How to Get In

whats something you wish you knew about dartmouth admission? as a freshman what grades should we aim for? anythung extra we can do rn? thanks!!

Aim for As

Work hard and develop yourself in areas you are truly passionate about. No need to become the president of 17 clubs (unless that is your passion) or have an EC list two pages long; just find ways to become better at whatever it is you love to do. Needless to say, aiming for A’s is important, though if you get a B or two it won’t ruin your chances.

Is this a trick question?

If u simply have As and are simply a nice BWRK, then your application will not stand out from the thousands of applications they get from other nice BWRKs.

Don’t listen to peers or officials who claim that in order to be offered admission you need to have been a model student, have cured cancer, etc. Admissions officers, I feel, understand that students will have ups and downs, that 17-18 year-olds cannot be expected to have accomplished much, etc. As long as you do your best and do what you love, you’ll end up someplace great.

@SirPepsi I agree with above statement as a general rule but not for the student who specifically asks “How to get in to Dartmouth”.

Assuming you have academics and tests within the range of Dartmouth requirement, personal essays become critical in showcasing your individuality. A great essay draws attention and makes you standout. Also, a great peer recommendation should also help.

Which teachers should we ask? Should they be related to our major?

Mine were. I had recommendations from my APUSH, APWH and APMa&Mi teachers.

Hi guys! Recently admitted ED Dart '20 here. Some friendly advice:

Things to strive for:
~ highest grades possible (all As) in most challenging classes possible. Top academic achievement. Many Dartmouth students are HS valedictorians, which gives you an idea
~ sustained (many years) dedication to your ECs, especially achieving leadership positions and awards/recognition and making a significant impact
~ High SAT/ACT/Subject test scores. 2300+/35+/750+ should be your target. These days, test scores are less important, but that’s partially because everybody’s are really, really high. So if yours aren’t high, that already kind of dings you. Study up! (Btw, I never paid for classes, just used the SAT blue book, and got a 2400 SAT even though I’m not a genius or anything, so DIY is fine!)
~ developing really strong relationships with favorite teachers and your conselor. It helps a ton with rec letters.
~ once college app time comes, make your essays the best they can possibly be. Pour your life juice into them and show they adcoms what your passions are, what makes you special, how you’ll contribute at Dartmouth and beyond.
~ peer rec by a close friend who’s also a good writer
~ a dash of luck as well!

PS. oh and do have fun during your high school years. They’re too precious to waste away wallowing in misery. If you do it right, you can accomplish all of the above and still enjoy your high school experience and get into a prestigious Ivy like Dartmouth in the process!

Good luck!

To expand on my comments above:

@flowergoddess has done many a service by outlining her resume on the designated “results” thread and by providing the above list appropriately entitled “things to strive for.” Her recommendations are spot-on when considering the statistics many kids bring to the College, but (and I stress) they shouldn’t be perceived as minimums or anything even resembling a checklist. It is important that each prospective applicant recognize that he/she is a wonderful and special person whose life needs no outside justification and possesses intrinsic, irreducible value.

As a recent admit to the Dartmouth Class, I state confidently the faith I have in the Admissions Office with respect to their ability to discern the characteristics they would most like to see represented in their incoming class. That said, the process they employ to achieve this end is flawed by nature. No matter how much effort is dedicated towards refining it, some (often many) qualified applicants will be turned away.

Alright, that disclaimer given, I’ll move on to the advice everyone seems so eager to receive - how can you maximize your chance of scoring that touchdown, of reading “Congratulations” on Decision Day.

In order of their importance:

  1. Move yourself outside your comfort zone. Take classes that challenge you in areas you might not consider to be your core strengths. Explore! - the “university” was intended to facilitate both inner and outer discovery, and to prepare yourself for learning for the sake of learning, assuming that’s not something that appeals to you naturally, and to enhance your High School experience, study independently. Don’t be afraid to throw yourself into whatever seems interesting on a given week. Fall in love with whatever it is you’re doing - read, write, experiment, etc. If you don’t love it, it’s not worth doing. Full stop.

  2. Treat your health and happiness as your highest priorities. You’ll never perform as well as you’re capable if you’re not sufficiently provided for. Any mental or physical ailment you’re afflicted with should be targeted with as much of your energy as possible, while you try your best to maintain the high standards you’ve always maintained in school. YOU ARE IMPORTANT. Don’t lose sight of that.

  3. Develop relationships with teachers and peers. Important to success in almost any profession is the ability to communicate and work with others. These skills are far more valuable to and practical for 99.99999999% of the population than becoming a savant. Additionally, the connections you make now may follow you throughout your life, and solid, reliable friendships aren’t easy to come by.

  4. Give back! If you’ve been blessed with wealth or good health, do your best to help those in the community who may be suffering. You don’t have to coordinate a shipment of condoms or birth control to Uganda (though you most certainly can!), but you could head to your local Rescue Mission and help pass out soup or to the animal shelter and care for neglected cats and dogs. Use your talents (trust me, you have them) to do something special: if you’re a good listener and empathetic, start a focus group at school for kids in need of someone to talk to, if you’re athletic, participate in/organize runs for breast cancer, etc.

  5. Do well in school - the best you can. Aim for As, though a few Bs won’t sink you (you don’t need to be Valedictorian or Salutatorian to secure admission - even though I’ve had all As, I’ll likely graduate 3/584), and go beyond what your curriculum requires of you. Additionally, take IB/AP courses when available - if your schools and your own time permits, spread these out over the four years you have in High School (I’ve got 17 AP courses under my belt thanks to forethought).

  6. Commit to certain clubs or service ventures that truly appeal to you, that allow you to channel your enthusiasm into something fulfilling. You don’t have to win any major awards or be nationally recognized as x, y, or z. Showcase your uniqueness through leading an innovative team of tea-bag collectors, developing a creative solution to scheduling conflicts at your school, displaying your passion for the overturn of DADT, etc. BE YOU!

  7. Aim for a 2120/32 or above on standardized exams. Do not retake more times than is absolutely necessary (e.g. you really feel that your concentration lapsed, you were ill the day of the exam, a meteor struck the testing hall and made you bubble in incorrectly, etc.)

I took each standardized test only once and studied for neither of them (no private tutors, no school courses, no preparatory books, etc.) and scored a 2200 and 34 on the SAT and ACT, respectively. These scores are in the top 1% of all received but are not perfect, by any measure, and several students are admitted with scores much higher (and lower) than mine. These scores do not in any accurate manner predict your academic potential or your intelligence.

Take SAT Subject Tests that either deeply reflect your interests or that catch your fancy on Test Day (quirkily exploring your options is cool!) It doesn’t really matter. If you really must have a number to shoot for, I’d say 700+ on any one exam is more than enough to demonstrate mastery, but anything more than a 600 will show competency.

  1. By this time, you’ve likely realized that if you’ve done all of the above, you’ve done the best you can - that you are a stellar kid who could succeed anywhere. Don’t fret if you’re not accepted. Luck can play a larger role than you think.

From what you may hear from others (who are very talented and often very accomplished) on CC, you may begin to feel inadequate. Don’t. From what you hear from alumni, you may begin to feel hopeless and/or resentful. Don’t. From what teachers and peers tell you, you might begin to think that life is entirely linear, that you’ve always got to be moving forward, doing something magnificent else you’re a waste of space. That’s not true.

Don’t take life too seriously. It’s far too short.

@SirPepsi Let’s see what elite schools you get admitted to. Gotta love chancing advice from 17 year olds.

@TomSrOfBoston, I’ve said time and again that my advice is merely my opinion, that my experience is limited. All I’m trying to do is stop other teenagers from having a fit over their college applications. The amount of stress most go through now is disgusting, and that you’d consider adding to it is disturbing.

As to your derisive comment regarding my own achievement (which I’ve already stated exceeds the “to aim fors” I listed above), I’ve been accepted to Dartmouth and am barred from (not that I’d ever want to) initiating any new applications, so I guess we’ll never know if HYP would have given me the affirmative.

@SirPepsi You are truly wise beyond your years. Insightful advice and many thanks!

good grades, essays, rec, standarized tests