<p>Just checked my records. First bill was posted on D_Pay 8/14/09 and was due early September. You should be seeing the billing information any day now.</p>
<p>@ATS- I pulled the trigger on this post 8 hours to soon. Just received the statement via email. UGH! felt like a punch in the gut!</p>
<p>I can sympathize. Even when you know it’s coming, it’s a lot of money. It’s worth it. Trust me.</p>
<p>Yes got mine earlier today right after posting. Two quarters to go!</p>
<p>That tuition bill is the only thing about Dartmouth that I will miss, lol. I echo AboutTheSame, though, it is so worth it.</p>
<p>Computer question:
We have decided on the MacBook Pro Basic computer, but I am curious which, if any, warranties to purchase? One is an Apple warranty and one is a Safeware warranty… are we supposed to purchase both of them or does the Safeware supersede the Apple one?</p>
<p>Things to see/do:
I can’t believe how quickly the days are flying by and soon our boy will be gone. I am so excited for him! Hubby and I will fly out and meet him once he returns from his DOC trip to help him get settled. We will be on hand for Orientation and the Convocation (thanks to a recommendation from Magnum PI) and then we are going to have a few days to travel on our own. What can you recommend that we see/do? </p>
<p>Thanks to each of you for posting both your questions and your wisdom. This is such great information! </p>
<p>Shanna</p>
<p>Computer, yes pretty much the current generation of college kids are Apple loyalists. We use Squaretrade for warranties, haven’t filed a claim yet, but they get great reviews: [Extended</a> Warranty Insurance - Extended Warranties - Protection Plans ? Electronic Insurance](<a href=“http://www.squaretrade.com/]Extended”>http://www.squaretrade.com/)</p>
<p>We took a sidetrip to the White Mountains, Kennebunkport Maine, Portsmouth, NH, and had a GREAT time. We saw a huge moose, hiked up Franconia Notch, and along some covered bridges, ate lobster rolls, watched George Bush get in his motor launch to go out to lunch, visited Strawberry Banke living museum in Portsmouth, so different than the west coast. Be prepared to be jealous of your son’s new adventure and look forward to your next 4 years of visiting.</p>
<p>Hard to recommend trips without knowing where you’ve been before. Everything Magnum mentioned is worth doing, but be prepared to spend some time on the road since traveling east from Hanover means going north and south to traverse the geography. If you haven’t spent time in Boston or Cape Cod before, I’d recommend those as well. I almost feel about Boston the way Samuel Johnson felt about London (and I feel the same way about London), and Cape Cod (for all the tourist drawbacks) is just plain beautiful and fun in spite of itself. Really depends what you want to do. Boston has history and great food. Cape Cod has wonderful beaches. Kennebunkport has great beaches too (but the locals sometimes make you feel like you’re intruding). Portland is a neat small city. You really can’t go wrong.</p>
<p>Oops, on my above post, I meant the only thing about Dartmouth I won’t miss.</p>
<p>@dumbo- Its all good. I figured you could not miss paying tuition that much :)</p>
<p>I can also recommend taking a 3-day trip up to Bar Harbor Maine and Acadia National Park. We did that on one of our trips to Dartmouth. It was wonderful. Fresh lobster everywhere you go. Portland is a nice stop along the way that has great restaurants. And also stop and look at LL Bean headquarters in Freeport, Maine. They don’t have merely a really big store there; they have an entire campus of stores, with tons of pretty much every sort of outdoor toys and clothing you can imagine.</p>
<p>I second coureur’s suggestions. I am also a huge fan of Strawbery Banke, and if you are a history buff it is not to be missed.</p>
<p>I will third coureur – except for Freeport. Stopped there once; never again.</p>
<p>Another great trip is 3 hours to Montreal and another hour to Quebec City.</p>
<p>BTW, if you go to Acadia, make SURE to hike, not just drive around. And have tea and popovers on the tea lawn at the Jordan Pond House as your reward.</p>
<p>Hi All, I wanted a little advice from current D parents. (Magnum PI?) Just dropped my son off prior to his trip and we were able to quickly move him into his dorm first (they gave him the key since his trip was late in the summer). We had fun arranging his room with him, and a nice weekend beforehand in Hanover. It was very quiet in his dorm, there were no other people in his trip section on his floor, so he walked over to his DOC sign in by himself from the dorm (he wanted that independence to sign up without mom dad and little sis crying in front of his future tripee friends!). We are an 11 hour drive away and he said he thinks it’s silly for us to come back for convocation and a few hours of parent orientation. Of course my husband and I would be happy to do it, but our son seems to want his independence and suggests that we wait and come for family weekend, which is more important to him, instead of being in Hanover twice in a 10 day period. It’s a big time of letting go (I’ve had my tears since saying goodbye!). So, my question, how important is convocation/parents orientation? Worth a 22 hour drive?</p>
<p>Letting go is the hardest, especially since when the family is tight. But first years do need establish their independence especially in front of all their new found friends. It is his time now. For us, after some quick hugs, we walked away, but waved goodbye again when he was at his window. Sad, but exciting, I still have the picture. But I can assure you, it only gets better. We did not stay for convocation even though we were there for orientation, but I wish we did. We attended convocation for the following first years and it was very inspiring. I don’t know about making a separate 11 or 22 hour drive unless you are wacko helicopter parents like us :<) (we have an 11 hour flight to NYC and 5 hour drive). But it is a short orientation and convocation, and he will be sitting with his new friends. We hardly saw our son for both orientation and first year family weekend because of his desire to spend time with his friends. So you decide. They may put it on the college YouTube channel. Check with the media department or student affairs. In that case, probably not worth a separate trip especially if he wants his independence. I’ve learned to back off when I sense he doesn’t want me around. I’m not looking forward to graduation, as the college years have been so much fun to observe from afar.</p>
<p>We would see D for a quick breakfast (taking her across the river to KA was highly approved of) and dinner, but not much during the day – even the weekend we made a special trip because she really, really wanted us to come. Convocation will be on the YouTube channel, according to the event page (see third paragraph): [Inauguration</a> & Convocation Ceremony and Schedule | Dartmouth College](<a href=“http://dartmouth.edu/inauguration/inauguration-convocation-ceremony-and-schedule]Inauguration”>http://dartmouth.edu/inauguration/inauguration-convocation-ceremony-and-schedule)</p>
<p>Thanks AboutTheSame, no need to fly/drive, we can all watch it together live on YouTube.</p>
<p>I will be near campus Saturday evening after a long red eye to JFK then to Bos then the drive up to Hanover putting me at my hotel at about 5:30 pm. Would someone be so kind and recommend somewhere to dine in Lebanon fairly quickly before I hit the bed?</p>