2 | admissions.dartmouth.edu
Lee A. Coffin Vice Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid
PHOTOGRAPH BY MARGARET LAMPERT
A
ctor John Krasinski’s Some Good News episodes on YouTube have been a cheery tonic in these stay-athome times. Like John, I’m an optimist who’s been working remotely for a while now. Yes, the world’s turned upside down. And yes, that disruption shifted the flow and format of our usual on-campus recruitment conversation. You can’t come to us, and we can’t come to you, but we accept the challenge and march onward. The motto at Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering rings true: there is no box right now. New ideas are taking hold as the quarantine invites bursts of creativity. Your college search diverts to a new admissions superhighway powered by Zoom and Instagram and other virtual visit platforms as you say hello, explore, check out our campus vibe, assess fit. Social media is reinterpreting the idea of a campus visit or a college fair. Print — so retro — is making a comeback as we visit your mailbox. As we adapt to our rapidly evolving normal, we find we must intertwine change with tradition. Much actually remains the same as this admissions cycle turns towards the application and selection phase of its journey. In fact, the 2020-21 admissions cycle represents a remarkable anniversary at Dartmouth. Our Class of ’25 will be the 100th entering class selected via a holistic
review policy. And if ever there was a moment when the idea of assessing a whole person was essential, it’s now. If Ps and Fs continue to define academic achievement at many high schools, what’s the definition of GPA? Or class rank? Access to standardized testing is constrained as test administrators redesign sites for social distancing and public safety. As a result, an SAT or ACT score may be absent from your file. That’s okay. In response to this developing reality, we have paused our testing policies for the upcoming cycle and may add new elements for you to showcase your talents. And I suspect personal interviews will migrate to Zoom or FaceTime. Keep an eye on our website for adjustments in real time. But let’s set application logistics aside for a moment. The important questions that we — and you — must answer are these: Are you ready for the curriculum we offer? Are you prepared for its rigor and our fast-paced 10-week terms? Will you thrive in classes that are small and highly interactive with engaged and curious peers? In short, are you and Dartmouth a good fit? We will read your application with a contextual lens, so we rely on you to supply that context. An A average paired with a 1480 might not be part of your academic story this year, so find ways to replace them. Unmute yourself! Tell us your story. Your essays and recommendations and interviews offer opportunities to do just that. Your grades — in whatever pandemic version they exist — are important elements of holistic review, but they are not the sole element. To be honest, they never were. In addition, we understand your extracurricular profile will look different. Spring musicals were cancelled. Internships were postponed. Sports went into suspended animation. We get that. But your interests and talents still matter. The pandemic didn’t steal those qualities. You still offer those talents to a residential community like this one. A stay-at-home gap in your resume just requires you to express those talents a little differently and for admission officers to respect the circumstances we all are negotiating. Of equally fundamental importance and impact, Dartmouth will continue to read applications through a need-blind lens and, as always, we will twin that bedrock policy with an enduring commitment to meet 100 percent of your demonstrated need. Like holistic review, those policies are as essential as they’ve ever been at Dartmouth College. Know that this option on your college list is unwavering in this financial promise. One last thing. The Common Application is now live!