<p>Hi, I'm a senior in HS currently facing a tough dilemma. I was accepted to Harvard, Princeton, and Yale (as well as a few other top-tier schools) but felt most comfortable when visiting Dartmouth and feel like I would thrive in the smaller, more community-oriented environment. However, I am concerned about the issue of prestige and want to feel confident that I will still be a competitive applicant for grad school and jobs as a Dartmouth graduate rather than a HPY grad. Can anyone help shed some advice? Is it really important to find a school that "fits" or do you think I should go to the more renowned school and assume that I'll learn to love it? I'm really stressing out.</p>
<p>Dartmouth is awesome. It’s fine to pick it over HYP. What field are you majoring in?</p>
<p>I’m interested in Government or Public Policy. Dartmouth offers more competitive internships due to the D-Plan, but Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School is second to none IMO. And Harvard has the Social Studies major which looks really appealing as well as the ability to take courses through the Kennedy School. I don’t know which is best.</p>
<p>Hmm well of you wanted finance this would be a more clear cut decision, but I think of Dartmouth as the ultimate LAC. No one is going to turn their nose up at a Dartmouth degree. </p>
<p>Besides, you always have grad school for HYP. Enjoy your undergrad!</p>
<p>Well hopefully I still can get into HPY for grad school lol. That’s what I’m kind of worried about…</p>
<p>I’ve had many students over the years choose Dartmouth over HYP. It’s undergrad focus, amazing network and D Plan opportunities win man over.</p>
<p>Dartmouth is a phenomonal school. One can easily justify choosing it over HYP.</p>
<p>Harvard rejected about 95% of their applicants. Why would you waste that opportunity away?</p>
<p>I can’t tell if you’re being facetious or not. I do think that being part of a 3.8% RD acceptance rate is an opportunity that I should take advantage of, but I also feel like I would be very successful and happy at Dartmouth. I don’t know which way to look at it.</p>
<p>The way I look it it is that you’re in a no lose situation</p>
<p>Dartmouth rejected 91% and they do not get all of the random, unqualified applicants Harvard gets because of the name value around the globe. Do you really see a significant difference? I can tell you I did not see a significant difference in the kids I sent to the two over the years.</p>
<p>I attended Harvard, and if I knew then what I know now, I’d have gone to Princeton or Dartmouth among the ivies for undergrad.</p>
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<p>Really? I’m interested in hearing why. I visited Harvard and didn’t care much for the atmosphere - students/administration seemed harsh and indifferent compared to those at Dartmouth. I didn’t get a chance to visit Princeton, but I would imagine that it is more similar to Dartmouth in terms of undergrad focus and community atmosphere.</p>
<p>P and D are the undergrad focused ivies. They inspire tremendous loyalty as tight knit communities and have powerful real world networks. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked my years at Harvard, but it didn’t have the spirit I see at P and D, or the ability to have strong interaction with profs. My DH works with several D grads who will happily advise any D kid that calls. It doesn’t work that way with H alum!</p>
<p>There is immense community at Yale. The residential college system enables tremendous cohesion. I’d give Yale a second look because if it’s community that you’re looking for, Yale’s got Dartmouth beat.</p>
<p>If you like Dartmouth, you’ll probably like Princeton</p>
<p>Princeton and Yale are truly amazing schools. But Harvard is special. It is Harvard - the most prestigious university in the whole universe. But if you don’t like Harvard, Yale and Princeton are better than Dartmouth. You’re turning down 3 universities that are said to be superior to Dartmouth. I can understand why some people would turn down HYP for SM, but Dartmouth isn’t in S or M.</p>
<p>I don’t really like Dartmouth because it is frat dominated. Yes, Harvard’s party scene controlled by the final’s clubs, but I’m sure you can make friends at other colleges if you want to party there.</p>
<p>I would also agree with the others who say that Princeton is a lot like Dartmouth (except better). IMO, Yale is more undergraduate focused than Harvard, but less so than D or P.</p>
<p>In the end though, it’s your decision.</p>
<p>“Harvard rejected about 95% of their applicants. Why would you waste that opportunity away?”</p>
<p>"Princeton and Yale are truly amazing schools. But Harvard is special. It is Harvard - the most prestigious university in the whole universe. But if you don’t like Harvard, Yale and Princeton are better than Dartmouth. You’re turning down 3 universities that are said to be superior to Dartmouth. I can understand why some people would turn down HYP for SM, but Dartmouth isn’t in S or M. "</p>
<p>RML, quite frankly, you’re giving very suspect advice here (and in other threads as well). Essentially, you’re implying that one must choose Harvard because of its prestige (a terrible reason) and because a lot of other kids got rejected (even worse). OP is going to college for him/herself, not so he/she can brag about it. OP said Dartmouth felt the best, can you just not accept that someone would SOMEHOW prefer one school over another that is lower ranked? Once you compare elite schools, you’re just splitting hairs. I frankly admire OP’s ability to avoid perpetuating the cultural ratrace (which you seem to be advocating) of chasing prestige and put each school on equal footing. </p>
<p>And to think this is the kind of advice you are giving to applicants: "Have you been to Mudd? I think you should visit the campus first before you finally decide to enroll there. It’s looks like a pretty boring place with full of nerdy, unattractive people.
No pun intended. " </p>
<p>Good grief. </p>
<p>To OP: Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton is an excellent program. What others have said and I’ll repeat is that you’ll do brilliantly at each and every one of these schools. If Dartmouth truly feels like the best environment for you and you have really done your homework on each school, go for it! You are certainly not the first person to shrug the blinding attraction of prestige, as Waverly can attest to. Personally, I know of people who turned down one or more of HYPSM/Columbia for Chicago as well because of fit. You are your own person, so choose wisely, but choose for you and only you.</p>
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What of Yale and Brown? Just curious, I’ve always been under the impression that they’re undergrad-focused, particularly the latter.</p>
<p>RML, that is some faulty logic you’re operating on… because X university is “said to be superior” to Y university, a student should, barring unusual fiscal circumstance, always attend X? That is more or less what your post conveyed. Would you rather spend your college years depressed at Harvard or happy at Dartmouth? The decision seems clear-cut to me. When it’s said and done, you’ll be leaving with an Ivy League Bachelor’s, and it could certainly be contested that a Bachelor’s from Dartmouth is as valuable as one from Harvard, LOLPRESTIGE aside. </p>
<p>To the OP, well, I frankly have to agree with the others, you’re in a win-win-win-win situation here. All I suggest is that you never lose sight of that fact. NO HYP will look poorly on the fact that you attended Dartmouth for undergrad when it comes to grad school; if anything, they’ll probably be more sensitive to the fact that it is an excellent undergrad university, one of the finest in the country and world. I dunno where you live/if you have the opportunity to visit any again, but if you do and still feel as though you would most like Dartmouth, I’d say pick it.</p>
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<p>I’d include Brown in that mix, and perhaps even Yale, but D is clearly the most undergrad-focused since it has so few grad programs.</p>