Dartmouth College Top Questions

Only self-sufficient, smart, highly focused and extremely involved students need apply. Admission to Dartmouth is extremely competitive; once you arrive on campus you will see why. Everyone is accomplished, smart and highly involved. There are literally hundreds of activities available to the undergraduate student, from ski patrol on the Dartmouth Skiway, to several different a capella groups to any number of fraternities, sororities, dance groups, social justice groups, Zen gatherings, yoga, atheist groups and on and on.... incredible education and a chance to live and study among the best and brightest, all in the beautiful great white North.

If you're edge-of-the-seat competitive, I would not recommend this school. Although Dartmouth is competitive, the community is so welcoming and friendly that there is no tension between classmates. In fact, people are willing to help one another to do better in class. Everyone is smart, but humbly so. If an extremely competitive person were to attend Dartmouth, he/she would not be able to enjoy this school in its entirety, and it would also ruin much of the environment for other people.

Close-minded, immature, mentally weak, unmotivated persons should not attend this school.

Someone who's not willing to challenge themselves and put themselves in what could be an uncomfortable situation shouldn't attend this school.

The kind of person who is looking for a cutthroat environment shouldn't come to this school. A lot of people apply here because they assume that we are like our peer institutions but what they don't realize is that every school in the ivy league has a very specific character that is unique from every other school. People who want a big school feel in a city definitely shouldn't come here because Hanover is a tiny rural town and the campus feels very small and intimate.

People who don't want to be involved should not attend Dartmouth. There are many opportunities to be involved in a variety of organizations, ranging from sports (at several levels) to environmental and humanitarian organizations. There are also many academic opportunities. Not taking advantage of at least one of these would be an unfortunate waste of the wondeful resources of Dartmouth.

Someone who needs to be in a city to enjoy themselves. Also, anyone who dislikes drinking often and doesn't have a love for the outdoors

A person who intends to avoid alcohol while at college should not attend this school, as it would get dull quickly.

If you easily get stir-crazy or frequently feel like you need a change of scenery, I would say that Dartmouth isn't for you. Students here can sometime feel trapped in what many call the "Dartmouth Bubble." Hanover is a very small town and things like the radio, magazines and advertisements seem foreign to me when I go back home for break. Let's just say I pretty much lose touch with the "real world" while I'm at school.

It's hard to say because Dartmouth has SUCH a welcoming, warm, and friendly community that I think anyone can be happy and feel accepted. However, if someone isn't ready to be passionate, involved and really grab life by the horns and have a 4 year ride of his or her life, then I suggest a more low-key school that isn't so upbeat. There's phenomenal school spirit and you can't help but get caught up in it and fall in love with the college.

Honestly, I haven't met many people at Dartmouth who wouldn't find some sort of niche or group to fit in with here. The one caveat of Dartmouth is that it is rather isolated. Coming from a city myself, it was definitely a big change, and while I"ve absolutely loved the change of pace from the city, people who are incredibly invested in the arts, museums, and the cultural centers found in cities may have a hard time adjusting to the outdoorsy rural setting of the college.

Someone who might have trouble adjusting to such a small environment.

Someone who feels most comfortable in diverse populations and needs to escape academic atmospheres might have trouble at Dartmouth; there isn't a lot to do outside of the campus and Greek life is limited.

likes the outdoors, does well academically, and likes to be in a small community.

The students at Dartmouth tend to be incredibly passionate, focused, engaged, and in love with everything they do (and they do a lot). Anyone who comes here and slacks off is missing out on some of the most incredible experiences of their lives.

Those that love cities and hate winters. Also thoughs that won't be able to work on their skills if they realize they need to be more productive (they take too long to do work...the pace is quick with trimesters). Also, people who would hate trimesters. This makes keeping in touch with highschool friends a bit harder.

A person who is lazy, doesn't like to study hard, or a person that likes the city life (good shows, great restaurants) should not attend.

Someone who is engaged with their classes because they're interested, not just to get good grades. Someone who works hard in their classes but isn't ruthlessly competitive. Someone who is interested in other cultures, experiences and viewpoints, and willing to explore and question. Someone who is friendly, relaxed, and engaging.

I person who doesn't like small cities, small class sizes, and a small campus

Somebody who needs lots of cultural/entertainment things around. There really isn't that much going on in Hanover - a Walmart is 15 minutes away. As a result, the social scene is nearly exclusively Greek, and revolves heavily around binge drinking. Every night "out" consists of of either playing pong or watching and waiting for your turn to play pong in a frat basement.

Someone that likes city life, people that don't like the outdoors, people that don't like the cold

Anyone who does not have an open mind and does not want to make friends. This school is full of happy and social students and thrives on a close knit atmosphere. This is a college town and its wonderful basically living in an environment with only college students. It develops all sorts of independence and skills.

Someone who is introverted someone who is "too cultural" (may feel out of place) someone who likes big cities/large populations and doesn't appreciate nature someone who doesn't care for traditions (we have tons of traditions) This is really a difficult question to answer but I feel that there is a "Dartmouth type" and not everyone will exactly fit the mold though we are a dynamic, driven, and diverse group of kids. For me, you either hate the Big Green or absolutely love it (most of us fall into this category). We are dominated by Greek life.

Anyone who never learned how to cram information

The kind of person who does not know the meaning of hard work. You cannot attend Dartmouth and do well without putting in long hours, countless papers, and sleepless nights, while enjoying every minute of it!