Anonymous wrote:By "special", if you mean highly desirable, then it has to be its quirkiness and close-knit Alumni. Its not particularly great in any one area and trends more towards SLAC-like than STEM-focused. Great school but honestly, I don't think it is special. Lot of better options for both liberal arts and STEM fields out there.

Don't be fooled by the "Dartmouth College" label, it is one of the 187 R1 research universities in the US, has a medical school and other graduate schools. It is, unlike some of its Ivy peers, 2/3 undergraduate students, which to many is a plus.

By "special", if you mean highly desirable, then it has to be its quirkiness and close-knit Alumni. Its not particularly great in any one area and trends more towards SLAC-like than STEM-focused. Great school but honestly, I don't think it is special. Lot of better options for both liberal arts and STEM fields out there.

It appeals to rich boarding school legacies. Having said that currently they also seek sub 200k income applicants from west and south.

Anonymous wrote:I friends of parents who have children who attend Deerfield and Brunswick Boy school. All I hear them talk about and discuss is Dartmouth and I would just like to know what is special about Dartmouth...all of them want their children to get in Dartmouth

“Brunswick Boy School”? Do you mean Brunswick School in Greenwich Connecticut? Yes, lots of boys from there go to Dartmouth. I know a boy who did just that recently.

DS visited and loved it, it just felt right to him. For his sport it’s one of the top schools, but not sure he can get a recruited spot (could probably walk on).

"If you gotta ask...."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I friends of parents who have children who attend Deerfield and Brunswick Boy school. All I hear them talk about and discuss is Dartmouth and I would just like to know what is special about Dartmouth...all of them want their children to get in Dartmouth

Nothing. It is easier to get in than lot of even public schools

Actually, Dartmouth has the opposite problem. If you don't go to certain NYC privates or New England boarding schools, Dartmouth is pretty much an impossible admit, especially for accomplished public school students. My DC was considering Dartmouth for their ED app, but after looking at the data, decided Dartmouth would be a waste of an app. Goes to a higher ranked school today. If you don't go to one of the Dartmouth feeder high schools, it is a pointless application. Before applying, students should really look at their high school's track record with Dartmouth over the past four years. That will tell you what you need to know.

Anonymous wrote:I friends of parents who have children who attend Deerfield and Brunswick Boy school. All I hear them talk about and discuss is Dartmouth and I would just like to know what is special about Dartmouth...all of them want their children to get in Dartmouth

Nothing. It is easier to get in than lot of even public schools

cold

search old threads:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1233073.page

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1206949.page

Appealing to a certain type of lacrosse bro mindset . Old school, in a toxic masculinity way (think Brent Kavanaugh).

Guess your friends are into that.

Dartmouth really likes (and dislikes) certain high schools. if you're a good but not T20-bound student at some feeder high schools, Dartmouth is still a possibility.

"Princeton in the mountains".

Firstly, it's 'get into Dartmouth,' not 'get in Dartmouth.' Are you an immigrant?

Moving on, Dartmouth is the smallest Ivy and more like an LAC in many respects, though it is technically a university (despite its name being Dartmouth College).

It is also a bit less left wing than many top schools. A bit whiter too. I still remember the "Dartmouth Indians," though that has now been done away with.

It's uniqueness means you pretty much either love it or hate it, and the love its are quite enthusiastic. This is probably what you're picking up on.

I friends of parents who have children who attend Deerfield and Brunswick Boy school. All I hear them talk about and discuss is Dartmouth and I would just like to know what is special about Dartmouth...all of them want their children to get in Dartmouth