Ought Ought

The digits are not the only reason to take a good Look at the other numbers, and with the Ivy League," said the writer Peter DeVries. "Of course they graduate the best, it's all they'll take." If "the best" means top class standing and stratospheric board scores, in the year 2000 Dartmouth will graduate the most impressive class in its history. A record 11,398 applied, 2,273 were admitted, and 1,105 enrolled. Median SAT scores were 1420. More than a quarter of the class were high-school valedictorians. How appropriate that it be the class of 2 000, the first set of Dartmouth-educated men and women to go out into the next millennium. Beginning on page 30, we offer some thoughts on how the Ought Oughts should be prepared for that millennium.

Let us not get too epochal about those numerals, however. As many readers correctly point out, the class of 2001 will actually be the first to graduate in the next millennium. Besides, although'00 is the most academically competitive class in Dartmouth history, it does not represent a sea change from its predecessors. Rather, longer-term trends come to fruition with this class. Board scores and class rankings have been rising dramatically for the past five years and more. Applications have gone up substantially over the same period. And, not so coincidentally, Dartmouth's press has improved at the same time, most especially its treatment by U.S. News & World Report, which has declared the College the top institution for teaching in the country.

Dartmouth is not the only elite school to see its applications go up, although its increase—nine percent over the previous year—is one of the highest. Students and their families have good financial reasons to consider the top colleges, despite the tuition sticker shock. Consider this: More than half of the families of the class of '00 will pay full fare, writing checks that could easily total more than $ 120,000 byjune 2000. But also consider this: the median personal income of Ivy League graduates, $67,000, is 40 percent higher than that of college graduates in general. The median value of an American's home is $86,500; of an Ivy grad's home, $300,000. This disparity between society's elite and the rest of the country seems likely to grow, according to economists.

Whatever you think of this trend, many college applicants are interpreting it personally—by applying to the top schools, and most especially to Dartmouth. Besides the statistics of college applications, the trend toward the elite is underscored by a new breed of professional: the admissions consultant. Probably the best known is a 1959 Dartmouth graduate, Howard Greene of Westport, Connecticut. Author of the brisk-selling book Scaling the IvyWall, Greene is part of a growing industry of educational consultants who try to pick up where traditional guidance counselors leave off. For a fee of up to $2,500, consultants like Greene help students in everything from course selection to tutoring to test taking, even coaching them on interviewing and essay writing. Most of the students seeking the help are juniors and seniors, "but tenth grade isn't too early to start thinking about college," says Greene.

These consultants have been characterized as "brokers" who position 14-year-olds to get into the nation's elite colleges, but Howard Greene counters the image. "We're about counseling and advising," he says, "and in three areas in particular: clarifying how this complicated and anxiety-provoking process works; helping kids to more objectively assess their abilities and talents; and helping sort out the hundreds of colleges, one from the other." Greene received some notoriety last spring when The New York Times did a story on one of his advisees, Elizabeth Morgan 'OO. According to the Times, Greene suggested specific activities to take or drop—including some study abroad—to fine-tune her background for Dartmouth. The consultant even wrote her a letter of recommendation. The story caused a predictable stir on campus, but Admissions Dean Karl Furstenberg asserts that Morgan would have qualified without the help. Besides, Greene says his greatest expertise is in sorting out college choices, not in pumping up high school backgrounds. "A big part of our job is showing families and their kids how various universities and colleges deliver an education," he says. And how does he think Dartmouth delivers? "My very first comment to families is that Dartmouth really stands for quality teaching, for community spirit, for contact between students and teachers. That always comes out on top when I talk with people there, and it's something that kids looking at colleges really pick up on when they talk with Dartmouth students. There's no such thing as a perfect school—but Dartmouth comes out very, very strongly."

The recruitment process also has changed. In the essay that follows, Karl Furstenberg describes how Dartmouth tries to attract the top students and woo them away from competing schools. What has not changed is the personal way admissions officers consider applicants. There is no great mystery, no computerized number crunching, just a very large slew of tough choices that resulted in the millennium-changing class of Ought Ought.

We sent out an e-ma.il questionnaire to a randomly selected tenth of the class to get a feel for these students individually. Most respondents said they compared Dartmouth with schools that have top academic reputations; the quality of the education was sine qua non; the added value of the campus and social life tipped the decision to Dartmouth.

We followed up the survey with a photo session, which we conducted with even more scrupulous randomness. Two members of the Alumni Magazine staff wandered into Thayer Dining Hall during freshmen week and spotted a table with five freshmen. "Do you mind if we take your picture?" we asked, luring them with a free tee shirt. "Sure," they said. (The sixth, Susan Barbour, we nabbed in Thayer an hour later.) All asked for extra copies of the magazine for their families. They're the most highly selected class in history, yes. But they're still freshmen.

Stephanie Edwards

Hometown: Limington, Maine Age when photo was taken: 16DOC trip: Hiked Mts. Cube and Smarts (and met Nathan and Sarah; see pages 21 and 22)Cerebral validation: National Merit Scholar Finalist, 800 verbal SAT, honors society secretary

Physical side: May try out for lacrosse Roundedness: Vice president of Future Business Leaders of America club

Becomingly modest about: "My parents were the first in the family to get college degrees. I'm the first to go to a selective college. I'm sort of continuing the family trend."

Application essay: "About the trials and tribulations of skipping two grades. It was hard to meet people—I was a total outcast for two or three years." Currently reading: Divine Comedy (Dante)

Why Dartmouth: "I got in off the waiting list. I had already sent my deposit to Middlebury when I realized I got in. When I came on my DOC trip...CLICK! Everyone was so cool, and the atmosphere was exactly what I wanted. I'm euphoric that I decided to come here."

Nathan Chaney

Hometown: Warwick, Rhode Island.

DOC trip: Hiked Cube and Smarts. "It rained, we slept in a swamp, we got totally soaked. Our trip ruled."

Major intention: Philosophy

Cerebral validation : National Merit Commended Scholar, La Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica, Secretary of State Award for achievement in U.S. History

Physical side: Volleyball, basketball, tennis in high school

Roundedness: Editor of high-school newspaper, mock trial, literary magazine, drama club

Becomingly modest about: wrote a novel ("not yet published")

Application essay: "On getting poison ivy."

Currently reading: Demian (Hermann Hesse).

Why Dartmouth: "It seemed to be the only school of this academic caliber where everyone has fun."

Rashaad Green

Hometown: Staten Island, New York

Dorm: Wheeler

Cerebral validation: Staten Island Scholar Athlete, National Honor Society

Physical side: Football, baseball (defensive back and first base)

Roundedness: Principal's Consultative Council

Becomingly modest

about: "Maintaining good grades while playing sports. Actually, I play sports in order to maintain good grades. It lets off stress, and I have no time to goof off. I need the balance."

Application essay: "On wanting to become a doctor, a professional, and coming back to help out my community."

Currently reading: The Macintosh instruction manual

Why Dartmouth: "They asked me up on a visitation, and I just fell in love. In the rest of the Ivies the professors don't teach at the undergraduate level as much as they do here. And everyone is so nice compared to New York. You can make connections to life."

Sarah Kenney

Hometown: Tewksbury, Massachusetts Dorm: Wheeler

Major intention: "Maybe government as an undergrad. Then law or business school."

Cerebral validation: Valedictorian, National Honor Society, Junior Classic League

Physical side: Football cheerleader, track, dance

Roundedness: Class president, mock trial, business club, leadership ambassador in Washington, D.C.

Becomingly modest about: "Being well-rounded."

Currently reading: Rainmaker (John Grisham)

Why Dartmouth: "My high-school track coach, Jen Brooks, is a Dartmouth'93. She said, 'You have to go to Dartmouth.' She showed me pictures and said the place is wonderful. I had no intention at all of applying to Dartmouth, but after I visited I applied early decision."

Jonathan McKinney

Hometown: Albuquerque, New Mexico Dorm: Wheeler

Cerebral validation: 3.91 GPA

Physical side: Soccer, snowboard-ing, skiing

Roundedness: Makes jewelry; wears a superbly crafted ring he made of gold, silver, and opal

Becomingly modestabout: Having entered two national jewelry exhibitions over the summer and won first place in all five entries

Application essay: About a 1983 family car accident with a drunk driver in which his sister received a traumatic brain injury. "Head-injured people get very little support from the community or the government. It's a twisted system."

Currently reading: The Bluest Eye (Toni Morrison); In Cold Blood (Truman Capote)

Why Dartmouth: "I could have played soccer at a lot of schools, but Dartmouth is the most challenging academically."

Susan Barbour

Hometown: Champaign, Illinois

Dorm: Choates. "It's not as bad as they say."

DOC trip: Strenuous hike over Mt. Carrigain

Cerebral validation: National Merit Scholar, valedictorian

Physical side: High-school volleyball, runs, works out regularly on Stair Master and Nautilus

Roundedness: Student Council president, peer counselor, National Honors Society. Plans to run for Freshman Council, thinking of joining Campus Crusade for Christ

Becomingly modest about: Founding Future Physicians of America group in high school

Application essay: "My experiences in life and how they helped shape me."

Why Dartmouth: "I visited many schools, and it seemed as though I could get an awesome academic experience. But Dartmouth also offers an awesome life experience."

Admissions Applicants admitted into the class of 1981:1 in 4 into the class of 2000:1 in 5

Applications for the class of 1981: 7,748 for the class of 2000:11,398

Gender Class of 2000men: 580Class of 2000women: 525

Financial Aid Recipients in the class of 2000: 47%

Alumni Offspring of alumni in classes 1940: 78 (12%) 1953: 99 (14%) 1959: 111 (14.6%) 2000: 83 (7.5%)

Academics Interests of the class of 2000 Humanities: 13% Social Science: 24.5% Science: 46% Interdisciplinary:4.2% Undecided: 12.3%

High School Percentage having attended public high schools: 1940 (50%), 1954 (60%), 1961 (69%), 2000 (66%)

Minorities in the class of 2000 African-American: 5.2% Asian-American: 8.4% Latino: 3.6% Native-American: 1.5%

SAT Scores in the class of 2000 Verbal mean: 703 Math mean: 711

"I AM NOT IMPRESSED