would I fit in well in Dartmouth??

Colleges and Universities A-Z Dartmouth College
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<p>Hey guys,
I'm considering to apply to Dartmouth ED, but I didn't make up my mind yet because I wasn't sure if I'll feel comfortable in the social atmosphere in Dartmouth.</p>

<p>I'm not really into sports or outdoors, but I'm interested in trying new club sports or outdoor activities that I haven't tried before. I'm not very athletic, but I like to do some kind of sport that doesn't really stresses me out physically, such as swimming.</p>

<p>I also love the snow and anything related to snow like skiing and sledding.</p>

<p>However, I DON'T ever drink and I don't really like to hang out with people who gets drunk often (I had a bad experience with such type of people in my boarding school)</p>

<p>Also, as a female student, I'm also concerned about security and how guys treat the girls... I know that frats and sororities are big in Dartmouth, and I don't really like that.</p>

<p>Another thing I'm worried about is segregation between different races.... I'm asian and I'm an international student studying in America, and I don't want to go to a college where asians only hang out with asians or Koreans only hanging out with Koreans... I want to be friends with a diversity of people. </p>

<p>I love to watch movies, musicals, and plays and I just like to hang out and chill with my friends but NOT drink. But, I also do enjoy going to dance parties because I like dancing as well.</p>

<p>Academically, I want to go to a school where it can support pre-dentals or prelaws... I havent made up my mind yet but I want to get a great education to go to a top graduate school. I know that there are requirements in Dartmouth (and I don't have problem with that) but I also want to take interesting and unique classes, and I hope that Dartmouth offers many opportunities for me to take such classes outside of my major. </p>

<p>Thank for reading me blabbering about my self.
Based on what kind of person I am, do you guys think that Dartmouth would be the right school for me? would I regret going to Dartmouth?</p>

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<p>anyone? any current dartmouth students?</p>

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<p>I think you could really enjoy Dartmouth or really hate it. My biggest question to you is if you are okay with people drinking around you? The honest lay of things is it’s college–people are going to drink. I’m a non-drinker here, and people are totally cool with that, but on the same hand you have to be cool with people who chose to drink.</p>

<p>Diversity isn’t an issue at all. I haven’t really seen anything that suggests rifts between Races/genders.</p>

<p>In terms of security. I don’t know anyone who has ever felt at danger here… In Hanover we basically get no crime, and I have female friends who are perfectly comfortable crossing campus at 4am by themselves. </p>

<p>If you like snow… we’ve got tons :slight_smile: (In fact, it’s already snowed once this year)</p>

<p>As far as academics, we don’t have any “required” classes per say (shy the freshman writing sequence) But instead have distribution requirements that can be filled with pretty much any interesting class you can think of. </p>

<p>Sorry for the choppy writing, but figured I’d get in a quick response while I had some time. If you have any other questions feel free to message me and I’ll respond when I get time :)</p>

<p>-spunaugle</p>

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<p>thanks for your comment. I guess I’ll be okay with people drinking… I just hope that my roommate is not the one who throws up all the time when she drinks (that’s what happened in the boarding school lol the bathroom smelled pretty bad :frowning: )</p>

<p>Speaking of bathrooms, I have one silly question,
How are bathrooms in the dorms? Are they really dirty? Are they in an okay shape? hahaha actually this kinda matters alot to me kk</p>

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<p>I am also applying to Dartmouth but am very concerned about the level of drinking. Are you sure there is no pressure to drink at the frat parties? If I was a member of the hockey team, would the team make you feel funny if you did not partake in the drinking games?</p>

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<p>Parent of Dartmouth student athlete here. Did not encourage having Dartmouth on college list due to drinking rep. Child visited and felt very much “at home”. Loved the size, location, atmosphere, and dedication to undergraduates. Chose sub-free housing not to segregate from drinkers , but to have a quieter atmosphere to minimize loud dorm parties, roommates throwing up etc. that is common at ALL colleges. Child LOVES Dartmouth and is thriving. With students from all over the country and the world, you can find someone who is like minded and find your own niche. Reports from other parents are that drinking is a problem at all campuses: urban/rural, large/small, public/private. Regarding teams, you’d probably want to visit with team and future teammates as I assume each has their own vibe.</p>

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<p>My boys ruled Dartmouth out due to the frat/drinking vibe…But didn’t attend, so no real data.</p>

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<p>I’ve visited the Dartmouth campus 3 times and have many friends there. You don’t really seem like the “Dartmouth-type”. First of all, Dartmouth’s past president signed off the Amethyst Petition, which was a petition to lower the drinking age to 18, and Dartmouth campus police are very lenient with drinking on campus. Also, Dartmouth students are very rugged. By that I mean, these kids don’t mind a stinky bathroom. They go on multiple night camping trips where showers aren’t even available. SOme students walked passed us in dirty and smelly clothing, and had clearly little concern for personal hygiene. Also, some students even live in the Sustainable Living Center, where they try to live on very little energy and water use. You definitely had to be open-minded about drinking and releasing your wild side (if you have one). If you are asking about drinking and the cleanliness of bathroom’s Dartmouth may not be your best option. I’m from Long Island too. Many kids here don’t realize how much you need to dislike urban areas and how rugged you need to be to truly love everything Dartmouth has.</p>

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<p>Treehugger: I would watch your words well. I don’t believe you’re purposely trying to mislead people, but rather bread from limited experience with the college. I would say the stereotype you’re describing is a very small subset of the population. Yes, it exists, and yes most people do go on freshman trips, but I would venture to say most people don’t go multiple days without a shower from that point on again. While Dartmouth does have many avenues that support the outdoors, that is not what we are all about. “At Dartmouth, you do what you want to do.” Wise words from an advisor, that very much reflects the attitude of the college itself, whether what you want to do is camp on the weekends, or get cozy on a couch next to a fire and study. If anyone has any questions for a Dartmouth student, as always, feel free to message me.</p>

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<p>Treehugger, I think the rugged Dartmouth you described is appealing to you and if so, you would find much to love at Dartmouth, but what you describe are opportunities freely available and somewhat unique to Dartmouth, but not campus-wide norms. If you happened to visit in late August, or September, you probably encounted a group of incoming freshman back from a pre-orientation trip - its a pretty special and recommended experience and a great introduction to the beautiful out-of-doors life available and appreciated by many students, but rugged is not how I would describe daily life.</p>

<p>OP, you sound as if you would love Dartmouth. All the opportunity and encouragement in the world to try new things - to get phy. ed credit for having fun skiing - for joining a club sport if you wanted to give it a shot - for enjoying plays and other performing arts- and any other kind of activity that appealed. </p>

<p>Carten - I have read so many threads from prospective students who are attracted to Dartmouth but are so put off by the reputation as the drinking school and wonder how they could ever fit in or be comfortable - as was the case with my child. I don’t know but suspect that members of athletic teams are under more pressure, at any school, to conform to the social norms of teammates. Choosing a subfree dorm, as does Mini Van’s son, is an intelligent choice. </p>

<p>Parents like Mini Van, hearing of of all this drinking, can’t help but be concerned - as I was. Often an overnight stay is what convinces our children that Dartmouth is a school they want. And then we parents hear from our children who may not have had much, if any, exposure to the outdoors, and are concerned about drinking reputation, about this incredible experience out in the wilderness for three days before orientation, followed by these other, wonderful not-so-outdoorsy opportunities; about these amazing, but rather humble, fellow students from everywhere in the world, about freshman hanging out together in large’schmobs’ of fellow freshman friends which form on the basis of proximity (dorm assignments) rather than any other affiliation (like race, culture or socio-economic background), and this special feeling of inclusiveness passed down by upperclass persons and faculty and administration. They come home for the first term break and they just can’t wait to get back ‘home’ to Dartmouth. Yes, frats exist and they put on parties open to the whole campus. Some students go and just dance and have fun and don’t drink at all, others drink, still others drink too much. But both partiers and non partiers are excited get back to Dartmouth. We parents are often dumbfounded by how much they love Dartmouth, and we see that they really do thrive. </p>

<p>I have to think that Dartmouth’s reputation as a drinking school must have some basis in reality - but drinking is a real, often less acknowledged, issue on many many campuses. It is helpful to try to sort colleges by labels in the process of trying to choose and distinguish among them. Excessive drinking is not the feature that most characterizes or distinguishes Dartmouth - but its a quick stereotype.</p>

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<p>This one line says it all. Dartmouth is probably NOT the best place for you socially – academics are superb. Over one-half of the non-Frosh are Greek. Thus, the campus social life is the Greek scene, period. Sure they are officially “open” but by definition they are Greek parties and that means alcohol flows freely.</p>

<p>Sub-free dorms are a joke since the sub-free part is in name only. Easy to have a kegger in your sub-free room since there is no enforcement. </p>

<p>Take a look at the colleges in the University Athletic League (WashU, Emory, …), or Middlebury (skiiing), Bowdoin…</p>

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<p>As bluebayou says, Dartmouth won’t be an ideal place for you. I think you would do ok at Dartmouth – you don’t have to hang out with hardcore ragers if you don’t want to. There are enough non-/light drinkers here for you to do fine socially. But really, you will feel a bit like the odd one out at times, and it will be hard to plunge into the social scene unless you have some minimal amount of comfort with people around you drinking.</p>

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<p>This is a major issue at Dartmouth. I don’t think it’s really much more worse than at other schools, but gender/sex issues haven’t really ever been a plus for Dartmouth, and they probably won’t be for a while yet.</p>

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<p>I’m in a similar position as you. Most internationals do get sucked into hanging out only with other internationals and/or people from the same ethnic background. If you want to avoid this, just be conscious about prioritizing interactions with people from other backgrounds. Self-segregation <em>does</em> happen, wherever you go, so you need to be conscious about avoiding it if that’s what you want.</p>

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<p>I’m on a study abroad program right now, and I do miss some of the frats’ dance parties when I go clubbing – Sig Nu’s '80s party is always fun. That’s a plus for Dartmouth, I suppose. The Hop has lots of different productions, but artistically there’s not a lot of diversity compared to even a medium-sized city, since there’s basically only one place to go in town for the arts.</p>

<p>Having said that, you might perhaps be better off in an urban school and/or a college with a different sort of ethic (perhaps Swarthmore?). I obviously don’t want to put you off Dartmouth, because I do think it is a fantastic school – I think almost any intelligent person can thrive at Dartmouth. But it’s not an ideal or even good fit for everyone. You can definitely find better fits. I’d say apply RD.</p>

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<p>I’m not an athlete, so I can’t say how much pressure there is to drink, but all the athletes I know of rage hard. At frat parties, there’s zero pressure to drink, and water pong is always presented as an option.</p>

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<p>I think your whole post is extremely misleading, perhaps because you’ve only visited Dartmouth in the fall, just after trips? Dartmouth students are no slobbier or dirtier than students at any other college. But I quote this paragraph because I think your offhand remark about urban areas is spot-on. Dartmouth is extremely rural. While I think most people can adjust to that and a lot of people will love it, I would say that this is something people don’t think about enough when picking colleges. The urban-rural divide is immense. Living and studying in or near a big city is very different from living and studying in the middle of nowhere.</p>

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<p>I’m not sure if you have visited or not, but you should especially if you are thinking of applying BINDING early decision… that’s a big step for a school you aren’t even sure you’ll fit into!</p>

<p>It’s a pain in the neck to transfer schools as a sophmore (trust me) so you definitely should try to get into <em>the best school for you</em>, not the school about which you have doubts. </p>

<p>I think you have already presented yourself with some doubts unconsciously… like your disinclination for drinking and fear of self-segregation. Though i don’t know about the latter, I can attest that the drinking at Dartmouth is big. huge, even. It’s so rural that alcohol becomes the school’s culture. </p>

<p>Since you’ve stated how much you don’t like/want to drink at all, I’d say choosing ED for <em>the heaviest drinking</em> college in the nation doesn’t seem a very logical choice. Use your ED card on a school that you would be 100% comfortable in… not one where you’re doubting your happiness. CHOOSE THE RIGHT HOME FOR YOUR NEXT 4 YEARS!!!</p>

<p>oh yeah, and… considering the app is due in like 3 days, and that you’re still undecided, I’d say THAT’S A SIGN not to go ED.</p>

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<p>Cairo: “the heaviest drinking”? This claim is not only wholly unsupported and invalidated, it’s just simply not true. That being said, I’d agree that applying ED before visiting a college would probably not be the best decision. But as far as doubts go, I’d say everyone will have at least some doubts about anywhere they apply, so don’t let that be a deciding factor either, though “going with your gut” can be helpful at times.</p>

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<p>ED should be used only for the one dream school above all others. It’s a long time from 2009 to May 2010, with a good chance you’d change your mind but be stuck.</p>

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<p>vossron: well put. </p>

<p>think of it this way: if you got into every school on your list, are there other colleges or universities that you would have less doubts about attending, and would feel more comfortable at? would you attend dartmouth over every other school you’re applying to? Do you have another school, though maybe not Ivy, that seems like the perfect match to your social preferences? </p>

<p>If Dartmouth doesn’t win over all other schools, then obviously don’t try to bind yourself there.</p>

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<p>seriously! im an fun person , so i am active then usual .
would i still fit into Dartmouth? :]
yeah of course i came to qet my ED butt
when i have FREE time what events do you quys usually have?</p>

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<p>There’s a LOT going on during the week. I often find, M-Th, that there are 3 or 4 things I want to do all the the same time (a movie showing, a kickboxing class, a concert and a lecture, for example) and I cannot decide between them. Then…during the weekend, I am stuck with making my own fun (in friend’s dorms, generally) or just doing homework… or occasionally going to frats (there are a LOT fewer options on the weekend)…</p>

<p>big frat nights are M, W, F, Sa
there are plenty of people who don’t drink for whatever reason/ who drink lightly… you will probably have friends who drink and friends who don’t.</p>

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<p>DONT GO TO DARTMOUTH. Sorry to be blunt. I’m a student here and Dartmouth is a school known for drinking and this is a very accurate description. Yes, people do not drink here… but the frat culture is EVERYTHING. You would have more fun at a school like Swarthmore or Vassar. Where drinking isnt as big.</p>

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<p>Only boredom and drugs.</p>