Dartmouth has an image problem. It is bad enough that some Americans confuse us with stunning regularity with the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, but in many foreign countries, the number of people who have even heard of Dartmouth is negligible. Dartmouth's strength as an academic institution is such that it consistently ranks among the best universities in the country, despite being a college with a small student body, moderately-sized endowment and relatively few graduate programs. The most prestigious American colleges -- Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Stanford -- all engage in massive advertising campaigns, actively tout the strength of their graduate schools and offer generous aid packages to attract students. If Dartmouth wants to catch up, one of the simplest and most beneficial places it can start is by extending need-blind admissions to international students.
First, Dartmouth would enjoy a larger and more qualified applicant pool. Now, the College promises to meet the full demonstrated need of all its students. For continental students (Americans, Canadians and Mexicans), admission is done on a need-blind basis and ability to pay is not factored into admissions. But this is not the case for international students. Dartmouth's aid packages are among the most generous in the world, but because we are not totally need-blind, many qualified but needy students will not be accepted and many others will not apply. By extending this standard, more international students will submit applications, making admissions more competitive and yielding a stronger student body.
Second, it would extend the principle of fairness beyond our national borders. While this certainly is not the intention of the admissions office, the current policy also sends the message that it is okay to discriminate against international students. Dartmouth's mission is "to educate the most promising students" -- not the most promising Americans. Though one of the College's "core values" is to "embrace diversity with the knowledge that it significantly enhances the quality of a Dartmouth education," the College seems more content to define diversity as race or geography differences in America rather than major global cultural differences.
Third, it would boost the College's reputation. Talking with members of the International Students Association, I discovered that many potential applicants immediately disregard any college that does not offer need-blind admissions. With a need-blind system, more students would take the time to learn about Dartmouth. As more qualified students are admitted, our international reputation will grow, as well as applications, prestige and donations from satisfied alumni.
Such a program would not be free, however. International students require more aid than their North American counterparts: they compose about six percent of the student body but require about 10 percent of the total aid. When I interviewed Dean of Admissions Karl Furstenburg about this topic, he estimated that it would take a million more dollars annually to get Dartmouth on the need-blind standard and as the proportion of internationals rises to that of need-blind schools -- about nine percent -- so will the costs.
Dartmouth has the money to afford this program and it must implement it. Last term, Student Assembly passed a bill expressing support for need-blind admissions, but if it really wants to make the issue one of its top priorities, it will need to take a more active role. The new leaders need to work face-to-face with the trustees, provost and finance officers to find a way to make the plan a reality. The hiring of a new admissions dean gives the Assembly a wonderful opportunity to continue to make need-blind admissions a central issue. Lastly, international students and alumni need to organize themselves and push for action. For example, the Native American community is 25 percent smaller than the international community, but is one of the most powerful lobbies on campus because it is highly organized. If international alumni are willing to donate money to create an endowment for international students, I'm sure the College would more readily adopt the program.
If Dartmouth wants to stop being the "best-kept secret in the Ivy League" and start receiving the kind of recognition it deserves, it must take the initiative to make this happen.
