How bad is East Wheelock really? Any other housing tips?

I’m a 21 who’s trying to start thinking about housing. I’m considering applying to East Wheelock. I’m pretty social but definitely will not be going to the frats three or four nights a week like I know some people do. How bad is the stereotype surrounding East Wheelock? How bad is the location? I would really like a nicer dorm and I’ve heard it’s a great community, but I don’t really want to be seen as a big nerd or be around big nerds all the time. Also, if you have other tips for how to get a nicer dorm, please share! Thanks!!

  1. How bad is East Wheelock's location?

Well, that depends on what you want to be close to and what you consider to be “bad”. East Wheelock is across the street from the athletic facilities, so it’s great for athletes. About a 5-10 min walk (10-15 in the winter) to almost all other points on campus (Baker-Berry, classrooms, food, Hop, etc.) and the center of town. It’s relatively far from Webster Ave. (frat row), but that doesn’t sound like it will be a problem for you. IMHO, the only dorms with a really bad location are the ones in the River cluster - they are far from everything. McLaughlin is not great either (except for access to STEM classes), but at least they’re new.

  1. I would like a nicer dorm.

By nicer, I am going to assume you meant newer. I believe the newest dorms open to freshmen are the McLaughlin cluster and the LLCs located within them. Like I mentioned, they’re relatively far from everything except STEM classes though. East Wheelock is next in terms of age. The River and Choate clusters are drab and not particularly nice. Wheeler/Richardson and the Fayers are the more old-school dorms.

  1. I don't really want to be seen as a big nerd or be around big nerds all the time.

Your dorm doesn’t define you. And I’m not sure what you mean by “big nerd”. Jay Fiedler, who went on to play in the NFL and was a Beta, got his degree in engineering. Kyle Hendricks (current Cubs pitcher) graduated with a degree in economics modified with math. Pretty nerdy. Everyone at Dartmouth is a nerd in some way or another, so you may be out of luck there.