Academics
Dartmouth works on a quarter system rather than an academic
calendar, meaning courses are only ten weeks long. Each quarter
corresponds to a season, and students can usually attend any
of the four quarters. The calendar also provides flexibility
for vacations and study-abroad, in which over 60 percent of
undergraduates participate. Most students take three courses
in a quarter, though they may take two to four in any given
quarter. In addition to their major, students must take ten
courses spread over eight intellectual fields plus three courses
in U.S., Western, and non-Western studies in addition to attaining
proficiency in a foreign language. One of Dartmouth’s
strongest programs is Computer Science, which can be attributed
in no small part to a former president who co-wrote the BASIC
language. The campus is the first Ivy to implement a wireless
network so students can access the Internet from almost anywhere
on campus, including the campus Green. Other notable departments
include Dartmouth’s Languages and Biological Sciences
as well as its Economics department.
Dartmouth is perhaps the most undergraduate focused Ivy as
well as the smallest, with 4000 out of 5300 total students being
undergrads. This small size gives the college more the feel
of smaller liberal arts schools like Williams or Swarthmore
than a major research university. Adding to the undergraduate
experience are Dartmouth’s wonderful professors, who are
highly accessible and often invite students to their homes for
dinner.
Dartmouth is home to three professional schools—business,
engineering, and medicine—and the graduate schools’
resources are often available to undergraduates. In fact, Dartmouth
offers several special programs with a plethora of research
opportunities. At the end of their senior year, students present
a senior culminating activity, which may be anything from a
thesis to a to an exhibition, and allows students to pull together
the work of their major.
While the coursework at Dartmouth is rigorous and students
do take their academics seriously, the atmosphere is not as
highly competitive as at other Ivies. Oh, and one thing that’s
strange for an Ivy: Dartmouth requires PE, although students
have a wide variety of physical endeavors to choose from. I
guess Dartmouth strongly adheres to the axiom “a healthy
mind in a healthy body.”
Student Life
Fraternities and sororities dominate the social scene at Dartmouth,
a situation that the current administration is trying to change
much to the dismay of highly loyal Greek alumni. The Greek system
at Dartmouth is perhaps most famous for having inspired Animal
House—a fact no administration would be proud of.
But the administration has met strong resistance in its efforts
to restrict the Greek system and the heavy drinking associated
with it at Dartmouth. Many students feel they are intelligent
enough to choose how to spend their own free time, and many
fraternities have created generations of powerful and fiercely
loyal alumni. So Dartmouth’s efforts have been limited
to putting the most unruly frats on probation and attempting
to offer students alternatives to Greek parties by creating
a new dance club in the student center and providing free athletic
tickets. In relation to the Greek social scene, Dartmouth was
one of the first colleges to create an alcohol counseling and
education program. Also related to the Greek system are Dartmouth’s
elaborate alumni associations.
With many students having participated in high school sports,
athletics are popular on Dartmouth’s campus. Intramural
sports are very popular, and varsity sports are always loved,
whether they’re any good or not; there is no lack of school
spirit at Dartmouth. Adding to the physical inclination of Dartmouth
students is the popularity of outdoor activities. Skiing, hiking,
and canoeing are just a few of the most popular activities in
the school’s rural surroundings. Many freshmen even begin
their Dartmouth experience with camping trips led by upperclassmen
or faculty members. A final testament to the great outdoors’
popularity at Dartmouth is that the Outing Club is the most
popular student organization. There are also several popular
student publications and performing groups on campus.
Campus Environment
Dartmouth is very much a rural school, surrounded by virtual
“wilderness,” hours from the nearest major city,
and located in small-town Hanover. The town caters to the students,
though, and the students get along very well with the locals,
many of whom are retired Dartmouth alum. The campus is fairly
safe, but this feeling sometimes works against students who
feel overly safe, leave their doors unlocked, and occasionally
get a laptop stolen. Student-to-student sexual assault is also
a bit of an issue, probably due to the heavy drinking.
Architecture on the picturesque campus varies, but the dominant
design is copper-topped colonial. Buildings are arranged around
a New England green with the university’s library at one
end. The campus is walkable, but some students like to have
cars for out of town excursions.
Most students live on campus, and those that don’t usually
live with other students in rented homes. Dorms are divided
into eleven clusters that organize activities and provide a
sense of community. Separate first year housing is also provided,
and rooms vary from tiny to large and homey. Some even have
working fireplaces.
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