Second Thoughts

I recently matriculated to Dartmouth, but am having second thoughts. My entire life, I assumed that I would end up at UChicago or the likes- a deeply focused, intellectually driven school, but I was waitlisted (and subsequently rejected) from UChicago and some of its peer schools. Dartmouth appeared to be my best option (I applied on a whim, and was surprised to be admitted given the weakness of my essays). Through my research of Dartmouth, it appears that I would be deeply unhappy there. I’m very grateful to be admitted to such a revered college, but the prevalence of Greek life and freezing weather does not appeal to me at all. I’m aware that Greek life has shifted away from the center of Dartmouth student life, but the fact of the matter is that it is still a wholly significant aspect of the Dartmouth experience. I was also admitted to Rice, which fits almost every criterion of my ideal institution: urban, intellectually stimulating, and the absence of Greek life is a huge plus. The only drawback is that Rice is giving me about $10k less aid than Dartmouth (the most generous school that accepted me), and I have already rescinded Rice’s offer of admission. Is it too late for me to appeal Rice’s financial aid and accept their offer of admission? Are my concerns about Dartmouth too extreme? I’m a prospective econ major with iBanking aspirations, but a well-rounded education is very important to me, as is a progressive and intellectual student body. Any input is greatly appreciated.

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There is a student on a recent Rice forum thread that had buyers remorse and tried to get in Rice after he had turned down the Rice offer to go to UT. Check out that thread and maybe PM that guy. Rice offered him a gap year. Apparently Rice is overenrolled for the class of 2021. You can always call Rice admissions/financial aid and see what happens. If you are deeply unhappy at Dartmouth you can try to transfer to Rice next year.

Given your concerns, I think you should contact Rice and see what (if any) your options are. However, if you stay with Dartmouth, please know that there are many deeply focused, intellectual students there. If you get involved in extracurriculars that interest you, you will meet people that have similar interests and goals. While Greek life is certainly active, there are many ways to socialize outside of the frats/sororities.

I completely agree with @HMom16 and @Houston1021 regarding contacting Rice.

If you do end up going to Dartmouth, I don’t think it’s wise to go in with the “I would be deeply unhappy there” attitude. Yes, Hanover is freezing cold in the winter. You will not be able to escape it. But think about it on the positive side. Do you ski? If not, take the opportunity to learn at the Dartmouth Skiway. It’s dirt cheap for students and close by. Go help build the snow sculpture on the green during winter carnival. Learn to ice skate and and try out your skills on Occum Pond (once the pond is frozen and safe of course!). And if none of that appeals to you, then go warm up at Sanborn at 4 PM and enjoy some free tea and cookies! If worst comes to worst, you can try to manipulate your D-plan to make sure you are away your sophomore and junior winters.

As for greek life, yes, it’s still a significant part of Dartmouth’s social life. Nonetheless, there are plenty of people like you, and you will find a niche as long as you put in some effort. Like @HMom16 mentioned, extracurriculars are a place to start, and requesting a substance-free floor in your first-year housing application will probably increase the chances of finding like-minded classmates.

If you’re looking for a great economics foundation with a liberal arts education, Dartmouth is pretty solid. You have amazing access to professors and most are really devoted to teaching undergraduates. The distributive and world culture requirements will give you a broad education similar to The Core at UChicago, but you have a lot more flexibility as to what courses you can take (e.g. there are no Hum, Civ or Sosc sequences). If you are interested in investment banking, you should know that ~28% of the Class of 2016 ended up in finance. So, there will be plenty of people with your academic interests.

Once you know for sure that you will be attending Dartmouth, I would recommend that you start researching what will make your experience awesome/amazing and how you are going to make it happen, instead of focusing on things that are not in your control (e.g. weather, rural location, greek system) that will make you unhapppy.

Good luck wherever you end up.

Why not take the weather out of the equation? After all, Chicago is just as bad, and it doesn’t seem as if you would have let the weather stop you from attending UofC if you had been accepted there!

OMG, Chicago would be 20 times worse than Hanover weather-wise. You have not known cold until you have felt the lake effect of the wind coming off Lake Michigan. D was a California kid. Had no issues with the weather in Hanover. I cannot see Rice coming anywhere near matching Dartmouth in economics and banking. Seriously. Have you checked out the threads talking about the advantages that the D plan gives you for internships – not to mention the alumni connections. Go ahead and call Rice, but I think Dartmouth actually sounds like a good fit for you. Probably why they accepted you. Your essays may have been better than you thought.