The Perfect Application
/ The Dartmouth Staff / The Dartmouth Staff / The Dartmouth Staff On Oct.
/ The Dartmouth Staff / The Dartmouth Staff / The Dartmouth Staff On Oct.
Nathan Yeo / The Dartmouth Senior Staff Justin Cozad / The Dartmouth Staff This week's Mirror is dedicated to a topic that some of us endured gracefully and others have relegated to the darkest recesses of our memory: the hysteria surrounding admission into an elite college.
Dear Applicant, First, we wanted to thank you for taking the time to apply to Dartmouth College.
This is the story of loose change. I have never understood the point of change. Like coins.
'13 Girl entering Late Night Collis: I can't enter this place without my entire body crying out for mozz sticks. '12 Girl not taking classes: I want to nap now, but then I won't be tired enough to nap later. '13 Girl: His Pick-up line was, "I have a memory foam mattress." It was worth it. '14 KDE: I just want him to see me as more than just a Derby invite. '12 Ski Patroller: I made out in Collis Cafe once.
If one is very lucky, one is presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change oneself for the better.
As the end of my student life at Dartmouth nears, I'm finding myself looking for the people, events, significant characters and lessons that have defined the story of my class' four years here. One of the first things I did at Dartmouth was to meet then-College President Jim Wright.
There's a '14 who harnessed the wind and a '15 who won an Olympic medal. Inevitably, there will be a '16 who cured cancer, a '17 who won the Nobel Prize and an '18 that foiled a plot to assassinate the U.S.
Regardless of how much I might have liked some of the alumni who interviewed me while I was going through the college admissions process, there was always one thing that they would say that immediately made me want to punch them in the face: "You know, back in my day, you would've gotten in for sure.
Dartmouth students care an incredible amount about wooing prospective students, so much so that we've even mastered meteorological control for the weekend of Dimensions of Dartmouth, as evidenced by the 20-degree increase in temperature as prospective students flocked to Hanover last weekend.
Editor's Note: Through the Looking Glass is The Mirror's newest feature. We welcome submissions from all members of the community both past and present who wish to write about defining experiences, moments or relationships during their time at Dartmouth.
'13 Girl: It sounds like a gang fight every time a frat blitzes out. "Psi U. 11 p.m. Bring IDs." '13 Girl on off-term in NYC: Let's do a juice fast.
If I were to paint a picture generalizing all Dartmouth students' singular high school experience, I'd tell you to listen to John Mellencamp's "Jack and Diane." Then, I'd then tell you (as Mindy Kaling '01 does in her book) that our experience was the opposite.
"I miss being able to drive to lunch." Lindsay Berger '15 "My best friends who I've known forever, and also driving to school every day with my brother." Christine Kanoff '15 "My friends." Stefan Defregger '15 "Friday night football games.
First, I must admit that I'm writing this piece through the eyes of someone who was known as a classic high school beauty.
Almost everyone can conjure up an image of the traditional boarding school student: preppy, competitive and obviously in the 99th percentile academically.
She hands you a glossy yearbook and extends you a bold red Sharpie from her multicolored pack. She smiles.
There is a glaring flaw in the college admissions process. When admissions officers read the applications of thousands of high schoolers from around the country, they assume that each students' activities, recommendations and grades speak volumes about who that person will be once he or she is in college.
As a suburban ecologist, I often frequent the cul-de-sacs and supermarkets of America's middle-class neighborhoods to document the interactions between the prevalent fauna and their environments.
Sending your research paper to your parents and demanding they correct it for you. Bragging about how much you drank last night.