Dartmouth Reputation ???

[woolie]

Hey all, I have been having second thoughts about the big D; I always thought the school was really very conservative and filled with jocks, extremely competitive etc. but I am hearing a different story about the medical school from posters here on SDN and from local people in the Vermont/New Hampshire area.

People are saying it is much more openminded, you don't have to be a straight 12/12/12 T on your MCAT, and they like older applicants - kind of school. Local people in some of the clinics said how much they liked the Medstudents because they *were* so diverse and non-traditional. People recommended I apply because of my "life experience", read: older applicant. Also I am really wanting to do rural general medicine.

Any Dartmouth thoughts ... ??

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[doc05]

that sounds about right from what I've heard. Dartmouth is not a top tier medical school (though it is a top tier undergrad), so don't worry about less-than-exceptional MCATs.

 

[8744]

I'm from Norwhich originally, right across the river from Hanover. On a trip to Vermont I had an opportunity to visit the Dartmouth Medical School. (My father was very ill and died a few months later so I spent some time at the new hospital)

Very nice facilities. The hospital (Mary Hitchcock?) is like a mall, with offices and clinics opening onto balconies surrounding a central atrium. All of the medical students I met were very nice and seemed fairly intelligent. They were also very "diverse" which may or may not be important to you.

I don't know how you could go wrong getting into Dartmouth. It does have a good reputation, even way down here in Louisiana.

 

[dr2loo]

Dartmouth is terrific if you are looking to go into primary care or become an internist. it's kind of a feeder school to MGH and the other Boston nased hospital. However, it doesn't do much by way of specialties... great school, though. Check out the residency match list and you can get a sense of what a school is doing.

 

[loomis]

you might also want to check out their brown-dart. program. You spend your first 2 years in NH then head to RI to finish up at Brown. You can get both the more "rural" as well as urban exposure during your time there. it sounds like a good plan and I am planning on applying to that program. hope we can cross paths,
loomis

 

[woolie]

Thanks guys, this is why I love SDN the feedback is really incredible.

I am going to do more research and apply - to be honest, I would have thought they were up there with JHopks etc and I wouldn't have a chance, but now I am excited at the possibility of being back in New Hampshire (I'm from New England).

Loomis, hope to see you there!

 

[lady bug]

I know two girls from my schools that got into Dartmouth with really low mcat scores. One had a 24, the other had a 25, despite pretty good gpas and extra-curriculars. They were both URM though- African American and Hispanic. I think Dartmouth really looks for diversity in its class. The african american girl chose Dartmouth over USF, b/c of name/prestige since she want's to do derm, but I dunno if Darmouth's med school is that highly ranked. She said that she loved the campus though.

 

[deez4life]

dartmouth's med program, unlike its ug, is not top 25... you're quite right that you don't have to have a 3.9 37+ to get in *cough columbia cough* so you shouldn't worry too much... the campus is nice and the students are chill, although somewhat conservative... i recommend visiting the nh area if you're truly interested 😎

 

[TexasGuy41]

Dartmouth is an Ivy League med school - don't worry about the rankings - its tough for a med school in a rural environment to score high on the rankings due to some geographically-based criteria - i.e. (their hospital just doesnt' get THAT much diversity - hence - they don't have super cool specialties)

I think it is one of the coolest schools out there.

 

[TexasGuy41]

Um, if you think Dartmouth-Hitchcock is a "very small medical center" then you obviously haven't been there. Its a massive complex, level 1 trauma ctr, and is the most prestigious hospital in VT, NH, and ME. Check your facts pal.

 

[TexasGuy41]

Hahahaha - agreed. However, if you are interested in hypothermia - you should definitely give Dartmouth a close look.

 

[noswadnworb]

just wanted to chip in my two-cents... i was an undergrad at Dartmouth.

i agree with pretty much everything everybody has said: beautiful hospital, beautiful campus and location, great atmosphere and students, med school suffers a bit because of its geography... however, i strongly disagree with the antiquated notion that Dartmouth is the "conservative Ivy." all discussions of the ivy league aside, I found the student body at Dartmouth to be anything but conservative. i questioned (and still question) some of the motivations of the administration, the irony being that if i were completely honest, i might venture that they are being driven by ideals that are overly PC or progressive or liberal etc etc

anyway... the take home message is that we should stop worrying about the ranking/social stigma/political ideology/mean GPA/MCAT of these school and just focus on finding a place that fits us as an individual; someplace that's going to provide us with a quality medical education in an environment that fits.

for those of you that disagree and still think that Dartmouth has major shortcomings because of its conservative nature, maybe the Dartmouth/Brown program is just the ticket for you... you might find some balance in the hoards of dirty tree-hugging hippies down there in Providence ;-)

 

[ironey]

Originally posted by Blanch
What matters is how well the school is equipped to prepare you for the practice of medicine, and being in the boonies with a very small medical center and little cutting-edge research going on has its disadvantages in this respect.

Not all of us can go to top-ten schools (or even top 25). Dartmouth, with its solid reputation for teaching and its mid-tier ranking for research is a respectable place to get a good medical education (and if it matters, it's also ranked in the top half of US Med schools by US News). Also, for those of us actually interested in practicing medicine in a rural setting, Dartmouth is a good place to see how we like it.

I'm excited about starting there in August (although a little nervous!). I think I'll like the small class size, the small town, and the beautiful environment - but I'm also pretty sure that I'll be ready for a change after four years.

Good luck!

 

[TexasGuy41]

Also - if you really aren't enjoying a class at Dartmouth - you can walk out, hop in your car, and be at some of the best skiing in the East in about 30 min.

 

[noswadnworb]

Originally posted by TexasGuy41
you can walk out, hop in your car, and be at some of the best skiing in the East in about 30 min.

especially if you like to ski only in the rain or sub-zero temperatures

 

[woolie]

I've been thinking more about the Dartmouth Hictchock MedCenter and what you guys have been saying. I think that the Hanover area has become really big for retired people, no state tax if I recall, and proximity to excellent medical care.

This must add an interesting dimension to cases treated, would the cancer rates, gerontology, palliative care cases be higher? Also I do believe they are a considered the medical center of the Northern New England area because otherwise there's just Boston which is hours away.

I know it's not as diverse as SUNY downstate, but I've been living in the grit of Brooklyn for a long time and could do with a change. Also, we have hospitals here in NYC that are level one for trauma but they mostly just treat little old ladies, so you never know ...

 

[8744]

It's true that Dartmouth is "out in the country" and that Hanover is a small town. But it is a pretty cosmopolitan small town. They even have an Opera company. (Opera North. My bother-in-law is the director.)

I don't want to brag, but my older sister is the assistant director for admissions at Dartmouth College. We are very proud of her.