What does everyone else think?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Dartmouth College
1

<p>Yes, I know, a really broad thread title. But thoughts have been flying around my head of what my family and friends think about Dartmouth being my first choice. And I was wondering what everyone else's family and friends were saying.</p>

<p>I mean obviously we all have SOMEONE who supports us, because we all had to get peer recs.</p>

<p>But, for example, what do your parents think about Dartmouth? Do they like that you applied there? If so, is it because of the name, because they'd love to slap a Dartmouth sticker on the back of their car? Because they think it'll help you get a good job? Or are they not thrilled? Maybe because it's so much money and scholarships are unlikely? Too far away? Too cold? (lol. my grandma thinks i'll get sick. And that i won't eat enough/starve, but that's another story...typical Jewish grandma haha)</p>

<p>I have some friends who are like "what? why'd you apply there? you're not going to get in..." and others who are like "You'll definitely get in. I don't know anyone who deserves it more."</p>

<p>I'm just interested to see what everyone else's situation is lol</p>

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<p>Blurinka,</p>

<p>I don't recall if you've posted your stats ec's. How does it feel to you? Do you feel it or not?</p>

3

<p>lol feel what? whether or not I'm going to get in?</p>

<p>I posted my stats on the Penn board way back when I was applying there ED...I haven't gotten around to posting stats here because frankly, I find stats posts annoying lol. I don't ever want to seem like bragging, or as if i'm looking for reassurance from you guys, b/c I know that in the end it's only the adcom's opinion that matters. But I'll give you mine now so you'll see my justification lol</p>

<p>Please understand I'm just stating fact. If this comes off at all arrogant, you have my permission to ban me from the D board lol. Besides, compared to some of you people, I really don't have much to brag about.
SATs - 1440 (730 V 710 M), 790 Writ, 740 Lit, 740 Math IIC, 720 US History
5 on the AP US History Exam
ACTs - 31 and 32
GPA - 3.967</p>

<p>I've consistently taken the hardest courses my school has to offer - all advanced soph year, all honors junior year, all APs this year. For the most part I've gotten all A's and one B every year - the B is invariably in a math or science course. Even so, I think it's good that even though I'm a girl, I didn't drop math and science, even opting to take AP Bio and AP BC Calc this year.</p>

<p>My ECs make me look like I have ADD lol.
LIT MAG - two years on it, this year I'm co-Editor-in-Chief
CHOIRS - school Concert Choir, Women's Choir, Madrigal Choir, Bergen County Choir, North Jersey Region I Choir
PIANO - I've won a couple of crappy competitions, the prize for one of them was to play in Carnegie Hall, which I did. (and it was so fun!) I play a Brahms piano/cello sonata with a fellow high school senior - it's about 17 pages long, very complex, I play it from memory, and I sent a recording of it to Dartmouth.
ART - I've taken serious art lessons, won a small art competition, and sent slides of my work to Dartmouth. It's pretty diverse - painting to ink to drawing to mosaics, etc.
TENNIS - I played Varsity Tennis for the past two years...our school was league champion both years, and we made semifinals at counties
LATIN DANCE - I was very serious about this from when i was 8 till sophomore year, when a knee injury made me stop. During my time dancing, I went to the Internationals in Miami and ranked 26th in the Youth Champ category.
WORK - I worked all summer and all this year at Dunkin' Donuts
SCIENCE - I think that the fact that I did Chem team, Physics team and AP Bio team is good because I had an A- in Chem, a B+ in Physics and some class of B or low A in Bio.
COMMUNITY SERVICE - I volunteer once a week for like 3 hours at an Animal Shelter, a really amazing environment. I've played piano and sung at lots of nursing homes and adult day care centers. This year, I co-hosted the Lit Mag's fundraiser (Coffee House), but all the proceeds went to tsunami relief.</p>

<p>But it's not like I did any of these things FOR college - I did them because I liked them. besides that I have some random other ones, like working as a camp counselor, doing a few school plays...i speak Russian fluently, too. Oh and I skipped first grade.</p>

<p>In my opinion you can't COUNT on having a strong essay or recs. But I'm told by English teachers and my guidance counselors and others that my essays were excellent. I asked teachers who like me and know me well to write my recs, and when I got deferred from Penn, one of them was like "I can't believe it...with that recommendation I wrote you? They'd have been crazy not to." My GC also knows me really well and I think she will write good things about me.</p>

<p>But, I'm not valedictorian. I don't think I'm even in the top ten percent of the class....which may be irrelevant, b/c my school made class rank OPTIONAL this year, due to a petition that one of our classmates started. Which means that all colleges will see is my GPA. Still, if anyone from my school applied and DID show their rank, the college might be like "***? how come she has no rank? maybe it's really bad" when really i'm like...top 13% or something. Also, I'm not an Olympic swimmer from Wyoming with one eye and one black parent and another white parent. I'm a white girl from New Jersey. AKA, The Kiss of Death lol. it's the hardest for white girls from new jersey to get into college...there are so many of them and they're all the same lol. I'm just a positive, happy kid that has done some good things, but i'm definitely not a 9 lol. So yeah, I know I can get into some good schools. But I'm not deluded; I don't really think I will get into Dartmouth. If I do, I'll be thrilled! But I'm not EXPECTING it or anything. So basically, I don't feel like I'll get in...but I love it. And I want to go there lol</p>

4

<p>My parents are exactly supportive of me wanting to go to Dartmouth... they actually rather dislike the idea, but they would never prevent me from going there. </p>

<p>I got into Georgetown EA, and my mom really wants me to go there. I visited in November, and I liked it just fine. I have never visited Dartmouth, yet Dartmouth is tied (if not a little above) Georgetown on my list (for various reasons already talked about ad nauseum on this board). My mom feels that I would do better at Gtown because of the location and people (she, too, has the mindset that Dartmouth kids are elitist, conservative, preppy white kids- what, like Georgetown kids aren't?! :p).</p>

<p>She still wants me to get in and all, she would just rather that I don't go there. I understand where she's coming from, though.</p>

<p>Most of my friends are actually the same way. Since I grew up in the Bay Area (a very metropolitan and cosmopolitan area), they can not imagine why or how I can go to a place that is so drastically different.</p>

<p>But alas, none of them have seen the light that is Dartmouth! :)</p>

5

<p>Calidan, I'm from northern California also, and I got the same reaction from my friends. They were like, "What? You're LEAVING California?" My family preferred me staying close to home (Berkeley), but were more than supportive when I made my choice. They were more worried about me being cold than about rich preppy white kids, and it turns out they didn't really need to worry about either. It's been a very warm winter, and as for the students--to give some examples, my next-door neighbor is from Novato, on financial aid, and listens to punk music. One of my roommates is a rugby player from Oregon, and the other is a Texan who loves Bohemia and socialists. Go figure. Politically it's definitely more left-leaning here, but at the same time, you can out yourself as a Republican to your friends without having to worry about being tarred and feathered. Haha, tell your mom NOT to worry. D kicks ass.</p>

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<p>Everyone around me wants me to go to Berkeley (12 alumni in the family), but I'd rather get away. If I get into Berkeley everyone will try to push me (and possibly bribe me!) in that direction. When I first told my dad that I'm applying to Dartmouth the first thing he said was "Do you know where Dartmouth is?" Oh well, they'll support me wherever I go though.</p>

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<p>I have my own "you're not going to get in" sort of support system for myself, but really what it came down to is that I love Dartmouth, and have for at least six months now. My parents realized it about two months into my obsession and they don't care about prestige or much of any of that, and really just want me to be happy (strange how rare that is sometimes...). I'm from New York so New Hampshire's not so strange as it may seem in Cali, but even for an ivy-obsessed school Dartmouth's not exactly popular. Maybe because its "in the middle of nowhere" (with which I of course disagree) or because of the reputed party environment (again, with which I disagree). Basically I sat down and went point-by-point with my parents, and a few of my friends unfortunate enough to ask me that fatal "why Dartmouth" question without a time limit, and the only real response I've gotten is "wow...okay...good luck". I guess that's all it can come down to, right?</p>

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<p>kelsey- I'm so glad that another NorCal'er is there! I will tell my mom not to worry.</p>

<p>BTW, I remember a while back something about a professor from NorCal puting on a "NorCal" dinner once a year or something- do you know anything about this?</p>

<p>Also, what do you think has been the hardest thing for you to change about your life? i.e. which part of the transition from Cali to D has proved the most difficult?</p>

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<p>lol calidan. from what i hear, g-town's environment is infinitely more populated by rich, preppy white kids. i mean come on. it's a jesuit school lol. (even though i'm jewish and applied to SFS lol)</p>

<p>i was also surprised that so little people from my school applied to Dartmouth. Many prime candidates were more interested in southern schools...for the most part, though, people are staying in the East. But hey, no complaints here - maybe it'll increase MY chances lol</p>

<p>and truegibberish, you're totally right. when people asked me "why is dartmouth your first choice?" i was like "trust me...you don't want to listen to me gush about it for an hour." lol. I found it interesting that so many were like "ew, Dartmouth?" (people have told me that Brown elicits similar reactions). I wonder why Dartmouth has such a stigma surrounding it, compared to other schools of similar calibre (caliber? one has to do with guns, I know lol)</p>

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<p>Calidan--I went to the norcal dinner, and it was actually a lot of fun. I think there were about 30 people that showed up. I forget the prof's name, but I remeber that he teaches computer science. His house is REALLY nice, and you will find that college students flock to as many events offering free food as they can. As for the transition question...hmmm...I don't think it matters too much where you come from since people are from all over. Honestly I haven't found anything difficult yet. Well, doing my own laundry. That sucks. Also, travelling all the time on Southwest with layovers isn't the most pleasant thing in the world, but at least it's only one day. On campus it's pretty impossible not to make a lot of friends, and I felt at home after a few days. I guess it's different for every person. I love travelling and I don't usually have problems adjusting, so I guess others may have had different experiences. My floor is really tight, despite being in mixed class housing, and people can turn to floormates and our UGA if they're going through a rough time.</p>

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<p>Do people make fun of you for saying "hella?" ;)</p>

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<p>Bluirinka--it's true that some people give Dartmouth a stigma. They think we sit around in the snow with cows and drink. But really that's not at ALL true, because as I've said before, there are no cows. Nah, in all seriousness, I don't mind that people poke fun at us. Once you're here you'll be too happy to care all that much. More kids here study abroad than at any other Ivy by a very large margin, we have the happiest students out of any Ivy, one of the strongest alum networks, and--there's no official rating for this, but it's true--best social scene and coolest, funniest, most fun-loving students. If you're a troller from another board reading this, don't get your panties in a twist, I'm sure you have fun too sometimes. Good luck with admissions, Bluirinka!</p>

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<p>Calidan,
hahah, yes. Not too bad, though.</p>

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<p>Haha! I can't wait.... they'll all learn just how versatile "hella" can be.</p>

<p>Thanks for all the insight, kelsey! </p>

<p>Hopefully I'll be able to see you at the NorCal dinner next year. :)</p>

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<p>No probelm! I hope to see you at the dinner, too. Put Calidan under your real name on the nametag, lol. I'm actually not sure that non-freshmen are invited, but I'll crash it anyway. Okay, I really need to stop procrastinating and study. Good night, all!</p>

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<p>Good luck studying!</p>

<p>See ya! :D</p>

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<p>I was accepted to the Class of '09 ED, and my parents, while trying their best to be unconditionally supportive, are obviously nervous. Part of it is the distance from home (Louisville, KY) - although it's not like I'm going across the country like the CA people - part of it is the cold, and part of it, I'm afraid, is that they wanted me to apply to Yale instead.</p>

<p>I still haven't really figured out why. I think it's a name thing for them (not as if Dartmouth isn't a good school, but you know how parents can be about the Big 3). . .</p>

<p>My friends are apathetic; they make fun of all the typical, stereotypical targets, but I think they're more or less happy for me.</p>

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<p>Blurinka,</p>

<p>If you showed your passion on your application and essay, in the way that you have on these boards, I'd feel pretty good about getting what you want.</p>

<p>As to having to talk people through your choice: good for you. You'll refine the reason you chose to come to d-mouth in the first place. They'll see how unique you are--not a follower of fashion-trends; you blaze your own trails.</p>

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<p>kelsey, thanks so much for your kind words and encouragement!</p>

<p>kalidescope - you're absolutely right. and thanks for the reassurance lol. But it really is true. I live in a tiny town, so everyone knows where everyone else is applying...thus, back when everyone was asking me why I'd gone ED Penn, I realized my reasons didn't hold up; probably the biggest attraction point for Penn was that it was only 2 hours away (Yale and Columbia are closer...but I don't think I have a shot at Yale, and Columbia made me feel claustrophobic lol). Later, after I got deferred, I realized that Penn wasn't really as strong as other schools in the areas I plan to concentrate on. Then, the more research I did into Dartmouth, the more I realized that not only its programs, but its PEOPLE, and atmosphere, were perfectly suited for me. woohoo!</p>

<p>--blu</p>

20

<p>My biggest problem before I got the likely letter yesterday was that no one thought I had a reason to worry about any school. I guess, being on CC so long, I just forget how most people don't understand that admission is never a given, and I was just really frustrated thinking of the reactions if I didn't get in.</p>

<p>My parents have taken a liking to Washington & Lee, being from the same general area, and have said in the past that "it would be stupid to go anywhere else if you get [the GWH scholarship". However, that changed yesterday, and I figured out that they were just worried that Dartmouth is too far away. When my mom stopped crying yesterday, she told me that I should see if I can get the airport to exchange my (free) ticket to W&L to go visit Dartmouth. Of course she was joking, but it was pretty symbolic to me.</p>