Question 1

So, tell me a little about yourself.

Accepted Answer

An easy start that lets the alum see how you talk and what you lead with. Whatever you mention first is often where they dig next. Keep it to about a minute: where you're from, what fills your days, and the one or two things you care about most. End on the thing you'd most like to talk about so the conversation has somewhere to go.

Question 2

What's important to you in a college?

Accepted Answer

An open question an alumni club lists as typical. It shows what you value and sets up why Dartmouth fits. Name two or three real priorities, like small classes, close contact with professors, or a strong community, and say why each matters to you. If you can, tie one to something Dartmouth actually has, such as a faculty advisor assigned to every first-year.

Question 3

Why Dartmouth?

Accepted Answer

Alumni say they try to picture you on campus: will you use what Dartmouth offers or just show up? It also checks you aren't just applying to every Ivy. Connect two or three specific things to your own interests: a program, a class, a center, an off-term plan, or a concrete outdoor goal like joining Ski Patrol. Dartmouth's pages give real examples, such as small seminars, Foreign Study Programs, and lunch with a professor paid for by the college.

Question 4

What are you interested in, academically? What might you major in, and what do you see yourself doing after?

Accepted Answer

Dartmouth itself says interviewers may ask about majors, future plans and careers. Alumni say the report covers your academic interests. Say what you're drawn to and show real enthusiasm for it. It's fine to be unsure: Dartmouth students don't choose a major until sophomore year, and their courses spread far outside it, so curiosity across fields is a plus.

Question 5

Where does that interest come from?

Accepted Answer

Alumni interviewers say they want the origin of an interest, not just the label. It shows whether the interest is yours. Tell the moment it started: a book, a problem, a person, a question you couldn't drop. Then say what you've done about it on your own since.

Question 6

What club or activity would you want to be part of at Dartmouth?

Accepted Answer

Reported in a 2021 interview. It tests whether you've pictured your life at Dartmouth and whether you'd get involved. Name something specific and say why it connects to what you already do or want to try. Showing you'd jump in fits what alumni say they look for.

Question 7

What's been your favorite class in high school, and why?

Accepted Answer

Shows how you learn and what excites you in a classroom. Pick one and describe a specific assignment, discussion, or idea that changed how you think. Say what you did with it afterward.

Question 8

Tell me about a project, paper, or lab you were especially proud of, and why.

Accepted Answer

An alumni interviewer calls this a favorite question. He says it reveals your zest for learning, not your grades. Choose one piece of work and walk through what you tried, what went wrong, and what you figured out. The "why" matters most: what made it yours.

Question 9

Geek out for me: what's something that has sparked your curiosity in the past few months?

Accepted Answer

Reported in a 2020 thread. It checks for real intellectual energy outside assignments. Pick something you actually got lost in, big or small, and explain it like you would to a friend. Show the questions it raised for you.

Question 10

Which of your extracurriculars have been most important to you?

Accepted Answer

Interviewers want why you do things and what they mean to you. Applicants advise focusing on why, not how many. Pick one or two and tell a short story with a concrete moment in it. Explain what you actually do and what keeps you coming back.

Question 11

What's an accomplishment you're proud of?

Accepted Answer

Reported in a 2020 thread. An alumni interviewer says he looks for the drive and ups and downs behind an achievement. Don't be shy: applicants advise this is your time to show what you've done. Tell how you got there, including the hard parts, and what it taught you.

Question 12

Tell me about a time you contributed to a group or team.

Accepted Answer

A 2026 applicant lists experiences showing how you contribute to a group as typical material. Use a clear structure: the situation, your part, what you did, and the result. Make your own choices clear without taking credit for everyone's work.

Question 13

Tell me about a time you went after an interest on your own.

Accepted Answer

A 2026 applicant reports this kind of question. An alum says Dartmouth expects students to be independent with no hand-holding, so self-motivation counts. Describe something you started or pushed further without being told to, and what came of it. Concrete results help.

Question 14

How would the people closest to you describe you?

Accepted Answer

An alumni interviewer says he wants introspection: how you build relationships and see yourself, weaknesses included. Give two or three specific qualities, each with a quick example. It's fine to add one thing you're working on; he says that shows maturity.

Question 15

What's something you struggled with and had to push through?

Accepted Answer

Shows how you respond when things don't go as planned. Pick a real setback, keep the setup short, and spend most of the time on what you did and what changed. Be honest about what was hard.

Question 16

What was a big challenge, or a really good moment, for you in school?

Accepted Answer

Reported in a 2023 interview that the applicant said followed their lead. It opens space for whatever matters most to you. Choose a moment that shows something about you not already in your application. Tell it as a story and say why it stuck with you.

Question 17

How do you want your classmates to remember you?

Accepted Answer

Reported in a 2021 interview. It shows what kind of person and classmate you're trying to be. Answer with a quality, not an award, and back it with something you've actually done. Kindness and care for others line up with what alumni say Dartmouth values.

Question 18

How do you think you could contribute to Dartmouth, and to society?

Accepted Answer

Reported in 2024. An alumni interviewer says he asks himself whether you'd add something unique as a classmate. Name something specific you bring: a skill, a point of view, a habit of starting things. Link it to a real place at Dartmouth where you'd use it.

Question 19

Do you have any questions for me?

Accepted Answer

Dartmouth says your questions show what you value and your thought process. It also makes the meeting two-way. Bring two genuine questions about the alum's own experience. Applicants suggest asking what surprised them about Dartmouth, how students find community, or what they'd change if they were president.

Question 20

If I could write one or two sentences to the Admissions Committee about you, what should they say?

Accepted Answer

An alumni club lists this as a question its interviewers use. It tests whether you know what's most important about you. Have a short, honest answer ready that sums up who you are and what you'd bring. Pick something the conversation has already backed up.

Questions Dartmouth applicants report

Opening

Why Dartmouth, and what you'd study

Your classes, projects and activities

Character and how you see yourself

Closing