<p>norcalguy, I agree with your post. However, some people argue that the reason there is a heavy representation of students from top colleges in the top medical schools, is because those are the best students anyway.</p>
<p>Knowing medical schools admissions well, like I also do, I disagree with that point. The name..does matter...</p>
<p>super informative slipper. thanks for the details. i was always under the impression that northwestern had the better stats of the two. but a lot of that is due to name.</p>
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norcalguy, I agree with your post. However, some people argue that the reason there is a heavy representation of students from top colleges in the top medical schools, is because those are the best students anyway.</p>
<p>Knowing medical schools admissions well, like I also do, I disagree with that point. The name..does matter...
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<p>That's a valid point. The students' own abilities absolutely have something to do with it. But, keep in mind, applicants from top 20 schools account for only around 10-15% of all applicants so 70% of matriculants is a large overrepresentation.</p>
<p>UMich Med School for example gives automatic interviews to applicants with high stats AND who come from a school on their "top school list." This list is quite extensive so we're not talking about only HYP. It includes Cornell, Berkeley, Georgetown, and more. I'd say, there's probably at least 30 schools on that list which just shows you that med schools do not distinguish b/w the top colleges. Ivy League med schools are even more snobbish.</p>
<p>This thread makes me long for the days when the SAT scores of students at Northwestern and Tufts were analyzed like they were Sarah Palin's cup size.</p>
<p>I am a graduate of Northwestern, but have never been to Dartmouth. I have met a bunch of people from there though, so I think it really depends on what you're looking for.</p>
<p>Without some specifics as to what kind of program you're looking to get into I'll have to be broad, but Northwestern offers a really diverse and customizable education. Most of the majors outside of SESP (education & social policy) and Medill are really flexible and let you tailor your curriculum to your liking. Most of my friends ended up changing schools during their time there, a lot of them ended up going into Engineering or SESP from CAS just because they liked it more. NU makes it really easy to do that.</p>
<p>The study abroad programs at NU are phenomenal and I haven't met a single person with gripes about the program (aside from generic whining about paperwork.) The faculty is really accessible and the staff are all extremely pleasant. It's not uncommon for people to have lunch with the Provost or President at a dining hall if you're in a Res College. </p>
<p>The campus life can be a little tame. It's not much of a party school and most of the students keep their noses to the grindstone. But the campus atmosphere is really laid back. The Greek scene is pretty huge, but it's not very dedicated or exclusionary, so socially people mingle a lot. It's a big enough campus that you don't quite know everyone there, but it still has a nice community feel to it.</p>
<p>It is right next to Chicago, but it is also has a fair bit of greenspace and lots of little side paths with twists and turns that you can get lost in. I used to love taking aimless walks around campus. It also has a nice beach that you'll get to enjoy all of 4 weeks out of the year when the weather is nice AND you don't have exams coming up. </p>
<p>The party scene is mellow, but social enough for you to be able to have fun and enjoy a variety of activities. This is where I think it differs most from D. From what I have heard, being in a small town has given Dartmouth a much smaller and less varied social scene.</p>
<p>Academically NU is a fantastic school. I've taken summer school courses at Harvard and interacted with people from all the Ivies as well as Duke and Georgetown and I'd have to say that NU students can stand toe-to-toe with anyone and, in some cases, (like Biology or Organic Chem.) actually have much tougher and more challenging work compared to what I saw at Harvard. </p>
<p>The thing I liked most about NU, though was that it was laid back. The people are all smart and capable but by and large they're not pretentious about it the way I've noticed from many students at Ivies.</p>
<p>(Not to knock on Ivy-leaguers, but search your feelings. You know it to be true.)</p>
<p>There is a sense of insecurity hanging over those posters who seemingly are so desperate to "prove" the superiority of Dartmouth over Northwestern in every factor.</p>
<p>Does Dartmouth generally have more "prestige" than NU among HS students, esp. in the NE? Yes (I don't think anyone will dispute that).</p>
<p>But that doesn't mean students in the Mid-west or academics or people overseas are going to think along the same lines.</p>
<p>And all this talk about SAT scores, etc. is really asinine.</p>
<p>Gee, what are we talking about 10 pts? Actually, the median SAT spread is pretty much EVEN w/ NU starting at a higher point and Dartmouth ending at a higher point.</p>
<p>Putting aside the fact that NU is TWICE as big as Dartmouth and the fact that NU has better ACT scores - Harvey Mudd, Po mona and WUSTL all have better SAT stats than Dartmouth (or at least the equal), I guess the same poster(s) harping about SAT scores are going to agree that Harvey Mudd, etc. are then, along the same lines, "better schools" than Dartmouth.</p>
<p>As for the WSJ survey - that has been debunked numerous times a while ago.</p>
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Northwestern has never ranked higher than Dartmouth even ONCE in any undergraduate focused ranking.
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<p>NU has consistently ranked ahead of Brown and Cornell in the USNWR rankings. I guess that is proof positive that NU is a "better" school than Brown and Cornell (really, are we like in 8th grade here?).</p>
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The campus life can be a little tame. It's not much of a party school and most of the students keep their noses to the grindstone.
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<p>I would put the emphasis on the word "can".</p>
<p>It really depends on what social circle you hang out in.</p>
<p>I knew people who spent a lot of time studying. Conversely, I also knew people who got wasted 3 nights a week and drank an additional 2-3 nights a week (some of them are now doctors, I know, scary).</p>
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. It has a beautiful environment to boot - like a summer camp in the summer and a ski resort in the winter.
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<p>Yeah, like Evanston, in comparison, is such a craphole. </p>
<p>I wonder what I was thinking spending a couple of summers in Evanston, layout out on NU's private beach, sailing on Lake Michigan, listening to great blues/rock bands in Chicago, going to Wrigley Field, stuffing myself w/ Chicago-style pizza, etc. </p>
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I would imagine anyone attending Northwestern is going to spend 95+% of their time in Evanston not Chicago.
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<p>And I would imagine anyone attending Dartmouth would spend 95% of their time in Hanover and not enjoying the woods or slopes of New Hampshire.</p>
<p>Not to mention that there is more to do in Evanston than Hanover (having spent quite a bit of time in New Hampshire).</p>
<p>But as I stated before, some people like the whole college town in a rural area thing and others prefer something a little more cosmopolitan - no real wrong choice.</p>
<p>hey guys! sry to buzz in......</p>
<p>i'm torn between dartmouth and UPenn......any ideas? my parents want me to choose penn as first choice b/c it's closer...i love the whole idea of dartmouth -- small, great study abroad, undergrad focus, etc etc....penn seems a little intimidating to me to tell the truth. b/c of wharton i guess. i kinda get an impression that everyone's business oriented.</p>
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I would put the emphasis on the word "can".
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<p>Well, my basis for comparison was the University of Florida. So take that for what it's worth.</p>
<p>nevermind!</p>
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Well, my basis for comparison was the University of Florida. So take that for what it's worth.
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<p>Never been to UF, but my basis for comparison are Wisc, Indiana and Penn State - no slouches when it comes to "party schools".</p>
<p>(I'm not saying NU has as big of a party scene as those schools, but it's there.)</p>
<p>Look, this is a no-brainer for Dartmouth. Now everybody go to bed.</p>
<p>^ In that case, it's a no-brainer to pick Columbia over Dartmouth.</p>
<p>^TG, thanks for keeping the flame going with your stupid comment.</p>
<p>Back on topic... Is it possible to create a some sort of pseudo-D Plan at Northwestern? Like go on more than one study abroad, take a quarter off to do an internship, that kind of thing?</p>
<p>^you should post these questions in northwestern forum. you'll get a better chance to get the answer.</p>
<p>^ Oh why don't you make an effort to answer his question, Sam? Thrill him with your insight. ;)</p>
<p>^^ Or lack of ....</p>
<p>I got into Northwestern and got rejected by Dartmouth. I didn't end up going to either. On my visits, I thought Dartmouth was flippin sweet but that Northwestern was sort of a wannabe Ivy with not much community or social scene outside of frats, but i guess frats are huge at D too so that comment doesn't make much sense. Dartmouth is legit, and I'd probably prefer to go there over Northwestern, even though Northwestern's location is prime.</p>
<p>UCB,</p>
<p>I didn't study abroad (though going to college in the US is a study abroad for me). There could be issue with the FA but I didn't have any FA so I really don't know.</p>