火爆社区

Dartmouth College鈥檚 scenic 269-acre campus is the perfect setting for an academic environment that puts an 鈥渆mphasis on pursuing passions, and making the college experience your own.鈥� 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 鈥渘o one really talks about their grades openly鈥� and it鈥檚 鈥済enerally understood that everyone is smart.鈥� The professors at Dartmouth exceed student expectations both in the classroom and outside of it. As one student explains, 鈥淒artmouth puts a huge focus on the undergraduate students, and I have found my professors to be available and engaging in nearly every instance.鈥� Another student agrees, saying, 鈥淚 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.鈥� Classes are described as challenging鈥� in a good way, with an emphasis on being 鈥渄iscussion based and...small.鈥� This is a school 鈥渒nown for its community and intelligent students and faculty, who are also personable and know how to have fun.鈥�

It can be 鈥渉ard to define a typical student鈥� because at Dartmouth 鈥渆very type of person is represented.鈥� As one senior elaborates, 鈥淭he common denominator is that Dartmouth students are very involved.鈥� This is underscored by others who report that, 鈥渨hether it鈥檚 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.鈥� As one sophomore observes, students always seem to be 鈥渟tudying and participating in some extracurricular activity, ...[and] out at a frat too,鈥� and yet still able to 鈥渟how up at class the next morning with all of the work completed.鈥� Students say their peers are very smart and the average student could be described as 鈥渁cademically goal oriented but also extremely social.鈥� For many, Dartmouth strikes the perfect balance. As one junior says, 鈥淚t鈥檚 a small enough school that there is a sense of community that鈥檚 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.鈥�

Dartmouth fosters a sense of community from the moment students arrive on campus. Undergraduates are randomly sorted into one of six houses, which they鈥檒l 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鈥檚 natural surroundings make outdoor activities popular, too. 鈥淭he Appalachian Trail literally runs right through our campus,鈥� says one student. 鈥淢any students (even students who never did so before college) get involved with hiking, canoeing, rock climbing, and so forth.鈥� And although students say that the 鈥淕reek system is the main source of social activity鈥� they also note that because so many students participate, the chapters are 鈥渜uite diverse and representative of the student body as a whole.鈥� Beyond Greek life, 鈥渢here are so many options to do whatever you鈥檙e interested in doing,鈥� enthuses one student. Students enjoy going to hockey games, skating on Occom Pond in the winter, going kayaking, apple picking, or catching the 鈥渆arly premiere of some cool new movie at the Hop[kins Center for the Arts].鈥� Socializing with friends depends on what you鈥檙e in the mood for, whether that鈥檚 a dance party or having a quiet night in to 鈥減lay cards or jam out on guitar.鈥�

A Dartmouth degree can certainly set students on the path to professional success. Some of this success can be attributed to the college鈥檚 extensive alumni network; as one grateful psych major shares, 鈥淎lumni are...a HUGE resource; they love to stay involved with the college and are often willing to talk to current students about careers (and many have been known to give internships and jobs to Dartmouth students).鈥� Certainly, students can also turn to the Center for Professional Development to assess their career goals through one-on-one Career Coaching appointments and learn how to build out these networks. Undergrads may use the center to find funding for unpaid internships both domestically and overseas, receive graduate and professional school advising, and take advantage of a trove of in-depth guides, workshops, and resume templates. And perhaps most important, the center hosts numerous recruiting sessions throughout the year, as well as internship and job fairs. According to PayScale.com, the median starting salary for Dartmouth grads is an impressive $85,600.