On Dec. 15, the College offered early admission to the first members of the Class of 2030. In the aftermath of the decision releases, admitted students reflected on the people and resources that drew them to the College.
Alli Schindler ’30, an accepted student from Menlo Park, Calif., described how her brother, a member of the Class of 2027, influenced her decision to apply.
“When I was a freshman and he was applying to college, I wasn’t thinking … that far in the future,” she continued, “But I think seeing him and how excited [he was when] I visited with him, it sparked it for me.”
Eleanor Hardy ’30, an accepted student from San Francisco, Calif., found her friend — who was also accepted to Dartmouth through early admission — to be a great resource.
“It was really helpful to talk to my best friend … and just read over each other’s applications,” Hardy said. “It was nice to have someone who was applying as well, to … cross-reference everything with and make sure that there was nothing that I was forgetting.”
Zoe Shrank ’30, an accepted student from Bethesda, Md., on the other hand, found herself searching for Dartmouth connections in public. Shrank shared that over winter break, she and her family would go up to people wearing Dartmouth merchandise and talk with them about the College.
“Everyone I’ve spoken to about Dartmouth in the past year has just been so happy about it and loves it so much,” Shrank said.
Many accepted students found that they learned the most about the College through tours with the admissions office. Hardy, who toured the College before her senior year of high school, shared that she immediately felt “so much energy” and “genuine excitement” on her tour.
Lily Grady ’30, whose parents are currently stationed in Vicenza, Italy, said she was drawn to the “beautiful campus” when she toured because “everyone was so welcoming.”
“It just really felt like a place where I could fit in [and] totally be myself,” Grady said.
Grady said she is looking forward to doing a study abroad program related to German, which she plans to study at the College.
Hardy expressed her excitement about First-Year Trips and experiencing the outdoors in Hanover.
“I really like backpacking, so I feel like that would be something fun to pursue there,” Hardy said.
Some international students have worries about how changes to U.S. immigration policy will affect their journey to Hanover. In April 2025, two students had their F-1 student immigration statuses revoked. In June 2025, the College recommended that international students refrain from traveling internationally following a travel ban on certain countries announced by the Trump administration.
Sybel Zou ’30, an accepted student from Bangkok, Thailand, said she is concerned about what her course of travel could look like.
“I know in the last cycle there was some trouble with getting new student visas,” she said. “But hopefully it’ll work out for me, and I hope I will arrive bright and early at Dartmouth … this upcoming fall to start my college journey.”
However, Zou said she believes that Dartmouth values its “community and diversity” through resources for international students, including the need-blind policy and international student orientation.
“I just feel like there’s so much love and care poured into international students, which I am very excited for,” she said.
Schindler shared that she has already started connecting with other members of her class online.
“I’m really excited to spend those four years with all of the amazing, smart people who have all gotten to the same place and are super motivated like I am,” Schindler said. “It’s a special place.”
