For many Dartmouth freshmen, the first taste of college comes in the form of First-Year Trips. Trips showcase the best of Dartmouth’s community and deeply-rooted traditions, which come to life while stuck in the woods with a group of relative strangers. It’s easy to fall into the trap of “Camp Dartmouth” and forget the difficulty of the journey ahead.
My experience on First-Year Trips certainly reaffirmed Dartmouth’s reputation as a collaborative and uncompetitive school. So, as I exited “Camp Dartmouth” and entered a world of classes, deadlines and exams, I did not expect my life at Dartmouth to shift so drastically. Whether vying for a spot in clubs with sub-10% acceptance rates, applying to highly selective study abroad programs or trying to exceed department-enforced median grades, students all too often fall into the trap of competition, which innately involves comparing themselves to one another. How could we not? So many of us are competing against each other for a limited number of spots in many exciting opportunities. Yet, this mindset of competition is counterproductive and harmful, pitting students against one another and discouraging support and collaboration.
Dartmouth students should stop putting so much pressure on themselves and recognize that there are countless paths to success. No one program, class or study abroad determines our fate, even if it feels like it does in the moment. Comparison is counterproductive — especially at an Ivy League institution like Dartmouth, where community and collaboration are among our most cherished values.
This culture of comparison isn’t just anecdotal — it’s borne out in the data. A 2024 study conducted by computer science professor Andrew Campbell tracked the mental health changes in a group of 200 undergraduates in the Classes of 2021 and 2022 throughout their four years of college. According to Campbell, some students, especially first-years, “started to experience ‘imposter syndrome’ from being around other high-performing students.”
At Dartmouth, I believe this “imposter syndrome” manifests in a sense of incompetence — often leaving students feeling like they do not belong or deserve to be here.
Self-esteem is often at its lowest when students first begin college, as they are beginning the transition to life at school, according to Campbell. And it makes sense why. For many, arriving at Dartmouth is a drastic transition — from a top-of-the-class, straight-A student to simply average. We all knew that coming to an Ivy League school would be difficult, but actually grappling with those challenges is an entirely different affair. It’s easy to look at all of the incredibly accomplished people around us and feel as though we aren’t doing enough.
Social media further complicates the issue. According to a survey conducted by advertising and public relations agency SCG, about 95% of students say they utilize social media, especially platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat. Users on these apps almost exclusively showcase the best aspects of college — not the mental strain of midterms and hours of daily homework. For the Class of 2028 — the newest members of the Dartmouth community, many of whom are still trying to discover our place on campus — scrolling through posts and stories can make us feel as though everyone already has established friend groups and diverse extracurricular activities.
No matter the reason, adjusting to college is rarely easy. Sure, most of us try to appear put together, but everyone is, in some way, shape or form, overwhelmed.
Despite these challenges, I believe the drive to succeed among thousands of equally brilliant peers is what ultimately binds our Dartmouth community. Having such intelligent and interesting classmates is its own reward. In the words of C.S. Lewis, “The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are.” Surrounding myself with such accomplished, ambitious and driven students has already helped instill in me an abiding sense of drive and intellectual curiosity. I now know a great deal more about my classmates’ countries of origin, the upcoming presidential election and the most effective, scientifically proven ways to study. Dartmouth’s intellectually rich and diverse community has pushed me to be the best version of myself.
Rather than feed into the culture of comparison, we should focus on growing together, building off of our strengths and supporting each other with advice and guidance. College is hard enough as it is. Having a network of people with which to surround ourselves helps to get through it. We can all be successful together, and we should stop acting otherwise.
Opinion articles represent the views of their author(s), which are not necessarily those of The Dartmouth.
