<p>I received the "Dartmouth Club Book Award" as junior, and while I was honored, I didn't think had any chance at Dartmouth and it wasn't the right school for me. I recently got a letter telling me that I should apply and they will give me a 15 day extension.</p>
<p>Here are some quick stats:</p>
<p>Major: Biology
SAT1: 1450/2120
GPA: 4.0
EC's: Two Varsity sports, PT job, student council, NHS, and other similar activities - nothing huge. </p>
<p>Also applying to JHU and Cornell. Is it worth it? Or is it too late and not a good match?</p>
<p>I don’t think you’re a match for any of these schools, but if Dartmouth wants you to apply what’s one more? They on the other hand may know, for instance, that nobody has gone to D from your school in four years and they want to do something about that. Or maybe the AO has some other reason for asking for an app. Can you afford the 100 bucks? Then do it.</p>
<p>By match I didn’t mean in the traditional sense because all of these schools are incredibly competitive and a reach for me. I meant more along the lines of having a good biology program that compares to Cornell and JHU. I’ve only ever heard of their history and business departments. So I’m unsure if it’s worth it with the quickly approaching deadline. </p>
<p>Also I did check my school’s naviance and i didn’t see any students accepted at D. Never thought that would have any impact though</p>
<p>Let me back up here a moment: you have the SATII subject test scores, right? Cause otherwise I don’t know if there’s any reason to apply since Dartmouth requires two scores. If you don’t, call the AO and tell him or her what’s going on.</p>
<p>Assuming you have the two SATIIs: Biology is one of the things Dartmouth does well. Cornell and JHU, too. You won’t go wrong if you go to one of these.</p>
<p>I don’t know if it will either. Some posters will say that’s ridiculous but others might find it plausible. Others might say that it’s just another attempt by Dartmouth to get their percentages up. D’ya have the Benjamin for app fee, transcript, and scores?</p>
<p>No worries about SATII or any fees. Only problem I might have is getting my counselor to send my transcript and scores since they say they need to be notified 2 weeks in advance. Also I dont know if I have the time to answer the writing supplement properly or get the peer recommendation letter required. </p>
<p>I really like Cornell so if Dartmouth was similar it would be easier but I don’t know how I feel about the small size of Dartmouth.</p>
<p>Essentially what I’m asking is, If you were me and thought Dartmouth might not be the best fit (but an incredible school nonetheless) is it worth the hassle of scrambling to apply? I’m leaning toward no since I don’t think I’ll be accepted.</p>
<p>so you tell the AO the advisor needs a couple more days to get his LOR out. the issue is you, dude.</p>
<p>–do you want to go to Dartmouth? do you want to research one more school? do you see yourself there?
–do you want to write one more essay? do you have anything left to give it?
–will you regret not having applied or are you happy with your opportunities if you don’t get into Cornell or Hopkins?</p>
<p>I’m thinking if my D had this opportunity I’d probably counsel her to make up her own mind even though I’d want her to apply. Good thing you’re not my D.</p>
<p>Note that Dartmouth’s fraternity/sorority scene (about 50% or 65% of students, depending on which stats you believe) is larger than that of Cornell (24% of women, 33% of men) or JHU (about 20%).</p>
<p>If fraternities/sororities are a big plus or minus for you, that can be a consideration.</p>
<ol>
<li>Do you have any other schools left to apply to?</li>
<li>Are you sure you need a peer recc? I never heard of that requirement (I might be wrong).</li>
<li>If you have 15 days, I think you’ll have enough time to finish the supplement. It’s only a single 250 word essay on any EC - fairly simple stuff.</li>
</ol>
<p>I think you should apply, and decide if it’s the school for you afterwards. Normally I’d say the opposite, but if you’re unsure then there isn’t much harm in applying.</p>
<p>Thanks guys, I think I’ll apply - I’m not usually this indecisive but I really was at a loss for some reason. I still have two more supplements to finish up also due 1/15 so I wont be able to give it my absolute best, but I’ll go for it. </p>
<p>Another question: Does the fact that i received the “Dartmouth Book Award”, a deadline extension, and that no one from my high school has attended D boost my chances by any considerable amount?</p>
<p>I don’t know about your chances at Dartmouth; no one really does. That they are seeking you out is a better signal than any other, I’d think. In terms of your other schools, Dartmouth’s size is much closer to JHU’s than to Cornell’s, but both schools are not really small, at least as I think of small (4500 UG). Cornell is a beautiful campus but very, very competitive, I’m told, especially in the pre-professional majors such as engineering and, I would assume, biology (pre-med; if you’re not pre-med, might be different). I have a nephew at Dartmouth and another at Cornell, and although they are both happy at their schools, the Cornell one has had to be more aggressive in dealing with administration, etc., probably a reflection of its size. My D is a biology major at Dartmouth (not pre-med!) and so far likes it quite well.</p>
<p>One extra complication: Dartmouth requires a peer recommendation, which is unusual–must be written by a friend or sibling. If you decide to apply, you’ll want to figure out which of your friends is both a good writer and willing to write such a thing quickly.</p>
<p>I think Dartmouth is just trying to boost selectivity, i.e., asking students to apply in order to turn them down, like UChicago did. (It worked very well for UChicago.)
Also, Dartmouth is very different from Cornell, so if you see yourself at Cornell, not sure Dartmouth is a bad fit.
Did that invitation to apply come with a fee waiver? Or are the $100 not a concern for your family (which may be another hint: they may be looking for more full/high pay applicants…)
The fact no one has been admitted from your high school does boost your odds if you are from a rural/urban school or from a prep/high performing school no one has thought of Dartmouth before; if it’s a prep school where students apply every year but never make it, it’s the opposite.</p>
<p>Yeah boosting selectivity is what I was fearing. </p>
<p>I actually come from a more urban school with not that many kids going to ivies. According to my school’s naviance website there have been 9 kids who applied in the last ~4 years with none getting accepted. The reason the $100 should not be an issue is because I qualify for fee waivers, so I don’t think Dartmouth is after my money.</p>
<p>If you qualify for fee waivers and Dartmouth is interested in you, so would lots of 100% need schools with 1/15 deadlines.
[100%</a> Meet Need Colleges | CollegeGreenlight](<a href=“Colleges with Need-Blind Admission for U.S. Students”>Colleges with Need-Blind Admission for U.S. Students)
It really does look like a selectivity booster but if you have enough fee waivers, why not? Dartmouth is a 100% need school.
So if you feel that it’s worth the time, go ahead and apply. And do look at these 100% need schools in case there’s another one like Cornell that has a 1/15 (or 1/9) deadline.</p>