When I was a little girl, looking out the car window at Carlisle, Pennsylvania on a road trip, I remember asking my mom why anyone would ever want to go to a small college like Dickinson. As I got older, I continued to think that
people must be crazy to opt for study at a small private school over a big university. (Brooke Lewis, author of
Dickinson College: Off the Record)
These kinds of mediocre complaints by students on this campus are a constant. Every student will complain about something?
'It's too crowded.'
90 percent of students live on campus.
'DPS is too strict.'
Due to an accidental student death in early 2003, the Dickinson Department of Public Safety, in coalition with the Carlisle Police and the PA State Liquor Control Board, now cracks down heavily on underage drinking.
'It rains all the time.'
Carlisle, PA gets about 14 inches of rain per year.
'There aren't enough places to eat.'
Though students are satisfied with the four places to eat, they are usually crowded due to popularity and none are open 24 hours.
'Greek life is too important.'
The Greek community is basically the heart of the party scene and dominates social life on campus. Thus, it's not uncommon for students who are not Greek to feel bitter about the Greek scene as a whole.
But in the end, most don't regret their choice?- 'My overall experience has been really good. The positive things about this school definitely override the negative ones. Going abroad, the friends I have made, and the education I am receiving have made college incredible for me. Dickinson College is a good school.'
- 'I absolutely love both the social and academic environments here. I think they complement each other perfectly, and I can't imagine a better college for myself. I think researching schools is all about finding the one that fits you best, and Dickinson easily makes that fit for many different types of people.'
Is this the experience you want? Read this guide to find out if Dickinson truly has something for you, straight from the students' mouths.
Visiting campus isn't enough.
Read our Dickinson College insider's guide and discover what it feels like to be on campus for 4 years.
Discover if Dickinson is Right For You.While writing our series of college guides, we felt it was critical that our content was unbiased and unaffiliated with any college or university. By hiring current students as authors, we strive to create college guides that truly represent each campus. Our guides cover both the good and the bad, and whether survey responses point to recurring trends or varying opinions, these sentiments are directly and proportionally expressed through our guides.
From the very beginning, student writers gather the most up-to-date stats, facts, and inside information on their colleges. They fill each section with student quotes and summarize the findings in editorial reviews. In addition, each school receives a collection of letter grades (A through F) that reflect student opinion. Once a guide is written, additional college students serve as editors and check for accuracy even more extensively. This same process is applied to all of the 258 colleges and universities College Prowler currently covers. Each guide is the result of endless student contributions, hundreds of pages of research and writing, and countless hours of hard work. All of this has led to the creation of a student information network that stretches across the nation. It’s no easy accomplishment, but it’s the reason that our guides are such a great resource.
