Yeah, yeah. We're the inspiration for "Animal House" and the inventors of pong. We go out more days per week than we go to class (unless you are a poor soul with a 10A) and I've heard that 1 percent of the world's Keystone is sold here. The S&S blotter judging from the last few that have been published consists largely of students found facedown in snowbanks or in FoCo, either blacked out or on the way there.
Clearly, we party hard. But is it possible that the football player who just sank seven fulls also has a 4.0 and will one day be the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury? (Answer: Yes. His name is Henry Paulson '68, and he was an SAE and a Phi Beta Kappa. It's currently unknown whether he was actually good at pong does anyone know what went down during Masters 66X?)
All kidding aside, yes we play hard, but as the saying goes, we work hard too. Dartmouth is not just the home of Keggy the Keg Dartmouth also serves as an example to academic institutions around the world, I would argue, of what a college should be.
Why did I choose Dartmouth? That's easy I came to Dimensions and immediately fell in love with the College's brilliant professors, dynamic student body and what I saw as the perfect balance between intense academics and a vibrant student life. I knew that Dartmouth was serious about undergraduate education and that everyone here chose Dartmouth not for the big flashy city it was in, nor for its temperate weather, but for the school itself. It's completely lived up to my expectations: My classes are full of enthusiastic and gifted students, my professors actually care about their teaching and I've enjoyed more opportunities than I ever could have imagined.
But that's just my opinion. What does the rest of the world think about our lovely school?
It should go without saying that we have top-notch academics, but in case the non-Dartmouth world missed it anyone checked the U.S. News rankings lately? Number one in undergraduate teaching, baby and we're not even an official university. Eat your heart out, HPY.
Obviously, rankings aren't everything. How do we measure up when it actually comes down to day-to-day education? According to the Dartmouth website, 99.99 percent of classes are taught by professors only two "specially supervised" classes have grad students at the helm. If that's not dedication to education, then what is?
One of the first things my friends say when I tell them I'm only taking three classes is, "Are you kidding? I'm a premed-law-engineering-whatever student and I'm taking SIX. You guys have it so easy." In reality it's just the opposite the fast pace of academics here creates an intense classroom experience (but to be honest, when I heard this on the tour I though it was just a PR shpiel). Everyone has to be on top of their work all the time, unless you want to show your parents the 1.7 GPA they are paying 50 grand a year for.
Oh, how I wish it was just the tour guides making this stuff up. With just 10 weeks (and nine in the Winter) to learn what it takes most college students four months to absorb, Dartmouth students are taking the equivalent of a semester class on speed. At Dartmouth, every week is midterms week.
Besides schoolwork, let's talk about how Dartmouth contributes to the world outside the classroom. Remember the earthquake in Haiti? Dartmouth students, alumni, faculty and staff donated $1.5 million and 40 tons of medical supplies, meaning that Dartmouth contributed more than any other school to Haiti's humanitarian crisis.
And we can't talk about Haiti without talking about Jim Kim. If you look on my bookshelf, right next to "The Real Animal House" (no joke) you will find "Mountains Beyond Mountains." An entire book all about his own organization! No one gets books written about them unless they are famous and have done really important things. Unless they are Sarah Palin.
Honestly, though, the man is legit. He co-founded Partners in Health to provide the underprivileged with access to health care, and we're not just talking about poor areas in America. This is a global mission Partners in Health has had clinics in Haiti, Peru, Russia, Rwanda, Lesotho, Malawi, Mexico and Guatemala. We hear you, John Sloan Dickey. The world's troubles are our troubles, and Dartmouth, it seems, always steps up.
And I haven't even addressed our alumni yet. At last count, we've had 170 alumni in Congress, as well as CEOs, authors, athletes, actors, journalists, three Nobel laureates, eight Pulitzer Prize winners the list goes on. From Fred Rogers '50 (yes, of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood") to Tim Geithner '83, Dartmouth alumni are out there repping the Big Green and changing the world in a multitude of ways.
See? Even while hungover on a Sunday (kidding!), I can still manage to look up facts and statistics. That's the kind of dedication that you'll find at a school like ours. Now, after a long, cold week, it's time to throw on those frackets and lose yourself somewhere in a dark, sweaty basement. You deserve it, Dartmouth.
