<p>I agree with superscs. Drinking and greek culture isn’t everything at Dartmouth - but it certainly means a lot to a good many students. I’m a senior at Dartmouth and can without a doubt say that - whether or not I like it - my identity is in many ways defined by what frat I belong to. At Dartmouth, in casual conversation people are very often classified by what Greek house they are in and the associating stereotypes. </p>
<p>For example, Person 1: “Yeah I hooked up with “so and so” last night.” Person 2: “Who’s “so and so”?” Person 1: “She’s a Kappa '10” (Stereotype = fun, hot, promiscuous, enjoys recreational cocaine usage). Person 2: "Nice.</p>
<p>While that invented conversation seems absurd, conversations actually regularly occur along those lines at Dartmouth. Now I’m not saying that it is impossible to enjoy Dartmouth and the college experience as an unaffiliated student, I am just saying (at least for me and almost everyone in my friend circle at school) that completely ignoring and writing off the Greek system before you even arrive is really shortchanging your Dartmouth experience.</p>
<p>I agree that Dartmouth won’t be an ‘ideal’ school for you. Soooooo many people here drink, and drinking/frats is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of “Dartmouth culture” or whatever. </p>
<p>However, I have close friends who don’t LIKE drinking and won’t go out of their way to drink, but still enjoy the culture.</p>
<p>Go to Dmouth if you’re in extrovert, but find someplace else more suiting if you’re an introvert. Just my take. gl</p>
<p>I really think most people posting above don’t go to Dartmouth. I am an international class of 2013 at Dartmouth, and I had many of the fears you have since I don’t belong to the same culture. (Drinking is actually outlawed in my country, so you can understand how alien this was to me.)</p>
<p>In reality, THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO PRESSURE TO DRINK. I do not drink. No one has ever even tried to coerce me into drinking. I play BEER PONG and my partners are perfectly happy drinking FOR me because I don’t drink. There are loads of alternatives to frat culture on campus and you will find a lot of people whose fun time does not revolve around drinking. And even then, most people on my floor drink and I still have an awesome time with them because they are fantastic people.</p>
<p>Seriously, don’t pass over the best undergraduate education in the world just because Dartmouth has a reputation of a party school. We accept all and everyone and make sure everyone has a nice time here, including non-drinkers.</p>