<p>Dear Dartmouth Students,</p>
<p>I was recently accepted as a 2008 transfer and was wondering if anyone can illuminate things for me a bit (in terms of housing, classes, academic work, campus life, social scene, etc.). Do forgive my vagueness, but any advice would be wonderful. I know nothing substantive about the school other than what I have read online and in the gamut of college books with excerpts about Dartmouth. Feel free to PM me as well!</p>
<p>Cheers and warm tidings from AZ,</p>
<p>wayward_trojan</p>
<p>Where are you transferring from?</p>
<p>Have you been accepted at other schools for transfer and you're trying to decide among them?</p>
<p>And oh yeah -- congratulations! Last year they accepted no transfers!</p>
<p>Transferring from USC :)</p>
<p>Deciding between Cornell and Dartmouth. Waitlisted at Columbia. Still waiting for UPenn...</p>
<p>If no Penn or Columbia, definitely Dartmouth. I think I just want a general gist of the school and what to expect.</p>
<p>search the cc threads for info on the D-Plan. It is unlike the UC's and Stanford's quarter system. As a Junior transfer, attend Soph Summer if you can -- it's for rising Juniors.</p>
<p>Social scene -- yes, got it in spades; heavy Greek scene which may be a concern (based on your other posts).</p>
<p>Academics -- gonna be tougher than 'SC, in general. But, they so would Columbia and Cornell and Penn. Small, close knit classes, similar to a liberal arts college.</p>
<p>Housing - essentially guaranteed all four years.</p>
<p>But, you applied to transfer to two very urbane schools and are currently attending one...are you sure that Hanover (or Ithaca) is a place where you will be happy? What's your prospective major?</p>
<p>Dartmouth (IMO in a nanosecond over Penn and Columbia as a transfer).</p>
<p>Dartmouth is the best transfer experience (by far) IMO of any top school.</p>
<p>reasons:</p>
<p>1) You get to go on all orientation trips and you get to know the younger class and other transfers really well this way.
2) Sophomore summer: You get to meet your class after sophomore year which is a HUGE plus. No one even knows you are a transfer after the summer.
3) Frat rush: Occurs sophomore year. So you don't miss out on anything if you want to join.
4) D-plan. Means you can cram in a study abroad and even an off term for a thesis grant. I transferred and spent a term at Oxford, in Spain, and got a $10K grant for thesis reseach where I lived on a pacific Island (paradise!) OR shotgun a three month internship on a random term to get into an elite bank or consulting firm.
5) Tightknit community: SUPER welcoming and small enough that people will see a new person and be very welcoming socially.<br>
6) Special treatment: Unlike other schools where transfers are almost ignored, at Dartmouth they get special attention like advisors, the best dorm rooms, etc.</p>
<p>Compare this to a place like columbia where people after first year barely even eat together, the library is silent, and people form cliques first year. Dartmouth cannot be beat for transfers. In my experience my transfer friends at Dartmouth did extrordinarily well after college (Harvard law, Harvard Med, Penn med, McKinsey, Goldman Sachs, etc) and in my opinion this had a very large part to do with the special experience dartmouth offered.</p>
<p>Dartmouth is AWESOME</p>
<p>^^slipper: the trojan would be coming in as a Junior.</p>
<p>In that case I would, if possible, try to start sophomore summer to meet your class (who will be incoming juniors). Many of the benefits of Dartmouth (tightknit, social, friendly, lots of opportunities) remain.</p>