Lots of questions about Dickinson

Colleges and Universities A-Z Dickinson College
1

<p>My daughter was accepted EA to Dickinson and is trying to decide which college to attend. Dickinson is one of her favorites, but it is a lot more expensive than her other options, which are slightly less selective. </p>

<p>We have a lot of questions about the Dickinson College experience, and would appreciate it if any current or former students or parents could try to answer some of these questions, or anything else that we should have asked.</p>

<p>-What kind of on-campus events are offered? Do students actually attend campus events other than Greek parties?</p>

<p>-How is academic rigor? How serious are students about their classes? How hard is it for students to earn good grades? How stressed are the students? Do the students have time to participate in clubs and activities? </p>

<p>-How is the food? How accessible are the dining options, in terms of long lines, open late hours, etc.?</p>

<p>-Princeton Review gave the college a relatively low Quality of Life score. Why is that? </p>

<p>-Is it difficult to get into the classes you want to take?</p>

<p>-How is job placement? How is the career center? How is the alumni network?</p>

<p>-Does the student body start to feel small after a few years? </p>

<p>-How diverse is the student body? Do the students self-segregate, or do different groups mix?</p>

<p>-How is the psychology department?</p>

2

<p>I can take a shot at some based on my D’s experience, I am sure others will have additional comments:</p>

<p>-What kind of on-campus events are offered? Do students actually attend campus events other than Greek parties?</p>

<p>My D found a lot to do on campus besides Greek parties. In fact, I think she only went to a few Greek parties in her years there. I think they had movies, speakers, club events, dorm activities, etc. By spring of freshman year she was hopping busy all the time without being involved in Greek life at all, and rarely drinking.</p>

<p>-How is academic rigor? How serious are students about their classes? How hard is it for students to earn good grades? How stressed are the students? Do the students have time to participate in clubs and activities? </p>

<p>My D was an A-/B+ student at a fairly rigorous private independent high school. She worked harder at Dickinson, and graduated with a 3.93 GPA. She was serious about her classes. Sometimes when I talked to her on Friday nights she was in the library for a couple of hours after dinner before going out. But I think she rarely studied all weekend, and she did not seem very stressed EXCEPT her last semester when she did a senior thesis. She had time for a boyfriend and several clubs. She also served on some kind of college committee, and had a job on campus as well.</p>

<p>-How is the food? How accessible are the dining options, in terms of long lines, open late hours, etc.?</p>

<p>She never complained about the food. But I suspect, like all small colleges with one dining hall, eventually it has to get a little old… they have good coconut cake. :slight_smile: I ate there several times, thought it was pretty normal for a college cafeteria.</p>

<p>-Princeton Review gave the college a relatively low Quality of Life score. Why is that? </p>

<p>Can’t answer this, except to say that Carlisle IS a small town. She did not spend a lot of money (she said she typically spent less than $25/week). So if you compare it to Boston, DC, etc., there isn’t as much to do. And it does rain quite a bit there. But really, my D did not have many complaints about this. </p>

<p>-Is it difficult to get into the classes you want to take?</p>

<p>The first year my D had trouble getting a class to satisfy her science with lab requirement (or maybe science with quantitative element? Can’t remember what the requirement is now). Anyway, she did not want to take a “hard” science, wanted something like astronomy or a non-major bio class. She did not get a class for that until sophomore year. It seems like she had a little trouble getting classes she wanted to satisfy her phys ed requirement. And she couldn’t get into Appalachian Trail hiking until senior year. :slight_smile: Those were her only issues, I think.</p>

<p>-How is job placement? How is the career center? How is the alumni network?</p>

<p>The career center gave my D a lot of help (but she is one to go ask for it, and take their advice, too). They helped her format her resume, and with mock interviews. They had listings of internships (she got a good local “during the semester” internship they had a posting for). Alumni network was good for her – she got her current job after graduating through a student she knew who graduated the year before. Again… she is a good networker, so your milage may vary. But she definitely goes back to panels at the college, etc., and would be happy to talk to any student who contacted her now. I guess the one complaint she had about the career center is that she did not get one of the summer grants when she had an unpaid internship, and it was over some technicality (confusing part of the application, she didn’t supply one piece of info they wanted in the format the person thought it should be in). So I guess the lesson is, don’t count on a summer grant even if you have a great internship lined up and you are a top student.</p>

<p>-Does the student body start to feel small after a few years? </p>

<p>Yes, as at any small LAC. A lot of students go off campus for part or all of junior year, so that helps. My D was able to do two different things junior year. One semester abroad in an unusual country (very flexible and helpful study abroad staff at Dickinson), and one in DC with an internship through the Washington Semester. Which was great – the housing they had was a very good location, and a super nice apartment. :)</p>

<p>-How diverse is the student body? Do the students self-segregate, or do different groups mix?</p>

<p>Can’t answer, maybe someone else can. I do think they get a fair number of international students. D had lots of friends from other countries. Her freshman year she shared a storage unit for the summer with a group of Chinese students she knew who also needed to store their stuff.</p>

<p>-How is the psychology department? </p>

<p>My D2 toured Dickinson last year, and our guide was a psych major. He had a great job lined up post graduation with Nielsen (the ratings company). Don’t know any more about the department, but I figure this student with a job is a good sign. :)</p>

3

<p>Son faces same choice, accepted EA but Dickinson much more expensive (15,000 to 18,000) more than other slightly less selective schools. He really likes Dickinson and we think its a terrific school, but hard to be OK with the cost differential, which would be out of pocket.</p>

4

<p>intparent, thanks the info. For my daughter, one of the key questions is LAC vs Regional University, which drives some of the questions related to the size of the school. </p>

<p>Any other current or former students or parents out there who could address some of these questions?</p>

5

<p>D is in the same boat as Nepop’s S. We’re thrilled D got accepted to Dickinson, but without merit aid it’s a hard choice given that D’s been accepted to other fine (but slightly less selective) LAC’s that have offered some nice aid.</p>

<p>D is still waiting on a few excellent schools with hopes of merit aid if accepted.</p>

6

<p>Hello! I am a current student on campus, a senior English major and creative writing minor and would love to answer your questions from my perspective. Please let me know if you have any more as well!</p>

<p>-What kind of on-campus events are offered? Do students actually attend campus events other than Greek parties?</p>

<p>On-campus we have a huge array of student groups that host events every day. From dances to movie screenings, we have it all! We also have a student group on campus called the Multi-Organizational board, also known as MOB, that organizes and hosts events such as concerts, dances, spirit events, and much more on the weekends for students. Those events are always very well attended. For example, last weekend they hosted the all-campus formal, a huge dance in our Holland Union Building, and a lot of students came out to socialize, dance, and eat–the President of the college even made an appearance! So basically what I’m saying is, there are a lot more options of things to attend than just parties on campus.</p>

<p>-How is academic rigor? How serious are students about their classes? How hard is it for students to earn good grades? How stressed are the students? Do the students have time to participate in clubs and activities? </p>

<p>Dickinson is very challenging academically. How I’ve seen it to be challenging is that I have had to go outside of my learning comfort zone through the liberal arts education and challenge myself to take classes in subjects that I might not be as good at. However, this has been extremely rewarding. I never in my life thought I would like taking a science class, but because of the lab requirement at Dickinson, I found myself in Earth History my sophomore year. I was nervous before it started, but with the help of the professor, at the end, I wish I would’ve taken geology earlier because I loved it and wanted to minor in it!
Dickinson students are very serious about their classes and getting their work done to achieve good grades. The library is always busy. Getting good grades depends on the subject and professor, however, it is not easy to simply get them. I don’t believe that Dickinson students are too stressed about work however, unless they have a very hard course load or are handling their senior projects (like myself right now haha!)
Students definitely have time to participate in other activities other than academics. While we have a liberal arts education platform at the school, the college is much more resourceful than that. They want to encourage you to be a multifaceted person. Do more than academics: find your passion through activities and leadership within them. </p>

<p>-How is the food? How accessible are the dining options, in terms of long lines, open late hours, etc.?</p>

<p>There are four dining options on campus, one of which is open until midnight on weekdays and 2 am on weekends. The others have very reasonable hours as well. There are many options for dining. Cafeteria style: entrees, cereal, grill, stir-fry, deli, soups, kosher-vegan, and a salad and fruit bar. In the caf you will get a rush of people around lunch time, but never too many to not have a place to sit. Union Station: More like a grill. Burgers, sandwiches, salad bar, grilled cheese, breakfast sandwiches. Really delicious stuff. You can both sit down here and take your food to go. This is usually less crowded than the cafeteria and open until 9pm. The Quarry: our on campus cafe, similar to a Panera Bread, but with Pizza, milkshakes and sushi! Really great atmosphere in here, never crowded, and this is the place open until midnight and 2 am on the weekends. And then there is the Underground. Just below the cafeteria in the Holland Union Building serves sushi and all organic food and has amazing coffee/lattes. A great place to hang out between classes and chat with friends. Busy around lunch-- but not overwhelming. You can use your meal plan at any of these locations.</p>

<p>-Princeton Review gave the college a relatively low Quality of Life score. Why is that?
Honestly, I’m not sure. I have had such a fabulous experience here: I have been immersed in a community that wants to see me succeed and is helping me get there.</p>

<p>-Is it difficult to get into the classes you want to take?</p>

<p>Getting the classes you want to take gets easier every year you are here. As you declare a major/minor, you will get into the classes you want/need more easily. However, there are a lot of classes that are appropriate for first-years or where first-years get priority. Sorry for the double negative in this sentence, but I have never not gotten a class I wanted to take throughout my four years here. </p>

<p>-How is job placement? How is the career center? How is the alumni network?</p>

<p>The Career Center has been extremely helpful for me throughout my years here. In fact, I just had a meeting there yesterday about the job search and alumni network! I have registered my four internships through Dickinson’s internship notation program which then places your internship on your academic transcript. Through the Career Center I have also gotten an internship with a Dickinson alum at the Department of Homeland Security and attended a networking day on campus that featured various seminars, mock interviews, and a reception where I got to meet a handful of alums that were interested in what I was interested in. I have found that if you seek out the Career Center, the job search seems much less daunting.</p>

<p>-Does the student body start to feel small after a few years? </p>

<p>To be honest, not really. Because a lot of the junior class goes abroad and people go on mosaic programs (a shorter abroad experience within a semester) the climate on campus is constantly shifting. Every day I still meet new people here, even as a senior. And through activities and the classes in subjects that are not within my major, I get to experience new peers and faculty/administration. </p>

<p>-How diverse is the student body? Do the students self-segregate, or do different groups mix?</p>

<p>The campus is pretty diverse, with students from all around the globe, from different cultures, and from different parts of the states. We also are VERY diverse in academic interests, which makes the school a great learning environment.
There are many initiatives on campus to make different student groups and interests mix, and a lot of the events on campus are hosted by two or more student groups to reinforce this idea.</p>

<p>-How is the psychology department?
I have a few friends that are psychology majors and they absolutely love the opportunities they have gotten here. They have gotten to conduct their own psych studies and some I believe have even done research with their professors! I would love to get you in touch with one of them-- someone who knows more specific answers about the major.</p>

7

<p>em2013, thanks so much for your detailed response.</p>

<p>One other question: What type of academic help is available for students? I know there is a writing center. But are there tutoring hours available for some of the popular math and science classes?</p>

8

<p>There is a writing center as well as a multilingual writing center to answer questions for students taking language classes. In addition to those resources, there are student tutors available in all subjects that can be of use to all students through the academic advising staff. More info about the tutors can be found here: [Dickinson</a> College - Peer Tutoring Program](<a href=“http://www.dickinson.edu/academics/resources/advising/content/Peer-Tutoring-Program/]Dickinson”>http://www.dickinson.edu/academics/resources/advising/content/Peer-Tutoring-Program/)</p>

<p>There are also many learning skills and study strategies workshops that can be really useful to help keep life organized and on top of things!</p>

9

<p>em2013, thanks again. It is great to hear the perspective of a current student.</p>

10

<p>Many of the questions have been addressed but if you want more info on anything, just ask. I am the parent of a new graduate, and she loved her experience. Her campus job senior year was in the Career Center. She found Dickinson was a great balance of challenging academics but not so overwhelming that she couldn’t participate in campus and town activities. I think the science requirements are the toughest to fulfill for non-science majors, but she picked ones she thought would be “less popular” and got both of the requirements satisfied her first year. I don’t think she had too much trouble getting in to any other courses; when it looked like she might not get an accounting class she needed, they added another section, so they are pretty good about monitoring course offerings. She managed to complete a double major, while spending her junior year in Spain. She didn’t have any issues with the campus feeling too small, and she loved that she could walk to plenty of places downtown for food and entertainment.</p>

11

<p>Peadbodie, thanks for the reply. Has your D found a job? Was the Career Center helpful to her for job-hunting?</p>

12

<p>She is doing a paid internship now, and it is in the field in which she wants to work, so that is good. This one she happened to find on her own, but while she was there the Career Center went over her resume, gave her advice on interviewing, and supplied a few leads on jobs. One or two other students she knows did get internships/jobs in her field with help from the Career Center. It’s a small field, so not the easiest to break in to. They also run a program to help match up graduating seniors looking for roommates in various cities, which can be very helpful.</p>