Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College's scenic 269-acre campus is the perfect setting for an academic environment that puts an "emphasis on pursuing passions, and making the college experience your own." With over 40 academic departments and programs, undergraduates are encouraged to explore their interests before declaring or even designing a major. The academics are certainly competitive, but students report that "no one really talks about their grades openly" and it's "generally understood that everyone is smart." The professors at Dartmouth exceed student expectations both in the classroom and outside of it. As one student explains, "Dartmouth puts a huge focus on the undergraduate students, and I have found my professors to be available and engaging in nearly every instance." Another student agrees, saying, "I came to Dartmouth for the professors, [and] they were far beyond anything I could have hoped for. Not only are they great lecturers and accomplished scholars, [but] they go out of their way to be available outside of the classroom, and to forge relationships beyond what is expected or necessary." Classes are described as challenging-in a good way, with an emphasis on being "discussion based and...small." This is a school "known for its community and intelligent students and faculty, who are also personable and know how to have fun."

It can be "hard to define a typical student" because at Dartmouth "every type of person is represented." As one senior elaborates, "The common denominator is that Dartmouth students are very involved." This is underscored by others who report that, "whether it's with a club sports team, a cappella group, community service project, academic research, or a Greek house, Dartmouth students manage to do a lot of things in the course of the day." As one sophomore observes, students always seem to be "studying and participating in some extracurricular activity, ...[and] out at a frat too," and yet still able to "show up at class the next morning with all of the work completed." Students say their peers are very smart and the average student could be described as "academically goal oriented but also extremely social." For many, Dartmouth strikes the perfect balance. As one junior says, "It's a small enough school that there is a sense of community that's always present, but large enough that everyone can find their own niche and their own area of the school and the community that caters to them perfectly."

Dartmouth fosters a sense of community from the moment students arrive on campus. Undergraduates are randomly sorted into one of six houses, which they'll stick with for all four years of college. Each house has its own dormitories as well as House Centers, which are communal spaces to meet or study. Houses also host optional activities so that students can get to know each other. Dartmouth's natural surroundings make outdoor activities popular, too. "The Appalachian Trail literally runs right through our campus," says one student. "Many students (even students who never did so before college) get involved with hiking, canoeing, rock climbing, and so forth." And although students say that the "Greek system is the main source of social activity" they also note that because so many students participate, the chapters are "quite diverse and representative of the student body as a whole." Beyond Greek life, "there are so many options to do whatever you're interested in doing," enthuses one student. Students enjoy going to hockey games, skating on Occom Pond in the winter, going kayaking, apple picking, or catching the "early premiere of some cool new movie at the Hop[kins Center for the Arts]." Socializing with friends depends on what you're in the mood for, whether that's a dance party or having a quiet night in to "play cards or jam out on guitar."