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Has anyone else gotten an early assurance letter for Dartmouth? I'm just curious, since I felt pretty set on attending even before I got this letter. All that it says is that "there is no question that when we mail our final decisions in April, you will be offered admission to the College."

A friend of mine informed me that only 50 students get this letter, out of [approximately] 2200 acceptances mailed. Has anyone else gotten this, and, if so, are you intent on attending Dartmouth? If anyone wants, I'll post my stats and info in a subsequent post.

By Him2 (Him2) on Thursday, February 27, 2003 - 09:01 am: Edit

Post your stats!

By Jaykay (Jaykay) on Thursday, February 27, 2003 - 06:53 pm: Edit

Yes I did.

I will decide after I receive decisions from other schools.

Jay

By Letmein (Letmein) on Thursday, February 27, 2003 - 08:28 pm: Edit

What are both of your stats and can I ask exactly what the letter says?

By Seingolf (Seingolf) on Friday, February 28, 2003 - 07:41 am: Edit

I got one, too, and will also decide after April first. (But I'm very excited about the letter!) Brief stats:

--public school near St. Louis, Missouri
--class rank: 1/244
--ACT: 34
--SAT I: 790 Verbal; 690 Math
--SAT IIs: 800 Writing; 760 U.S. History; 710 Literature
--ECs: President, National Honor Society; Class Treasurer; PR Officer, Key Club; Student Council; Students Working Against Depression

By Letmein (Letmein) on Saturday, March 01, 2003 - 02:20 pm: Edit

Are any of you athletes or minorities? Can anyone confirm that "only 50" statement?

By Seingolf (Seingolf) on Sunday, March 02, 2003 - 09:34 pm: Edit

I'm neither an athlete (never participated in a high school sport) nor a minority (white male)--compounding my surprise at getting the letter in the first place).

By Mrguster (Mrguster) on Sunday, March 02, 2003 - 09:52 pm: Edit

Well, I do play a Varsity sport, but I really don't think that it played much of a part in my admission. (I didn't speak to the coach or anything like that.) Also, I'm not a minority (white male like the previous poster), though I am bilingual and was born in another country. Again, I'm not sure what this did for my chances, but its worth mentioning. Here's a really quick run-down of my info:

SAT I: 800 Math, 790 Verbal
SAT II: 800 IIC, 760 Writing, 750 Physics
Class Rank: 3/670

EC's are really good, but there's little point in listing them. They include National Merit Finalist, Governor's School Participant, and Lehigh University High School Scholar (took a tuition-free class), among other school activities and whatnot.

If you ask me, two things made my Dartmouth app. different from the applications to other schools. The first is my peer evaluation. I must say, even to me, a letter by a great friend sounded stunning and was, honestly, far more informative than any generality-ridden letter by anyone else. The second is my interview: it lasted a solid 3 and a half hours, and I really believe that my interviewer gave me the highest appraisal possible. I mean, I really do think that if you want to get into a school, and you're determined enough to go so far as to show that determination, the interview is the way to go. Good luck.

By Seingolf (Seingolf) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 07:10 am: Edit

I, too, had a friend write a peer recommendation for me, and like you, my interview was unusually long and went unusually well. Hmm....

By Jaykay (Jaykay) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 11:51 am: Edit

Here are my stats:

SAT: 800 M 770 V
SAT II Math IC 790 Math IIC 800, Biology 750 Writing 760
GPA 3.94
Ranked in within first 25 students among 550
Supposedly strong recommendation (very strong by one faculty)
Enough effort on essays
National Merit Finalist

ECs:

Tennis -
MVP of school tennis team
County Second Singles Champion Junior Yr
First Doubles Champion - Sohpmore Yr

Others -
President of Social Studies Forum
Chairman of Economic & Social Council - Model UN
(Won numerous awards in Model UN Conferences)
Secretary - Future Business Leaders of America
VP - Young American Volunteer Association
VP - Academy of Sciences
VP - Ski Club
Founded a walkathon and collected $6000
Selected to attend Governer School on Environment
Community Service this year roughly of 300 hours

By Jaykay (Jaykay) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 01:20 pm: Edit

BTW, I did not get a call for an interview.

-Jay

By Laurenp (Laurenp) on Wednesday, March 19, 2003 - 09:43 pm: Edit

hehe mrguster- i think that with a 1590 SAT and good grades, they prbly didn't take you just b/c you were born in another country...

By Mrguster (Mrguster) on Saturday, May 10, 2003 - 10:30 pm: Edit

That's quite possible, Laurenp. I'm thinkin' it's the interview.. if you score on that, you're solid.

By the way, I'm officially a Dartmouth '07. Anyone else?

By Chrispy06 (Chrispy06) on Friday, May 16, 2003 - 10:01 pm: Edit

Not everyone gets an interview for Dartmouth, and it is certainly possibile to get in without one. Best of luck to all of you attending next year, I think you'll really enjoy it here.

By Howdydoody (Howdydoody) on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 - 12:23 pm: Edit

Mrguster, how did you prep for the SAT I? I appreciate any information you can provide. Thank you.

By Mrguster (Mrguster) on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 05:56 pm: Edit

Well, I completed Kaplan's SAT prep course, and used the fact that they have so many past tests archived to my advantage. I had math under my belt, no problem, so I only had to focus on verbal. I recommend learning their analogies strategy and just memorizing as many words as possible. Finally, try to have as clear of a head as possible during the test; it helps for the critical reading sections. That's about it.