To the Editor:
I think Chris Curran's piece (The Dartmouth, April 11th, 2001, "Admit It") was right on the mark, but didn't go quite far enough. Dartmouth does a terrible job of selling itself, almost as though it is ashamed of itself. Here are points I couldn't find in any of the admissions literature:
- Dartmouth is ranked first in quality of life among all colleges nationwide, according to the Princeton Review. There is only one other Ivy in the top 20 (Harvard). Aside from Harvard, no school in the top 10 is academically comparableto
Dartmouth.
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Again according to the Princeton Review, Dartmouth is behind only Princeton and Harvard in best overall academic experience in the Ivy League.
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Dartmouth is second in the country in the rate of alumni giving among universities, according to US News and World Report. People are happy they went there.
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Dartmouth is the third easiest Ivy to get into. You're missing a real chance to go to a great place if you don't apply.
My son is a member of the class of 2004. When he was considering colleges, we uncovered these facts and moved Dartmouth up on his list. He visited campus, fell in love with it, applied early decision and has not regretted it. I have the feeling that the administration is so anxious to change Dartmouth that it doesn't appreciate the school's manifest strengths and is embarrassed to pitch them wholeheartedly to prospective applicants.
