Dartmouth Wealthy Children

[Anonymous]

Are the majority of kids at Dartmouth so wealthy that it is an uncomfortable place for the poor kids to be?

I have done a bit of research about it but I need more advice.

Would Brown or Cornell be better?

[Anonymous]

There is no reason there would be any significant difference among the schools you reference.

Among full time freshman, per IPEDS, % getting any financial aid:
Dartmouth - any aid 59%; grants 46%
Cornell - any aid 60%; grants 51%
Brown - any aid 61%; grants 51%

[Anonymous]

Not sure, but anecdotally the two students I know there are from mega rich families. Obviously the majority of students aren’t but you wonder how that influences the environment.

[Anonymous]

Also know several wealthy kids at Brown. Any of the ivies would be like this, maybe except HYP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also know several wealthy kids at Brown. Any of the ivies would be like this, maybe except HYP.

HYP should not be excluded

All of these schools will have their share of wealthy and connected families and legacies. All of them also provide generous financial aid to lower income.

[Anonymous]

I have a junior at Brown, I don’t notice it other than it clearly feels like a private versus a state school. My son wouldn’t hang with an uppity (if they were) crew, so he’s never commented. His freshman year roommate did come for move-in from his Hampton’s house though. I don’t care about such things, but I’d kill to see SJP & Matthew Broderick in person before their son graduates. We’re a full-pay family but not in that sphere, I probably don’t pick up on subtleties another might so I don’t dismiss anyone that says they feel it, I’m sure they do.

[Anonymous]

No. Two people I know who went there came from a UMC family (not wealthy) and an MC family (lots of aid). There are more uber-wealthy kids at NESCACs than Ivies. Dartmouth has too high of an academic standard to take only wealthy kids.

[Anonymous]

Here’s what I like about being not-wealthy at a place like Dartmouth: most socializing takes place on campus and revolves around campus events. Boston is a very long drive away. There isn’t much to buy or do with money on campus. It’s not the most fashionable place because by November everyone just gives up and decides to be warm and dry vs. stylish.

One of my kids was at Dartmouth and one at Yale. Yale was a more challenging place to be not-rich, because there was such easy access to NYC as well as people’s family homes in the tri-state area. Wealth showed more obviously there.

If we could do it all over again, I would choose isolated campuses vs ones near cities and easy transportation, because that dampens the impact of family wealth within the student body.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here’s what I like about being not-wealthy at a place like Dartmouth: most socializing takes place on campus and revolves around campus events. Boston is a very long drive away. There isn’t much to buy or do with money on campus. It’s not the most fashionable place because by November everyone just gives up and decides to be warm and dry vs. stylish.

One of my kids was at Dartmouth and one at Yale. Yale was a more challenging place to be not-rich, because there was such easy access to NYC as well as people’s family homes in the tri-state area. Wealth showed more obviously there.

If we could do it all over again, I would choose isolated campuses vs ones near cities and easy transportation, because that dampens the impact of family wealth within the student body.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a junior at Brown, I don’t notice it other than it clearly feels like a private versus a state school. My son wouldn’t hang with an uppity (if they were) crew, so he’s never commented. His freshman year roommate did come for move-in from his Hampton’s house though. I don’t care about such things, but I’d kill to see SJP & Matthew Broderick in person before their son graduates. We’re a full-pay family but not in that sphere, I probably don’t pick up on subtleties another might so I don’t dismiss anyone that says they feel it, I’m sure they do.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, I'd love to see, preferably Chris! My kid says it's not really a thing nobody cares, not a statusy type place. One friend has a true billionaire as a roommate. Most others, just typical kids. My kid's roommate is public HS kid. Not extreme wealth. From the south, typical DMV type wealth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a junior at Brown, I don’t notice it other than it clearly feels like a private versus a state school. My son wouldn’t hang with an uppity (if they were) crew, so he’s never commented. His freshman year roommate did come for move-in from his Hampton’s house though. I don’t care about such things, but I’d kill to see SJP & Matthew Broderick in person before their son graduates. We’re a full-pay family but not in that sphere, I probably don’t pick up on subtleties another might so I don’t dismiss anyone that says they feel it, I’m sure they do.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, I'd love to see, preferably Chris! My kid says it's not really a thing nobody cares, not a statusy type place. One friend has a true billionaire as a roommate. Most others, just typical kids. My kid's roommate is public HS kid. Not extreme wealth. From the south, typical DMV type wealth.

Musk's kid is also pretty undetectable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here’s what I like about being not-wealthy at a place like Dartmouth: most socializing takes place on campus and revolves around campus events. Boston is a very long drive away. There isn’t much to buy or do with money on campus. It’s not the most fashionable place because by November everyone just gives up and decides to be warm and dry vs. stylish.

One of my kids was at Dartmouth and one at Yale. Yale was a more challenging place to be not-rich, because there was such easy access to NYC as well as people’s family homes in the tri-state area. Wealth showed more obviously there.

If we could do it all over again, I would choose isolated campuses vs ones near cities and easy transportation, because that dampens the impact of family wealth within the student body.

That’s a really good point and the area that came to mind when I thought of where a kid may feel it. Socialization being on campus would certainly help.

[Anonymous]

It really depends on what you mean by wealth. The kids I know there (I can name a dozen) are all $500K+ income level wealthy but not private jet income wealthy.

Cornell definitely has more middle class kids because it's 3-4 times the size and is just far less preppy/waspy in culture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here’s what I like about being not-wealthy at a place like Dartmouth: most socializing takes place on campus and revolves around campus events. Boston is a very long drive away. There isn’t much to buy or do with money on campus. It’s not the most fashionable place because by November everyone just gives up and decides to be warm and dry vs. stylish.

One of my kids was at Dartmouth and one at Yale. Yale was a more challenging place to be not-rich, because there was such easy access to NYC as well as people’s family homes in the tri-state area. Wealth showed more obviously there.

If we could do it all over again, I would choose isolated campuses vs ones near cities and easy transportation, because that dampens the impact of family wealth within the student body.

Yale undergrads do not head into NYC on any kind of regular basis. The vast majority of socializing is on campus.

[Anonymous]

I went to Dartmouth and am friends with people whose kids recently went to or are currently attending Dartmouth. As the PP noted above, Dartmouth is not a place where wealth is obvious. Everyone lives in dorms and dresses very casually and the vast majority of students don't have cars. When I was there, I had no idea who had money and who did not, except for the one time when a hallmate was lamenting out loud that she had to fly coach for the first time because all first-class tickets to head home were sold out.