For the second consecutive year, The Dartmouth conducted a survey polling the experiences and opinions of the current first-year class — the Class of 2028 — after their first term at Dartmouth. Students were asked to compare their high school and college experiences and share their views on Dartmouth’s Orientation Week, academics and campus culture.
Dartmouth in a Word
The most frequent words chosen by members of the Class of 2028 to describe their Dartmouth experience so far include “fun,” “awesome,” “chaotic” and “good.” The optimism expressed by the Class of 2028 echoes sentiments from last year — when the Class of 2027 chose words such as “exciting” and “busy.”
Transition to College
On Sept. 4, 1,190 first-year students arrived in Hanover for New Student Orientation. Fifty-eight percent of first-years reported feeling that Orientation Week consisted of too many events, while 9% felt there were too few. An additional 31% reported feeling that there was a “good pace” to Orientation Week.
During New Student Orientation, some first-years also participated in First-Year Trips, a multi-day outdoor experience intended to help students develop a sense of belonging at Dartmouth. Eighty-nine percent of survey respondents participated in First-Year Trips, of which 96% reported being satisfied with the experience. Since returning from trips, 89% reported that they still talk to their ‘Tripees’ — fellow first-years in their groups — or Trip Leaders. Of that group, 77% said they have remained in contact with both, while 10% remain in touch with only their Trippees and 2% with only their Trip Leaders.
Sixty-seven percent of respondents reported meeting friends during the Trips experience. Beyond Trips, 84% said they met their friends in their classes, 83% during Orientation Week activities and 76% through their housing communities or residence halls.
When asked about their familiarity with campus resources, first-year students indicated the highest levels of familiarity — 32% extremely familiar and 52% somewhat familiar — with the Undergraduate Deans Office. Twenty-one percent and 61% reported being extremely familiar and somewhat familiar with the Student Wellness Center, respectively. Respondents were least familiar with the Center for Professional Development, Information, Technology and Consulting and the Center for Social Impact.
Student Life
Fifty-three percent of first-years said they intend to join Greek Life, for which they will become eligible at the beginning of their sophomore year. Of those interested, 15% said they would join a fraternity, 22% said they would join a sorority and 4% said they would join a gender-inclusive house. Thirty-seven percent of first-years reported feeling unsure or undecided about whether they will become affiliated — a similar total to last year, when 35% of first-year respondents said they felt unsure or undecided about joining Greek Life.
The Dartmouth also asked students about their thoughts on the Greek First-Year Safety and Risk Reduction Policy — known as the “frat ban” — which prohibited first-year students from entering Greek spaces where alcohol is served until Nov. 6 this year. A staggering 74% of respondents indicated positive feelings toward the policy, while 18% reported feeling neutral. Thirty-nine percent of the Class of 2027 said they felt positively about the frat ban in last year’s survey.
Prior to matriculation, 85% of first-years reported that they did not drink alcohol. That changed once arriving at college: 27% of first-years reported an increase in alcohol, drug or substance use since coming to Dartmouth, while 31% and 8% reported no change and decreased use, respectively. The remaining 35% said they abstained from alcohol and other substances.
When polled about their feelings about Dartmouth’s institutions and leadership, first-years expressed the highest levels of approval of professors and faculty, at an approval rate of 96%. This was followed by the Dartmouth Outing Club at 83% and Dartmouth Dining at 74%. Unfavorable topics included the Greek System, Fizz and the Department of Safety and Security. The Greek System was overall unfavorable to the Class of 2028, split at 31% favorable and 40% unfavorable — contrasting the overall positive sentiment of the Class of 2027, split at 38% favorable and 31% unfavorable. College President Sian Leah Beilock received a 26% approval rating, also down dramatically from the 72% she received from the Class of 2027 in October 2023, at the beginning of her tenure.
Looking ahead to major Dartmouth traditions, 89% of first-year students said they are extremely excited or somewhat excited for Winter Carnival. Green Key had the highest percentage, 57%, of respondents who chose “Extremely Excited,” though it also had the highest percentage, 5%, of “Extremely Not Excited” responses.
Amid changes to several Dartmouth Dining locations, the most popular place on campus to eat remained the Class of 1953 Commons at 49%, down from 68% for the Class of 2027. After ’53 Commons, respondents preferred the Courtyard Cafe at 29% and Collis Cafe at 11%.
Results were less definitive for popular study spots on campus. The four floors of Berry Library — colloquially known as FFB, 2FB, 3FB and 4FB — and Sanborn Library each received 18% of the vote for favorite place to study. Other notable spots included the Stacks at 13%, East Reading Room at 8% and the Irving Institute for Energy and Society at 8%.
Outside of study spots, 63% of respondents said they feel positive about the weather thus far, while 7% said they feel negatively.
Academics
Fifty-five percent of first-years said they have chosen a major or multiple majors. Twenty-four percent said they have “somewhat” decided, and 20% said they have not decided. Of the students who have decided on a major, the most popular options are engineering sciences at 23%, government at 11% and economics at 11%.
Meanwhile, 87% of first-year respondents said they found their classes “extremely enjoyable” or “somewhat enjoyable,” while 83% find them to be “extremely” or “somewhat” challenging — on par with the 82% of respondents in the Class of 2027 who also found courses “extremely” or “somewhat” challenging at the end of their first term.
Outside the classroom, 12% of students reported being involved in one activity, 26% of first-years reported joining two extracurricular activities, 28% said they joined three and 18% five or more.
Comparing High School to Dartmouth
Fifty-three percent of first-years said they felt that their high school prepared them for academics at Dartmouth “extremely well” or “very well,” while 28%, 17% and 3% of respondents reported feeling that their high school education prepared them for Dartmouth’s academics “somewhat well,” “not very well” and “not well at all,” respectively.
Thirty-six percent of respondents said they have been sleeping seven to eight hours each night at Dartmouth, while 30% said they sleep for six to seven hours. The numbers are relatively on par with reported high school sleep numbers: 33% said they slept seven to eight hours per night in high school, while 33% got six to seven hours of sleep. The percentage of students getting eight to nine hours of sleep decreased from 16% to 13%, and the number of students getting less than five hours of sleep on average increased from 3% to 4%. No students reported getting more than nine hours of sleep on average per night in either high school or at Dartmouth.
Forty-four percent of respondents reported spending less time on social media at Dartmouth, while 34% indicated no change and 18% reported more time on social media. In contrast, 58% of students in the Class of 2027 reported spending less time on social media at Dartmouth in last year’s survey.
When asked about post-graduation plans, 33% of first-years said they were feeling unsure or undecided about their plans. Twenty-two percent said they plan to work, while 43% plan to pursue graduate education — including 14% and 8% who are interested in pursuing law or medical school, respectively.
Methodology Notes:
From Oct. 23 to Nov. 6, The Dartmouth fielded an online survey of Dartmouth first-year students on their opinions and experiences at the school. The survey was sent out to 1,190 first-year students through their school email addresses. 134 responses were recorded, resulting in a 11.2% response rate. Using administrative data from the College’s Office of Institutional Research, responses were weighted by gender and race/ethnicity. Weighting was done through iterative post-stratification (raking). Survey results have a margin of error +/- 8.0 percentage points.
