Anonymous wrote:My current HS senior would not consider Dartmouth - even though it checked a lot of her boxes - because it is 65% Greek. This article is devastating but there are many of them, about many kids at many other colleges with the same type of toxic culture - the common denominator of the kids who die from hazing is they are almost never white, and never wealthy or legacies. It will be kids of color, often of immigrant parents and/or parents who did not attend that type of college/university, are middle or lower income, etc. They are outsiders who join Greek life because there want the acceptance and major transactional benefits (and btw the McKinsey spokesperson is FOS - it's not just having the name of the frat on your resume that gets you an internship or job, it's everything else - the contacts, networking, fraternity alumni, brothers who prep you for exams, entree to professional clubs, etc etc etc). As a prospective parent or student, I would pay careful attention to the campus culture - can the kid get the experience they want and need? Can they access the opportunities important to them? Will they only be happy or feel successful if they can penetrate an exclusive social culture that literally exists to make sure a certain type of student will always have an edge? And it's not just limited to a specific type of Greek life - it includes final clubs, eating clubs, etc. - there is a reason they exist and it is to maintain the status quo. Now that elite colleges and universities are not mainly filled with the progeny of "elite" families (though of course they get huge advantage in admission), there need to be other social structures in place to make sure only certain "others" are admitted, and to not water down the true intent of this structure. Go in with your eyes open, talk to current students - not just tour guides - about their experiences, and think hard about what you want out of your college experience.

Anonymous wrote:From experience, most non-drinkers become drinkers at Dartmouth. By sophomore summer they will be well seasoned and ready for the debauchery.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They find other nondrinkers and stay out of Greek life.

Almost nothing left of life at Dartmouth outside of Greek drinking.

Absolutely not true. My nondrinker DC loves it there.

Anonymous wrote:This was such a disturbing article. It’s pretty much the same at heavy Greek culture schools.

We immediately ruled out any school with a heavy Greek presence.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This article about hazing at Dartmouth is frightening:

https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2025/04/06/dartmouth-college-fraternity-culture-student-death/

I’ve got a kid (who is currently a non-drinker) interested in Dartmouth. How do your non-drinking kids navigate the social scene at Dartmouth?

Why is your kid interestes in Dartmouth? They don't seem like a fit

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even if your student is a non-drinker, why would you or they want to go to a school where dangerous drinking behavior is celebrated by a majority of their classmates?

Because it's a great school and that's simply not true.

Anonymous wrote:Even if your student is a non-drinker, why would you or they want to go to a school where dangerous drinking behavior is celebrated by a majority of their classmates?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also have a kid who loves it (sophomore) and barely drinks. And the type of kid they've admitted in recent years has changed, especially in 2025. Far more geeks and artsy kids, fewer partying bros. Go to the school and see who's walking around (although they're about to all come home until January). Don't listen to the DCUM authorities who just posts stereotypes.

Check back with us around September 1 with an update.

Sophomore summer is apparently when things get awful.

Huh? My kid is a sophomore at Dartmouth.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also have a kid who loves it (sophomore) and barely drinks. And the type of kid they've admitted in recent years has changed, especially in 2025. Far more geeks and artsy kids, fewer partying bros. Go to the school and see who's walking around (although they're about to all come home until January). Don't listen to the DCUM authorities who just posts stereotypes.

Check back with us around September 1 with an update.

Anonymous wrote:Also have a kid who loves it (sophomore) and barely drinks. And the type of kid they've admitted in recent years has changed, especially in 2025. Far more geeks and artsy kids, fewer partying bros. Go to the school and see who's walking around (although they're about to all come home until January). Don't listen to the DCUM authorities who just posts stereotypes.

Anonymous wrote:It’s a college with a pretty unique culture and it’s important to understand that culture before applying/attending. There is a ton of drinking and it’s more exacerbated by its isolation. If you are a non-drinker attending a big drinking school in a city or even a large college town there are more social alternatives and opportunities. This is not the case in Hanover most nights.