<p>I don’t think that Dartmouth’s recognition outside of the States is as strong as say UCLA, UCB, Harvard, Yale, etc. simply because it’s more an LAC rather than a graduate school. Dartmouth doesn’t compare to other schools in that respect. </p>
<p>Is your friend going to Dartmouth for graduate school? If so, then arguably, Harvard would probably provide a better education than Dartmouth in that respect, since Harvard tends to be more graduate-student focused (their law and medical schools are amazing!), but if it’s for undergrad, then it doesn’t really make a difference. I wouldn’t consider it a step-down at all.</p>