Ask a Dartmouth Student - Page 3

rightnotleft · 09-29-2009, 01:41 AM

i'll touch on the skiing ...

there are several options within a couple hours of campus. The bigger names within a couple-2.5 hours are Jay Peak, Sugarbush, Stratton, Killington (~45 mins), Stowe (~90 mins), Loon, Wildcat, Attitash (might be pushing 3 hrs).

Of course, there are many smaller areas a bit closer (and cheaper!) like Magic, Bromley, Whaleback, the Dartmouth Skiway, Ascutney, and Sunapee, just to name a few.

I have no idea how to gauge the number of students who ski, but I would say most people don't, and it's a shame. That being said, a LOT of people do, and after a big dump you'll see quite a few people looking for good snow in the woods, and usually there'll be a couple trips up to Mad River for some of the best skiing you can get.

Our varsity ski teams are among the best in the nation, but we also have club teams in both disciplines (XC and alpine) for those who wish to compete at lower levels.

rightnotleft · 09-29-2009, 01:43 AM

Also for pizza is Ramuntos, which is more thin-crust variety, probably the best pizza in town, though it is also more pricey. They're open till midnight. Ramuntos also has the best ambiance for hanging out/chilling with a group of friends, in my opinion.

jbeanerie · 09-30-2009, 08:36 PM

hey! thanks for the reply and its funny you posted because i had just read this entire thread! you answered pretty much all of my questions already, but i thought of some others: what is the typical class size? and if i got into dartmouth, would i have to worry about being in a huge class (like 100+ students)?

spunaugle · 09-30-2009, 09:51 PM

Alright, first I'll give you the stats from the admissions website
"Median class size at the College is 16, down from 17 in 1998 when we first began to collect data in this way. In 2006, more than 65 percent of classes had fewer than 20 students and many classes are capped to ensure that they are small. These include first-year seminars, senior seminars, introductory language and writing classes, among others. These exclude classes with one student, including independent studies."

Now in my experience, this is widely true. And I can only think of 1 (maybe 2) classes off the top of my head that has more than 100 students in it. (which in case you're curious is bio 11, which is the intro bio class.) I will say as a freshman I also have a class with 8 students in it, including me. I would say the latter is far more normal at Dartmouth than the huge classes, especially once you're past the intro courses.

limetime · 09-30-2009, 10:12 PM

well jbeanerie, just to enforce what spunaugle said, it really depends on the department/level. For example the Bio 11 class is huge with over 100 people because it's a prerequisite for all other biology courses, and lots of people here want to do premed. (as a side note, I heard that the profs to that class were good.)

But if you're not taking one of the prereq classes, classes should be small. I'm a freshmen here in my very first fall term, and my biggest class is 20 people. That is I think more likely the norm here. It's niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.

rightnotleft · 10-01-2009, 12:37 AM

intro classes will tend to be bigger (especially in the sciences), as will popular pre-med classes (hi, organic chemistry) and "easy" distribs (engs 3, astr 2, etc) especially during sophomore summer, when people are looking for an easy way to knock off distributive requirements.

The largest class I've been in has been around 180 students, but that's also the only class I've been in that's had more than 80 students. I've also been in classes of 5. I would say a majority of my classes are either in the 25-40 or 8-12 range.

So it'll vary a lot depending on department, term, and class. But the chances of you having more than a few large classes is very rare.

xkrnbebe · 10-01-2009, 07:56 PM

Yayy. I like small class size.

Ok. I have another question... about foreign languages. I know Dartmouth requires all its students to take a foreign language, but is it possible to take three different foreign languages during the school year? Or is it too much to fit into the tight schedule?

hgates92 · 10-01-2009, 08:20 PM

Adding onto xkrnbebe's question, is the foreign language requirement difficult? I have heard that it is very intense (Rassias Method?), but I would like to know the students' perspective.

rightnotleft · 10-01-2009, 11:41 PM

I don't have any firsthand experience w/ the Rassias Method, having tested out of my language requirement, but I do have friends who have taken/learned 3+ languages in their time at Dartmouth. That being said, I don't know that they've taken classes in all three during the same year. I think it would depend on the languages, and at what levels you were looking to take classes at.

xkrnbebe · 10-02-2009, 08:40 PM

thank you rightnotleft. That helped a lot.

NoRegretz · 10-04-2009, 06:45 AM

I'm another 2013 student.

Just to try to qualm some fears about that isolated feeling.

About 10-15 min. away by car, there is a Walmart, JCPenny, Sears, Kohl's, Taco Bell, Subway, KFC, Big Kmart.

There is a CVS in Hanover and other small stores that should satisfy daily needs.

bluebayou · 10-04-2009, 11:07 AM

Languages are typically grade-boosters at every college, and Dartmouth is no exception -- a whole lot easier than O-chem or econometrics. Drill is just a little extra oral practice on your feet.

Stheno · 10-05-2009, 10:25 AM

Thanks a lot,Spunaugle! :-)

Consolation · 10-05-2009, 12:12 PM

bluebayou, I would venture to guess that it depends which languages one is studying and at what level.

Hiphopopotamus78 · 10-12-2009, 01:33 PM

This thread is awesome, thank you to spunagle and rightnotleft

I was wondering how hectic things get with the D-Plan with midterms and finals seeming to come up one after the other in quick succession. Is there time to just take a breather?

Also, how is housing affected by the D-Plan? It seems like with everyone coming and going, there must be some sort of shuffle.

If you have any experience with it, what is substance-free housing like?

Also, if anyone has any experience, what's the golf course like? (not that this should affect my decision, but I'm an avid golfer and would love to know what the course is like/greens fees/how far from campus it is).

Thanks again guys!