<p>I obviously love Dartmouth more than anything but I was thinking about the kind of student who wouldn't enjoy Dartmouth. Basically Dartmouth is just as diverse as most Ivies, but because it is smaller is isn't as cliquey. Personally, I thought this was amazing. You can hang out with all types of people all the time and its really cool and people are absolutely integrated. I don't know any other school where people in different crowds end up hanging out together so much. </p>
<p>The downside is its less cliquey. So people used to having large cliques might not like it as much. So while there might be three hundred Indian people on campus, it won't be like Penn, where you can go into the city and really only associate with that clique. So maybe Tri-kap might have a lot of urban Asian members, but don't be surprised to see ten white hockey players from Alaska in the basement hanging out at their party. </p>
<p>I found the social scene empowering, but some might find it stifling. </p>
<p>Overall though it does create what I believe to be the most tightknit group of awesome cool smart people in the world.</p>
<p>I worry that they are so intent on getting rid of the "drinking image" that they have taken into accepting a larger percentage of the socailly challenged
(read geeks). Dartmouth was, traditionally, a school for intelligent popular types...closet students...a haven, as such, among the Ivies...now I think Yale is taking that over and Dartmouth is going more Waldo. Dimensions will answer that question, I guess.</p>
<p>rumbean I disagree...I've been thinking about that and the fact is that for most people it's hard to tell that just by looking at their application. What you're referring to is something that former Dartmouth president James Freedman once said, namely that his idea of the perfect Dartmouth student was a creative loner. Now not only did he not accomplish filling Dartmouth students with creative loners while he was president, he is seven years removed from the post. The current administration, while it certainly is very unhappy with the Animal House image, would not go to such extremes, in my opinion, and anyway like I said above short of making "Are you a geek?" a question on the application I think it would be too hard to accurately tell.</p>
<p>so, there is still room at dartmouth for nondrinkers like me, right? y'all wont stone me for being the creative loner will you? just checking :D</p>
<p>I fully intend to bring my extensive DVD collection and have themed movie nights for my floor. No drinking is necessary, hanging out with awesome people is!</p>