What you do NOT like about Dartmouth?

<p>We have been talking about all the good things :D What are the things that you do NOT like about it? ;)</p>

<p>one thing that I'm not absolutely crazy about is getting out so late in june. Through high school you always see the college kids come home and have their summers start when you still have a month left of school...we won't be able to look forward to that.</p>

<p>Of course the trade off is how late we start in september. Whenever I tell people when I start, they're like "!" Again, this could be a con because I'll be home, by myself, while my other friends start up college</p>

<p>Obviously this wasn't enough to stop me from going. One of the major aspects of Dartmouth that made me choose it is the D Plan and the quarter system. It's fast moving and I'm not apt to get bored like I may have over a 16 week semester</p>

<p>the temperature!!
I HATE the cold</p>

<p>Yep D-Plan is one the reasons I love Dartmouth :)</p>

<p>bethyy : think about skiing ;)</p>

<p>ajayc: I'd rather be surfing ;)</p>

<p>hahaha then think about the amount of water that can be melted and used for surfing :D</p>

<p>You know probably when I get to Dartmouth (hopefully) then I suppose we can setup a big pool where the ice water can be used to emulate low height waves for a surfing experience ;) </p>

<p>woah! talk about being +ve :)</p>

<p>alright ajayc i like this pool idea!
i will definitely go to dartmouth if you follow through with this!!</p>

<p>lol I will if I get into Dartmouth ;)</p>

<p>the d-plan is really nice since you can take off terms besides just the summer like everyone else, but your time off doesn't really match up to when your friends from home will be off from school.</p>

<p>You gotta sacrifice something ;) </p>

<p>Welcome to CC Dartmouthlover :)</p>

<p>The SINGLE worst thing about Dartmouth:</p>

<p>People from similar backgrounds and ethnicities tend to hang around each other.</p>

<p>The International students are almost always with other Internationals, but this happens at most campuses so...</p>

<p>The Asians are always with other Asians. This ****es me off to no end.</p>

<p>how are fraternities? big part of campus life? my cousin is in one and he says it's really cool</p>

<p>i think most schools are like that. </p>

<p>the koreans tend to always hang out w/ each other.
a lot of black ppl tend to hang out w/ each other (not eeryone of course)
same w/ other asians, ppl from mainland china hang out w/ each other and ppl from taiwan hang out w/ each other. </p>

<p>it happens everywhere to a certain extent i think.</p>

<p>I'd hate to do that you know hang around with people from same origin! Sheeeesh! I like to meet new people.</p>

<p>But as far as I know there are only few indians at Dartmouth so just 3-4 guys hang around?!!!</p>

<p>Count me out of those kind of asians list.</p>

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Count me out of those kind of asians list.

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<p>MUCH easier said than done. It's just a sociological factor. People tend to associate with those most similar to them. It's so difficult for the International students, aside from the Canadians who always seem to blend in well with the crowd.</p>

<p>At the last university I was at, ALL the international students hung around each other except the Canadians and the Australians. Personal anecdote, sorry.</p>

<p>Actually there are lots of students of Indian descent (about 3-400), but many are american of Indian origin. But personally I knew at least 20 students from India while I was at Dartmouth. Funny, having gone to another school (Columbia) I actually found Dartmouth to be very integrated in comparison.</p>

<p>BIg Brother: I am a very open person. Probably due to the fact that I have travelled a lot! Every two years we move from one city to other because my dad is in the army. So I guess I have encountered a wide variety of people and am now comfortable with others :)</p>

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BIg Brother: I am a very open person. Probably due to the fact that I have travelled a lot! Every two years we move from one city to other because my dad is in the army. So I guess I have encountered a wide variety of people and am now comfortable with others

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<p>I think you are vastly underestimating the power of sociological effects. There are people (like me) who are never around others of their own race in high school simply due to the fact that everyone around them is mostly white. And then these same people (like me) get to Dimensions and have a whole bunch of Asian girls chill with him which ****es them off to no end (OK not really, but you get the drift).</p>

<p>There are exceptions but the fact of the matter is, people tend to hang around others that are just like them. Another thing is that people also tend to hang around others that they meet up with first. And it REALLY doesn't help that the International student orientation happens right before the Freshman orientation. In fact, the situation is very bad for international students because a lot of them just don't seem to want to break out of their comfort zones. Dartmouth is not unique in this aspect though, international students at a lot of colleges tend to hang around each other. It helps to ease their language barriers and idiosyncrasies. </p>

<p>And no offense ajay, but I don't think you're particularly immune to such sociological effects either. That's NOT a bad thing though. But I think you have displayed your international idiosyncrasies and whatnot quite clearly here on CC. I also see you spending a lot of time on the International Student forums. Again, NOT a bad thing. I'm just being brutally honest.</p>

<p>But hey, if you don't believe me, then just check out the International Students of Dartmouth Class 2011 Facebook group. It seems like nobody on there except Ammar (who's not really an International), camelias-whatever, and the white Canadians (which I count myself as) actually make an effort to get to know their non-International classmates. I must admit, this is kind of sad. But with all the connections and stuff that Dartmouth has to offer, I think you'll need to owe it to yourself to get to know other people.</p>

<p>
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And no offense ajay, but I don't think you're particularly immune to such sociological effects either. That's NOT a bad thing though. But I think you have displayed your international idiosyncrasies and whatnot quite clearly here on CC. I also see you spending a lot of time on the International Student forums. Again, NOT a bad thing. I'm just being brutally honest.

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<p>The reason I spend a lot in the International Students forum is due to the fact that I meet a lot of different other students there. I and naidu (another girl, partly international I suppose) have left the TiT because it just has Indians participating in it. That is precisely the reason why I opened a generic Class of 2012 thread which was open to people from all Nationalities. I had clearly stated the same reason when I started that thread. Now I actually have wonderful friends from Greece, Egypt and Switzerland because of that thread ;)</p>

<pre><code> I completely agree that it is sometimes difficult to come out of your social comfort zone. But the constant travelling (not just in India, but I have been to a few foreign countries too) has taught me to mingle with people from different backgrounds. I have been given the oppurtunity to represent India a few times. When I went for a conference on Child Concerns I was one of the three Indians (excluding the teacher) among the group. No one was interested in talking to one another but gradually things eased. I enjoyed talking to people. I used to hangout with another Canadian and Japanese. I must I enjoyed learning various things about them. So the point I am trying to convey is you shouldnt judge every International the same way, there are people like me out there who are waiting to talk to people from other Nationalities.

                And I have tried numerous times to start conversation with students at Dartmouth. I think you have noticed that I have tried starting a number of topics in the Dartmouth forum. I had also opened a chat channel so that I could interact with you all. 

                              But if I still havent convinced you about me not having any social 'comfort zone' problems, then I shall meet you at Dartmouth (provided I get in) and then thou shall believe! :)

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<p>Cheers!
PS: I am also looking forward to participate in the Friendship Families program :) { Again! If I get into Dartmouth :D }</p>

<p>Check out a book called "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria" by Tatum. Talks about identity, comfort, expectations, other good sociological stuff.</p>