Dartmouth vs. UPenn

thericwu
Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:23:31 +0000

Haha, I went through this a few months ago when I had to decide my college. UPenn-Wharton versus Dartmouth. Hours and hours and hours of research…I ended up visiting Penn twice and Dartmouth once (but I spent three weeks at Dartmouth last summer for a business program). I know both schools through and through and let’s see if I can help you a bit.

First of all, let’s get these basic points out of the way. Both are amazing schools. In terms of academic reputation, Wharton may edge Dartmouth a bit, but for Penn as a whole, the two are considered tied (forget USNews Rankings). So throw academic reputation and prestige out of the window. The two schools are institutions of academic excellence and are highly, highly respected everywhere.

Okay, so on to the other stuff.

The two schools are extremely different. I figured that out after about ten minutes at Penn.

Dartmouth emphasizes the personal qualities, perhaps a focus on more philosophical and romantic themes in its general environment. It’s a little bit more about discovering yourself in the wilderness, finding who you really are and seeking the purpose to your life. It has an intense focus on tradition, its rich history, and its unparalleled school pride. This comes from its location in rural New Hampshire, as well as being part of New England. Penn, on the other hand, is very much the modern school. It really does have an extensive history that can be seen in its architecture, but it emphasizes more about events that are occurring now. It is less romantic and more career-oriented, preparing you for your trade and honing your skills for your future job. The school treats education as a business, and really prepares the students for the outer world. Take a step on either campus and you’ll see this; the classrooms at Penn (especially the Wharton Classrooms) and overall campus feel makes it seem like going to work, instead of going to class.

Regarding social life, the two are different, but similar. The similarity is that you’ll have fun and there WILL be things to do, all the time. At Dartmouth, the frats and sororities are obviously the main focus of the social life, and Greek life there is legendary. But just as well, there are tons of people who prefer to stay in during college and just have a fun time in the dorms. Generally, dorm life is much more active (since people have no city to explore) and the community of Dartmouth is closer, as a whole. With Penn, you have the entire city of Philadelphia, so you’re interaction may or may not be with other Penn students, and the whole campus feels a part of Philadelphia (which, obviously, it is). Because of this, off-campus parties in off-campus houses (with no unified Frat Row) are the primary form of partying. Although I’m sure the students are close, the people are generally not as close as a whole than the students of Dartmouth, simply because everyone is off-campus with cliques and groups.

In the end, you’re going to have to visit the two schools and decide which environment best suits you. A college where tradition, community, and the beautiful outdoors are emphasized? Or a college where a focus on building one’s career is seen? In the end, this decision shouldn’t be based on academic excellence or prestige. Dartmouth graduates have the highest median salary of any Ivy League School after ten years, while Penn-Wharton places 90 percent of its students in a job the first year after they graduate. You will find job offers no matter where you go, it just depends on which path you want to take.

I know what you’re going through, man. It came down to the last minute for me. They were both just awesome.