<p>I was just wondering why those of you that picked Dartmouth over other competitive schools did what you did. I know I'm being general, but I'm kinda trying to pick out what school I want to apply ED. thanks so much. :)</p>
<p>i got off the waitlist, but finaid (depends on ur situation) and prob best language program in country (rassias)</p>
<p>School Spirit, “feeling” on Campus, size, location, the people, dining options on campus, opportunities for study abroad, majors/minors offered, financial aid, prestige, family ties</p>
<p>S picked it because of:</p>
<ol>
<li>Best undergraduate focused Ivy,</li>
<li>Laid back student body,</li>
<li>Hanover ranking as 2nd best place to live,</li>
<li>Tuck Bridge Program</li>
<li>Would prefer to vist a city, than live there,</li>
<li>This: <a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GIXESEjfqo&feature=player_embedded[/url]”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GIXESEjfqo&feature=player_embedded</a></li>
</ol>
<p>Because the student body is so “chillaxed” and the huge financial aid package.</p>
<p>Ditto IvyIsGreen. Addendum:</p>
<ol>
<li>Absence of the cut-throat environment you might see at the other ivies (basically reiterates #2)</li>
<li>Top IR program </li>
<li>GREEN KEY!!!</li>
</ol>
<p>Oh gosh. I didn’t even imagine that I’d go to Dartmouth but here I am now, a proud '13! :)</p>
<p>Why I chose it over other schools:</p>
<ol>
<li>School spirit – everyone is GENUINELY friendly and really want you to go there. When I visited during Dimensions, every single person I met there really encouraged me to come, unlike at other schools where most current students just ignored us. </li>
<li>Perfect size – I was worrying that Dartmouth would be too big for me, but it turned out to be the perfect size. This depends on person to person though. But I like small classes. Two of the three classes I visited only had 8-11 people in it. </li>
<li>Undergraduate focus – the only Ivy that is a “college”! I really like the fact that there aren’t almost any TA’s teaching the classes, whereas in other big universities I would frequently be taught by a TA. </li>
<li>Diverse – Unlike public stereotypes, Dartmouth is pretty damn diverse, more so than many other small liberal arts colleges I’ve seen. I like that. </li>
<li>Reputedly a very strong alumni network – well, i haven’t been able to confirm this yet, but apparently Dartmouth has one of the strongest alumni networks. Here I come, jobs. </li>
<li>social scene – yea, sure, the frats are a major part of it, but no means are they all of it. And all the frats/sororities are very open, and the pressure to drink is apparently much less than it is stereotyped in public. </li>
</ol>
<p>Hope you’ll join us next year!</p>
<p>Thought I would cosolidate and add a few more reasons some think Dartmouth is the most satisfying college experience</p>
<ol>
<li>Best undergraduate focused Ivy</li>
<li>Laid back student body</li>
<li>Hanover ranking as 2nd best place to live</li>
<li>Tuck Bridge Program</li>
<li>Would prefer to vist a city, than live there</li>
<li>This: <a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GIXE...layer_embedded[/url]”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GIXE...layer_embedded</a><br></li>
<li>Absence of the cut-throat environment you might see at the other ivies (basically reiterates #2)</li>
<li>Top IR program </li>
<li>GREEN KEY!!! </li>
<li>School spirit – everyone is GENUINELY friendly and really want you to go there. When I visited during Dimensions, every single person I met there really encouraged me to come, unlike at other schools where most current students just ignored us. </li>
<li>Perfect size – I was worrying that Dartmouth would be too big for me, but it turned out to be the perfect size. This depends on person to person though. But I like small classes. Two of the three classes I visited only had 8-11 people in it. </li>
<li>Undergraduate focus – the only Ivy that is a “college”! I really like the fact that there aren’t almost any TA’s teaching the classes, whereas in other big universities I would frequently be taught by a TA. </li>
<li>Diverse – Unlike public stereotypes, Dartmouth is pretty damn diverse, more so than many other small liberal arts colleges I’ve seen. I like that. </li>
<li>Reputedly a very strong alumni network – well, i haven’t been able to confirm this yet, but apparently Dartmouth has one of the strongest alumni networks. Here I come, jobs. </li>
<li>Social scene – yea, sure, the frats are a major part of it, but no means are they all of it. And all the frats/sororities are very open, and the pressure to drink is apparently much less than it is stereotyped in public. </li>
<li>Fun in the Snow</li>
<li>Dartmouth Coach</li>
<li>Greet on campus food, and off campus too</li>
<li>Student satisfaction rankings on that ranking site highest of any other school</li>
<li>The Outing Club</li>
<li>The Appalachian Trail runs through campus- all the trails, cabins, etc for students throughout New Hampshire- Dartmouth is the largest private property owner in NH.</li>
<li>Winter Carnival</li>
<li>Sophomore Summer</li>
<li>Quechee, VT, and Simon Pierce - check it out for dinner or lunch</li>
<li>Benny & Jerry’s headquarters/factory- T shirts and ice cream-- photo opps</li>
<li>According to Wallstreet Journal, highest compensation rankings of all schools after 10 years.</li>
<li>Some prefer green blood to red</li>
<li>Everything is right there- bikes are nice, but things are really close</li>
<li>Being viewed by HYP as inferior, but knowing 26 and that your happier because of all the rest and just smiling.</li>
<li>The golf course, including its use in the Winter ;-)</li>
<li>The SkiWay</li>
<li>The Green and Baker Library- see 6 above</li>
<li>Keggy the Keg : [Keggy</a> the Keg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keggy_the_Keg]Keggy”>Keggy the Keg - Wikipedia)</li>
<li>Occom Pond</li>
<li>Taking the Dartmouth Coach to Boston to see Dave Matthews at Fenway, but not living in Boston</li>
<li>Weekends in Montreal, but not living there</li>
<li>Skiing or boarding at Okemo, Vt.</li>
<li>Visiting Stowe or Burlington, Vt.- Ben & Jerry’s is half way</li>
<li>Maple syrup and cheddar cheese</li>
</ol>
<p>Son discovered Dartmouth July before senior year - an insignificant postcard changed his entire college perspective. (For most of HS, he cheekily wore his “Community College” t-shirt.) He was resigned to attending flagship U, but anxious about the prevailing culture there. Never considered OOS, much less Ivy. S only knew that Stephen Colbert (or so he thought - turns out fictional character) attended Dartmouth. Realized the AT runs by campus and loves camping/backpacking. After extensively researching Dartmouth, decided it was the ONLY place for him - so sure that he paid for our plane tickets to visit.</p>
<p>Visited for four days in October - He: hung out with several DOC clubs, went to classes, band practice at which they commandeered a city bus, watched as a packed Green cleared out after an unseasonably warm pre-football Friday and noticed not a single piece of trash was left behind (completely abnormal in our area where beer cans, fast food bags, and general litter would have carpeted the place), and met incredible people everywhere he/we went. Students seemed genuine, happy, and encouraging. Said they introduced him around at gatherings as, “Hey guys, this is XXXX, he a '13.” S couldn’t believe how accepting and inclusive everyone was. He knew he had to figure out a way to become a '13!! He’s normally a rather quietly introspective type, but at the end of four days he was giddy. For him it was going to be Dartmouth or nothing.</p>
<p>His top reasons:
10. School spirit – everyone is GENUINELY friendly and really want you to go there.
20. The Outing Club
21. The Appalachian Trail runs beside campus- all the trails, cabins, etc for students throughout New Hampshire- Dartmouth is the largest private property owner in NH.
33. Keggy the Keg : Keggy the Keg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - S thinks hilarious, though not a drinker.
34. Irreverent Marching Band - look up “Harvard Socks”</p>
<p>And Adding:</p>
<ol>
<li>The classes he attended - “Now, this is learning.” “Interesting - maybe even exhilarating.” (Not his words exactly, but best I can remember.)</li>
<li>The town people - friendly, reassuring, and full of advice on how a southerner can survive NH winters</li>
<li>The scenery - it’s breath-taking!</li>
</ol>
<p>oops, sorry, messed up numbering, will next responder please fix in their post?</p>
<p>Parent of a recent grad her. Ditto the above plus:
- that friendly, inclusive, “please come - you will love it - we really want you here” vibe doesn’t disappear once you get on campus -its part of the whole culture
- all sorts of opportunities exist to make your education, in and out of the class room, in and out of the community, the country, really relevant to you and the D plan helps facilitate that;
- in addition to job networks, the strong alumni base means you can go anywhere in the world, look up D alumns and they will be genuinely pleased to get to know you, there will be that instant bond
- your fellow students will amaze you, and support you, but they won’t brag
- so many people on campus are there for you and are so geniunely nice and helpful, from the faculty to the adminstrative offices to the health clinic to the people who work in the cafaterias and dorms</p>
<p>Another Parent of recent grad (d returned from her first Green Key since graduating where she met up with a lot of her classmates. Came home very emotional saying that she could not imagined being anywhere else for college.</p>
<p>All of the above plus</p>
<p>You will truly meet friends that you will have for the rest of your life.
After being in school one term, you will refer to Hanover as “home” and you can’t wait to get back there
You can sit on the balconies and see the Northern Lights
They really do bleed green</p>
<p>Sybbie719, that is why I love Dartmouth. That is great.</p>
<p>You guys missed a big one:</p>
<p>President Wright, and the future President Dr. Kim.</p>
<p>Wright is an incredible guy (with an equally powerful voice) who has dedicated 40 years of his life to the school. The faculty and staff live at Dartmouth as opposed to just working here.</p>
<p>thank you guys all so much. your thoughts gave me a lot of insight 
I was seriously considering applying ED and after reading your posts, and visiting campus I think that I have finally found the right ED school for me. lol it was like a 10 hr drive from Canada to visit. :)</p>
<p>any other thoughts feel free to continue. thanks again for replying . :)</p>
<p>oh and as a canadian, i find the maple syrup line quite comforting lols</p>
<p>The AT:</p>
<p>The Appalachian Trail runs right through the Dartmouth campus. From Vermont and across the Connecticut River, the AT runs up West Wheelock Street and in front of the Hanover Inn; from there, it runs across campus to Velvet Rocks just east of town, out through Etna and northeast on its way to Mt. Katahdin, ME. The Cabin and Trail division of the Dartmouth Outing Club is responsible for maintenance of about 75 miles of the Appalachian Trail, from Pomfret, VT, to Kinsman Notch, NH, and regularly schedules hikes and events on the trail.</p>
<p><a href=“Home | Dartmouth Admissions”>Home | Dartmouth Admissions;
<p>I love this thread. :)</p>
<p>Also, (as a parent) I’d add:</p>
<ol>
<li>Opportunities to study abroad multiple times, beginning as early as sophomore year.</li>
<li>Fun on the Connecticut River, including kayaking, canoeing, swimming and (if you dare) the famous [rope</a> swing](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7USXOJ2O02A]rope”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7USXOJ2O02A).</li>
<li>Traditionally, on the night of the first big snowfall everybody goes out to the Green and has a giant snowball fight…and the school serves hot chocolate. </li>
<li>Lots of money available for fellowships and research through the Tucker Foundation, Dickey Center, Presidential Scholarship program, etc.</li>
</ol>
<p>the Rassias Method.</p>