Is there a place at Dartmouth for a student who isn’t in to outdoor winter activities nor Greek life? D isn’t bothered by cold but doesn’t ski or hike. She is looking for somewhere academically challenging and strong liberal arts. Drawn to Dartmouth because it is more like a large liberal arts college. But I am concerned because she isn’t outdoorsy and not a partier. I hear both of those things about Dartmouth.
Any input from current or former student?
Winter is not the “outdoorsy” season for Dartmouth students. Those who are into skiing don’t go to the Dartmouth Skiway which is geared more towards for families and beginners. Most of the ski bums that I knew went to Killington, Stowe, etc. But the fact is that skiing requires time, motivation, money and transportation. Inevitably, one of those would be lacking and most kids would stay on campus. I was part of the DOC, and I don’t remember anyone going hiking during the winter - even the crazy ones. With that said, fall, spring, and summer are a different story. Lots of kids go biking, hiking, canoeing, etc. I wasn’t very outdoorsy either when I arrived on campus, but there is something magical about walking through the Vermont woods in the fall when the ground is covered with golden leaves and the trees are flaming orange, yellow, and red. Your daughter may end up learning to love it as I did. But you do not need to be outdoorsy to have a social life - I knew plenty of people who absolutely hated the outdoors but still had a great time.
As for Greek life, you are right that lots of Dartmouth students are members of fraternities and sororities. Nonetheless, there are plenty of students who are not and love being at Dartmouth. The only warning I would give is that if you are not Greek, you may have to put in more effort to create a social life. If you don’t want to be associated with partying, then your daughter can request to live on one of the substance-free floors - that’s an easy way to find like-minded people. I always found the key was to be active outside of the classroom - participate in lots of extracurriculars and meet as many people as possible.
Thank you for your thorough response. You confirmed most of what I had heard.
Just want the right fit
I have two daughters who graduated from Dartmouth recently. Both are very much big city people with no “outdoors” tendencies. They chose D over over highly selective colleges and universities in or near major cities. They absolutely LOVED Dartmouth. Neither joined a sorority, but developed lots of lifelong friendships through the many social opportunités that exist. There is so much to do on campus and nearby that isn’t outdoorsie. We visited twice a year ourselves because we found Hanover and the surrounding area so much fun. Also, the Dartmouth Coach made Boston an easy day or weekend trip for them. And the terms abroad made the total Dartmouth experience more than you could imagine. Dartmouth is whatever you want to make of it. And by the way, during “off” terms, Dartmouth arranged fully funded internships at the CDC and the United Nations for my daughters. How awesome is that!
Thank you so much! This is exactly what I was hoping to hear.
You would figure with a school that size there would be all kinds of people. But I kept reading about all the outdoors activities that Dartmouth students love. Sounds like D would just need to find her tribe.
Thanks again