Dartmouth College

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Students Say - Academics
Hogwarts + Disneyland = Dartmouth, a student at this prestigious Ivy League institution writes, reflecting the widely held perception of Dartmouth College as an intellectual amusement park, a place where academic and extracurricular life intertwine to create "a tight-knit community dedicated to scholarship, creativity intellectualism, and the well-rounded individual." While "academic interests vary widely" across campus, the school's "interdisciplinary approach...allows students from all different majors to be able to engage in analytical discussions on issues from the depiction of women and gender roles in science fiction, to the marginalization of the bottom billion in the international political economy, to nostalgia resulting from rural to urban relocation in the age of globalization." Central to this approach is the D-Plan, Dartmouth's quarterly academic calendar "where students take about three classes at a time for ten weeks." Students love it, telling us, "It gives you great flexibility to go abroad and secure fantastic off-term internships and volunteer opportunities." Students typically take advantage of the opportunities; as one explains, "Dartmouth is really big on the 'Dartmouth experience,' which basically means trying to do the most awesome things that you can fit into four years as an undergrad. This means that about two-thirds of undergrads, regardless of major, study abroad at least once. Everyone uses their 'off terms' to either try to save the world by volunteering or doing research if they're not doing some high-profile internship."

Students Say - Campus Life
Life at Dartmouth "is always busy...after attending classes in the morning, we run from meetings to debates to the library and finally to Frat Row. It is a relentless, fast-paced cycle, but it is so unbelievably fun and rewarding." "Greek life dominates" the Dartmouth campus, where student involvement in the Greek system approaches a whopping 50 percent, although one student notes that "once you get to know the Greek scene, it becomes apparent that it's unique and very welcoming and much more low key than at other schools." For those wondering, "Yes, Dartmouth is the school upon which Animal House was based....we do party a lot, but the mentality is definitely work hard, play hard." Dartmouth has an active drama and dance scene, and "a capella is particularly popular." Students like to stay active: "We throw a Frisbee on the green, hike through the mountains, play hockey on Occom Pond, play tennis, ski at the Skiway," and "sled on cafeteria trays" to burn off extra energy. "A strong sense of school spirit" is fueled by the college's "rich traditions," like "running around a giant bonfire hundreds of times." No matter what they're into, "no one leaves campus on weekends because no one wants to miss a weekend at Dartmouth."

Students Say - Student Body
The quintessential Dartmouth undergraduate is "athletic, sociable, and very active within the community inside and outside of Dartmouth." "The binding element of the typical Dartmouth student is passion," one student tells us. "Whether it is academics or the environment, students are committed to an area of interest and try to contribute to that field." "There is a ton of diversity," one undergrad reports. "Through my friends I can interact and get a taste of Ghana, Trinidad, and Japan; what it means to be a Sikh, Jew, Buddhist, or Christian; how it feels to be a homosexual or transsexual; what it's like to live below the poverty line or miles above it." Wonder what they all share in common? "Everyone here is exceptional."

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