@oreocookie785 I’m a current Dartmouth student. There are frequent buses every day to Boston from campus, and a number of students I know go there on weekends to do various things.
But won’t lie, it’s generally a more campus based life. There’s plenty to do outside of greek life though. There’s music performances, visiting lecturers, movie screenings, glow-in-the dark indoor minigolf etc. It varies from week to week. As mentioned before, there is also our outdoors program if you’re into that.
But of course we do have a party presence, facilitated by a number of greek houses. They are all inclusive though, by which I mean you only need your id to get into most events. That makes these spaces pretty diverse.
We are also a very close community largely due to our undergrad focus and rich traditions.
Stress wise, I would say that our community is much more collaborative and laid back than most other elite schools. A number of others have more cutthroat competitive vibes (not sure if Northwestern falls into this latter category).
Also, due to out undergrad focus, all of your classes will be taught by professors (except for possibly first year calculus, in which one section is not). Also, most classes are smaller, facilitating closer engagement with your peers and professors.
Not saying you can’t get this at Northwestern, but Northwestern’s postgrad community outnumber the undergrads. Professor involvement and smaller classes will still be available, but to a lesser degree, especially in your first couple of years.
Hope this helps. Feel free to PM me any Dartmouth-related questions.