As a small college in rural New Hampshire with an unpretentious social atmosphere, Dartmouth does not enjoy the name recognition or engender the same elitist mentality as its internationally renowned competitors like Harvard, Yale and Princeton.
Given these characteristics, it is little wonder that Conan O'Brien joked during his commencement address to the Class of 2011, "Dartmouth, you have an inferiority complex. And you should not." The same qualities that differentiate Dartmouth from the rest of the Ivy League have also generated a semblance of inferiority within the Ancient Eight.
Rachel Abendroth '13 experienced Dartmouth's lack of name recognition in her hometown, when she told a friend she went to Dartmouth, and he asked her if it was "one of those online schools."
"It's like no one knows who we are," she said.
Although it is in fact a research university, Dartmouth is often compared to smaller liberal arts colleges like Williams and Middlebury. This comparison is due in part to Dartmouth's emphasis on undergraduate teaching and research, as well as the fact that Dartmouth has the smallest undergraduate population in the Ivy League.
This inferiority complex is further perpetuated by the College's location in rural Hanover. Dartmouth offers limited access to the sights, cultural centers and entertainment options found in metropolitan cities like Boston and New York.
"[Hanover] reinforces the small size of the school because not only are you with a small number of people, but you are also stuck with them," Roger Melick '14 said. "You can't really run away,"
In addition, Dartmouth's low-key Greek system stands in stark contrast to Harvard's more elitist final clubs, Princeton's eating clubs and Yale's secret societies, Cassidy Griffin '12 said. Other Dartmouth students agreed that some Ivies' social scenes tended to be more exclusive.
"It's a different culture that they're involved in," Siegfried von Bonin '14 said. "Dartmouth has always been known as the most easy-going and party school of the Ivies."
And while we may be superstars in the a cappella realm, Dartmouth does not fall near the top in athletics. Within the Ivy League, Dartmouth has won a total of 129 championships, ranking it third from the bottom relative to its peers.
Coupled with its small size, rural setting and less than superior athletic history, Dartmouth's unpretentious social environment contributes to the College's less apparent name recognition both throughout the United States and abroad, particularly in comparison to other Ivy League schools.
Within the Dartmouth community itself, however, these same attributes that supposedly contribute to an inferiority complex are the endearing and valuable defining characteristics of students' Dartmouth experience.
"I like how Dartmouth attracts people who want to be here as opposed to people who just want the name," Griffin said.
Von Bonin said that he has come to appreciate the size and location of the College.
"[Dartmouth's size] makes for better relationships, better friendships," he said. "That's why alumni are so involved in the school here because they make these connections, these bonds that last for life."
Although our social environment may seem plebeian to other Ivies, Dartmouth students view our expression of inclusivity as more of a strength.
"What I love about Dartmouth is how open we are," Griffin said. "It's like a pseudo-egalitarian society. All you need is an ID and you can get into any party."
Many Dartmouth students actually expressed a distaste for the elitist social environments of their Ivy League peers.
"My sister was in a final club [at Harvard] and she hated it," Carly Rauh '14 said. "It's just really pretentious, and she said it wasn't that fun and people joined them so they could go to parties."
Hannah Goldberg '13, who spent last Fall term taking pre-med classes at Harvard, said she was also shocked by the extravagance of its Finals Clubs' black tie events.
"Finals Clubs are really big," she said. "They have huge amounts of dues, really fancy parties, rent out hotels, have ice sculptures. It's like a movie."
Ultimately, although Dartmouth is one of the lesser-known Ivy League universities, its academic rigor is comparable to its peers, and research and extracurricular opportunities, as well as post-graduate possibilities, abound.
"[Dartmouth] still has a great reputation," Matthew Norwood '13 said. "At the same time, it does do its own thing."
