WISDOM OF THE GUIDES

METHODOLOGY ON ACADEMICS ON STUDENT SOCIAL LIFE ON HANOVER BULL'S EYE MENTIONS ANIMAL HOUSE BOTTOM LINE The Insider's Guide to the Colleges 2000 by the Yale Daily Newsstaff, $16.99Yalies talk totheir friends atDartmouth."Dartmouth's classesare intense andreputable.""Students say that drinkingis very prevalent....The Greek system tendsto dominate much of thetypical student's life.""How many Dartmouthstudentsdoes it take tochange a lightbulb? None.Hanover does nothave electricity!""Many studentshave wardrobesthat are compilationsof fleece, J.Crew and Gap."YESGives a student'sperspective on Dartmouth,but filledwith inaccuracies. The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2000 by former New York Timeseducation editor EdwardB. Fiske, $21College administratorsand studentsfill outquestionnaires;Fiske staff visitseach school."One of the top in thecountry for undergraduateteaching. Everyone,includingfreshmen, has accessto full professors,many of whom are thetop minds in the field.""Greeks are no meancontributors to thecollege's longtime nicknameof its surroundingcity, 'Hangover.'""It's halfway tothe North Pole.""The best thingabout Dartmouthis its combinationof superior academics,a blossomingsocial life anda small, communityatmosphere."YESFiske is the best ofthe guidebooks; despitethe stereotypes,it's a fair,balanced portrayalof what Dartmouthhas to offer. The Princeton Review: The Best 331 Colleges, 2000 Edition from Princeton ReviewPublishing, $20Statistics fromschools, meetingswith administratorsandalums, andanonymousstudent surveys."About the only knockon Dartmouth is that itis not Harvard orYale...but neither Offersthe winning combinationof caring,world-class professorsand gorgeous settingthat Dartmouth does.""Social life revolvesaround frats and kegs,"writes one student."Sometimes I go to fratparties, but I also go tomovies, concerts, dancesand just hang out.There's a lot of stuff todo and people just inviteyou to go along," writesanother."A small town inthe middle ofnowhere."Students are"smart, outgoing,funny, fleece-wearers" whofind "a good balanceof academicseriousness andthe desire toplay."NOHalf of the profile isdevoted to admissionsand financialaid information,which makes up foran overly stereotypicalapproach. Barron's Guide to the Most Competitive Colleges from Barron's EducationalSeries Inc., $14.95Descriptiveessay writtenby SuzanneLeonard '96, withpersonal asidesthroughout."Gets high rankings forits quality of teaching,as well as for the levelof interaction betweenfaculty and students.""For those who aren'tinto the Greek scene,there are a host of othersocial opportunities.""The quaint townhas one goodmovie theater, afew bars and a tonof reasonably affordablerestaurants.""With its northernlocation,year-round calendarand focus onthe undergraduateexperience,Dartmouth is perhapsthe homiestof the Ivy Leagueschools."NOAlmost as goodas a visit to campus,this essay gives athorough, balancedportrayal ofDartmouth's uniquequalities circa 1998.