<p>I think the answer has several overlapping parts. </p>
<p>It is a school with an unsurpassed record of preparing students for top professionals schools in high-income, high-status professions such as law, medicine and business. Their motivated student body (historically male), selected and self-selected, have a bias toward doing as opposed to just thinking. Traditionally, most students have come upper middle class backgrounds. There is, subsequently, a cohesive, well-healed alumni network with a shared set of values that benefits from what economists call “network effects”. </p>
<p>For an interesting read, see the link to “Harvard and the Dartmouth Man”.</p>
<p>Thanks for pointing out my ignorance. I did not read the specifics of the survey. Nonetheless, my points still still stand. What is your perspective?</p>
<p>^but that is the point, it is what you get because of what Dartmouth is- an undergraduated focused education and the ranking is the result of just that. Now, go get a masters or doctorate and do even better.</p>
<p>because Dartmouth has argubaly the best UNDERGRAD education in the Ivy leage (along with Penn and Princeton). Not to mention it’s grad schools. Tuck for business etc. At IvyIsGreen, your screen name is the wittiest thing i’ve ever read hahaha. Here’s a story for you: I was thinking once,“what if Dartmouth students and Harvard students got into an argument over which school is better?” “Harvard students would probably say that Harvard is always going to be Harvard and the Dartmouth students could just lash back by saying ‘Ivy is always going to be green.’” Im applying to Dartmouth next year for transfer and im sure I’d Dartmouth > Harvard any day of the f*****g year. lol.</p>
<p>^ Along with Penn and Princeton? Maybe try… Brown and Princeton. Penn is a ginormous school, noted for excellence within its dental, medical, business, and law programs (among others). </p>
<p>Dartmouth and Princeton are the only 2 Ivies heavily focused on undergraduate education - and Brown, with its open curriculum, is not far behind.</p>
<p>If PayScale had included a reasonable proportion of survey respondents who hold advanced degrees, do you think Dartmouth would still be at the top of the rankings?</p>
<p>^^ true. I forgot all about Brown’s open curriculum. But also look at Penn. I think Wharton does well to prepare kids for the “real world”, no? Honestly, I wouldn’t pick Penn over any other Ivy unless it was for Wharton. Penn is still an awesome school though.</p>
<p>erm, pardon my intrusion guys, but do you guys really think that the relatively minor differences in the quality (undergrad-focused schools vs others; quality of professors; size of undergrad pop; fac-to-student ratio) and style (Brown’s open curriculum, trimesters vs semesters, D-Plan?) of undergrad education between the Ivy schools really influence the differences in future income?</p>
<p>i’m just curious as to why dartmouth ranks above the other ivy schools in the WSJ’s study, especially since dartmouth is usually considered slightly lower in prestige compared to the Big Three and is less of a household name compared to Penn and Columbia.</p>
<p>^, yes, Dartmouth’s close knit community, closer than any other in the Ivies, is likely the number one reason, coupled with the undergrad focus… your blood just turns green and there are a lot of green bloods out there.</p>
<p>To piggy back on Ivyisgreen’s post, the Dartmouth network runs deep from the number of alumni that come to Hanover to recruit, to the number of potential job openings that may come through blitzes on your greek system, to going to career services and going through the big book and contacting alumni and having the opportunity to pick their brain.</p>
<p>I also think that the D-plan provides more flexibility in providing opportunities for internships especially at times where there is less competition. There are resume drops at different points of the year for summer internships, fall, winter and spring internship opportunities. It is not unusual for Dartmouth students interested in Finance/Consulting the opportunity to have 2 to 3 internships under their belt before graduation (Several of D’s friends did 3 different internships winter, spring summer of Junior year that resulted in 3 job offers at the beginning of senior year. Many will do a combination of study abroad programs and back to back internships during junior year).</p>