Dartmouth College, albeit an Ivy League School, and one of the 9 colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution, is much lesser known in Bangladesh than its more well-known Ivy League counterparts such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Columbia.
There are little-known facts about this institution that lures the best and the brightest globally, and ought to do the same for Bangladeshi applicants applying this fall.
First, take Dartmouth’s size. Set up on a 269-acre campus, as idyllic as any other in the American East Coast, Dartmouth has an undergraduate enrolment of around 4300, making it, first, a small liberal arts with Ivy League resources, and, second, a predominantly undergraduate-focused college. Dartmouth also employees 607 tenured or tenure-track faculty for an undergraduate student: teacher ratio of 7:1. This makes for excellent opportunities to know the genuinely world class faculty and vice versa. In fact, Dartmouth has been ranked number one for undergraduate teaching at national universities in from 2010-2013 and was ranked 2 in 2016.
Other than the quality of the education, the campus’s location in rural New Hampshire, hours from any major US city, means that the campus is abuzz with activities encompassing athletics, performance arts, student clubs, workshops, seminars, debates, talk series events, and so forth. There is never a dull moment. However, the rural campus setting is not for everyone, and usually, those that like outdoor activities are quicker to take a liking to Dartmouth.
Dartmouth is also known for its very strong alumni network. And the alumni network is replete with illustrious names, the likes of which include 62 Rhodes Scholars, 13 Pulitzer Prize winners, 164 members of the US Senate and House of Representatives, 10 billionaires, CEOs/Founders of Fortune 500 companies, including several Rockefellers. This alumni network is not just in name but as a Dartmouth alumnus, you will get access to all the (well, most) of the alumni’s contacts and the College will facilitate your interaction with them when the time comes to look for jobs or network for any other reason. In fact, in recent rankings, Dartmouth was ranked 2 for the Best Alumni Network.
Moving on to coursework, Dartmouth undergraduates are required to complete 35 courses in total, 10 of which must be chosen as a major, and 10 covering a variety of academic fields in the natural sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities (to ensure the liberal arts experience). Incidentally, Dartmouth also has a top-rated business school, known as the Tuck School of Business, America’s oldest, ranked 6 nationally for its management program.
So what does it take to get into Dartmouth? First and foremost, a commitment to the liberal arts experience and values that demonstrate such, at least as much you will fit into a college application essay, is crucial. Having worked at the admissions office during my time, I know the college application essay is particularly important at Dartmouth compared to other Ivy’s. Strong SAT scores (both I and II) are a must and international students are usually required to score far higher than US students to get in. Recommendations, high school grades, and extra-curricular activities also matter (and the latter, only when, you have meaningful extra-curricular engagement). Bangladeshi students would also do well to demonstrate an understanding of how they intend to use the liberal arts experience to make a difference in their community of choice.
The College is highly selective, with about 10% admissions rate. This does not give the whole picture, however, since 90% of applicants are from the US and they themselves are self-selected through their high schools, since US high schools will have a say on where a student should or should not apply. That said, if you do get into Dartmouth, the College is famous for fulfilling 100% of the demonstrated financial need of all applicants, including international students. The College also, has a dedicated international student office to cater to all your needs, your US Student Visa process will be made that much easier by the reputation of the school. The Dartmouth academic experience notwithstanding, your career prospects in the US, globally, or back home in Bangladesh, will also be much better for the experience.
Sajid Amit is Director, CES, University of Liberal Arts (ULAB). He is an alumnus of Dartmouth College, SOAS University of London, and Columbia University.
