What does it take to get into Dartmouth? It’s a question we get all the time. With top-tier schools, getting in means having more than just great grades and scores. Other parts of your application have to shine; this includes having killer extracurriculars.
Why do extracurriculars matter?
Dartmouth is hard to get into. It sounds obvious and maybe it is. But the harder a school is to get into the more important it is to have more than just great grades. 95% of Dartmouth’s class of 2026 were in the top decile of their high school, but that doesn’t mean that every applicant who was at the top of their class got in. With about a 6% acceptance rate, many (most) students with top grades don’t get in. There are simply not enough spots. So yes, you need great grades, but you need more than that. Dartmouth uses a holistic review model which means they look at the full application. A big part of your application is your activities section. You should be striving to have the type of extracurricular resume that Dartmouth is looking for. But what does that resume look like? We are glad you asked.
What kinds of extracurriculars is Dartmouth looking for?
Every applicant is different. However, there is a certain level of involvement that you should strive for if you are serious about applying to Dartmouth. Sometimes this is easiest to understand this is with an example. So we wanted to share the resume of a past student we worked with who went to Dartmouth as a case study. We changed a couple of details for privacy, however, we didn’t exaggerate this student’s involvement.
Follow your academic passions outside of class
Our case study student wanted to major in English and minor in Computer Science at Dartmouth. While this is a fairly unique set of passions, she backed up both interests with her extracurriculars. She showed a love for English outside of class. She attended a summer intensive program in Literature. She tutored other students in English, Math, and Computer Science as part of peer to peer tutoring program at her school. She volunteered with Girls Who Code and became the leader of the Technology and Coding Club at her school. This is important. Showing academic passion and fervor outside of class will help you get into Dartmouth. They want students who pursue their interests and that means learning outside of your high school classroom.
Be a leader (in whatever you love)
This student was the Captain of the Parliamentary Debate Team and took her team to win a national debate tournament. She was also the captain of her school’s Varsity Cricket Team for her junior and senior years. Senior year she also became the Captain of the Girl’s Varsity Golf Club. She participated in the outdoors club at her school and became the club leader in her junior year. She always strived to show commitment, responsibility, and organizational skills through her leadership positions and that is extremely valuable when it comes to applying to Dartmouth. This isn’t an easy thing to do. In season, she spent over 50 hours a week in sports and another 15 hours a week all year in debate. While not everything you do has to be a huge weekly commitment (for example outdoors club was only a 2-hour-a-week commitment), being a leader should be a serious commitment in at least a couple of your pursuits.
Everything else
Dartmouth is looking for students who have diverse interests. It's great to do what you love. Our student was a Chess Club member and taught middle schoolers how to play chess. She also was a player in the Ping Pong Club. She also had a summer job as a front desk clerk in an office. While these might not be at the top of her resume, she showed that she was involved and well-rounded.
Dartmouth is looking for students who can do it all. They want to see you juggle passions and take on leadership roles. It can be a lot, but there is a type of applicant that gets in. It’s the type that excels both inside and out of class. If this is all feeling overwhelming, we can help!
Need help getting into Dartmouth? It’s what we do. Reach out here.