Would a quiet, non-athletic kid fit in at Dartmouth?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Dartmouth College
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My daughter is somewhat quiet socially, preferring small groups of friends and isn’t so much into the party scene. In academic settings, she’s an enthusiastic and vocal participant and often emerges as a leader in group work. Academically, Dartmouth would be a great fit with the small class sizes and collaborative culture. Socially, the friendly and accepting vibe of the students is also a good fit. The principal at her school once described my daughter as, “peacemaker and friend to all” and the description fits her well.

My understanding is that Dartmouth has a significant Greek scene. Would a kid like my daughter fit into that culture?
Secondly, my daughter is not an outdoors kid; she doesn’t enjoy camping, hiking or skiing. She’d be up for ice skating or a game of tennis, and the rural setting of Dartmouth would be fine. Would she be the odd one out in a school that prizes itself on the abundance of outdoor activities available?

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I’m not sure on what basis she picked Dartmouth - it doesn’t sound like her glass slipper. Your description made me think Haverford or BMC might be better for her. Did she consider that? If she is looking for something bigger, perhaps Tufts? Something closer to a city perhaps.

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While Dartmouth is known for its party/Greek life, not everyone there partakes. She could find people with similar interests, so if it’s a good fit on other fronts, and would be affordable, Dartmouth may be worth an application.

Dartmouth is known for strong undergraduate focus – about 70% of students are undergrads, among the highest percentages of elite private universities. It really is a college first and foremost.

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@gardenstategal Haverford is definitely on the list. She’s looking at Dartmouth because it’s a little bigger and because she wants to join the Jew Crew. :slight_smile:

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She would likely find friends. But the real question is whether she is okay being outside the dominant culture of the school. This is always more of an issue at rural schools where the option of creating an alternative life in a nearby city is sn option… Read about Dartmouth 's orientation - this is something many alums refer to as a highlight of their 4 years, and I think it says something about the typical student there.

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@gardenstategal Reading about the orientation is what prompted me to post my question! Everything was related to outdoor sports except for one community service option. I don’t think D would enjoy being outside the dominant culture. I posted this thinking that maybe the outdoorsy vibe and Greek scene were stereotypes that applied to maybe half of the students. So many schools have stereotypes and it’s difficult to know how prevalent the stereotyped image is, or if it’s valid at all. But I think you have an excellent point; if 9/10 orientation options involve outdoor sports, it’s rather telling. Thanks so much for the input.

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I’m not sure that the Greek scene at Dartmouth is the animal house you are thinking it is. S19 is considering Dartmouth and I just talked to a friend who is an alum and does alumni interviews for them. My understanding is that Dartmouth is not the old boys’ club it used to be and that, while there’s drinking like any other rural campus, surely kids have fun without drinking. I think I would be more concerned about the outdoorsy nature of the school if your daughter isn’t into that. I’m sure she would find her people but, as was said above, there are so many great schools and, if being outdoors isn’t her thing, then maybe another school would be a better fit.

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@GoldPenn , sounds like you are going about this thoughtfully. Two thumbs up!

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My limited knowledge about Dartmouth suggests the biggest challenge it offers is getting accepted. I have to imagine a school of Dartmouth’s stature and resources would offer something for everyone, at least to a degree.

Fwiw I’ve known two Dartmouth alums (tiny sample size, of course). One was an extremely serious, focused person. The other was very outgoing and social. Both of course extremely bright. To wit, I cannot see a young person, who was able to get admitted there and makes friends easily, having a hard time of it. Jmo

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@GoldPenn : When you ask about orientation, are you talking about trips? That’s an optional part, but highly recommended. D [a 13] was not an outdoorsy person [we are not a camping family] but really enjoyed her rather casual fishing trip [something she had never done in her life – except for the birthday party with magnets on strings from garden stakes & paper fish with paper clip noses I created for birthday #5]. Trips are a great way for kids to meet other members of the class who do not live in the same dorm and thus increase their range of contacts. The Greek scene at Dartmouth is very different from any preconceptions you might have. Well, it was certainly very different from mine. It is very open. It is a party scene. I was surprised when D rushed and joined a sorority. It turned out to be a pretty small part of her college life, but not an unimportant one. Very few people actually live in the Greek houses. Probably 10 times as many are members. They’re more like clubs with right of access to the common areas [handy some times if you need a place to be]. Depending on her major, your first paragraph makes your daughter sound like a very good fit for the college.

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My kid did trips, commiserating with her group about how much they hated hiking turned them into good friends. None of my kid’s friends are outdoorsy but they all love Dartmouth. In addition to Greek life (which is very open, as mentioned above) there are dance troupes, a cappella, theater, DEN, club/intramural sports, etc. https://students.dartmouth.edu/coso/organizations/coso-recognized-organizations

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There are all kinds of students at Dartmouth, including non-outdoorsy artist types. It is known for its warm, welcoming atmosphere which is exemplified by the trips. Much more than camping adventures, they are bonding experiences that set the stage for the following four years. Trust me, those years will be filled with deep conversations going late into the night and close friendships with thoughtful, diverse people. The Greek system she can take or leave; it’s not the dominating boogeyman it’s made out to be. (My D who swore she’d never go near it ended up at a “non-mainstream” sorority and loved it.)
Your daughter has the rest of her life to live in a city. But how many people have the opportunity to spend four years in a sylvan paradise?

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I have a niece who sounds a lot like your daughter. Dartmouth was the only Ivy she got into, and there was tremendous pressure put on her to choose it over some other excellent, but not “Ivy”, choices. She went, and chose whatever the quietest housing option was (substance-free + quiet, I believe). She found fellow travelers and did fine, and graduated with a good degree. But she would say that they best thing about her time at Dartmouth was the year she spent abroad.

Have your daughter at least spend the night on campus & sit in on a class.

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@GoldPenn I’d also look at Swarthmore, Amherst, Williams, and Pomona.

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I’m an alumna from decades ago, in one of the earlier classes of women. Back then, as is the case now, there were all sorts of different types of students at Dartmouth, including non-drinkers and students who were quiet and didn’t hang out at fraternity parties (do note, though, that there’s great diversity in the fraternities and sororities at Dartmouth and they attract many different types of students.)The freshman trips really are a wonderful introduction to the natural beauty of the area, and there are all sorts of different levels and experiences, so she wouldn’t be forced into something that was beyond her ability or interest. As far as outdoor activities, I’d say there are tons more students who enjoy the beauty of walking/running around Occom Pond or skating on it in the winter or who take a canoe out on the Connecticut River during summer term than there are who actively participate in Dartmouth Outing Club activities. I know I’m biased, but I was just back to Hanover for a reunion and came away with the feeling I always have–that it’s the most beautiful campus in the most beautiful setting anywhere–and the bonds we share as a class are incredibly tight.

My advice is for her to visit campus and if she likes the feel, apply and see if she gets in. If she does, she can visit during a Dimensions weekend and get an even better feel for what it’s like.

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“Would a quiet non-athletic kid fit in at Dartmouth ?”

My first reaction was “no”, my second thought was “it depends” and my final thought is “possibly, but not as well as at other schools”. In short, Dartmouth College may not be the best match for such a student depending, of course, on her other interests & options.

It would be helpful to know of her other target schools.

@GoldPenn: You never indicated your daughter’s current grade. If college is a few years away, then it would be wise to wait before targeting schools as she is still developing at a rapid pace.
As an example, when my son was in 8th & 9th grade & 10th grade, Dartmouth College & elite LACs were the goal. A couple of years later National Universities were the better suited match for him.

(And ,yes, I do understand that Dartmouth College is classified as a National University.)

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I believe that I have offered this opinion much earlier in this thread, but in response to your ask, I would propose that your D contact three clubs which would represent the likely foci of her extra curriculars in college. These are the people with whom she is likely to spend the bulk of her time. If she is honest about her self assessment and shares that with them, she will have more data, albeit small n and very subject to the whim of the individual answering (or not), with which to make a decision. What others have said about campus visits and Dimensions is true, too.

A quick search of three potential clubs offers the following contact info:

[Dartmouth College Hillel](https://dartmouthhillel.org/contact-us/)

[Dartmouth Yearbook](http://dartmouthyearbook.com)

[Improve Dartmouth](http://www.improvedartmouth.com/contact)

For the most part, if the students respond, they will be thoughtful if your D’s description would fit within their group. She could also reach out to meet them or someone else on campus from their organization when she visits.

Of course, good luck getting a 17 year old to do anything like this.

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Thanks so much to everyone who replied. We’ve decided to take Dartmouth off of our college tour list for now. Rather than a rushed visit, my D plans to visit the accessibility office as well as the Hillel at each college we tour. We live in a different part of the country and we want to make the most of this tour, striving for quality visits over quantity. Thanks again!

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I realize that GoldPenn has moved on from the question, but I thought I’d post in case someone else in the future has a similar question. I attended Dartmouth (many years ago) and was somewhat like GoldPenn’s daughter. I did like playing some sports (basketball, softball) but wasn’t great at them and played none at Dartmouth. Not even intramurals. There was a PE requirement, but there were lots of options through which to fulfill that (I did tennis for 3 terms, but they had a range of things for the non athlete, and tennis had never been a sport I was good at…I just wanted to take some lessons and spend a little time playing to get better at it).

Although I occasionally went hiking, camping, or skiing with other friends (outside of Dartmouth), they weren’t things I loved, and I didn’t do them with Dartmouth friends. My Dartmouth friends, for the most part, didn’t happen to be people who spent a lot of time doing any of those activities. I easily found a group of friends who really weren’t into those things either. (and I am not a social butterfly…it was just easy to find a few friends of like minds in my freshman dorm and things grew from there).

I tried out a few parties Freshman year (with friends who were trying the same), but those didn’t turn out to be my preference, and after Freshman year, I didn’t go to fraternities. My friends and I would hang out in the dorm together (we’d drink sometimes, but it wasn’t a crazy party, and not everyone did)…we’d talk and listen to music and hang out without doing the party scene. One of our friends was in a band who had gigs on campus, so we’d go watch them play. One of the on campus cafes would have a comedian or musical group come, and we’d go to those events. We’d tromp around getting silly while the snow fell on us after dark and order late night pizza to our dorm. Etc.

Although I had grown up in New England, I had never skiied before attending Dartmouth. I did try during my years there but more because my boyfriend (non Dartmouth student) was a skiier, and his family would come up to that area to ski, so I went to try to learn. I never skiied on the Dartmouth hill. Many of my friends did not either. It was fine not to (yet if I could go back, maybe I’d do it…middle age is great for regrets of opportunities missed). :slight_smile:

I didn’t take any of the freshman orientation trips either. I still found my group of friends (some of whom had taken the trips and some of whom had not). If I were to go back again, I think I’d do that differently. Not because I’d need to do a trip to make more friends but because it’s an experience I missed out on that I wish I’d had.

I’d also change my major and appreciate my time in college more. Haha.

I certainly had plenty of friends who weren’t outdoorsy athletes and weren’t in fraternities or sororities. But a student would want to be okay with the winter weather and might get even more out of the experience if they’d be willing to try a freshman trip and go ahead and take ski lessons (a friend of mine there from Miami, FL, took ski lesson for he PE requirement…she never became a good skiier, but she had some funny stories to tell us about the experience, she made some friends at her lessons, and she put herself out there to try).

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@nichols51
I haven’t logged in for some time and just saw your reply. Thanks so much for the information! It tells me that Dartmouth is a big enough community for a person to find her niche. As it turns out, my D does want to tour Dartmouth because of the course offerings so I’ve added it back to our list. Thanks again!