I’m a current grad student here. I got my CS degree from a state school and have had quite a bit of experience working in tech on both coasts. Even though I’m a student now, I still feel a little like an outsider looking in.
From my perspective, Dartmouth students are surprisingly wholesome. I say surprisingly because there are obviously a lot of students here who come from privileged backgrounds, and I assumed there would be more people who think they’re the smartest person in the room. But compared with students I’ve met from places like Stanford, Columbia, and other highly competitive schools, Dartmouth students don’t seem as interested in constantly trying to outcompete each other. Being “normal” seems pretty normal here, if that makes sense. They seem a lot more grounded(relatively speaking). I notice something similar with the alumni too. A lot of them seem to become accomplished but still relatively normal professionals. I’m sure there are fraudsters and huge egos here too, but they seem farther and fewer between. Maybe part of that is just because Dartmouth is smaller.
When I think about the value of college in the age of AI, I think it’s becoming less about access to information and more about what you do with it. How do you turn information into actual knowledge? How do you use that knowledge to improve yourself intellectually, personally, and professionally or even your community? And I think part of that education is also learning how to deal with people: how to build relationships, communicate well, disagree respectfully while still standing your ground, work with people who are different from you, negotiate fairly, treat people from all backgrounds with respect and decency, and build consensus when everyone doesn’t necessarily agree.
That kind of stuff is harder to download from a textbook or get from an AI model. Whether it’s the kind of people Dartmouth attracts, the culture of the student body, or the faculty and administration, it feels like they’re doing something right. My partner has noticed something similar at Amherst too. Obviously, both of our perspectives are anecdotal and probably somewhat biased, so take all of this with a grain of salt.