I am trying to decide where to apply ED… both schools are amazing, and I love their academics and extracurricular. Dartmouth’s outing club is amazing, and Johns Hopkins is in a city, so both have things that make them very attractive. However, I was wondering what the social and political scenes are like at both of them. I am worried that Dartmouth does not have enough artsy and politically aware students. Is this true? Which school has more social diversity?
I recently visited johns hopkins for an overnight and my general understanding of the school was that there is diversity if you look for it, but the school is mainly comprised of white students and whitewashed asians (as a whitewashed I mean no offense). Additionally, there was a freshman I asked why she chose johns hopkins over dartmouth, and she said that dartmouth was a “party school”. She said that 70% of the students were involved in greek life compared to johns hopkins’ 30%. Take that as you will because some people like schools with a nice social scene and others don’t.
First of all, good luck with your application process! Both schools are amazing academically, and I’m sure you’ll do well no matter where you go.
Have you decided what you would like to study? Of course, you aren’t even in college yet, but it may be helpful to think about what you’d like to really get out of your college experience.
For instance, I go to school in Baltimore - which might admittedly mean that I’m biased - and have felt very fortunate to have gained access to the amazing opportunities that are available in Baltimore and D.C. It depends what you want to do when you go to school, but I know that, for a lot of college students, the community is just as important as the school itself, if not more so. Although location shouldn’t be a big issue when it comes to opportunities - especially if you are passionate, do well, and go to a good school - the amount of events, internships, and community service programs that are present in Baltimore are a huge plus, especially considering the fact that the local community also has a great “small city” vibe, with lots of cafes, art galleries, museums, and neighborhoods.
That being said, I have personally known three friends (and four professors) who are attending/have attended Hopkins, and they have all have reported that it’s a pretty…intense…student body. Understandably, the school has a very competitive reputation, and while this indicates great academics, I have also heard that many students seem to be almost scared of asking questions in class, for fear of seeming “stupid.” However, this is just hearsay, and Dartmouth may very well have similar issues. Additionally, at the end of the day, college is really what you make of it. It’s a cliche, but the fact of the matter is that there are miserable people and completely happy people at every school.
Hopkins also doesn’t seem to be a very diverse school from what I’ve seen, at least in terms of race and class. However, Dartmouth seems to be in the same boat. If you are really turned off by this, it’s worth mentioning again that Baltimore is an incredibly vibrant city with a huge arts/social justice scene. Places like Red Emma’s, Atomic Books, and organizations like Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle are very active, and the Hopkins student I’ve talked to tend to find it very easy to leave the college bubble.
There is also a lot of “bro-ish” drinking/frat culture on Hopkins campus. However, students who aren’t as into that may find that they have more options in a city like Baltimore, as opposed to a smaller town like Hanover, and I know that Dartmouth has a lot of the same issues.
Of course, everyone I’ve communicated with at Hopkins and Dartmouth seems to be very happy with the level of education which they are receiving, and love the opportunities provided in the surrounding area. Before you decide, perhaps it would be helpful to look at both schools and, depending on your goals/circumstances, ask yourself these questions:
- What is the financial aid situation with each program?
- What specific requirements does each school have for my desired major? How flexible is it to switch majors and work with administration/academic guidance?
- What services are offered, in terms of mental health/physical health/counseling?
- What affinity/identity groups are available for people in diverse groups (LGBT+, People of Color, Women, First Gen College Students, etc)?
- What sort of opportunities does each community/program offer? Do students at these schools tend to be involved in the community off-campus (volunteering, internships, going to events, etc)? If so, what do they do?
- What specific awards/fellowships/opportunities are associated with each school?
- What do students at each of these school tend to do after college?
All of this information should be available on each school’s website, or social media. If you happen to choose Hopkins, I would be happy to give some recommendations about cool stuff to do in Baltimore/the DMV area. Otherwise, good luck, and sorry for the super long-winded reply!
What is your intended major? Hopkins is dominated by pre-med. it is something you may want to consider.
By the questions you asked and by what you said, I’d tell you to check out Amherst. We have a very active outing club, and are in a great college town. Not to mention, we have stellar academics and plenty of social “diversity.”
Interesting choices. I can’t imagine two schools more different in physical setting, social life and academic strengths. The only thing they have in common is that they are both difficult to get into.
Check out Tufts. Located in Somerville/Cambridge/Boston - which is among the best college “towns” in the country along with a very active Mountain Club that owns a Lodge in the White Mountains of New Hampshire (near Dartmouth) and provides vans to transport students back and forth…
@richter123 Very different schools. I am pretty that Dartmouth is more politically aware than Hopkins. I think you need to visit both schools and see for yourself. I think Hopkins is said to have significant grade deflation and also to be quite cutthroat, and Baltimore is not really fun.The Dartmouth campus is pretty rural and kind of secluded so you would need to like this kind of setting. These two schools are so different that it is very unlikely you would like both equally. i think visiting and doing more research online would be the best way to find out what to do, especially since you are planning to commit ED.
Other schools like Dartmouth – rural/outdoorsy, small, with a healthy party scene (and/or Greek life) but also strong academics:
- Amherst
- Middlebury
- Williams
- Washington & Lee
- Colby
- Colgate
- Hamilton (maaaaybe on the party scene -- check w/others)
Other schools like JHU – rigorous, urban, not known necessarily for a huge party scene:
- UChicago
- Columbia
- MIT
- Caltech
- CMU (i think…)
As has been stated, JHU and Dartmouth are not terribly alike aside from overall academic reputation. If you are interested in one more than the other, the schools i listed are a place to start for finding similar environment/social fit.