Every time that I have a break and get to see high school friends, I begin questioning whether Dartmouth is all that it is cracked up to be. At the Big Green, students tend to develop an air of superiority quickly. I was first exposed to this attitude by a buddy of mine whose sister and brother went to Dartmouth. He complained about the holier-than-thou attitude that came with being trapped in the Upper Valley with 4,000 ex-valedictorians. However, he also wanted to be one of them.
When I reflect upon it now, I realize that I've become infused with the same sort of snootiness. I snort when I hear that someone goes to Harvard, I feel superior over the masses of large state schools and I rag on townies, whose only crime is not being a Dartmouth student. Dartmouth students like to think that we are able to both outsmart and out-party every other school. We're wrong.
This realization fully hit me about a month ago. Maybe I would have a better time at just the kind of school I had been conditioned to look down upon. Perhaps I would rather be at a large state school, preferably somewhere sunny. I know what you're thinking -- here's some drunk who wants sunshine and easy women, instead of being satisfied with a top-flight education and heady discussions with creative loners. Although the first two things are definitely attractive during a cold Hanover winter, they are not the qualities that most make me think that perhaps Dartmouth has an overblown self-image.
Of course, Dartmouth is foremost a great intellectual environment. Unfortunately, however, instead of turning out the great thinkers of Harvard or Yale, we send most of our top graduates into the meat grinder of corporate recruiting. Most of our best known alumni, with exceptions, work in the business world, while other top-flight schools support more diverse student interests. If I wanted to be adrift in a sea of future Dilbert targets, a huge state school would do the job.
There are things that I want out of college that are far more important than academics. They included such underrated concepts as fun, widening of personal horizons and diversity. Obviously, I knew from the beginning that diversity was not Dartmouth's strong suit. But beyond the uniformity in color and background, there is a staggering stagnancy in belief systems. All of my friends who have visited have commented on the fact that so many Dartmouth students are interchangeable. This is very unfortunate.
One area where I thought that Dartmouth would be head and shoulders above anywhere else was in enjoyment and openness to new experiences. Dartmouth always had the allure of a wild environment, and not just in the great outdoors. Even beyond the "Animal House" connection, Dartmouth had more of a reputation for wild parties than intellectual greatness. As much as that might make College President James Freedman cringe, it isn't necessarily a bad thing. Dartmouth was still a place for studying, but it is the time in between classes that interests me. It seemed to be a place where you could make your mark in the social history as well as the transcripts. Unfortunately, somewhere along the line, the social life on this campus became a blur of pong games and parties where the foremost concern is insurance liability. A lot of people still buy into the idea of Dartmouth as a social Mecca. Perhaps in relation to Harvard, but not in relation to most of the colleges in this country.
Many men have said that the reason that Dartmouth isn't as fun is because the girls are "too smart." The reasoning goes that at large state schools, the women are looking for husbands rather than careers, and are therefore more open in their pursuit of men. I don't think that this theory has much credibility. Yes, I know that women with less intelligence are more gullible. But I happen to think that having women around with brains in their heads is a good thing. However, I think that both men and women on this campus could use a great deal of loosening up. Don't look at those who aren't in your social circle with as much disdain. Don't worry so much about whether nighttime activities will leave you hanging for class tomorrow. Don't worry so much about whether people will think you a fool or a jerk.
I guess I'm going off on this tirade because Sophomore Summer is upon us. Although I had a good time last year, I didn't take advantage of it, and I don't intend to make the same mistake twice. The summer is supposed to be a time of relaxation at Dartmouth, but it has the same unmistakable signs of stagnancy as every other term. Friendships are forged through fun, sometimes wild, experiences, not through everyday drudgery. Maybe if we began to accept more of the unusual, this could become a great little college.
