<p>Dude... And workaholics are a pretty significant portion of Dartmouth.</p>
<p>Sig Ep took half of the people who shook out this year. Of course they're selective.</p>
<p>Dude, I can also assure you that Dartmouth people are never as hosed at MIT, Caltech, Columbia, etc. kids. That can be a good thing, depending on how you look at it. We have a 4 credit limit per term - at Columbia, you can take 9 classes a semester if you want to (I've been told by my transfer friend of someone who did that).</p>
<p>But you say it as if Sig Ep's rush process is always so selective. I will admit that it was tough for some of the guys to get in, but comeon. A frat where some people don't even know some brothers' names? </p>
<p>As for MIT, Caltech, yea, the courses are definitely harder...but is this outweighed by your general distaste for the d-plan? I feel like you're main complain with the d-plan is that it squeezes everything together, making everything hard to manage time-wise. </p>
<p>...And just b/c you CAN take 9 doesn't mean people do. There's probably a reason for having taken 9 seeing as how the friend is a "transfer" to begin with.</p>
<p>Haha trust me, the transfer guy wouldn't hose himself like that. </p>
<p>I really don't know what Sig Ep could've been like back in the 90's or 80's or whatever, but I've been reading that the fraternity used to be less mainstream and served a special niche in Dartmouth culture (i.e. like the nerd houses, but not really). Now it's more like a pretty mainstream house with a bunch of random dudes, and the alumni are kind of ticked about that (about how the house doesn't really have a specific identity right now). A lot of people have been wanting to go to Sig Ep in recent times - for reasons I've posted elsewhere.</p>
<p>My argument against the D-Plan is not that the classes here are too difficult but rather, that they're too trivial. For example, you can't really go through a lot of stuff in Abstract Algebra in 10 weeks, so you're going to have to cut out a lot of things. Professors realize that it takes time for some of this tough stuff to sink in, and you really just can't go through a course drinking through the fire hose. It's not optimal for gaining knowledge (again, read the post by dcd, and see why some of the math/science majors here have become disillusioned). I took 4 classes last term, and believe me when I say that I was pretty underwhelmed.</p>
<p>I actually wouldn't be opposed to a trimester system like Stanford's, where courses are cut up into pieces over several terms. That might actually be better (and you can take like 4 or 5 courses per trimester without having to hose yourself).</p>
<p>Yeah, aerialblue, it seems to me that it would be more optimal to split up some courses across two terms. I'm rather surprised that the math and science departments don't do this already, but it does make a lot of sense. I have gotten that "drinking from a fire hose" feeling in some of the math classes I've taken, but there aren't many classes split up into sequences in the math department - in fact, the only such sequence I know of is Math 1 and 2. I know some of the science departments have some sequences spread out across two terms like that, but from what you're saying it doesn't seem like they do it enough.</p>
<p>The math dept, from what I hear, is probably the worst one... and the reason aerial stated above is probably a major part of it.</p>
<p>Though I wouldn't discount the d-plan as a whole though, I would say that for the humanities and for the sciences that do split up classes (physics, chem) it's fast paced enough to keep you working, and I think it teaches you to be used to a certain lifestyle that will be very effective later on. I feel like I would just fall into a boring lull at other colleges.</p>
<p>Just my 2 cents.</p>
<p>Aerialblue,</p>
<p>I do think you seem to be much more a Chicago or Columbia type student in that some elements of a research university seem more important to you than what I consider more holistic academic elements (access to professors, actual access to research, thesis workm, advising, grad placement, etc). But I also think some of your issues have to do with the math dept. (the only one at D with T/As) and the fact that math exclusively might be an area where more LAC-like elements matter less.</p>
<p>But I do I think you confuse work hard/ play hard with people not caring. Rather I find that Dartmouth students have an incredible academic experience (better than Columbia by far IMO where you are a number in a class of 400 people) but also know how to have fun. Having a good time and being a concerned student aren;t mutually exclusive...</p>
<p>PS- Ive spent 3 years of my life taking classes at Columbia. The Dartmouth classes were MUCH BETTER but again I wasn't taking match classes. But I think the greatest benefits of Dartmouth come through Junior and Senior year, when study abroad, thesis work/ research, smaller classes, culminating seminars, etc start to really show the strongest elements of the Dartmouth experience.</p>