"The typical Dartmouth student is very eco-friendly, crunchy, into rock-climbing and the outdoors, but at the same time they have the Ivy League feel," Tierra Lynch '16 said. "Dartmouth also has a very fratty Animal House' vibe."
Sometimes, the stereotypes that abound are significantly more problematic. Ralph Scozzafava '15 cited some of the things he had heard from acquaintances outside of the Dartmouth community.
"They think that the average Dartmouth student is entitled and [drinks] a lot," Scozzafava said. "Another big one with the Ivy League is that people think everyone is rich."
Despite these labels, when asked to describe a typical classmate at Dartmouth, Steven Povich '16 said such an idea is tough to nail down.
"It is hard to describe because we are an eclectic mix of people involved in different activities, all of us coming from different backgrounds," Povich said.
To the public eye, drinking, affluence and the outdoors are the things that stand out about Dartmouth. They are easy generalizations and far more memorable than adjectives like hardworking or kind. So what does the College do to fight these stereotypes? Portrayals of the College in media and popular culture have a significant impact on the intensity of its stereotypes. National news about fraternity hazing may suggest that all students are involved in these activities, painting the entire campus with one brush, while an article discussing students' academic achievements tends to focus on Dartmouth's reputation as an Ivy League school.
To prospective students, Dartmouth portrays itself as a college that offers an education unlike any other. Through information sessions, brochures and tours, the administration highlights academics, the financial aid program and the focus on undergraduate education. Perhaps the best way to address the most negative aspects of Dartmouth's image is providing a platform to celebrate all our strengths. This has the dual benefit of providing sections of campus who don't get much publicity with a chance at the spotlight.
"Because it is the Year of the Arts, I realize just how talented all of the different groups are," Lynch said.
Despite efforts by the school, I remain unconvinced that the battle against stereotypes can ever truly be won. When asked about Dartmouth stereotypes, Sophie Weber, a freshman from Northwestern University who considered Dartmouth during her college search process, listed the usual phrases: Ivy League-smart, extra-outdoorsy, and Greek-dominated. She said she was not aware of any efforts by the school to change these perceptions.
We will continue to try, but we may not get rid of Dartmouth's "study hard, party harder" image. I'm not saying this is true, but because the stereotypes have deep roots that almost always draw on some aspect of truth, they are nearly impossible to eliminate.
For example, as part of the Ivy League, we will be known as preppy and rich. Because we are in the middle of nowhere and have the oldest and largest outdoors club, we will be known as outdoorsy. And with ties to "Animal House" and an unofficial mascot in the form of Keggy the Keg, we will be known as beer-guzzling inebriates.
But maybe this isn't as much of a problem as we think.
"Usually when you think of a stereotype, you think of more negatives than positives," Scozzafava said. "But there are also many positive things associated with Dartmouth."
We don't need to toss in our flag just yet. Even though the current efforts of the school may not eliminate stereotypes, they are helping Dartmouth students realize that common perceptions do not dominate campus.
Stereotypes are an almost unavoidable fact of life, but our increasing awareness of what the world thinks of us can help us develop a greater sense of self and a focus on the true facets of our identity that should be a matter of pride.
Toning down or removing the College's traditions will not alleviate our stereotypes. As they say in Texas, you can take the girl out of the honky-tonk, but you can't take the honky-tonk out of the girl.
Because the stereotypes are embedded in deep traditions and beliefs, they won't be going away any time soon. Dartmouth will continue to be known as the "cool, sexually confident, lacrosse-playing younger sibling who knows how to throw a party and looks good in a down vest," whether we like it or not.
