Dartmouth College Top Questions

Definitely a college town. I'd say the best thing about Dartmouth definitely the people and the environment. From the moment I arrived on campus my freshman fall I felt welcomed and like I just became part of a family.

The best thing about Dartmouth is by far the people that go to school here. Everyone is an amazing individual and there are very few people who are not nice and genuine. If I could change one thing it would definitely be the location. I mean sometimes the rural New Hampshire wilderness is beautiful and I really enjoy it, I just wish we were a little closer to Boston or New York.

I love Dartmouth because everyone is so friendly and I constantly feel like I am part of a big, happy family (sort of like Barney except not G-rated). It's just the right size. There are days when I see twenty people I know just on my way to lunch, and there are days when I might not see a single familiar face unless I plan to meet up with someone. Dartmouth has the least pretentious students of all the Ivies, but I still get an awed reaction from people when I tell them I go here. Of course, there will always be that annoying freshman who thinks that if you don't go to an Ivy League than you might as well not go to college. I usually ignore these students, because they are soulless creatures that never see the light of day. I divide my time between relaxing in my room, studying in the library, and partying on frat row. I hardly ever spend time in Hanover proper because it is tiny and lacks vitality. The tourism board might call it charming, though, and I would probably agree. The only problem I have with Dartmouth is the board of Alumni. It’s nice that they donate money to the school, but sometimes I feel like they need to get a life. So many of them complain about how Dartmouth should go back to the “old days.” Unfortunately, this means when there were no women at Dartmouth and most of the school’s money went into training the football team. Other than that, Dartmouth is a pretty progressive school and there is a tremendous amount of school pride.

Dartmouth is Hanover. The town was created because of the college, but it is a very nice place even though it doesn't have much.

The best thing about Dartmouth is definitely the feeling that everyone is so happy to be here. While people talk about the "Dartmouth Bubble" as though it were a negative, I think its a positive. Yes, its easy to completely lose track of whats going on outside of about a five mile radius from where you are, but what the bubble does provide is a sense of togetherness that I think a lot of people miss at larger schools. Since about a quarter of the student body is off-campus on any one term because of the D-plan, Dartmouth has an effective student body size of about 3000: big enough so that you don't feel like you know everyone after a month, but definitely small enough to create a tight community atmosphere. I wouldn't really call Hanover a town... its more like a few streets with some shops and restaurants. Fortunately, that's totally irrelevant, because Dartmouth provides plenty of opportunities for its students. The Hop, our arts center, holds concerts, shows, art exhibitions, and movies; the Tucker Foundation coordinates community service; student clubs and performance groups blitz (Blitz = Dartmouth email, which is checked by students approximately 100 times a day) out about activities and meetings; frats and sororities provide the parties. If you're apprehensive about coming here because of its location, don't worry - you won't be bored. One word of caution - the frats dominate the mainstream social scene. Unlike at other schools, frat basements are always open, and open to all, but they are where the parties are. Obviously not everyone chooses to frequent them, and there are always other things to do on weekends, but the majority of the student body goes Greek.

Best thing about Dartmouth - People. They're smart, open-minded, active, and loaded with talents. For instance, most people speak at least two languages and play at least one instrument. Thing I'd change - Cost. I've been out for nearly 10 years and I'm still paying for it. They do make it affordable for everyone but it's still so expensive. School size - Just right. 1,100 students per class. It gradually increases (used to be like 40 per graduating class in 1770s) but the rate of increase is acceptable. I like graduating and at least recognizing 75{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}+ of the names being announced at graduation. People's reaction when I tell them I went to Dartmouth - Impressed. They know Dartmouth is a smart school and, perhaps, didn't think I was that smart. Most of my time on campus - Student Centers. Whether it was dining hall (most students are on centralized meal plans), performance spaces (like the Hopkins Center or Collis Commonground), or meeting areas for clubs/radio station/tv (like Robinson Hall), I tended to be where other students were. College town - Yes. Dartmouth is the epitome of a "college town" Dartmouth's administration - Love to hate them. It's a unifying thing, us (students) vs. them but really they're fantastic. They truly care about everyone and want the school to survive and thrive. Biggest recent controversy on campus - Greek vs. Non-Greek. The Greek (frat) system was a very key component of campus life in Dartmouth's past but, in an effort to take more control, Administration is offering more alternatives to becoming a part and harsher penalties for Greek misbehavior. School pride - Yes. Tons of it. I still have five shirts, a calendar, a facebook application, an email account, countless address labels, an improv troupe, and several bumper stickers with "Dartmouth" on it...and I don't even have a car! Also, I don't think I'm alone. I'm in touch with several other alums with similar paraphernalia. Anything unusual about Dartmouth - There's a graveyard surrounding about 1/3 of the campus. One experience I'll always remember - Late Night Food Court. Meeting some friends just before the dining hall closed (~1am) and eating mediocre food and chatting about everything. It felt like we owned the campus. These were the seeds of inside jokes that I still share with my friends 9 years after graduation. After the dining hall would close we'd return in a blizzard to our respective dorm rooms and blitz (Dartmouth for "email") each other until the server went down at 3am (which I'm told doesn't happen any more). The most frequent student complaints - Lack of diversity. It's true. It would be nice to have a more diverse campus. I feel that the Administration is moving that direction.