Get the inside scoop on jobs and careers with Vault career guides. Dartmouth College Buzz Book is your complete resource to jobs, careers, interviews and recruiting.
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Dartmouth College Buzz Book Get the inside scoop on jobs and careers with Vault career guides. Dartmouth College Buzz Book is your complete resource to jobs, careers, interviews and recruiting. |
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Dartmouth College Buzz Book Welcome to the first edition of Vault's Dartmouth College Buzz Book. In this new and unique guide, we publish extended excerpts and sample admissions essays from surveys of students and alumni from Dartmouth to bring you the inside scoop on its undergraduate program. The survey comments cover the following areas:
The guide is intended to serve as a complement to other references to colleges and universities currently available that utilize school-reported data. Unlike those guides, Vault's Buzz Books (which also include the College Buzz Book, Business School Buzz Book and Law School Buzz Book) are composed almost entirely of information provided directly to Vault from students and alumni. (We asked Dartmouth to comment on the surveys after they were collected.)
We received comments from Dartmouth, which we have included comments next to appropriate survey sections, offset with a different font and indented to be easily recognizable as school-provided comments. Corrections within the body of the comments are enclosed in brackets. Dartmouth also provided separate narratives that have included them at the end of each chapter, under the heading "The School Says."
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Status: Current student, full-time
Dates of Enrollment: 9/2003-Submit Date
Survey Submitted: May 2006
Dartmouth's admissions process was fairly straightforward since it used the Common Application. I filled out my application, and had an alumni interview in my hometown. The only interesting difference to the Dartmouth admissions process is that they require a peer evaluation/recommendation. At first I found this intimidating, but soon realized that it was an interesting and effective way for the admissions officers to get an idea of how my peers view me. I also mailed additional information to the admissions office, including an audio recording of my saxophone playing. I was really glad to see that Dartmouth accepts this type of additional information and it made me feel like the admissions officers truly cared about who I was and not just what I was like on paper.
Academics: Students Speak
Status: Current student, full-time
Dates of Enrollment: 9/2004-Submit Date
Survey Submitted: May 2006
Dartmouth operates on the quarter system, which can be intense and stressful. You take three classes per term, but do not be fooled. By the time you are settled, you have your first set of midterms in the third/fourth week with the second round of midterms two weeks later.
We are lucky to have great professors on campus who are all devoted to undergraduates. All the classes are taught by a professor, not a graduate student (except for labs and discussion groups). Their doors are always open, even if it is not during office hours. Grading has some natural grade inflation, but for the most part, professors are fair and accessible for questions.
The average class size is about 25 students, with 75 percent of all classes having less than 30 students. The student to faculty ratio is 8:1. It is very easy to get into popular classes, given that you sign up on time. You sign up for classes online, which is very convenient. If the course has a student limit, professors either go by seniority or a random mix. Nonetheless, it is not difficult to get into classes at Dartmouth.
Academics: The School Says
Founded in 1769, Dartmouth College has a rich tradition of supporting intellectual endeavors and the education of truly global citizens. As a member of the Ivy League, Dartmouth combines the best features of an undergraduate liberal arts college with the intellectual vitality of a research university. Dartmouth offers excellent graduate programs within the Arts and Sciences and in business, engineering and medicine. The professional schools, among the first established in their respective fields, have had a historic role in defining the school's intellectual values. Dartmouth encourages a love of learning and discovery in every member of our community. We celebrate the diversity of that community, which includes men and women from many different backgrounds and with a range of experiences and values.
Dartmouth has a special character and is committed to fostering the unique bonds that exist between the institution and those you learn, teach and work here.
Employment Prospects: Students Speak
Status: Alumnus/a, full-time
Dates of Enrollment: 9/2001-6/2005
Survey Submitted: May 2006
Many people leave Dartmouth headed for medical school, law school or the corporate world and they are well prepared for any of these paths. I'm struck also by the number of graduates who head off for much less traditional pathways--everything from service projects in Africa to legal advocates in Chile. Dartmouth opens a number of doors. Certainly, its name recognition provides many opportunities, but another important aspect of the college is the tremendous sense of family and the strong alumni group. Alumni of Dartmouth are always wanting to help each other out and to connect with one another. There are Dartmouth alumni clubs around the country and around the world and I have personally been the beneficiary of this extended family. Whether I've run into trouble abroad, or needed some additional inside information before deciding on a particular career path, Dartmouth alumni have come through time and time again. The alumni network is quite phenomenal and in addition to the connection that can happen through alumni clubs, the Career Services office at Dartmouth maintains an Alumni Advisory Network that allows students and alumni to search a database and find alumni who are doing what they want to be doing and connect with them for advice.
Quality of Life: Students Speak
Status: Current student, full-time
Dates of Enrollment: 9/2003-Submit Date
Survey Submitted: May 2006
The quality of life at Dartmouth is excellent. The majority of students live on campus and on-campus housing is great. With the recent completion of two new residential clusters, housing will be guaranteed for all students. The rooms around campus are all a good size and students may live in singles, doubles, triples or quads. After their first year, students can decide with whom they'd like to live and where on campus they'd prefer to live as well. Campus facilities are top of the line. A new state-of-the-art fitness center was just completed in April of 2006 and it's a topnotch facility. Other facilities on campus are well-maintained, clean and easily accessible. Food at Dartmouth is excellent. There's lots of variety at the different dining halls and our dining plan is great too and makes dining more pleasurable. I really like how you can take food to go from the dining halls rather than being obligated to eat there. Dartmouth sits in the heart of Hanover, NH and it has a very porous relationship with the town. It's difficult to tell where Dartmouth ends and Hanover begins and that is very nice. We have a good relationship with the locals and the town. Dartmouth's campus is extremely safe. We have Safety and Security Officers who patrol the campus and as a woman I feel perfectly safe walking home at 2 a.m. from the library alone. There is very little, if any crime.
Social Life: Students Speak
Status: Current student, full-time
Dates of Enrollment: 9/2003-Submit Date
Survey Submitted: May 2006
Students definitely take advantage of many of the lectures, films and other activities on campus, and students are generally involved in many clubs and groups. Volunteering and athletics are particularly popular, as is the Greek system--fraternities are definitely "the place" to go on weekends. There are bars and restaurants that students take advantage of, but students definitely tend to drink, dance and play beer pong in the frats. Some say that dating is scarce at Dartmouth, but it is definitely a possibility if you are looking for it.
Status: Alumnus/a, full-time
Dates of Enrollment: 9/2001-6/2005
Survey Submitted: May 2006
The Greek system is definitely an option for those who want it, but it isn't the only one. I almost didn't come to Dartmouth because everyone said it was so heavily Greek, but that didn't really match my experience. It is a force on campus, and a lot of people join, but I had my best moments at Dartmouth just hanging out with my friends in their dormrooms or at something like Late Night Collis or the Lone Pine Tavern. There is a lot going on, with great concerts and movies and stuff at the Hop--Hanover's small, but it never felt TOO small. I wasn't Greek and still met the best friends of my life at Dartmouth. And my friends who were Greek made some great friends that way, too.
