<p>I didn't expect it at all, but I was somehow accepted to both of my top choices - Dartmouth and University of Chicago. This is proving to be a very difficult choice!</p>
<p>I think that I can picture myself at Dartmouth better since I was really looking for a LAC enviornment with a major focus on undergraduates. I don't really want to be in a major city because I'm scared people would just disperse throughout the city and there wouldn't be as close-knit a community than if campus were more isolated.</p>
<p>All of this should point to me definitely going to Dartmouth, however I'm nervous that it won't have the same intellectual, "life of the mind" feeling that Chicago is famous for. Do Dartmouth students have a similar attitude? </p>
<p>Also, I don't drink so would I not fit in at all at Dartmouth? I don't care about being around people who do drink [the majority of my friends do] but I don't want people to label me as a puritan for not drinking because I'm definitely not. I also wouldn't mind having a group of friends who don't drink, do such people [who are also cool, fun kids] exist at Dartmouth?</p>
<p>Finally, I am thinking about majoring in History and/or Economics. Will Dartmouth offer a comparable education with Chicago even though Chicago has one of the best Economics programs in the country?</p>
<p>DD is a happy non-drinker, non-partier. She has attended a couple of frat dance parties, and managed to have fun without participating in the drinking. She has a number of like-minded friends. You might want to give some real thought to requesting or not requesting certain floors or dorms.
When DD visited as a HS senior, she stayed on a particular floor of East Wheelock, that had a group of fun-loving, hard-working, generally low partying freshmen. The other floor of EW was less social. She is living in a sub-free freshman floor, and has a similar group of social people, who are low on the partying scale. One of her friends is in EW this year as a frosh and feels that her floor could be more social, so it seems hit and miss with EW. The big unknown is what will be the impact of the new dorms. EW is hit or miss because it tends to attract a higher percent of the non-partiers and more "intellectual" kids, BUT also because of the configuration of the rooms - DD's room is pretty tiny, and they spend a fair amount of time with an open door, EW has more space in rooms, so there is less sense that the entire hall is an extension of the rooms. Ask lots of questions at Dimensions, here, and on LiveJournal, etc.</p>
<p>Can't answer about the education, particularly re econ.</p>
<p>xgreenmachinex. Same story as Cangels, one year further out. No question that you can expect a large number of students will drink but ... you can expect that (a) you could periodically socialize at a drinking event and not feel ostrascized or labled and (b) you can hang with some really fun cool kids who do not drink. Since you seem to be in NY somewhere, hopefully a visit to Dimensions is doable.</p>
<p>xgreenmachinex. Same story as Cangels, one year further out. No question that you can expect a large number of students will drink but ... you can expect that (a) you could socialize at a drinking event and not feel ostrascized or labeled and (b) you can hang with some really fun cool kids who do not drink. Since you seem to be in NY somewhere, hopefully a visit to Dimensions is doable. Hopefully a weekend visit to Chicago is also in the plans. Not sure of the palapability of intellectualism- but trust that at either school you are going to be living with some amazing fellow students.</p>
<p>I visited Dartmouth last weekend and I'm also going up for Dimensions. I'm not sure if I'm going to be seeing Chicago (my mom is hesitant to send me that far away, and I'm also not a huge fan of flying which is how I would get back and forth). </p>
<p>By intellectual, I just mean that kids are generally enthusiastic about what their learning and being studious is viewed in a positive light.</p>
<p>I am not a student at Dartmouth but I was accepted this year. You should really think about this logically...the kids at Dartmouth are obviously extremely smart and they would not have been admitted if they could not speak to their passions in essays and recommendations. Sure, kids might like to drink themselves silly a few nights a week, but during class time and during most of the week, I am sure they are intellectual and enthusiastic about what they are learning. Dartmouth would not be thought of so highly if it did not have studious and intellectual students.</p>
<p>what i loved most about dartmouth is that i could drink my brain to death and then discuss Evolution vs. Creation over a late night pizza (cold, since they stop delivering at 2 am), help my friend figure out a solution in his engineering project (i was an english major), or discuss how musically complete OutKast's new album was.
actually one of my fondest memories was drinking until the sun came up, and going to Lou's, a local breakfast place, at 630am, seeing all these non-dartmouth people there, and talking about racial dynamics in the upper valley area.</p>
<p>as for being an outcast for not drinking--many fraternities (including mine), a bastion of alcoholic hedonism, accept "dry" members, ones who do not drink. of course, their experience is a bit different, but they didn't have a problem being accepted because they were non drinkers. </p>
<p>as for the economics--chicago and dartmouth have very different approaches and philosophies. this is something you need to do more investigation on a personal level. if you write an email to the department office asking to be hooked up with an econ major you can talk to, i'm sure they'll hook u up.</p>
<p>I agree with sologigolos. Nerdy, one-dimensional students bore me. I'm not talking about any school in particular but I think the "well-roundedness" of Dartmouth students is really fabulous. These are the kids in high school who did really well but never tooted their own horn (ask any Dartmouth student what a "self-call" is), who played sports AND musical instruments instead of living in the research lab. These are the students who are intellectual but also have adequate social skills and can have a good time as well.</p>
<p>Not to launch into an entire tirade, but I kind of resent the fact that college adcoms today are looking for superstars in one field- THE best flutist, or THE smartest mathlete, etc. Sure these people may do better in college admissions but later on in life, it's the multi-faceted, adventurous people who try many different things who are more interesting and more successful.</p>
<p>From what I've heard about UChicago the atmosphere is significantly more intellectual, and the students work harder. But then again, there is a somewhat pleasurable quality in all their pain- kind of a masochistic pride in all their efforts. UChicago is (to quote their actual t-shirt!!) the place where "fun comes to die." You will find a lot of high-achievers in both places and the Windy City can be kind of fun, but I definitely went for the atmosphere at Dartmouth more. It's your call.</p>
<p>My D is a freshman at Dartmouth. She is extremely happy there. She was a great student in hs who worked hard, played sports and had lots of friends. Definately the well rounded type not a huge stand out in one particular area. Every weekend she seems to have tons of exciting activities to participate in. She does mention attending some frat parties although she is not a big partier.She is always telling me about all the interesting people she has met there. For her Dartmouth has been the perfect fit.</p>
<p>I didn't attend either school, but know people from both. What I know is that Chicago is the place to go for "life of the mind" environment--this school does not disappoint on the intellectual level and is also focussed on the undergrads. Students do not "disperse" that much even if they enjoy activities in the city of Chicago, there is a campus life but social contact is not always facilitated by the environment--people move off campus and the weather is very cold in a non-outdoorsy way. Dartmouth gets cold too but students are outdoorsy and thrive on the invigorating winter activities. There are some very smart kids there too--but not as many pure intellectuals as at U of C --more well-rounded types who like the fratparty-drinking scene too. You have a real dilemma...I'd say if academics are your first and really top priority choose U.of C., if rural pleasures and social opportunities are essential to your happiness and you don't consider yourself "an urban type"--then go with Dartmouth, you can also get an excellent education there but with a different flavor. Can you talk to recent local alumni of both places--maybe admissions can offer some contacts?</p>
<p>I am an alum, I agree with what is being said. Dartmouth is for students who are more well-rounded, and care alot about the community aspects of a college experience. The classes are amazing and just as intellectual, if not more so than the classes I experienced at Columbia (which is like chicago). the difference though is that Dartmouth students are more "big picture intellectual," concerned with the world and their place in it, but less concerned with "analytical intellectualism" - i.e. arguing the smaller details than a place like Chicago. Dartmouth students have less of a tendency to wear their intelligence on their sleeve, in fact most students downplay it rather than try to one-up each other. Some find this great, others don't. Depends what kind pf person you are.</p>
<p>If you want a small LAC and don't want to be in a major city, I really don't think you want to go to Chicago despite the more intellectual reputation. It's not like there's a dearth of smart students at Dartmouth, after all. :P</p>
<p>Don't worry about the drinking either. There's no pressure, even if you're one of the few non-drinkers that still doesn't start drinking by the end of your first year. ;)</p>
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Dartmouth students have less of a tendency to wear their intelligence on their sleeve, in fact most students downplay it rather than try to one-up each other.
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<p>That's definitely true, and I don't mean to argue that it isn't, but on the other hand "acting dumb," if you will, is looked down upon as well.</p>
<p>History and econ are very popular majors, and thus very strong departments.</p>
<p>I'm an '09 and a nondrinker. To date, I have not set foot in a frat basements; my only visits to frats have been because performances (particularly improv comedy) have been located there. And believe me, even though I never go to frat row, my days are packed straight full.</p>
<p>I'm a sort of anomaly in that I dislike both drinking and the frat scene; a lot of my nondrinking friends go to frats and play water pong and hang out, largely for the social aspect of it. If that applies to you, feel free -- it's not at all a stigmatization to use water. (Plus, pong is a lot of fun).</p>
<p>The administration has been actively trying to counteract the monopoly that the frat scene holds on Dartmouth social life, so they pay student groups (e.g. improv comedy, a capella groups, etc.) to perform in dorms on weekends. There's always something at the Hop, a public lecture with an important figure, or something else going on.</p>