<p>I have a lot of questions.. maybe you'd like to help?</p>
<p>How is the bus that goes from Hanover to West Leb? If I end up going to Dartmouth, I might want to do some shopping outside of Hanover.. is it easier just to order online?</p>
<p>I hear that singles are hard to get unless you apply to E. Wheelock.. which I probably won't. I don't mind living with other people, but I would like to have my own room. How many suites are there, and are they available to freshmen?</p>
<p>Are the winters really that bad? I mean, I live in Maine.. and although I hear a lot about a "good ol' Maine wintah", I don't think it's that bad. However, considering Hanover is pretty much in the mountains.. I was just curious if it gets more blizzards than the average New England town.</p>
<p>How cheap/expensive are the Co-Op and Topside? I'm a sucker for cheap places, but I hear that they are a bit on the expensive side.</p>
<p>How do you like the food? Is there enough variety for you? </p>
<p>And, finally: does anyone know about the Mathematical Social Science major? What's that about? It seems so interesting!</p>
<p>I'll help as much as I'm able. I've been here just over a week.</p>
<p>Advance Transit goes to West Leb. Never been on it, haven't needed to. What kind of stuff do you think you'll need? You can get stuff at CVS and Topside.</p>
<p>Singles honestly shouldn't be hard to get. Most freshmen I talked who wanted singles got singles. A quick run-through of freshman dorms: Russell Sage has pretty crappy rooms, but it's pretty much the center of everything. Fahey-McLane has amazing rooms and it's at the center of everything as well. Choates are nice, with plenty of singles, but it's a tad far away, which has its ups and downs. River sucks. And I haven't met too many people from McLaughlin or been down there. East Wheelock has the best dorms and a tight knit community, but the people there might not be as party-friendly as in other dorms.</p>
<p>If you live in Maine, I don't think Hanover winters are going to be worse. The general opinion comes from the fact that many students here aren't from New England.</p>
<p>I don't go to the Co-op except for Dartmouth branded goods. Topside is mad expensive but you have to spend $200 there a term if I'm not mistaken.</p>
<p>Food is meh. I expected better, honestly, but relatively, it's probably among the best. Foco is pretty disgusting but there's a lot of food there. Home Plate has a nice grill. I had amazing pasta at Collis during Dimensions, but so far I'm not too impressed with it. Courtyard Cafe is pretty nice. Just my general impressions so far.</p>
<p>I guess I differ with sneamia a little bit on some things.
The campus itself isn't that big so unless you're in the River, the dorms are pretty close to the academic buildings. The River seems to be separated from the rest of the dorms, which has its pros and cons. McLaughlin cluster consists of two buildings, each with 3 joined dorms. The dorms are incredibly nice; elevators, 2 living room/kitchens, and plenty of private showers and bathrooms on every floor. Fahey-McLane/Russell Sage/Butterfield are right next to the gov buildings and close to frat row. Their location makes them "prime real estate" for those who don't want to walk much. Russell Sage may be aged, but it has its charms. The Choates aren't so far away from Russell Sage but aren't as nice as some of the other dorms. They seem to have more people in singles than in other clusters but everyone seems to bond very well. East Wheelock is very much separated from the previously mentioned clusters (as is the River) and seems to house much more international students than others. It does seem to house "quieter" people in comparison to the other dorms but they have their fair share of partiers as well. </p>
<p>I'll say it: I'm absolutely dreading the winter. People who've lived around here say it's not soul-sucking terrible (as I've read in some previous descriptions), but it does get pretty cold. </p>
<p>The food is fine. I mean many of us eat branded foods. Eating Cheerios in Texas won't be any different from eating Cheerios in Hanover. Prepared foods are fine, delicious, for the most part. While I do love food, it's all relative to me and Foco is good. There are many, many people who choose to eat there, the menu offers a variety of foods, and there are other places to eat as well.</p>
<p>I searched through old cc threads last year to get similar types of info so you could look into that as well.</p>
<p>Dartmouth's Campus is so small that nothing really is longer then a 5 minute walk (unless the river)</p>
<p>Its easy to get singles as a freshman. I know tons of people who got singles and wanted doubles.</p>
<p>Choates are old. You dont have to apply to wheelock for nice dorms. Russel Sage and McLaughlin are very impressive. Those three dorms are pretty centralized and close to the Library and buildings like Moore (bio classes) and Carson (History)</p>
<p>topside is expensive, your plan covers it though</p>
<p>what kinds of rooms are in the McLaughlin and the Fahey-McLane clusters? I'm looking for either a single, a suite, or a 2-room double. </p>
<p>As for shopping, I don't live in a big city or anything (~30,000 people), but I'm used to going to like, Target/Walmart, etc. Is it just easier to order online? I can't drive, so I'd have to get to West Leb by bus/bike. </p>
<p>Is the campus really that small? I wouldn't mind it, but it looks larger in the picture books ;)</p>
<p>Food-wise... I am not that picky. I just wanted to know if I can get a decent meal.. which it sounds like I can. </p>
<p>I noticed that there's a Topside DBA.. but why would you go there if you have a CVS...? Besides from the fact that it's in your plan.. haha</p>
<p>The Co-Op sounds pretty useless unless you want, say, a Dartmouth sweatshirt.. ?</p>
<p>oh, and one more thing: is it easy to rent things from the DOC?</p>
<p>the more i hear about Dartmouth, the more I want to go there! :)</p>
<p>S has a 3-room double in the River. He and room mate each have their own bedroom, and they have a little living room in the middle. Unlike arrangements we saw at Williams and Amherst, for example, both of which have nice dorms, you don't have to walk through one bedroom to get to the other. I think the combination of togetherness and privacy this affords is great. The dorm also has a nice living room with a piano and a TV and a kitchen, separate male/female bathrooms on each floor, stuff like vacuum cleaners for common use (I noticed this, I doubt that S has ! :) ). Certainly the room situation compares favorably to most other colleges we visited. The River is a little farther away from the center of campus than most dorms, but it's certainly not long hike! Just a matter of a few minutes. He says the food is good.</p>
<p>The campus is really gorgeous. Winter in Northern New England is a great season. The snow tends to stay pristine and beautiful, it's not horribly slushy, and it's less prone to severe cold snaps than Minnesota/Wisconsin and less likely to have frigid winds howling off the ocean/lake than Boston or Chicago. There are lots of fun things to do outdoors, from the purely fun (sledding, tubing, et al) to the skilled (downhill and cross country skiing, skating, et al). I love winter, and I don't understand why people are so afraid of it. :)</p>
<p>One thing son did not like is that unlike at many schools, Dartmouth does not want to hear what your dorm preference is. Son went about getting what he wanted by looking at what types of rooms they had the most of in each cluster and requesting number of roommates accordingly. He did not want the Rivers or Choates. While his little strategy did not end up in the exact dorm he wanted, he's happy as can be in McLaughlin which mostly houses freshmen in 2 room doubles. Some choose to use them as 2 singles as he and roommate are doing and others share a bedroom and living room. They are amazingly nice with bathrooms shared by only 2 rooms, lounges, kitchens on each floor and a new and fresh feel.</p>
<p>Son complains about the food and long lines to get it. He's a big salad eater and says his small high school had a better salad bar. Next term he plans to buy a smaller meal plan and use the extra money to eat at restaurants more. Though that may not work for kids on financial aid the meal plan is expensive and we're happy to let him use the food money however he likes. </p>
<p>Unless you live on the coast in Maine winter's will be no worse.</p>
<p>Without a car online shopping will probably be your best bet. If your parent's bring you to school they could help you stock up on what you'll need. We did several car loads of food and dorm stuff when we dropped son off. </p>
<p>What's most notable when you visit is how much everyone there seems to genuinely love the place!</p>
<p>My son told me that there is a free Dartmouth shuttle bus to Lebanon - I think it goes between the Dartmouth campus and the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon but it will make stops along the way. It is probably a 10-minute ride.</p>