I’m wondering if this is exaggerated or if y’all are genuinely as close knit as I’ve heard

Hey all,

I'm a super recent alumni ('22) who just wanted to drop some advice for all you incoming '26s. Feel free to take it or not. I just kind of wanted to do a brain dump/reflection of my past four years as a Dartmouth undergrad and it ended up turning into this! Each one of these tips has a personal backstory to attach based on my own experience that I didn't include, but am happy to elaborate on via DM or in the comments.

Again, this is based on my own ups and downs at Dartmouth so don't feel like you have to do these things. Just sharing some of the lessons I learned the hard way in the hopes that maybe you'll be able to avoid some of these pitfalls.

Best of luck this upcoming fall and welcome to the woods! :)

How to survive a 10-week term

Take it easy academically your freshman fall. There’s so much to experience in your first term at Dartmouth, from clubs, new friends and activities to the New England woods itself. Think of your year-long AP class or semester duel-enrollment and compress it into 10 weeks (sometimes more like 8 given the first week is chill and last week wraps things up), and you’ve got a Dartmouth term! You’ll (hopefully) get used to it within the year or figure out what works best for you, but don’t feel pressured to go super hardcore academically in your first term. You have plenty of time for that. Generally, I’d recommend taking a layup, and an intro course to balance out the Writing 2/3/5.

If you’re feeling antsy about having a heavier course load, then do it in the winter lol

Do your research about professors and classes!! Professors can really make or break a subject or class for you and in most cases unlike high school, you actually have options! You can look up every class on LayupList and search them by professor if they haven’t taught the course before. There are also class reviews on the Course Assessment page over on Darthub. ALSO everyone who’s not a ’26, be sure to submit LayupList reviews!!! If you see a class is being taught by a bad/hard professor and there are better options (say, a different professor teaches in the Winter), then nothing wrong with waiting until then!

After you’ve found clubs and other interests for the term, put them all in a ranked priority list. If/when things start picking up in the term, it helps to know which commitments you can cut early on, whether that’s dropping altogether or taking a break from attending. People won’t take it personally and it helps as you navigate the school/life balance.

How to pick your major

First off, don’t compare to peers and their supposed major declarations; they are just as clueless as you are on what that workload actually entails. At the end of the day, you only need one major and that’s it. Instead, consider what sort of career path you may actually want to take and whether a double major or minor might help you reach that. Some people do it to give themselves options, while others may take a major that secures them a job and a “fun” major that they’re passionate about, but doesn’t bring in the salary they need to provide for their family. If you’re really uncertain about major, ask upperclassmen what got them into their major and internship experiences that kept them on that path.

Reach out to the major advisor for the department if you are uncertain about the plan. The faculty advisor they give you early on may not be useful depending on your interests and you’re more likely to get the answers you’re looking for from multiple professors in various departments. You can find the major advisor if you google department [insert department name here] dartmouth.

While you do need to “declare” a major and major plan by sophomore year, you can technically change that declaration and plan entirely up until your senior spring. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THEN TO MAKE A PLAN, but also don’t panic if you end up pivoting towards the end of junior year and early senior year.

How to get a summer internship

Start applying for summer internships now, even if you feel under-qualified. If you have even an inkling of what you may want to pursue, then send in applications soon before you get bombarded by the Fall term. Dartmouth starting so late in September puts them at a bit of a disadvantage for freshmen recruiting and recruiting has gotten even more competitive. More than ever, this is a great time for that fancy Dartmouth brand name on your resume to carry you along with whatever crazy high school accomplishments got you into Dartmouth in the first place.

If you want a referral, try looking up companies on LinkedIn and searching which ones are Dartmouth alumni, and set up a time to chat. Do not ask for a referral until you have a conversation over the phone since that phone conversation is a good time to actually learn about the company and more specifically if you actually would be interested in working there. If the conversation goes well, then ask them for a referral afterwards.

Companies want to see your experience outside of classes. GPA is a tiny number on your resume and never comes up in interviews. We’re talking research, work experiences, clubs and personal projects. Take the time that you aren’t agonizing over midterms and put it into organizations that actually interest you!

How to take care of yourself

This may be a bit dangerous to suggest early on, but I’ll throw it out anyways: Figure out how much you actually need to stress about your GPA. If you’re on the track for law school, med school or any grad school really or your dream company explicitly states in the requirements that you need a 3.75 GPA, then yeah GPA is important. For everyone else…. it depends. I say this as a CS major who’s gotten almost all my CS grades at below or at median and living a comfy job that grades aren’t everything depending on your field. Most jobs look for a 3.0 GPA, which is a B average and for some of you high school 4.0 peoples, that might seem unthinkable. Yes you shouldn’t fail your classes, but don’t beat yourself up for a B+ or stress out because you failed a midterm. Basically, cut yourself some slack when it comes to GPA, it means a lot less than it did back in high school.

Also, take layups and enjoy your life. No shame in having an easy course load and making the most out of your college years actually having a life. GPA padding is a bonus and getting rid of distribs early on gives you flexibility if you end up pivoting interests midway through and need to take other major classes.

Take care of your mental health.

Look at any article by The D about Dartmouth’s mental health resources and you’ll see that they’re greatly lacking. It was a huge issue in the pandemic, and even know, it’s very much still an underinvested in resource, despite the numerous students who need help. Do not wait for yourself to reach breaking point, it’s never worth it.

How to combat imposter syndrome

Dartmouth is a bubble. Not to sound arrogant, but outside people who know what Dartmouth is think you’re hot shit, whether it’s an employer, coworkers, the general public. Dartmouth being one of the lesser known Ivys means that if the person you’re talking to knows that it is an Ivy, they also know you’re incredibly smart. Why else would people be paying thousands for activities, standardized tests, or even bribes (not this school but at others), to get in! If you’ve made it this far, then pat yourself on the back because you done good.

Ask for help!! If questions feel too “dumb” to ask a professor (or expose you aren’t paying attention lol), then ask a floormate or someone who you somehow end up sitting next to every class. You never know if they’ll end up being your best friend or future roommate after college.

How to meet some of the smartest people at Dartmouth

Unsure of how to start a conversation to your professors? Try chatting with them Week 1 wayyyy before much serious work is assigned to your class! Some good conversation starters can include what got them interested in teaching the class (or the subject itself), and what are some tips to succeed in the class. The key is establishing a relationship outside of just course material and questions and helps distinguish you outside of one of the many students who will be at office hours.

Reach out to professors who interest you, even if you aren’t taking their class (yet). Despite Dartmouth’s small size, sometimes it can be challenging to get into smaller seminar courses without junior/senior priority, so reaching out early on can help you get to the top of the waitlist if add-drop screws you over. Just search up a topic you’re interested in on LayupList or ORC and they usually show who teaches the classes.

Take your professor out to lunch! There’s a voucher you get can to take your professor out to PINE for $50 completely covered by the college and you can get it every single term!!! Totally recommend for the free food and the good conversation; you never know who’ll be writing your letter of recommendation or have an opening to conduct research later on.

Want to get to know an upperclassmen better? Ask them out for a meal! It’s a completely normal thing given Dartmouth’s limited dining options and a good way to branch out from FOCO. Upperclassmen need to eat too and it’s a good first outing to have for them to get to know you better on an individual level.

Family told me they didn’t know about it and said it wasn’t really anything but i mean it’s an ivy, its name gotta hold some weight no?

I'm an older alum who has stayed relatively active in the alumni community, including being an alumni interviewer (although it's been a few years). Ask me anything about Dartmouth, not about myself.

I'm a prospective student and wanted to ask if students who graduate with a BE land the same positions as, say, an engineering grad from Georgia Tech or UIUC, for example. I want to either found an aerospace company, break into executive management at an aviation firm, or work in F1 and idk which university would be better for this. I know Dartmouth has a great alumni network, but I feel like I wouldn't be doing myself a favor if I were at a school and not a poli sci or econ major.

Basically the title. I am pre-med and thus GPA is very important for me. I plan to major in CS and Neuroscience. I want to do computational neuroscience research.

1. How hard are the classes?

2. Is there grade inflation?

3. Is a 4.0 + social life achievable?

4. Are there resources for entrepreneurs? How is the alumni network?

5. How is Hanover? How is the nightlife?

6. What does the social life look like for a student who is not an athlete?

7. Do you feel like it's kinda depressing being far away from everything or does it foster community?

8. How would you describe Dartmouth in one word?

Thank you in advance for your help, it really means a lot as a I am torn between Amherst college and Dartmouth right now. I visited Amherst and was totally in love with the campus and the vibe. I am planning to visit Dartmouth soon.

hi guys, i got an alumni interview thing from dartmouth. how should i best prepare for the interview??

Every kid in my school got one man. Does anyone know if they pre screen? I didnt get an interview and im very sad. mods pls give me some sympathy (or empathy? idk which one maybe i shouldnt go to dartmouth if i dont know😭)

I think that, of top schools, Dartmouth has been consistently ignored or otherwise written off more than most by this subreddit. While everyone is of course entitled to their opinion, I, as an ED admit to the class of 2022, wanted to share the reasons I felt it was so perfect, and why you might want to give it a second thought. I know you can get a lot of this from admissions reps, but I wanted to post about specifically what I thought would be BETTER about Dart. than peer institutions in my process, bc that’s how this goes really, and admissions offices don't like the comparison game (although the admissions blog is filled with amazing tidbits).

I should say off the bat, I know that some people reading this probably want or wanted nothing more than to go; this is really aimed at people who haven’t given it serious consideration and are forming/prioritizing their college list or are unsure of which admission to accept. Best of luck to all planning on applying, congrats to those accepted, and condolences to those rejected. I know as well that some people want an urban campus or a tech school or warm weather or access to a law school or an undergraduate business school: I can tell you right now that, if you’re SURE that’s what you want, Dartmouth isn’t for you, and reading this is a probably a waste of your time. If you HATE greek life with a passion, again, you may want to move along (though I’ll address that concern later in this piece). I should also say that, as an ED admit, I know I’m coming from a certain viewpoint and bias; at the same time, I think I and ED applicants at other schools are uniquely qualified to reconcile schools’ rhetoric with the reality of comparing schools and picking which to apply to/attend. These are genuinely my opinions and I had a lot of schools that I really liked, so I’m focusing on what put Dart. over the edge for me! ——————————————————————————————————

Ok with that out of the way, let me ask first: Why do you want to go to college? Because whichever college you set as your top priority should, of course, meet your criteria. Let me list some major reasons in the order they mattered to me, and explain why they led me to Dartmouth.

1. To learn: You’ll get a great education at any top school. But Dartmouth specifically is ranked #2 (Princeton, another great choice and my second choice, overtook it last year I believe) in undergraduate teaching, the essence of your classroom experience (according to USNWR). While rankings are of questionable value, this list is much more meaningful to me in its specificity than a general combination of admissions rates, donations, etc… And since Dartmouth is structured around its undergraduates, many of its professors want to be there in order to teach more so than to focus their own research. This cannot be said of many other top schools; yes, you’re missing out on some Nobel Laureates, citations, etc… if you go to Dartmouth. But think about what/who you will actually be interfacing with in college! I’m not discounting all top researchers as instructors, but I think that Dartmouth does attract people who want to actually teach you Dartmouth, like any other smaller liberal arts college, is there to teach you first and foremost. But research is important too. On that front, it comes in above many of its prestigious peers (UPenn, Brown, Cornell, Northwestern, UChicago) in terms of endowment per student, and dedicates a huge share of that to funding research opportunities for students. And while it is more focused on undergrad than any of its university peers, it still has (small) grad schools in med, business, and engineering, so those resources are there if you want them. You can check out more about research here. But it has college in its name for a reason, and it is more apparent at Dartmouth than other institutions that the central focus is on undergraduates and that you won’t be competing with graduate students for top lab spaces nearly as much as you might at universities. In short, Dartmouth combines the access of a SLAC with the reputation (and draw to professors, endowment, etc…) of an Ivy, facilitating an education that is at once intensely personal and robust in terms of resources.

2. To meet friends and learn from your peers: Dartmouth, in my opinion, is simply more friendly than many of its elite peers. I toured most of the Ivies (not Cornell or Brown), and visited MIT, JHU, Amherst, Williams, Middlebury, and some others as well. What stood out to me was that people at Dartmouth legitimately seemed happy and excited; the same can’t be said for most other schools (Williams and other SLACs being a possible exception). This is totally subjective, I know, but the strong traditions, unique location, and small size of the college in my opinion foster connections in a way that most other schools don’t. And I won’t waste my time on stats, but I think it’s clear that people who wind up at Dartmouth are generally of a high mental caliber—that goes without saying for any of its peer institutions. The difference is, in my opinion, the eagerness of Dartmouth students to share in that spirit. This isn’t something I can prove quantitatively, but I can also say that it was the deciding factor for me, and if friendliness and warmth are important to you, you should give Dartmouth a chance. Also worth mentioning that when I opened the Daily Pennsylvanian on my visit, or talk to any of my friends at CalTech or CMU, or read threads about some other top schools, the big undercurrent is this massive black hole of stress and the predominance of stress culture. Not to say that Dart. kids aren’t stressed and that mental health isn’t important anywhere, but it seems like the prevalence of super-stress culture was something I saw much less at SLACs AND Dartmouth than other top schools—and something you should not underrate when making your college list.

3. To land a good job in 4 years: Dartmouth ranks 8th for salary of graduates (according to pay scale). And considering Stanford, CalTech, Harvey Midd, and MIT graduate mostly STEM majors, Princeton is the only other non-STEM elite college above it. That means Dart. comes above Penn with its Wharton undergrads, Cornell with its engineering undergrads, and Yale and Harvard with their name recognition. The point is not to make these minute distinctions, though—it’s that going to Dartmouth is correlated to one of the highest salaries of any college. In addition, the Dartmouth alumni network consistently comes in at #1 or 2 in rankings of those sorts.

4. To participate in extracurriculars like research, organized clubs, and athletics: You can really do this at any college, and Dartmouth is no different. I would say, though, that the size of the college makes it more likely that you rise to be a leader even in a popular organization, and that you form closer personal friendships with people you know. And unlike small liberal arts colleges, Dartmouth has D1 athletics and strong school spirit.

5. To get away from home and have a great four-year chapter of your life: Something that drew me to Dartmouth was the fact that it is in the middle of nowhere. Now let me be clear: for some people, being in a city was key. And that’s great. In my personal opinion, I’ll have plenty of years where I have no choice BUT to live in a city for a job probably and I’m in no rush to get there, but I totally get why someone might be. But when I pictured what would foster a good experience, I imagined hikes and skiing and a long drive to get there and some peace and quiet. So for some people, the hustle-and-bustle of a city might be necessary. But at Dartmouth, the campus and small town of Hanover are your world; sure, this can be seen as a downside, but to me it means no distractions, fewer expenses, fresh air, and a chance to breathe. This starts with orientation Trips and continues with the Dartmouth Outing Club, the oldest and largest such collegiate org. in the country (pretty sure—might be by % participation and not absolute #).Where it really wins out is in comparison to suburban schools: In my opinion, Princeton, Tufts, etc… are just slightly too far from a city for that to be a viable quick getaway and just too far from open nature for that to be prominent either. But that’s just one man’s opinion…

Now I want to talk a bit about my own college process and why it led me to Dartmouth:

First, like many on this subreddit, even if we don’t like to admit it, I knew I’d be happiest at some sort of elite college. As a high achiever in high school, I felt that my curiosity and desire to be surrounded by smart people would be best fulfilled at a highly selective school. And while I know there are plenty of great things about honors colleges at lower-tier state schools, I was pretty sure I wanted a “name-brand school.” Dartmouth certainly has the name, and more than that, its alumni network is INTENSE. The Princeton Review puts its network above those of any other top school, and Forbes says Dart. has the #1 most grateful grads.

I also knew I wanted a place to live that would make me happy in a day-to-day sense. For that reason, I would often ignore many of the one-off examples of once-a-year events and expensive but nearby attractions touted at info sessions and instead aim to gather a sense of the “vibe” of the places I was touring. At Columbia, almost every person in the main dining hall was hunched over a book, eating alone. At Princeton, similarly, a large number of people were walking alone on their phones. Kids I know going to Penn constantly stress about Wharton/non-Wharton, landing highly competitive internships, etc… I’m not oblivious: I am sure there is plenty of stuff under the surface at Dart. Still, I really was surprised at the amount of laughing and conversation and groups there were at Dartmouth, and the amount of genuinely smart but not competitive or fraught or stressed-out conversations going on; the campus feels so busy everywhere even though there are so few students, and I think this speaks to the enthusiasm and energy of the place. This, again, is totally subjective, and there’s much to be loved about a lot of school communities. But Dartmouth’s is undeniably and uniquely close-knit.

It’s worth mentioning what I’d say is people’s main hangup about the school: The drinking/frat culture. While it’s true that these play an important role in Dartmouth social life, I’d point to a couple of things. First, according to USNWR, less Dartmouth students are in frats than at MIT. Second, it’s the same super-achievers in most of the frats that you hear about in terms of scores and achievements and all… beyond the one or two most aggressive frats, these are mostly groups of smart people who also want to make good friends with each other. Also, Dartmouth has helped to pioneer the hard liquor ban, and that’s no joke; Dart. students do drink a lot of beer, but the type of high-risk drinking associated with he worst dangers has actually sharply declined in recent years. In my opinion, the prevalence of say cocaine, vodka, etc… esp. at urban elite schools like Columbia or Penn is more concerning than the beer consumption at Dartmouth. Even if you’re worried about this, I would say it shouldn’t stop you from visiting, applying, or considering the school; if you get a chance to talk to current students or visit campus, I think you’d find that while important, Dartmouth’s frats do not totally fit the image of a mega-frat at say, 'Bama or something, and that the day-to-day life of a student is actually safer than at many other elite schools.

Anyway, when it came down to it, I knew I wanted to go to a college that would facilitate lasting, meaningful relationships and allow me to stand out without ruthless competition. I felt and still feel that the American undergraduate experience is this awesome, unique institution, and I wanted a place that would let me live that out to the fullest. At the same time, I wanted a place that had resources, a name, and top professors. Dartmouth to me combines a lot of that Another part of this is focus: I was turned off by aggressive pre-professional focus and the mentality of doing everything solely to get a good job; as someone who’s worked in a lab and will be interning at an investment bank, I know I don’t want to spend four years doing hard research or interning 24/7 simply to climb some ladder. Now I strongly believe that top schools are much more similar than they are dissimilar. But due to its unique position in having a community as tight and as friendly and as happy as those I saw at many SLACs and the resources, name, prestige, history, connections, athletics, and everything else of its Ivy+ peers, I feel that Dartmouth is a gem that has been largely overlooked by this community.

If you have any questions feel free to comment or PM me (or really, talk to any student/alum.—they're all obsessed!). Best of luck in the process and hope to see you at Dartmouth!

Frosh here - I've been talking with a couple other freshman and we've all been voicing the same opinion:

Many of Dartmouth's clubs are poorly run with flaky leadership exacerbated by a vertical power structure, leaving enthusiastic new members with little capacity to enact change. Not to name clubs, but these organizations that seemed VERY legit/big when applying/interviewing for aren't actually doing much, with people in charge canceling many meetings.

I was really bummed as I slowly discovered this the past fall term. And confused!! My impression going into Dartmouth was that the school admits people passionate about academics and clubs! This doesn't really seem to be the case?

Now I've only been here for a term, but it seems like Dartmouth's party and Greek culture has a part to play in the lack of club participation. I've seen committee directors cancel meetings during homecoming week and other big events during term, which has led me to conclude that the priorities of the students here are academics/parties, THEN extracurriculars. Is this the case?

Anyway, this combined with

1. the HUGE emphasis on finance by the institution itself (career center is super unhelpful for non econ/fin jobs, whether this is true or not its reputation garnered turns off students from seeking their aid). Dartmouth attracted me because I thought people were doing what they loved. But there's a huge amount of the population that openly acknowledges wanting to make money over pursuing their passions or trying to help others. This sense of complacency stuns me.

2. the lack of students and outside resources (bc it's more rural) for niche clubs. Dartmouth does acapella, dance, sports very well. There is no space on campus to wander in and make art without taking a class. Also means good speakers aren't willing to make the drive to Hanover; the talks I've been to this term (at least 10) have been underwhelming.

3. the culture of wanting to fit in and fit a certain mold (ex. people always commenting on how they love person X, or the immediate question on every freshman's mind-if they will rush); my hypothesis is this stems from the dominance of Greek culture, with freshman/sophomore girls feeling they need to social climb and get into certain houses, and freshman guys needing to suck up to upperclassmen

4. and lack of developed sexual assault programs by the college (I don't have complete experience on this, but was looking to join SAPA but realized their members don't end up helping many ppl per term?? Each member helps on average 1 student/quarter. And there's a huge focus on victim and bystander action but not curbing perpetrators? And why does Dartmouth not release percentage of student body receiving non consensual touching versus the number of students? Plus their statistics are not easily found... are they still participating in Association of American Universities' survey?)

5. there is one dining hall on campus. The lack of food options leads to the huge line at KAF, which would not play out anywhere else (The Dartmouth has even written a piece on the psychological change students undergo at Dartmouth). This relates to #2 - the lack of outside resources in the form of restaurants. It's not the lack of food but more how it changes the student body's, giving a scarcity mentality.

It seems like the DOC is a great alternative space instead of Greek life community and partying. But that leaves a gap for people who aren't that into the outdoors and still want this community, which is usually fulfilled by clubs... Collis Nightlife does an okay job, so do LLCs, but these seem to be exceptions to the overall party culture.

There's a lot of jaded upperclassmen that seem to confirm some of these aspects of Dartmouth. I'm honestly super bummed after my first term. UGAs don't seem to actually care about student adjustment and instead take on the job for the $ (one has openly said it; I've seen the actions of another), leaving me to voice my concerns with other freshman.

I am aware there are two options here. Either I can see this as an opportunity for me to contribute back to the campus by becoming a great UGA, advocating for niche clubs, not participating in Greek life, avoiding people whose prioritization of partying/social climbing that does not align with my own. But goddammit, isn't college a time for me to learn and grow without inhibitions? I will need to be so intentional about going against the grain, going against Dartmouth's culture. And on top of balancing schoolwork, etc... it might be a lot to handle in the future.

I do acknowledge I compare what Dartmouth's sexual assault and club opportunities with Stanford's, the university I am most familiar with, and these institutions are not on the same caliber. I'm seriously considering transferring to another university (not Stanford) but don't know if my concerns will dissipate and my impression is that transferring puts you at a significant disadvantage in your new school (having 1 less year).

Realistic/optimistic/affiliated/unaffiliated upperclassmen or freshman... I'd love to hear your thoughts.