Dickinson vs. Gettysburg

[Anonymous]

Hi! Looking at these two - they seem pretty similar. Are the campuses and student body comparable?

[Anonymous]

Campuses, not really. Dickinson has more consistent (and appealing) architecture. Also, its in the historical district of Carlisle, so feels like part of the town Gettysburg has inconsistent architecture and Gettysburg is a battlefield with some tourist shops.

But quality of students is probably very similar. Mine is applying to both, and toured both. Preferred Dickinson by a good bit though.

[Anonymous]

They’re often considered peers and even archrivals, but their campus cultures and student bodies are pretty different. Compared to the two “big dog” Pennsylvania LACs, Dickinson is like a Swarthmore safety — quirky and intellectual — while Gettysburg is more like a Bucknell safety, career-focused and pre-professional. That said, neither is as extreme as its aspirational counterpart. Dickinson isn’t as academically intense as Swarthmore, and while Gettysburg grads do well in finance and banking, it doesn’t have nearly the same established pipeline to The Street that Bucknell does.

[Anonymous]

I agree that Dickinson is a bit more quirky and artsy, but overall, yes, lots of overlap and lots of great kids. I like these schools.

[Anonymous]

Gettysburg is much better.

Dickinson? Nope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gettysburg is much better.

Dickinson? Nope.

Can you elaborate? And as the above poster implied, is it really a good option for someone who wants Bucknell but might not have the stats?

[Anonymous]

Really impressed with Dickinson after a recent visit and downtown Carlisle is cute! My DD liked it a lot and she’s a bit artsy/quirky. Seems like they have a range of students.

Gettysburg leans more sporty/preppy as a whole. I think it also has a bigger Greek presence (7 sororities and 9 fraternities compared to 6 sororities and 4 fraternities at Dickinson).

[Anonymous]

If looking at PA schools, include Lafayette, Muhlenburg, and Franklin and Marshall too.

[Anonymous]

Dickinson is really big on study abroad if that is of interest and important to your student.

[Anonymous]

Which has more school spirit in terms of going to sporting events etc?

[Anonymous]

Dickinson had their best men’s soccer season and everyone seemed really pumped about it when we visited in the fall.

[Anonymous]

Dickinson is ranked a little higher in the U.S. World ranking #45 over #55 for Gettysburg. Dickinson is very well know for its international relations and unique math and physics.

[Anonymous]

I love Carlisle. It's such a cute little town. I'd consider it just for that.

[Anonymous]

I didn’t like Dickinson and was an athlete there who dropped out. (I’m 49 now so it may have changed). When I attended I found it to be a lot of rich kids from Deerfield or other boarding schools. My experience was that it was a big drinking school with lots of rich kids who didn’t care about academics because they were going to go on to work for their dad or some other nepotism situation.


I live out west now and can tell you that absolutely no one has ever heard of either school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love Carlisle. It's such a cute little town. I'd consider it just for that.

It’s an extremely insular and limited town. We used to call it “carlum”.