<p>I don’t know that many do it, but for his field – engineering – having the second degree (which is a Bachelors of Engineering) is important. His first degree is the standard liberal arts BAs (although Dartmouth actually awards an AB, because it’s in Latin) but with an engineering major. The BE provide an official engineering credential that the AB doesn’t.</p>
<p>Had we understood all of this four years ago, he might have gone to a different school and just gotten the BE. Nevertheless, he has loved Dartmouth tremendously and made fantastic friends there.</p>
<p>My son, also an engineering major, is returning for his BE as well but it will take him only two terms so he’ll be out by the end of winter term. Some engineering majors do manage to get their BE in four years but if you are also involved in sports or other activities, it is not easy to do.</p>
<p>VeryHappy and MomofRower…do you have any suggestions on how to complete BE in 4 years? My son (a '15) wants to major in biomedical engineering and will be going in with 7 AP credits (all 5s). Some have told us not to use these because the upper level classes will be too difficult (he hopes to go to med school so needs to get good grades). I think he can probably handle whatever is thrown his way since he loves math and science and they are more fun than work for him. His APs are: Calc BC, Chem, Physics B, Physics C, Japanese, Statistics and Lang. I would be very happy if he could get the BE in 4 years.</p>
<p>To finish the BE in four years, basically you need to take the credits you have (the next level up classes aren’t that bad, really) and plan ahead. The BE is essentially a “second major” to the AB (9 more classes) so it’s doable, just a lot of work. Not taking the upper level classes now will make it harder if he has to retake Calc (2 terms credit he’ll get from BC). The Japanese AP (I think) will get him out of the language reuirement. Chem will get him out of Chem 5, which is all you need for ENGS. The Physics won’t help unless he takes a placement test during orientation to get out of Phys 13 and 14.</p>
<p>My son got financial aid inforation from Dartmouth. It says “Tuition Aid Pgm (Non-need)”. What does it mean “non-need”? Is this a financial aid or loan? or even something else? can someone explain this if you know?</p>
<p>My son is a biomedical engineering major at Dartmouth and loves it. He also had some AP credits and didn’t need to take a language so he could have managed it in four years but he would not have been able to do all the other things he has done to make this a great college experience- he has taken classes in diverse subjects such as drawing and music that he might not have done if he was trying to get out in four years. He has also been in a varsity sport all four years and is active in a fraternity, neither of which would have been possible otherwise.</p>
<p>My son will wind up with both degrees with only one extra quarter. He had numerous AP credits, started his freshman year with higher math and phsyics courses, carefully selected his “distributive requirements” so each one would count for two distribs, whenever possible. He has also been in a fraternity, has a girlfriend, played varsity and club sports. He’s very focused but he has lots of interests and is by no means unique. Completing both degrees in four years would have been tough, but I’m sure it can be done.</p>
<p>Hey just realized that First Family Weekend is in 4 weeks. Looking forward to meeting all you CC Dartmouth '14 parents at Collis Cafe Friday April 29 at 5! Son is still loving the place. It’s definitely not for everyone, but for those who want the total college experience and don’t care or want to be in an urban environment, it is a gem.</p>
<p>Yes. Can’t wait for Parent’s Weekend. D loves the place too. While not all is perfect, I don’t think any college is but this is her perfect match she says. Can’t wait to go there…have a one way ticket there, still have to make a return ticket. Debating when to leave. Do most parents stay until the end on Sunday?</p>
<p>Are parents invited to Dimensions? Not sure if they are included in the events, don’t want to intrude, but will have to drive to campus. Any suggestions???</p>
<p>There are campus tours and I think a few sessions for parents but Dimensions is mostly for the kids. I hung around the town and area and got a better flavor for the place while my daughter was in Dimensions. It was fine.</p>
<p>hmm, if you CC Dartmouth parents want to meetup, maybe Collis Cafe at 6 PM. Even if you don’t post, PM me if you want to get together. I’m pretty sure I will be there.</p>
<p>…been a quiet posting. I guess mid terms are coming up the next 2 weeks. These quarters go by fast. D tends to like it more, at least for some of the classes (non-lab classes).</p>
<p>Greetings all. First time posting. Just spent some time on the Dartmouth grounds while S participated in Dimensions. My first time in the area and it was cold but it is the middle of new hampshire. My first impressions was it is a nice campus setting, little busy with traffic but did not care much for the kid sparking up a joint with his pals while some of us parents gathered for a tour outside Collis. I am sure he did it for effect. The facilities seem very nice, the quality of education appeared up there as discussed, access to profs was impressive, potential for research available, sport facilities more than adequate and a large outdoor program. My S worked hard to reach top of his class, community leader, school leader ect, ect much like your S and D. He was proud getting accepted at Dartmouth but came away with mixed feelings after seeing the influence of the frats on the school. We advised him through his school years to stay the course be true to your studies and you will get into a good school. He gets into a good school and then is asked do you drink, because thats what we do around here if you want to be sociable. Well he doesn’t. Come to find out the frats party 5 nights a week and the beer is provided by the school, free to anyone, but don’t worry if you get drunk they will call a SAM for you and if your really drunk they will take you to the clinic. So we have 60% of the school drinking 5 nights a week - with most of them underage - sponsored by the school is that right? I would like to hear from some parents experiances whose kids were not drinkers and the experiances they had while pursing an educational dream their first year.</p>
<p>It was unusually cold that weekend (and this week too). It’s getting nicer from Friday onward though, I think.</p>
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<p>There was only traffic because of Dimensions. The kid was definitely doing it for effect. No one in his right mind would smoke outside of Collis.</p>
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<p>Haha, I don’t even know where to begin. You don’t have to drink to be sociable. In fact, the two most popular kids I know don’t drink.</p>
<p>People don’t party 5 times per week. Most people are 3 max – Wed, Fri, and Sat. Sometimes they might hang out on other nights, but they won’t be drinking heavily.</p>
<p>Beer is not provided by the school for free. Students get beer for free, yes, but frats shoulder the costs. I think that’s better than a system in which only the kids with means can get into frats, which is what any other system would entail. There would be a cover charge, and if you couldn’t cough up the $$, no entrance for you!</p>
<p>It’s called a Good Sam. Most people here think it’s better than letting a student die because you’re afraid of the legal repercussions. People learn from Good Sams – parents get notified, and hundreds of dollars of medical bills. Getting Good Sammed isn’t some delightful experience that people are happy to go through multiple times.</p>
<p>If you’re BAC is over .3, you will be taken to the hospital. At this point, your medical bills will run in the thousands (stomach pump, hospital stay, etc.) and you will have to deal with the Hanover Police. Enjoy.</p>
<p>Just because 60% of the school is affiliated doesn’t mean 60% of the school drinks–much less 5 times per week.</p>
<p>And underage drinking isn’t school sponsored.</p>
<p>I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy your visit, but there’s no need to (intentionally) distort the facts. If you’re not intentionally distorting the facts, your vision is really, really warped.</p>
<p>Get real – we’re an Ivy League school. For all the kids who drink and party hard, there are nerds who sit in their rooms all day and never touch alcohol. Those two groups constitute 10 or 15% of the school, max. The other 85-90% of us are in the middle – smart kids who like to have a good time. Most of us drink–like at all schools, including the other ivies–but there are plenty of us, like me, who don’t.</p>
<p>neprnt, sorry if the visit wasn’t ideal. My D, a '14, was accepted ED but still went to Dimensions last year. When she came home she said that she couldn’t understand how anyone could choose NOT to attend Dartmouth after a weekend like that…she was blown away by how incredibly welcoming the entire school was, and that continued with Orientation and Trips. She wasn’t a drinker when she arrived this fall, but admits to having a few now and then since. As far as I know, it doesn’t dominate her life at all. In fact, so many people comment on her FB pictures and how much fun she seems to be having in all of them, without an infamous red cup in sight! She has joined Ski Patrol, is a tour guide, plays club and intramural sports, and says she does a lot of “hanging out”, sometimes at frats, more often not. She’s even gone to several poetry slams to hear a friend perform. The drinking scene is at most every campus in the US…I can’t imagine it being any worse at Dartmouth. The kids there work hard and get involved in loads of activities. Obviously, this is coming from a parent so my view may be skewed, but I know how happy my daughter, who’s on the conservative side, is to be there. No school is for everyone…your son should go with his gut.</p>
<p>Honestly, if this represents your son’s feelings (rather than yours) after Dimensions that suggests this may not be the best fit for him. Dimensions is designed not only to sell Dartmouth but also to help prospies determine the fit issue. DartmouthForever has done a good job of setting the record straight for your benefit. There are many students who thrive on campus without every touching alcohol - many of whom join the Greek system which they never would have expected upon entering the school. Dartmouth is an incredibly positive lifetime experience for the vast majority who matriculate. I’m sure your son will do well wherever he chooses given the obvious investment he has made to get accepted at a school like Dartmouth.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, it IS worse at Dartmouth and every other small, rural colleges with large Greek scenes. (And every study on this subject bears this out.) Drinking is also a big part of the culture at other schools with greeks dominate the social scenes (think of major D1 football powerhouses).</p>
<p>And unfortunately, the times this issue has discussed on cc, a post like the one below ends up attacking the poster directly. I doubt that an ad hominem was the intent of DF, but it is a personal attack all the same. And at attack on an adult just seeking other input. And on a parent’s thread…</p>
<p>Not too welcoming of differing opinions, the way I read it. :)</p>
<p>^^The tone of my response was prompted by a woefully misinformed negative view of the school’s social scene.</p>
<p>It’s possible that the OP really believes what s/he wrote, but I seriously doubt it. The OP was probably just twisting facts because s/he was ****ed that Dartmouth wasn’t everything s/he dreamed it would be.</p>
<p>Read the OP’s post again. It’s just a tirade, and at the end of it all, the OP essentially begs, “Tell me this isn’t true!”</p>
<p>So I told the OP it wasn’t true.</p>
<p>And you can say that I don’t belong on the parent’s thread, but I think all of my comments thus far have contributed meaningfully to the discussion, providing a student’s views on the matters about which parents are concerned. At the end of the day, you guys are all parents who don’t actually know what happens on campus. Some of you have a better idea than others, but only students * really * know the nitty gritty details of what goes down.</p>