Surprisingly, Dartmouth did not even employ a selective application process until about a hundred years ago. Prior to the 1920s, students could be admitted based solely on the testimony of their prep school's principal. Nowadays, however, much to the dismay of all the frequent posters on forums such as College Confidential, it takes a lot more than an impressive GPA to get admitted. It almost seems crazy today to think that hard work in high school used to translate directly into college acceptance, but this is exactly how the process worked.
This magical ticket into Dartmouth, given on behalf of students by their school principals, was called a certificate. Although many schools, such as Harvard University and Yale University, emphasized the results of entrance examinations as a means for acceptance, Dartmouth preferred use of these certificates, which were only accepted from a list of approved schools. To get on that list, schools were evaluated based on features such as the number of volumes in their libraries and ultimately selected by the Dartmouth faculty.
Once approved, these prestigious schools could grant a certificate to any student obtaining a certain course of study and predetermined minimum grades. These certificates were objective, based nearly entirely on the student's course load, including textbooks read and hours practiced in a number of subjects including English, history, Latin, Greek, French, German, mathematics, chemistry, physics, zoology and botany. Some of the required fields even specified the number of essays written and length of each essay.
By the early 1920s, an increase in the number of applications forced Dartmouth to turn away up to 1500 students annually, and the College found itself compelled to develop a more formalized application process.
The contemporary administration felt the need to more carefully assess applicants' merits but were initially unsure of how to go about this new process.
"I think that there should be some arrangement for giving preference to men of high scholastic ability or who display some indications of fitness for leadership," former College President Ernest Hopkins said in an interview in 1921 with The Sunday Herald. "Although I don't think I could say offhand just how a knowledge of those qualifications of ability and of leadership can be arrived at."
The beginnings of the Dartmouth application, however, bear little resemblance to today's tedious, Common Application. In 1933, the application was restricted to a single page, and asked for only basic information, including a quarter-page section titled "In what school activities have you engaged?" On this single page, Dartmouth asked for information such as the applicant's weight (while wearing street suit and shoes) and the type of reading he most enjoyed.
Nearly a decade later, Dartmouth's application began to show signs of what is currently the alumni interview. A 1941 application included an attached "Alumni Council rating blank," which was to be filled out after members met with the applicant. Council members were asked to rate the candidate on very basic scales, such as "Is he mentally quick, average or slow?"
This application marks the emergence of racial awareness in the application process. The form asks the candidate for a brief description of racial inheritance, and the application again inquires about "physical type and racial origin."
In later versions, such as that for the Class of 1966, the personal essay began to appear. Three questions were asked, and each gave room for a paragraph of handwritten answer. The questions covered topics including reasons the applicant should be admitted, where the applicant saw himself in the future and one person the applicant admired. The applicant was also asked to attach a photo.
These essays have since been omitted from the Dartmouth application. In the 1990s, the admissions office opted to drop supplemental essays in favor of the current peer evaluation. Applicants today are asked for no additional essays, but only a supplemental recommendation written by a friend, sibling, co-worker or other peer.
This removal of supplemental essays in favor of the nearly universal Common Application, however, was not met without resistance.
Michele Hernandez '89, a former Dartmouth admissions officer and founder of Hernandez College Consulting, commended the individualized application formerly used by Dartmouth.
"[The application] was not the same cookie cutter application as every other school, but Dartmouth isn't like every other school," Hernandez said. "I think every school now should go back to their own application. I think they should ask the questions they actually want to know the answers to."
Hernandez said that some other schools may have a more effective system than Dartmouth, especially those that require applicants to write unique supplemental essays for their school.
"University of Chicago's application is more prohibitive because it has its own unique essay questions," Hernandez said. "I think this is good because most schools really want kids who are interested in their school. You want kids who know something about your school."
Others see Dartmouth's application as unique, given its peer evaluation requirement. Dean of admissions and financial aid Maria Laskaris emphasized the personal dimension given to an applicant's file by their peer evaluation.
"Having a letter from a peer gives us insight into who that applicant is outside of the classroom," Laskaris said. "Teachers and counselors usually know the student in only one dimension. This gives us a more holistic view of the student."
Laskaris said that requiring another supplemental essay would be repetitive, given the amount of students who already send in additional writing samples and the supplemental information admissions officers glean from the Common Application's short essay.
"I don't know that more essays always gives us more insight into the applicant," Laskaris said.
Laskaris emphasized that much of the peer evaluation's value lies in its ability to reiterate and personalize aspects demonstrated in other parts of the application.
"The peer evaluation is typically one of the last things that we read as we read an application file," she said. "It really brings to life the often-repeated themes seen in the recommendations and the rest of the application."
Whether you are haunted by memories of the Dartmouth application, or you look upon the process with accomplished content, the peer evaluation is certainly reflective of Dartmouth's emphasis on community. If anything, we can be grateful that knowledge of zoology and botany is no longer a criterion for admission. Let's just be happy that we're done with the process, and look forward to '18s come December.
