<p>I am thinking about applying to Dartmouth and was wondering what the academic atmosphere is like.. is it very cutthroat and competitive? Or is it a more relaxed but driven atmosphere? Any info. would be great..</p>
<p>It's definitely relaxed ... yes, most kids are driven to excel (or at least do 'well enough', but there is definitely a community feel to most classes. Most people are willing to help others, and there is literally no competition head-to-head. Everyone wants everyone to succeed, to succeed as a group.</p>
<p>Competitive and cutthroat are two of the best words not to describe the academic atmosphere. People help each other with problems or questions about the work. The workload is of course heavy, but that's to be expected at most colleges of this calibre. "Relaxed but driven" may be the best word to describe it.</p>
<p>Agree. That's one of the reasons I loved Dartmouth...</p>
<p>Completely agree. Many students form study groups or email out to classmates with questions or requests for notes during the day they were absent. </p>
<p>One of my classes this term requires that we watch one movie a week. One of the students volunteered to hold movie-watching parties in his dorm lounge every week.</p>
<p>Many of the classes in the Humanities and Social Sciences are discussion-based. Student participation and thoughtful discussion are an integral part of the Dartmouth academic experience.</p>
<p>^ wow !</p>
<p>awesome.. thanks.</p>