Please tell me anything/everything you love or hate about Dartmouth!

I am having a tough time deciding where I should apply ED this fall. My top 3 schools are Dartmouth, CMC, and USC. I don’t know to which I should ED1 but I know if it’s not CMC I will still apply there ED2 because they have it available. I visited CMC and USC in August and loved what I saw and heard even without students on campus. I have not had the chance to visit Dartmouth and I don’t know if I will get to before I have to apply so I would like to hear what you found to be defining experiences or amenities at your school. Thanks to anyone with any advice or comments!

@smithemi97 USC doesn’t have an ED option. They have a Dec 1st deadline that is just for anyone who wants to be considered for a scholarship but it’s not ED or EA option. So you can still apply to SC on Dec 1st and use your EDs for the other 2.

Sorry, this is not an answer to your question. But . . . how would you feel if you apply ED to Dartmouth, get deferred, apply ED2 to CMC, and then get accepted to Dartmouth? A game theory approach to improving your odds of entry is not necessarily best to guide ED decisions.

If you are really indifferent between the 3 schools your approach could make sense. But I’d suggest doing everything you can to learn more about the schools, figuring out which is really best for you and then acting accordingly. ED2 may only make sense if you’re rejected ED1.

@stephrass I guess I wasn’t clear enough in stating that USC is a definite third place. I’m trying to decide between CMC and D for my early application. And @CHD2013 if I got accepted to either school I would be extremely happy and content to go to whichever took me. So I started the thread to try to find some distinguishing factors between Claremont and Dartmouth to see if that would change at all. At this point I just know that they are both incredible schools that will offer me many opportunities for success wherever I end up. I see what you’re saying though about the ED2 thing because I would find out my decision at Dartmouth on Dec. 15thish before having to send my app to CMC on Jan. 1st.

I visited Dartmouth and liked that it felt like a small liberal arts college, but it had the resources of a large research university. Also when I walked around campus, everyone was smiling and no one was alone. It had the quintissential college feel with people playing frisbee on the green to students on their laptops leaning against a tree to students in libraries. I don’t consider this a negative, but it is a very preppy school if that’s something that turns you off. Also 60% of students are involved in greek life, so if that doesn’t appeal to you, there will stil be people not involved in the greek system, they would just be in the minority. Also, if you’re looking for diversity, it exists at Dartmouth but in a unique way. 4% of students are Natives which is incredibly high, but black population is fairly low at about 8%.

Thanks so much, @futureco2020! I am intrigued by the preppy lifestlye, meaning I like the clothes and stuff but I live in Wisconsin so no one knows or cares about Lilly Pulitzer or Vineyard Vines haha! Also I think I’d rush a sorority, and if not I’d still probably attend greek parties, so I’m alright with the majority of students being greek. And the typical collegiate atmosphere is a plus. Those all sound like good things too me!

Having visted Dartmouth and CMC, and knowing students who are attending or have attended both schools, I would say that they are both incredible. But there are differences between the two - their student bodies, their culture, their curriculum, their locations, and even things like traditions, clubs, and food, but the things that someone else notices or cares about may be very different than the things that matter to you.

Your indecision is normal. It’s also telling. I know many, many students who have changed their minds on which schools they favored between the fall application season and when decisions came out in the spring. Many. You might be one of them. Why commit now when you’re not sure?

My best recommendation would be to apply to both RD. If you are fortunate to get accepted to both, you can visit the admitted students events and decide which one feels like the best fit for you.

Hi I currently go to Dartmouth and if you consider yourself a preppy person, I would say Dartmouth would match you with some very similar people. I don’t know much about CMC, but if you have any particular questions about dartmouth I’d be more than happy to help you out.

ED is such a big commitment, I question whether you really want to go that route without visiting first. College campuses affect everyone differently, and you can’t afford the risk of getting accepted ED and finding out it is too preppy, too Greek, too isolated, or whatever.

Beautiful school in a wonderful setting with a lot of available outdoor activities.

The thing is is that I am an addictive personality, which a lot of people just don’t get. I kind of meld to the environment I’m given. Sometimes I religiously wear Lilly and monograms, sometimes I want to be a hipster, and sometimes I’m any other stereotype. I feel like parts of me will fit in wherever I go. I think I could handle 50% greek students and northeast prep at Dartmouth (oh and it doesn’t get anymore isolated than where I live now) or the socal prep at at Claremont. I really loved Claremont but part of me will always think, what could have happened if I got into Dartmouth. Pretty much the ED part is just because I would love to confirm my choice and I just kind of want to know where I’m going and not have to worry about admissions anymore. Recently I’ve been putting more thought into USC though, simply because my admissions chances are higher and I don’t think I should bother with Dartmouth because I don’t think I can get in, and the fact that I might get the better “college experience” there than at CMC. I don’t know. Damn. Senior year sucks. Thanks for the advice though, and anymore is greatly appreciated.

Well, first off, nothing is guaranteed in college admissions. I only applied RD to all of the schools I applied to. And I was shocked to find out that I didn’t get into Northeastern, but I had gotten into Dartmouth. So if you’re positive that Dartmouth is the place for you, apply ED there. If not, then do RD. If you aren’t sure which school is the one for you, then don’t do ED. You shouldn’t do ED only because you’ll have better odds of getting, because that’s not true. And most people get deferred anyways

I know, I read that all the time here that the ED stats are skewed by hooked kids, but I can’t help but think that there could possibly be a leg up there. Now I’m leaning toward RD to all schools.

USNWR rankings have deeply impacted the admissions game. Yields are extremely important. Because this is a crapshoot process, it is important not to become obsessed with a single school. However, that does not mean that you should not apply ED to one of your 2-3 favorites. Anecdotal data suggests higher rates of acceptance for ED students than RD. I strongly believe that with ED

Ugh, I just wish schools weren’t so ambiguous about these things. Why can’t they just give us outright statistics so we know what’s best for us?