College Campus Blog Report #1:

Recently, I have had the opportunity to visit a few colleges and universities in the United States so that I can try and narrow down my list of schools to apply to next fall. While visiting these schools, I have gained tons of valuable knowledge that I would love to share with you guys! So, without further ado, here is the first college campus that I will be sharing information about:

 

Dartmouth College!

Location: Hanover, New Hampshire— about a 2 hour drive from Boston, depending on weather and traffic

Weather In Hanover: Cold Winters with snow- roughly 20-30 degrees each day.  Nice warmer summers- 70-80 degrees each day

Town Feel- Hanover has a nice small town feel to it and has everything you would need as a college student. The town has a few very nice restaurants as well as a handful of shops and businesses. For the most part, the Dartmouth College campus makes up the town and surrounding area.

Activities to do in and around campus- 

• In winter there is a ski resort about 20 minutes away from campus that you can go to— I think it costs $10 or $20 to ski for a day!
• The Connecticut River is near campus (Walking distance away!) so many kids go there in the Summer to hang out and swim.
• There are many hiking trails surrounding the campus as well as high mountains to hike. Each year before school starts, the Freshmen class does a trip to the Mountains as a welcome and orientation trip.
• Right in the center of the campus there is a massive green where people hang out to play sports or do homework. While I was on campus, the green was covered in snow but I am sure it is a great place to hang out in the summer!
• The Town of Hanover has many restaurants to eat at as well as a few shops to buy things  if needed.
• Dartmouth has a big sports complex and offers D1 athletics so there are plenty of opportunities to watch college sports.
• Dartmouth has a performing arts theater right in the center of campus and throughout the year, this theater offers many student run performances as well as guest speakers.

Dartmouth College Size:

• 4,417 undergraduates
• 6,571 Total Students
• 7:1 student faculty ratio
• 62% of classes with 20 or fewer students

Admissions statistics (for the class of 2023)

• 7.9% acceptance rate– lower than the overall school average of roughly 10%
• Average SAT score- 1501
• total # of applicants: 23,650
• Total # of students accepted:1,875

Other Key/Interesting facts about Dartmouth:

 

• Division 1 sports– campus has a massive sports complex
• Ivy League School
• Liberal arts college
• Operates on the Quarter System- 4 quarters per year, you are only required to be on for 3
• Some research opportunities offered- not a tier 1 research school
• Sophomore Summer- Summer quarter of your Sophomore year you must remain on campus
• Strong science program but more focused on liberal arts aspects of education
• 4 graduate schools on campus and you can get accepted into them after finishing undergraduate degree at Dartmouth
• Cooperative and collaborative environment, not competitive
• Study abroad programs offered to a variety of locations

  

My Opinions on Dartmouth College-

Overall, Dartmouth College checked a lot of the boxes that I am looking for in a College but it also did not check some critical boxes for me. Here are some of the things I like and dislike about Dartmouth College.

Like:

• I really enjoyed  the atmosphere and student feel on the campus. When my Dad and I toured Dartmouth, everyone was very nice and seemed happy (even though it was 20˚ and snowing) which is a good thing to see on a college campus.
• I love that a lot of the school revolves around outdoor activities such as playing sports on the green during the summer, swimming in the Connecticut River  and the Freshmen orientation trip.
•  I like the size of Dartmouth  as it is a nice small to midsize school where you can get enough attention from your professors but also meet new people everyday.
• I like that this school focuses on collaboration and not competition
• D1 Sports!

Dislike:

• Location- Its basically in the middle of nowhere. Once you get there, you are there and basically don’t want to leave. The one upside to the location is that it allows for many outdoor activities to occur which is a big plus. Also, Hanover has everything you would need on a day to day basis so there would be no need to leave for that reason. Some people may like the location while others may not. This is just a matter of personal preference.
• Academic programs- Dartmouth College focuses on the liberal arts aspect of education. While they have a strong science program as well as other strong programs, there is not one field that they are particularly strong in. Dartmouth mostly focuses on allowing someone to become a well rounded student and individual which is good for some people and not so good for others.
• Quarter system– I prefer semesters but its not that big of a deal for me.

 

 

My Final Thoughts on Dartmouth College:

Overall, I loved Dartmouth College! I really enjoyed the atmosphere on campus and that even though it was 20˚ and snowing, people were still out walking around and smiling.  I also had a great time visiting Downtown Hanover and seeing how it fit in with the overall campus and college experience. I hope this report has given you a ton of information on Dartmouth College and will allow you to see what they are all about without actually visiting.