<p>So I am choosing between these two schools. I would really like to know what you guys think. I would especially appreciate hearing from current students, particularly minority students to address some of my concerns + questions. I have to admit first that I am leaning more towards Dartmouth, but frankly my reasons for doing so are less based on things I like about the school and more based upon the fact that it is an Ivy League and I <strong>think</strong> it is more prestigious--though if you know otherwise PLEASE comment. If you think prestige doesn't matter than....well...lol...not much you change here.</p>
<p>I really want to objectively determine which would give me a more distinct advantage in a business career and which would be the best social fit for me, as a minority female. There is no need to describe the beauty of the wilderness/the picteresque town of hanover or the harry potter-esque dorms and architecture at U of C. No offense, but I really don't care about this...lol...I've already been on too many tours to count. My questions relate specifically to the career opportunities and the social life at the two universities. </p>
<p>I actually don't have too many concerns about the social life at U of C. I don't really buy the "where fun comes to die" stuff and honestly attribute the "difficulty" of the workload to the range of students they accept there, but I really do have concerns about Dartmouth....I am not big on the partying, drinking + 60% sorority/ fraternity involvement...but would be willing to go there if it would truly provide me w/ any career advantage.</p>
<p>U of C
-Name recognition beyond the Midwest?
-Chicago Careers in Business Program + Booth?
-Is grade inflation real here, does it significantly decrease top grad school prospects?
-How many students end up in HBS, Columbia Business School, or Wharton?
-How many students have summer internships at major firms?
-Is there decent recruitment here from major firms (consulting or ibanking)?</p>
<p>Dartmouth
-Does being an Ivy League make it more prestigious that U of C ( a school ranked slighly higher by USNWR)?
-Name recognition beyond the east coast?
-I have a feeling that less students go to grad school right after college here than U of C? Is that accurate?
-Is there really great recruitment + top job placement here for all students or does it sometimes seem limited to certain groups of people (i.e. greek affiliated students or non-minority students)?
-Is the high placement in top jobs due to participation in certain frats/sororities?
-Can the the D-Plan and the sophmore summer actually be non-conducive to having the best internships?
-Are there any groups that regularly do roadtrips to actually leave the area to major cities?</p>
<p>---And Honestly, what is the social life like for black females? Is it realistic for me to think I can tap into the much spoken about alumni network? Are black females the majority of the african-americans on campus? Would most students say they "self-segregate" at Cutter? Do the vast majority of black female students live in cutter-shabazz? Minority faculty? Some form of a class shopping period to get a feel for professors?</p>
<p>It will not. Both are highly prestigious for grad school. MBA school depends more on your work experience after you graduate. Either college will open many doors.</p>
<p>Two distinctively different academic and social cultures: Chicago has a Core, and is grad-school/research-focused. Dartmouth has the D-Plan (which is an advantage for internships, but not enough to overcome the social aspects that are not high on your list), and is undergrad-focused.</p>
<p>Chicago’s mean gpa is not much less than other highly selective schools.</p>
<p>I just went to Dimensions this past week, and I spent time at Cutter. I’m an African American male, but I met a few of the females. They seem to enjoy their time quite a bit, and they do not self segregate. In fact, when I ate lunch for the first time during Dimensions, one of the African American females invited me to sit with her and her friend, who was not black. So no…most people would not say they self segregate. Plus, why is it only self segregation when African Americans hang out together? White people hang out together all the time.</p>
<p>Actually the opposite is true. Sophomore summer will give you an opportunity to bond with your class. The D-plan gives you an opportunities to study abroad, and to do internships at a time where there are only Dartmouth students doing internships.</p>
<p>There is an abundant social life for black women if you choose to have one both in and outside of the Greek system. You are probably going to find more black women on campus than black men just for the plain and simple fact that more black women than black men attend college (black men are the most underrepresented college group).</p>
<p>You can be part of the the sorority system whether it is part of the National Pan-Hellenic Council or the Panhellenic Council. While the last of the Deltas left before my D came to campus, there AKAs along with the Alpha Phi Alpha frat have an active chapters at Dartmouth. They have an active gospel choir, Sheba dance group, BADA (Black Alumni at Dartmouth is very active in mentoring students).</p>
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<p>No, students </p>
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<p>D has friends at Wharton and Columbia (in fact a member from her class currently works in admissions at Columbia Business School). 8 of her friends from her sorority class are starting at HBS this fall. She also has friends attending PhD programs and top law/med schools.</p>
<p>Did you visit either school?</p>
<p>At the end of the day, you have to be comfortable in your own skin wherever you decide to attend college.</p>
<p>If you want to feel comfortable about being black, go to Chicago.</p>
<p>If you want to experience what actual business world feels like and want to get first hand knowledge about being a woman in business, go to Dartmouth. You will probably hear things there that will toughen you up when you go into real world. You will be ready to kick some b((t. People who want to be comfortable in college can not expect to survive the brutal corporate world and move up the ladder.</p>
<p>“If you want to feel comfortable about being black, go to Chicago.”</p>
<p>Huh? Wow…lol. That obviously isn’t her purpose…I’m sure she is very comfortable being black. She just wants to know more about the diversity of the school…If you knew anything you would actually know that Chicago has less blacks than Dartmouth. And I’m sure her fellow students at Chicago would not fail to remind her of that as they attend school in what the school tells prospective parents is the “mid” southside (aka what you would call a “sketchy” neighborhood) .</p>
<p>“You will probably hear things there that will toughen you up when you go into real world.”</p>
<p>You don’t know what she has heard already…lol. That’s why she is asking about diversity in the place that she will spend the next stage of her life in. It really is a serious and legitimate concern. Both schools are excellent and she is trying to determine which would be the best as far fit obviously. Being exposed to a racial comment won’t necessarily help to “toughen her up” or break her down, it’s not like she hasn’t heard it before. But frankly race can affect the way SOME students AND most importantly faculty and staff interact with you. And the way faculty and staff interacts with you can indirectly and quite directly affect your grades and opportunities…no matter how much some would like to downplay it…period.</p>
<p>Not saying that Dartmouth or UChicago has a more racially un-harminous environment than the other. There is an argument for both schools. Just saying that it is not right to belittle that concern. Hate to divert but lets be honest…if a gay student or an economically disadvantaged student were to ask how friendly the school environment is for those particular groups. Everyone would throw their 2 cents in about the friendliness of the school, the support group/center, their gay/poor bff (cringe-worthy comments)…etc. Why is it ridiculous, small-minded or whiny when a racial minoritity (particularly black students) wants to know about the environment, especially considering that 9 times out of 10, this identity, their racial background, is most obvious and elemental in their daily lives and interactions w/ others?</p>
<p>Dartmouth has more african-americans than Uchicago. Google it. She didn’t simply ask about which school would make her more comfortable with being black. She had serious concerns about the amount of minority faculty, job placement…etc. As soon as someone mentions race, it may be easy for you to dismiss but it is a part of her life. She will experience discrimination everywhere, but she would be in the middle of nowhere in Hanover,NH for 4 years experiencing it if she wants to go to Dartmouth. It sounds like she just wants to know what she’s getting into–as 99% of all students do when their choosing to commit to a college for four years.</p>
<p>"And Honestly, what is the social life like for black females? Is it realistic for me to think I can tap into the much spoken about alumni network? Are black females the majority of the african-americans on campus? Would most students say they “self-segregate” at Cutter? Do the vast majority of black female students live in cutter-shabazz? Minority faculty? Some form of a class shopping period to get a feel for professors? "</p>
<p>This whole paragraph points to worries about going to Dartmouth. If someone is worried being a black student in Dartmouth, I don’t see them getting that far in business world.</p>
<p>have you counted the number of blacks in Chicago vs Hanover? Have you considered how liberal University of Chicago is vs how conservative Dartmouth is considered to be?</p>
<p>No I haven’t counted the number of blacks in Chicago vs. Hanover. It is not 1955 so I can just Google it. You can’t get very far in the business world without knowing how to use the internet.</p>
<p>Obviously Chicago has more blacks than Hanover. But I can say with some certainty from my life living here, that UChicago is not known as a liberal institution. Chicago is known as a liberal city…though Chicago is not known as a racially harmonious city…only a fool would tell you that it is. Lets be frank about it. UChicago is not on the northside. The west side. Or the “mid-southside”. It is on THE SOUTHSIDE. It is near Englewood. Google it (if needed). Englewood is NOT 5% black. UChicago is 5% black and near Englewood. Ignorant populations and an environment that may confirm perceptions aren’t always so great for certain people, especially minorities who defy these perceptions. So the OP could easily be exposed to some tensions in both environments…</p>
<p>I don’t think she is as worried as you are making her out to be. In fact, I think it is pretty clear that she is leaning towards Dartmouth w/ the depth and number of questions she has about the school’s environment. And even if she is worried…what student making this decision isn’t. Every student will have their own unique questions about schools pertaining to their own identities…</p>
<p>And about not getting far in the business world…like seriously…she’s 18 years old, has been accepted to 2 fine institutions and actually knows what she wants to do w/ her life. A combination that is surprisingly rare. If she continues to work hard she will make it very far in the business world. Frankly, who are you to say that she won’t.</p>
<p>Based on the questions OP raised, she has done a lot more research into the race issue at Dartmouth. Nothing in this post makes it clear she is leaning towards Dartmouth. If you have read the post at all, not a single question about Chicago involved race but an entire paragraph about Dartmouth is devoted to race. If you want to make UChicago and Dartmouth same racewise, why do you think she should make such a big deal about Dartmouth, cutter-shabazz and who lives where? Why not the question about UChicago, can black female be comfortable there?</p>
<p>“I have to admit first that I am leaning more towards Dartmouth”–directly from the original post.</p>
<p>I think she is leaning more towards Dartmouth…lol. That can be interepreted from the amount of research she has done on the school(as illustrated by the questions) and that she flat out said she is leaning towards Dartmouth. And I am sure that the she has chosen a school by now. Who cares about the Class of 2015 data, that is just one of 4 classes at the school. When you have less than 100 students of a certain group on a campus that number will fluctuate. The total for the entire school is about 5%. Lets be honest here, who has the perception that marking unknown on their college applications when asked about race will advantage them? That 13% of “unknown” students are not majority african-american–I can guarantee you that. </p>
<p>Who are you anyway? As sucessful as you implied yourself to be (when you knocked the OP) I would expect you to busier than a person who could afford to write multiple posts on a student oriented site everyday. I hate embarrasing people but leave me alone…leave these kids alone…lol… I’m done talking to you now and I am puzzled at what you continue to respond to me about</p>
<p>Actually, CC was originally created and designed as a site for parents to come to in order to assist their kids in the college process.</p>
<p>However, back to the original question; Op really did need to visit both places. Sometimes she needs to ask other students straight up if they think that Dartmouth does a good job of supporting and being supportive of students of color. From my D’s experience she had an great 4 years at Dartmouth. The middle of nowhere worked for her, because it was a break from the city. </p>
<p>Very few of her friends who went the IB/consulting route (they are now starting MBA programs this fall). However, many of her friends are in Law/Med/PhD programs. One friend did her internship working for Obama, when he was a senator, worked for his campaign and now works for MO (turned down U of Chicago law). Should OP decide to come to Hanover, her experience is going to be what she makes of it.</p>