<p>I was looking on the Dartmouth website and I came across a passage about classes at Dartmouth. </p>
<p>It said: "Even students who took a rigorous high school curriculum will find their courses here to be challenging. Very little time, if any, is spent in review. Professors will quickly introduce new concepts, and the depth of understanding you will be expected to demonstrate on exams and papers will be much greater. Simple memorization of facts and details will not suffice; exams are more likely to require a critical analysis of course material or the application of concepts to new data...You will find yourself with more homework than you have ever had. Much of this work will be in the form of reading. In some courses you will be held responsible for every word that is assigned. In others, you will need to read strategically, sorting the critical from the ancillary"</p>
<p>Are the classes and homework load really as hard/bad as it sounds?</p>
<p>I preface that this is only what I've heard:</p>
<p>Several of S's friends attend Dartmouth and it is hard. However, most of them took a pretty heavy course load in hs and because of that curriculum they feel fairly confident in being able to handle it. And too, instead of 6 classes, they're now taking "only" 3... so its essentially a wash in terms of work load/time. The thing about the D plan, however, is that it goes so quick that if you are not used to an accelerated curriculum you may feel a tad like treading water. The one constant I hear, however, is that the classes are so great that there are always more you want to take than the time in which to take them. Plus.. when you've got engaging professors and classmates... I just hope S gets in! He will be so sad if he is outright rejected. :( To my son, it doesn't sound hard/bad, it only sounds like what he has been waiting for. I just wish there were some other schools the size of dartmouth that had the same kind of reputation for great teaching and such happy students. Seriously... we need some more back ups I think and fast.</p>
<p>As I write, I'm immersed studying for finals as a first-term D freshman. The quotation posted by the OP is absolutely spot on. Dartmouth is very tough. </p>
<p>Despite my having taken tough courses at Harvard during high school, I'm finding the pace, level of depth required in the courses and the rigor of exams unparalled. This is especially true:</p>
<p>"exams are more likely to require a critical analysis of course material or the application of concepts to new data..." </p>
<p>Even a course like Art History I requires a level and volume of detailed mastery that is remarkable. And it's the easiest of my three courses! The others, Calculus and Bio, are very challenging and difficult to do well in (i.e. get an A).</p>
<p>It is less the workload here per se, than it is the rigor of the examinations.</p>
<p>Did you expect anything less from one of the best colleges in the country?</p>
<p>The good news: The Ivy League is definitely not known for giving people F's. Most class averages are A's and B's, with a few C+'s in there for weeder courses.</p>
<p>There's a reason that Dartmouth's so selective. The people who are accepted should <em>want</em> to study that in-depth in the first place, or else why would they apply to the school? No teacher, whether at Dartmouth or elsewhere, wants a grade-monger.</p>
<p>My son finds it hard-not easy to get A's; now a sophomore he studies a lot, but the payback is great. He is learning a lot, is really interested in what he learns, and is now enjoying contact with his professors-just as advertised. We are impressed.</p>
<p>The D plan is intense, because only a few weeks after the term starts, it's time for midterms. Because the term is only ~9 weeks long, if you miss a class or two, you've missed a lot. In addition, because the D plan means you can spend random terms off campus, during finals you might also be thinking about packing up your room and going overseas, or to your internship, or whatever. </p>
<p>But, as well as work hard, they also play hard.</p>
<p>OK, I'll be the dissenting voice, with the caveat being I'll get back to you if things don't pan out. DS2, who went to an incredibly competitive, rigorous high school on the quarter system, says he expects a 4.0 this term with appropriate work, but nothing past his HS. He is taking a first year required seminar (all had over 770 CR to take), a heavy duty advanced math class and an engineering 101 type class.</p>
<p>I thought it was tough, but in no way a weeder. Very reasonable. As are harder but you can figure out how to get them, Bs are standard, Cs are rare, you have to screw up to do worse than a C.</p>
<p>S is a first year. He's finding one of his courses difficult: not the homework and quizzes, but the exams. As advertised, the exams do not seem to be geared toward ascertaining that you have mastered the basic material of the class, but towards seeing how far you can take it. His other courses seem to be no problem. We'll see how it turns out.</p>
<p>Math 11, multi-variable calc, is my easy course compared to my Chinese class and freshman seminar.</p>
<p>It's not hard if you put in the time. Definitely expect to spend more time doing work than in high school, but also expect to have a lot more fun.</p>
<p>sneamia, do you think that all of the profs--I'm assuming there is more than one--who teach Math 11 are equally difficult, or do some have a rep for being tougher or less effective teachers?</p>
<p>
[Quote]
The D plan is intense, because only a few weeks after the term starts, it's time for midterms. Because the term is only ~9 weeks long, if you miss a class or two, you've missed a lot. In addition, because the D plan means you can spend random terms off campus, during finals you might also be thinking about packing up your room and going overseas, or to your internship, or whatever. </p>
<p>But, as well as work hard, they also play hard.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>See?? This is exactly what my son dreams of. This is who he is. He would be in heaven. <hopeful sigh=""></hopeful></p>
<p>re ^ ... profs rarely teach math 11 more than one time, so that question isn't really applicable here. However, when I took Math 11, the three sections all had the same exams and were graded on the same curve - just the lectures were different. Of course, you could go to whichever section you liked, there was always enough room in the hall, so you could pick whichever prof you preferred. In general though, none of the profs who teach M11 are going to be particularly enthused to be doing so.</p>
<p>also, with regards to the whole grade thing ... yes, some classes are easier and some are harder. I haven't found it especially more difficult than HS, but you do generally need to actually study more. Also, hmom5 -- i would say that you should look for a record beyond the first term ... the math department is pretty easy to get good grades from especially in intro - type classes (ie lin alg, diffEQ, etc.); ENGS 21 (the class I assume you are referring to) is a pretty hard class to judge your grade in, since the final project is worth a lot and you don't really get much feedback from - also, it's not very rigorous but a lot of work. Seminars are kind of hit-or-miss, some are interesting and easy, some are very hard, and not all the profs are equal. Not to rain on the parade or anything.</p>
<p>Anyway, which classes are "hard" are going to depend on what you're interested in, your specific background, and the specific class and professor. Exams will range from being able to regurgitate to being able to use central concepts to do things and propose and/or design things you have never been exposed to. If you have a good brain, and not just a memory chip ... you'll be fine.</p>
<p>
[quote]
sneamia, do you think that all of the profs--I'm assuming there is more than one--who teach Math 11 are equally difficult, or do some have a rep for being tougher or less effective teachers?
[/quote]
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<p>I had Professor Williams, and he was usually more upbeat than the students. Some of my friends took classes during other periods, but they said Williams was the best. You could always come in during other periods and check it out for yourself, the homework, quizzes, and exams are 'standardized' across the three teachers.</p>