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Dartmouth College

How this student rated the school
Educational QualityA- Faculty AccessibilityA+
Useful SchoolworkA Excess CompetitionA
Academic SuccessA- Creativity/ InnovationA
Individual ValueA University Resource UseA-
Campus Aesthetics/ BeautyA+ FriendlinessB+
Campus MaintenanceB+ Social LifeB+
Surrounding CityB- Extra CurricularsA
SafetyA+
Describes the student body as:
Friendly, Approachable

Describes the faculty as:
Friendly

Female
SAT1430
Quite Bright
Lowest Rating
Surrounding City
B-
Highest Rating
Faculty Accessibility
A+
She cares more about Friendliness than the average student.
Date: Jan 15 2005
Major: Undecided (This Major's Salary over time)
Dartmouth is definitely a unique experience. And the vast majority of Dartmouth loves it here, a lot. The school is not for everyone though - for instance, people who love shopping and fashion tend to feel the isolation a lot more than the outdoorsy kids. It is a wonderful place to be if you are good at finding the beauty around you; students are intelligent, enthusiastic, laid-back, friendly, and generally very happy. However, if you take the wrong attitude towards the place, it's pretty easy to wake up and really mope about the cold, or the isolation. I think one of the really essential things that comes out of living here, though, is that you find yourself really learning to actively engage in life - I come from the southwest, and my friends and I sat down freshman year saying "you know what, we want to love the cold winters, we need to go learn a snow sport instead of feeling depressed about being stuck inside all of the time." I have heard of only one person in my entire time here who claimed to be anything less than delighted with the school. And like the person who commented before me said, yes, this may just be that some students are being pressured into not saying that they dont like it, but I feel like it is more of an infectious attitude towards the school. So many people love D that it's hard not to catch on and feel proud of the campus. On my freshman tour around the campus, an upperclassmen stopped and told us, "You guys are incredibly lucky you've still got four years here. Enjoy it."

Personally, Dartmouth was quite an adjustment. College IS inevitably going to be an adjustment, and I came from a group of naive friends who didn't drink, go out, or party in the least. So transitioning to college, where people party every weekend took a little bit of time and effort. It took for me to realize that drinking and partying are a part of life at virtually every school, not just Dartmouth. But it's something to be considered for incoming students, that the frat scene here is significant. Basically, that means that instead of drinking in their rooms or at houses, kids go out to the frats for dance parties and socializing virtually every weekend. And they are an integral part of the social scene. Along with clubs, outdoors groups, and sports teams, they ARE the social scene, to be honest. But frats are open to everyone, and it's basically a bunch of kids standing around in a room, drinking, dancing, talking, and playing pong (real pong - with paddles). After a while, you learn to enjoy it most of the time, even if you dont drink much, like me.

The student body is relatively diverse, but there is a definite tendency towards long curly haired, khaki-wearing, outdoorsy types who love to laugh and have fun. Everyone on campus is a part of either the Mountaineering Club, Canoeing/Kayaking club, or Cabin and Trail. It's because proximity to the outdoors is honestly one of Dartmouth's greatest (and most defining) resources. At no other time in your life will you live in a situation like this, with 4000 other young, lively people in walking distance from woods, a gorgeous pond, whitewater rapids, and mountains. There's great climbing 10 minutes away, our own ski mountain 15 minutes bus away, Mt Moosilauke and the river only a few minute walk through trees from the center of campus. It would be wasting an amazing opportunity not to take part in the access to nature that Dartmouth provides. The location is something that few other colleges of its caliber offer. That said, it is difficult for people who are accustomed to spending their time in Manhattan boutiques and clubs. Hanover, New Hampshire is far from metropolis. The town proper is really one main street, and it feels a lot like a gilmore-girlsy quiet New England town. There's a cute family breakfast diner, a few bookstores, a few clothing stores, the Gap, CVS, and a coffee shop or two - all within 5 minutes walking distance from the college green. But that's the end of town. The small-town aspect of Dartmouth does a lot to the social structure. Everyone talks about how there is a definite sense of community - the focus of all 4000 undergrads is directed towards the school itself and the people around them, rather than the city. So by the end of four years spent in the middle of nowhere with awesome people, the personal bonds are intense, a sense that is tougher to create when the school scatters off into the city each weekend. But, that's definitely a matter of personal preference. Some people will nonetheless feel restricted by the size of the town.

One of the other significant aspects of life is the size. Being small and undergraduate focused has a big impact upon life at Dartmouth. I was personally looking at places like UCLA and USC as well as Dartmouth, and have been surprised that the size has been one of my favorite parts of the school. It's a wonderful feeling to know that if you're feeling lonely, you can just walk to the campus center (it's nicely organized around a large green, the library, the theater/arts center, and food) and be guaranteed to run into someone you know. But at the same time, it's unlikely that in 4,000 people you wont find SOME people you click well with, and you'll never be able to get to know everyone. Size changes things a lot; if you meet someone one day at an a capella show, you're quite likely to run into them on multiple occasions again, so it's entirely possible to get to know people thoroughly, without having to live next door to them. The students are friendly and not at all competetive. Honestly, the people are probably the best resource. If you dont understand math, there are 5 people who live a few doors down in either direction who are brilliant at it and willing to help. But even with an overwhelming number of friendly people, Dartmouth is real, and you will run into the occasional person you dont like. Also, Blitzmail (email) instead of cell-phones dominate life, and we write emails like crazypeople. Nobody owns a cell phone. I told you, unique.

The cold. Consider it. It's essential. I haven't minded it, personally, but I am not really troubled by throwing on an extra down jacket before I walk to dinner. Winters are quite cold, but it's all worth it for the school-wide snowball fight that happens at midnight on the green during the first night of every term. Tradition is big. Homecoming is a big deal, where everyone is decked out in Dartmouth gear and stands around a giant bonfire in the center of the green, watching the freshmen run around it 100-some times, or Winter Carnival, Tubestock, and Green Key weekend.

Those are the most defining aspects of Dartmouth life: it's setting, temperature, student body, and social life. But Dartmouth is wonderfully unique. You feel included from the moment you step on campus and have seniors dancing around in tu tu's and singing to welcome you. The education is thorough and focused, I've had wonderful, incredibly passionate professors and professors who I felt were mediocre. That's just a fact of life.

Remember, college is exactly what you make it.

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