Most Dartmouth students love this College. But what do the people back home think? We all have individual identities, but there's no denying that by choosing to go to Dartmouth, we associate ourselves to some extent with its reputation and not just the academic one.
Initially, my parents were on the accepted-student cloud for months. Every time some prof was quoted by the paper, or Timothy Geithner '83 did something government-y, I would hear about it. Literally everything my family heard about Dartmouth from the arrival of my acceptance letter in April to my matriculation in September proved to them that we have the best professors, the best students and the best programs. They convinced themselves that Dartmouth's the shit.
Of course, that was before the first tuition bill rolled in. We all know what it costs to go here, but actually cutting the check is pretty harsh. At that point the tune went from, "I hope you're exploring who you are," to something more like, "Don't screw this up." They suddenly became interested in just how much time kids spend in frats especially their kid.
Eventually they stopped worrying that Dartmouth was a $200,000 party. As I found my balance, my parents reverted to the belief that, between the faculty and President Kim's administration, I was in pretty good hands.
My friends' response to me going here was a little different. Both of my parents are lifelong academics and were aware of Dartmouth as a reputable university before I even applied. For my buddies back in SoCal, not so much. I heard stuff like, "Oh, Dartmouth. I've heard it's pretty good. That's in Connecticut right?"
But some of my friends do know a little about Dartmouth's reputation. Apparently they think of pong as a novelty when in reality is has a cult following, kind of like curling in Canada. Also, I get a lot of, "Oh, so you're going to spend four years in the middle of nowhere." Especially from the Harvard crowd. Pricks. Some of my friends are taking 4 or 5 classes to our 3. I told them that it's harder for us because we're usually hungover for the ones on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
I also have some issues trying to reconcile my Dartspeak with the normal English that my friends use at other schools. But I am also impressed that some of my friends know what boot means, although others are still stuck in the '90s definition that applies only to computers.
Once I was able to tell stories about what Dartmouth is really like, I think my friends began to understand what I already know that this is a very special place. Our campus is full of really smart and talented people, but we can still be goofy during Dimensions and Trips. We enjoy long-standing traditions like the bonfire, yet we're always looking for fun new things to do. We can bring some of the brightest teachers and students together, even though our campus is in the middle of nowhere.
These are the things that strike my family and friends the seeming contradictions that they wouldn't expect from a high caliber school like Dartmouth. That's what impresses them, and to some extent, that's what makes them jealous.
