<p>There are at least two (to my knowledge) storage services that do a good job (for a price) of taking your stuff away, storing it, and bringing it back. If you want to use them, invest in LARGE containers, since at least one charges by the item. Nice big plastic bins from WalMart or wherever = good. Small boxes = bad.</p>
<p>Another thing that most of the students appear to own and use (or at least all the girls) is a good pair of tall rubber rain boots for the coming rain/mud season. I would wait to buy those in Hanover.</p>
<p>^^ Oooh. Good one. Totally forgot about that. Rain/mud/snow. Crossing the Green can be a hazardous trek. D once got a piggy-back ride from a prof. Yes, Dartmough is a very special place.</p>
<p>And don’t forget those 3M Command hooks for hanging mirrors, white board/cork board, pictures, posters, and hooks for towels. They come in a gazzillion different sizes and really do come right off the wall at the end of the year, yet are quite strong. They also make little sticky squares for the posters, too.</p>
<p>Be careful if you’re in the Choates. D had hooks fall off the cinderblock (?) walls and drop (small) mirror onto laptop. Nothing major, fortunately, just a scratch on the very edge of the screen, but I’d be cautious with the weight. Or, maybe we just didn’t get a complete enough contact between hook and wall.</p>
<p>Agree with sending kid with the minimum. We have spent the last 3 years taking stuff home extra stuff. The rooms are small and he had to haul it all over campus and up stairs come move-out day.</p>
<p>We usually stay at the Hampton Inn or Fairfield Inn (newer) in White River Junction. We recently stayed at the Holiday Inn Express too, it is newly renovated and had very large rooms or suites at a fair price. We stayed at the Chieftain, hoping to be able to canoe on the river and it was well, adequate, but after a rainy week before we arrived, the carpets looked pretty brown. Probably not going back.The Marriot and the Residence Inn by the Hospital are more convenient to campus. We also stayed at the Marsland Farm B&B during Firstyear dropoff. Quaint, and nice restaurant. </p>
<p>I will be staying at the Hanover Inn in September for the Senior(!) drop off. So if anyone is in town that weekend, give a holler.</p>
<p>Re the Hanover Inn, you have to ask for the chocolates on your pillows now. :)</p>
<p>Hey guys after reading the check-in itinerary for DD I am beginning to wonder if it makes much sense for me to be at Dartmouth for her check in after her DOC trip. I just found out DD will be checked into her room two days before my intended arrival. All her belongings will be either shipped or bought online and delivered to her Hinmen box. Im kinda getting the impression that the school would rather see parents during the parent days next year in May. Also to add that I am getting the feeling that DD wants to fly solo without daddy on this one and its slowly breaking my heart but thats my problem.
I have faith she can check herself in with out me, but my real reason for going was to sit with her advisor to hash out the details for her classes but I think she can cover that just fine.
Please Advise
Thanks Again Everyone</p>
<p>Hello! I would really appreciate some suggestions. I’m just not sure whether to fly in with my D before her DOC trip or wait and come after she returns (on the 6th) to help her get settled into her dorm. Either way, I will fly in for a couple of days and we will shop for dorm room necessities and such. We live out West, so my concern with having her fly-in alone for her DOC trip is coordinating it so that she can arrive on campus between 2-4ish on September 2nd, per the school’s instructions. (red-eye flights, loooong layovers, multiple plane changes) She will be attending a pre-orientation right after her trip and can officially move in to her dorm in the 6th. What are you doing or what have you done in the past that worked well? Any suggestions are appreciated.</p>
<p>Both of you, let your respective Ds go on their own. Seriously. There is no safer place in the world to send your DD than Hanover. Fly into Logan; catch the Dartmouth Coach; find your room; etc. I was in your exact shoes four years ago. </p>
<p>DartDad17, let her meet her adviser alone. She can call you and confer. Nothing is final immediately. I was surprised how quickly D figured out the distrib requirements and the D plan and what to take when and how little she needed my advice. 
JK</p>
<p>DartMom17, yes – fly in after her trip. Not sure where you live that requires multiple plane changes, since Boston is accessible from everywhere, but, yes, it can be a royal pain to hit that arrival window for trips. Rest assured that Dartmouth/Hanover are prepared to watch out for your D. Seriously. This happens every year. </p>
<p>You are welcome to PM me (a California dad) and we can talk on the phone or email if you have specific questions. Anything from where the Coach stops at each terminal (yes, I actually figured this out after D was confused one time her first year) to where to get your morning coffee in town.</p>
<p>Hi DartMom. D is a '14, but she flew to her DOC trip by herself, then we met her when she returned and helped move her in. It worked out great.</p>
<p>I’ve probably shared this passage from Bill Bryson’s “I’m a Stranger Here Myself” before, but it always makes me smile when I read it (and it’s very true), so here it is for the benefit of the 17s (mainly the parents):</p>
<p>“In May of [1995], after nearly two decades in England, I moved back to the United States with my English wife and four children. We settled in Hanover, New Hampshire, for no other reason than that it seemed an awfully nice place. Founded in 1761, it is a friendly, well-ordered, prettily steepled community with a big central green, an old-fashioned Main Street, and a rich and prestigious university, Dartmouth College, whose benignly dominant presence gives the town a backdrop of graceful buildings, an air of privileged endeavor, and the presence of five thousand students, not one of whom can be trusted to cross a road in safety.” </p>
<p>Still true. Especially that last part. So, watch out whenever driving in town. ;)</p>
<p>@AboutTheSame- Again, thanks for the helpful advice, I will be in touch with you soon.</p>
<p>Question to parents: Why do parents seem so inclined to help their students move in? Thanks :D</p>
<p>The launch is the culmination of the whole college application process. It is exciting and poignant and tugs at your heart strings. It’s not for every parent but for us it was important so we could let go. I think I did a blow by blow on the Dartmouth parents thread. Only thing I would recommend that differs from what the school tells you is I would absolutely stay for the convocation. It sets the tone for the next 4 years. It was nice to see the first years sing the alma mater for the first time arm in arm. Enjoy the ride. You’re paying for it and its worth every penny, er, dollar.</p>
<p>I think it is nice for those who can afford to fly up with their kids. Unfortunately I had to tell my mother no because of the cost(which she can not afford) and her strict job. Commencement 2017 is probably the only time she will be able to see the school.</p>
<p>Dartmouth does a great job of making a lot of student life available online for those not able to get to Hanover. Here is [Dartmouth</a> Convocation 2012](<a href=“http://now.dartmouth.edu/2012/09/incoming-students-welcomed-at-convocation-ceremony-marking-dartmouths-243rd-year/"]Dartmouth”>http://now.dartmouth.edu/2012/09/incoming-students-welcomed-at-convocation-ceremony-marking-dartmouths-243rd-year/) as an example. youtube can also be your friend. Events like Dartmouth Idol can be found, there. One of the initiatives that you can lead for the organizations with which you will be involved is to increase their online footprint, for which your Mom will be just one of the many beneficiaries. Please do go on a First Year Trip if at all possible. You will then have a family of tripees that can help you move in. Have a great Dartmouth experience notmeantforivy.</p>
<p>Yes Dartmouth on YouTube and Flickr are great resources to check in from afar. Also the Class of 1966 webcam can put your mom right there with you!</p>
<p>Thanks you guys, I will let her know.</p>
<p>I’m a '17 here. My parents offered to go with me but I felt there was not much for them to help me with since I usually take care of everything myself (including college apps, fa apps, etc.)</p>