Pleaseeee Help..Duke vs. Dartmouth

Colleges and Universities A-Z Dartmouth College
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<p>Ok so I just got my decisions and I was accepted at Duke and Dartmouth and waitlisted at Brown...</p>

<p>I generally considered Brown my #1 during the last few monthss but just barely ahead of Duke and Dartmouth.
I'm incredibly torn about what to do...</p>

<p>Questions for my College Confidential peeps...</p>

<p>1.Should I bother to stay on the Brown wait list (I know Duke and Dartmouth are generally considered better schools)?</p>

<p>2.Between Duke and Dartmouth, any advice???
*I really love everything academically about Dartmouth I'm just concerned about whether I could have as good a time there as at Duke (parties, school's policies, girls, surrounding area, etc.)
*With Duke I'm more concerned with the rumors I hear about the school being more pre-professional and not that intellectual. I know I would have a great time at Duke and I know its a top school, but is it really focused on undergraduates and what is the student body like??</p>

<p>I'll definitely take a really hard look at each place during their admitted student programs..</p>

<p>Any insight or suggestions would be awesomeeee...Thankssss soooooo muchhh guysss...</p>

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<p>1) If Brown is still your first choice, absolutely. Send in a letter expressing a high level of interest in Brown, as well as an updated version of your resume. Keep in mind though, generally waitlist acceptees are low.</p>

<p>2) I can't speak for Duke but Dartmouth:</p>

<p>-parties: out of this world. Have you ever seen Animal House? It's based on Dartmouth. Lots of traditional college frat parties, lots of drinking=more fun (unless you're not the type).
-girls: girls at Dartmouth tend to be pretty in a more natural, wholesome kind of way.
-Hanover is gorgeous, but only if you appreciate nature. Montreal and Boston are not too far, but most of the community stays on campus- lots of spirit.</p>

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<p>1) Agree with RS, Brown's "open" curriculum is distinctive from Duke and Dartmouth
2) Re partying: I bow to the teenager. The one thing that Duke will have on Dartmouth in that arena is the basketball team, and the occasional "big concert" that will come to the Duke/UNC area because of the large number of college students. Of course, there is no weekend bus to Boston.
3) The weather is dramatically different, whether that is good or bad is up to you.
4) Duke is somewhat more "driven", pre-professional in feel, there is a fair amount of school spirit, although it seems centered around the basketball team, while Dartmouth's is more general, LAC-like, community centered. Duke is NOT a Southern school.
5) The D-plan is a concrete difference, again, it may be good or bad depending on how you approach it.
6) Potential downsides to both: lack of air con at Duke, sprawling campus with freshmen off on their own campus, more competitive atmosphere; Dartmouth: relative isolation, the D-plan, housing crunch
7) When we visited last year/last fall, both schools seem to have some struggle between admin and students over frats and drinking and housing, I think that is a common theme around college campuses these days.</p>

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<p>Funny about your list, I chose between these three! As much as I love Dartmouth, I would stay on the list. You might still want Brown.</p>

<p>As for Duke/ Dartmouth, Dartmouth is actually pretty different. Its arguably intellectual-like overall, and much more liberal artsy (which I think breeds a certain intellectualism). There is PLENTY to do, the party scene is awesome and the spirit in unbelievable. People love to love Dartmouth. Its not about sports, its about friendships, cool people, and a sense of place. Its really a unique thing I have not seen anywhere else.</p>

<p>Also, I love being in such a beautiful place, its so fun to jump in the river at a river ranch part, go skating at Occum pond, run around the bonfire at homecoming, etc. </p>

<p>Duke is a great place, but this is my Dartmouth plug. I have never made a better decision than going to Dartmouth.</p>

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<p>Big time musicians come to Dartmouth all the time, to address cangel's point. Dashboard Confessional did a concert back in November, and Talib Kweli is actually coming tomorrow.</p>

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<p>I posted this on another thread but you might have missed it. </p>

<p>As a Dartmouth Alum (Class of 1976) I've spent a little time on this board looking around. I'm on CC because my son is applying to college this year. He wasn't interested in Dartmouth - probably sick of hearing about it for 18 years, going to Dartmouth football games all over the Northeast, seeing me wearing green all the time, hearing about Dr. Seuss, Daniel Webster,Robert Frost, etc. etc. He's also a bit tired of seeing Animal House for the 50th time. (really about 90 percent accurate, food fights and all) And that is OK with me. Everyone should have their own identity. My daughter also decided to forego applying to Dartmouth and is now very happy at McGill. </p>

<p>I want to wish all of you good luck. Dartmouth is a wonderful place. With the exception of three large survey courses, my average class size was about 9 students. I never had a Teaching Assistant in my four years. I never met a single classmate at Dartmouth for whom Dartmouth was a second choice. And when you meet a Dartmouth alum anywhere in the world - you have instant rapport and support. There's no other school like it.</p>

<p>Enjoy your time at Dartmouth. Don't go crazy drinking beer your first few years. Take advantage of everything Dartmouth has to offer - especially all of the outdoor activities. Ski, hike, climb, paddle, etc. You'll likely not spend the rest of your life in such an idyllic setting. And take advantage of the Dartmouth Plan - because you can take off in the Winter or Fall or Spring it should give you a leg up in finding great internships. </p>

<p>And for those who don't get in now, think about Tuck Business, or Thayer Engineering, or Dartmouth Medical School. (no law school at Dartmouth, Thank G-d) All great programs and it's been my observation that alums of these schools are as loyal to Dartmouth as graduates from the undergraduate program. "Tis a small school, but there are those who love it."</p>

<p>And for those of you who are actually thinking about Harvard, or Brown, or Yale or Duke (I know, it's hard to believe) - please read this news article - </p>

<p><a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...appy_at_harvard%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...appy_at_harvard&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>There's nothing surprising about this article. I went to prep school for a few years and about 30 of my classmates made the mistake of going to Harvard. It's bleak and you're unlikely to ever see a full professor. They are just enamored with the idea of Harvard. They haven't been any more successful than my classmates at Dartmouth - and many of those that have done well were predestined by inheritances, family businesses, or marrying up. And remember, 25 years ago Duke was a Tier 2 school (still is in my opinion) but nothing guarantees that Harvard or any other school will stay in the top rankings. Things change.</p>

<p>P.S. There was a concern expressed that in a post on this thread that Dartmouth might not be the party school that Duke is. A well-known men's magazine did a poll of the top party colleges a few years ago. Dartmouth wasn't listed. Someone wrote in to ask why - the magazine's reply - "Dartmouth was excluded from the poll on the basis of professionalism"</p>

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<p>"Duke was a Tier 2 school (still is in my opinion)"</p>

<p>Your opinion is at odds with the vast majority of academia, the business community and the public in this regard. A bad case of myopia, I think.</p>

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<p>umm, even though we know that rankings dont really matter that much Duke is ranked number 5 amongst national universities while Dartmouth is ranked lower</p>

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<p>Whoever said that is an idiot. Both are awesome. Dartmouth is seriously an amazing place though. It is a very special school.</p>

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<p>both are special schools,</p>

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<p>Conlan,</p>

<p>I've spent a fair amount of time at Duke...that's why I didn't apply. If, on the other hand, you like basketball, it is the superior choice.</p>

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<p>Somehow "special schools" doesn't sound like the compliment intended. lol</p>

<p>I'm with meltingsnow, if you want to go to a school more known for its basketball coach than its great professors, go to Duke (was Duke funded by that cigarette heiress…what’s the name?).
If you want to go to a great school that happens to have a basketball team, go to Dartmouth.
If Basketball is not your first love, be prepared to eat, drink and sleep hoops for 4 years if you find yourself living in Durham NC (and by the way, stay out of Durham unless you're packin’ heat, or unless you are a recruited track star!).</p>

<p>By the way, this is the Dartmouth forum: truth tellin’</p>

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<p>the family of Doris Duke</p>

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<p>related question --</p>

<p>I am in the exact same position you are. Well, close anyway. My choices are effectively whittled down to Duke and Dartmouth. I just wondered if you have visited both campuses. I am visiting Dartmouth right now and it's gorgeous, not nearly as isolated as I'd heard, and I feel completely at home. But I have no idea what Duke will be like. Let me know what you think of the respective campuses.</p>

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<p>I made the choice of Duke v. Dartmouth, which ended in my coming to Dartmouth. Come to Dimensions if possible--that effectively sealed the deal for me. Duke is a wonderful school, with great sports and academics, but I felt it was very "separatist". The first-years are housed on a separate part of campus that I had to take a BUS to get to (yes, a BUS). I felt a bit more racial tension, and tension between the Greeks and the rest of campus there. I felt Dartmouth was more academic as well, at least in terms of atmosphere.</p>

<p>The only thing I regret about not being at Duke for is the beautiful campus, warmer weather and the basketball team. Otherwise, Dartmouth has wildly surpassed my expectations.</p>

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<p>Would it be possible for you to share your wonderful Dartmouth experience without adding misinformed trash about other schools? It doesn't add anything to our understanding of Dartmouth. Thanks. If there has been a Harvard freshman in the last 50 years who didn't have classes with full professors in the very first semester, I'd like to hear about it.</p>

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<p>Dartmouth College</p>

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<p>Who is this HAnna person---is she a Harvard student? If so, why is she lurking around on a Dartmouth CC site? How's the social life there at Harvard...?!</p>

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<p>Somewhere else on the Dartmouth forum she mentioned she was a Harvard undergrad and then an admissions officer for a while.</p>

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<p>Not an admissions officer -- I was a tour guide and visitor information staff member.</p>

<p>I'm an independent admissions consultant now (as well as a lawyer), and I've worked with students interested in attending a wide variety of schools, so I go to many different forums to see if anyone is facing the kind of questions my students have had to deal with. But if I run into uninformed bashing that I didn't expect to see, I'll generally respond (whether Harvard's the target or not, but people don't seem to devote as much energy to bashing other schools).</p>