<p>My son had to make the same decision, but it didn’t take him long to choose Harvard. He was really uncomfortable with the fact that the fraternities dominate Dartmouth’s social scene. Also, he wanted to have way too many choices for extracurricular activities, and that is what one finds at Harvard. He never felt that his professors were remote, and he got to work with grad students starting in his sophomore year. I don’t think he regretted his decision for 30 seconds. HOWEVER, Dartmouth is amazingly beautiful, and the opportunities for hiking and snow-related activities are boundless. Your education there would be top-notch. If you felt comfortable there, then you will most probably be happy. </p>
<p>Money wasn’t an issue for us because my son started school before Harvard’s radical change in its financial aid structure. However, after my son’s freshman year, we got gobs of money from Harvard, but would have gotten nothing from Dartmouth.</p>