I had an uncle who went to Dartmouth. He was quite an athlete but always said "Don't go to Dartmouth unless you like winter sports."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I swear they told us 80% of eligible to us. We all heard it (mom, dad and kid).

Well, IMHO 50 and 80 are not that different when you are talking about the dominant social life on campus and a kid who does not want a Greek heavy campus.

But their Greek system isn't like other Greek systems. They don't allow you to rush until Sophomore year, they don't have national sororities or fraternities and the organizations welcome non-Greek students to their events.

May seem different to you, but a kid who wants to avoid Greek culture won't be swayed by this. They don't care who is "allowed" to attend parties; they want a place that doesn't revolve around those parties.

Again, Dartmouth might not be for your kid, that
fine, look elsewhere. There are some kids for whom Dartmouth is exactly what they are looking for. Find your best fit.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I swear they told us 80% of eligible to us. We all heard it (mom, dad and kid).

Well, IMHO 50 and 80 are not that different when you are talking about the dominant social life on campus and a kid who does not want a Greek heavy campus.

Then don’t go there. Not every school is for every kid. If your kid has Dartmouth level credentials, there are many schools to chose from.

It's not on the list. I'm just commenting that the 50 or 80 quibbling really doesn't matter. You either like Greek life or don't, and whatever the actual number is, we can agree it is dominant at Dartmouth.

Yes, but people seem to have very different definitions/assumptions of what “it” is at this school.

Again, Greek life looks quite different depending on the school.

At some schools it is closer to the stereotypical drunken, expensive, elitiest, homogeneous social system that many people imagine. But even at those schools there are fraternities and sororities that do not fit the stereotype.

At other schools Greek life functions quite differently. But you need to dig in and talk with kids who are currently at the school (or their parents) to understand the details.

That said, I get that some people are just absolutely against Greek life in any form. If that’s you, it sounds like Dartmouth is a hard no. Different strokes for different folks.

I think Dartmouth is good for kids who like it but can be miserable for those who don't.

I know two kids who are really struggling with fitting in. Both are sophomores and have debated long and hard about transferring (and I'm not sure what the final decision is). Both are not into the social life that revolves around parties. Both feel stifled by the community and the location. Both are quieter, geekier, types.

I also know many people who loved it. I can think of a half dozen, including some that are more introverted. But it's the not universally the best fit. I (personally) think that there are a lot of fantastic colleges in the US and if it's a concern or doubt if someplace will be a good fit, it's probably a wise idea to choose someplace else vs. keeping your fingers crossed that one particular college will work out.
Schools have reputations for a reason. This is how our senior is going about their search.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I swear they told us 80% of eligible to us. We all heard it (mom, dad and kid).

Well, IMHO 50 and 80 are not that different when you are talking about the dominant social life on campus and a kid who does not want a Greek heavy campus.

Then don’t go there. Not every school is for every kid. If your kid has Dartmouth level credentials, there are many schools to chose from.

It's not on the list. I'm just commenting that the 50 or 80 quibbling really doesn't matter. You either like Greek life or don't, and whatever the actual number is, we can agree it is dominant at Dartmouth.

I'm the PP who went to Dartmouth. I guess it depends on what "dominant" means. I didn't join one and that put me in the "minority" I suppose, but I didn't feel left out and didn't feel like I missed out on anything. There were lots of film events, concerts, open mic nights, parties in peoples' common areas, etc. and that was more my scene anyway. None of the houses are sought after in the social or prestigious sense (unlike finals clubs at harvard or secret societies at yale).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you guys think about campus, student body and culture

Heavens…
Be specific!
Why is your family interested?

and learn how to use the search function for this forum. This same question comes up every other week.

PSA: I get the best search results using Google rather than the search function on this website. Try this Google search: DCUM + Dartmouth

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I swear they told us 80% of eligible to us. We all heard it (mom, dad and kid).

Well, IMHO 50 and 80 are not that different when you are talking about the dominant social life on campus and a kid who does not want a Greek heavy campus.

But their Greek system isn't like other Greek systems. They don't allow you to rush until Sophomore year, they don't have national sororities or fraternities and the organizations welcome non-Greek students to their events.

May seem different to you, but a kid who wants to avoid Greek culture won't be swayed by this. They don't care who is "allowed" to attend parties; they want a place that doesn't revolve around those parties.

I went to Dartmouth as a non-drinking, non-partying daughter of immigrants who grew up in a suburb of L.A. Everything was sort of a culture shock at first (e.g., fleece pullovers, north face jackets, beer pong, alcoholic cider, etc.), and the winters were long. I did not join a sorority, but I had several friends at them and all of the parties are free and open to everyone so I went to several parties and was happy not to have to help clean up those disgusting basements afterwards. Basically, the Greek and drinking culture did not really bother me.

Having had 25 years of perspective and currently touring schools with my kids, I can say that there's nothing quite like Dartmouth out there. It is a beautiful campus that's extremely walkable and safe (people in Hanover don't even lock their doors; I used to walk back to my dorm at midnight after studying or hanging out with friends and I never once felt it was unsafe), with a cute town, everyone who wants an internship can get one because you can intern during the school year because of the D-plan, lots of research opportunities, and I was taught entirely by professors and no T.A.s. In fact, I was sort of shocked when I went to Harvard for law school and my law school classmates were teaching Ec10 to Harvard College undergrad students.

Everyone at Dartmouth is focused on undergraduate education, unlike a lot of the top schools I have toured with my kids. I would love for my daughters to attend, whether or not they want to join a sorority, because it was just a non-issue for me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I swear they told us 80% of eligible to us. We all heard it (mom, dad and kid).

Well, IMHO 50 and 80 are not that different when you are talking about the dominant social life on campus and a kid who does not want a Greek heavy campus.

Then don’t go there. Not every school is for every kid. If your kid has Dartmouth level credentials, there are many schools to chose from.

It's not on the list. I'm just commenting that the 50 or 80 quibbling really doesn't matter. You either like Greek life or don't, and whatever the actual number is, we can agree it is dominant at Dartmouth.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I swear they told us 80% of eligible to us. We all heard it (mom, dad and kid).

Well, IMHO 50 and 80 are not that different when you are talking about the dominant social life on campus and a kid who does not want a Greek heavy campus.

But their Greek system isn't like other Greek systems. They don't allow you to rush until Sophomore year, they don't have national sororities or fraternities and the organizations welcome non-Greek students to their events.

I bleed green!

Working world perspective- sort of a negative connotation tbh

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I swear they told us 80% of eligible to us. We all heard it (mom, dad and kid).

Well, IMHO 50 and 80 are not that different when you are talking about the dominant social life on campus and a kid who does not want a Greek heavy campus.

Then don’t go there. Not every school is for every kid. If your kid has Dartmouth level credentials, there are many schools to chose from.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I swear they told us 80% of eligible to us. We all heard it (mom, dad and kid).

My kid is at Dartmouth and it’s definitely not 80%!

We were told this on tour too, 80 percent of upperclassman.

Anonymous wrote:I swear they told us 80% of eligible to us. We all heard it (mom, dad and kid).

Well, IMHO 50 and 80 are not that different when you are talking about the dominant social life on campus and a kid who does not want a Greek heavy campus.