>But I think his analysis is dated and becoming more so every year. Technology and a global economy has made the ivy league as a whole and other top schools vastly better known today than even a decade ago. This can be seen by the ever increasing numbers of internationals applying to them all.</p>
<p>As someone with responsibilities for a major firm on 4 continents, I wondered if it was a wise choice when my daughter, with an interest in international business, chose Amherst as her number one pick. After surveying some movers and shakers all over, I realized it was fine and times had really changed.</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong, Harvard will always be the icon it is, but those handing out the top jobs understand there are other great schools today.</p>
<p>Personally, I don’t see any differences in prestige between either school. Both schools are equal in my eyes, even if their strengths vary. If I had a choice in attending either school, my biases will tell me to stay in town and attend Harvard, simply because I eschew rural locales. </p>
<p>This “debate” is moot.</p>
<p>The difficulty in some of these discussions is that “prestige” is not really a measurable phenomenon. It’s a “you know it when you see it” thing that does not lend itself well to fine distinctions.</p>
<p>When people say a city is “the Paris of the Middle East” or a college is “the Harvard of the Midwest” they acknowledge the prestige of Paris or Harvard. They are not making precisely measurable observations. The Kirov ballet, the Louvre museum, the Ritz hotel, etc., do not have win/loss records as the Yankees do in baseball.</p>
<p>^ I agree… but going by " you know it when you see it" , Harvard wins… but I am sure that comes as no surprise.</p>
<p>This all seems to be a misplaced discussion to me. The real question is not prestige as much as where a student will reach his or her potential and be happy. After all, it’s 4 years (and 4 important years) of one’s life. Dartmouth is a fabulous place, as is Harvard. Both open all sorts of important doors throughout life.</p>
<p>I am a current student at Dartmouth, so naturally my post is going to be a bit biased. Just a disclaimer.</p>
<p>Everyone and their mother knows about Harvard. That’s certain. However (this may sound a bit elitist) the people who should matter the most (employers, grad school admissions officers, powerful people) look at the Dartmouth education with extremely high esteem.</p>
<p>It’s kind of like a secret society that only some people know about. I can tell a random stranger that I go to Dartmouth and they may have never heard of the college. But, as a black man, when I walk through an affluent area with my Dartmouth tshirt or sweatshirt on I immediately gain credibility.</p>
<p>And given the fact that looking at our alumni list is like looking at the who’s-who of Wall Street/Capitol Hill, I find it perplexing that anyone would see Dartmouth as some kind of second rate institution. Our alumni network is top notch and I got my current internship by sending an email to an alum. A ONE PARAGRAPH EMAIL that was meant to inquire about opportunities at the company got me a paid internship during the winter months with under a week’s notice. THAT’S what Dartmouth does for people.</p>
<p>SUMMARY: Dartmouth is extremely prestigious amongst well educated, elite people in our society and those people know that our UNDERGRAD education is nearly unparalleled (although I do give Princeton a lot of credit). Just because some average Joe Six-Pack on the street has never heard of Dartmouth other than in the movies doesn’t make it community college-esque in its exclusivity.</p>
<p>^^^^Was rejected from Harvard. Just kidding. ;-)</p>