<p>Warmest congratulations!</p>
<p>Congratulations to both of you</p>
<p>congrates to the kido</p>
<p>congrats to R-S and Cangel's D</p>
<p>RaspberrySmoothie & Cangel's D:
Congratulations to both of you! My older D just graduated from Dartmouth, and she says she had the best 4 years of her life there. You'll love it there (especially since it's likely to be <em>far</em> away from those pesky parents...)</p>
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<blockquote> <p>think she would have liked to go to 4 or 5 colleges if she could have, and IDad, there is a twinge of regret for Swarthmore because in her eyes it was unique - but she is headed for a great adventure. </p> </blockquote>
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<p>If her gut told her Dartmouth, then I think she picked the right school for her. Dartmouth and Swarthmore are very different culturally, with Dartmouth having much more in common with some of the southern schools she was looking at. I thought all along that Dartmouth might be the most comfortable fit. You really do ultimately have to go with the gut.</p>
<p>We have Dartmouth family. My daughter's aunt went to Dartmouth Med School and my daughter has a cousin who is a freshman at Dartmouth now. Both of them really love Dartmouth, one for the outdoorsy aspects, the other for the flourishing social life. So nothing but rave reviews in our family. </p>
<p>The only reason my daughter didn't consider Dartmouth was that it was just too darn close to home. It would be like your daughter looking at a college in Biloxi or Pensacola. It wouldn't matter how great the school may be...just too close to home.</p>
<p>I'm just glad that I was right: your daughter had nothing to worry about in the admissions game! Congratulations.</p>
<p>PS: Plan on getting outfitted for skis and taking skiing as one of the PE requirements! My daughter learned to ski when she was about five years old at a little family ski mountain a half hour south of Dartmouth.</p>
<p>I hadn't realized there was so much interest in Dartmouth. Congratulations! It's a wonderful school in a beautiful place. They are lucky to have you or your kids.</p>
<p>Cangal, I can see the posts coming on down jackets. My son hadn't lived in cold weather for 13 years so he was a little apprehensive. It turns out he LOVES winter. The kids have so much fun in the snow.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>I can see the posts coming on down jackets. </p> </blockquote>
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<p>I can tell that you haven't lived in the north for a while! Down jackets are "old-school". Nowadays, everything is high-tech outer shells with zip-in fleece insulation. They don't get wet like down and they are adjustable for cold weather or REALLY COLD weather. </p>
<p>Columbia, NorthFace, Marmot, etc.</p>
<p>From Daughter: I'd really... really.... really appreciate any cold weather gear advice I can get. The first thing people said when I told them that I was looking in the northeast was "It's really cold there, you know." It was 75 degrees today, easy. Granted, we are having a heat wave so to speak, but nevertheless I am gearing myself for quite a shock.</p>
<p>Kudos and congratulations to the both of you and the rest of the Dartmouth acceptees, along with all the other acceptees as well!</p>
<p>cangel:</p>
<p>When your D arrives in Dartmouth, it will still be warm; she can delay buying winter things until she has had a chance to talk to other students and see what they wear. A lot of it can be ordered online. But if you want an idea right now, your might look up the websites of Land's End, LL Bean, EMS (Eastern Mountain Sports) REI.</p>
<p>Yes. Having been a southerner shopping for yankee paraphenalia, I would definitely recommend waiting til she arrives in New Hampshire to get outfitted.</p>
<p>It's nearly impossible to shop for winter outdoorwear on the Internet because each manufacturer makes a thousand different models with features that mean nothing until you have it in your hand and look at the price tag.</p>
<p>For a general idea, go to the <a href="http://www.llbean.com%5B/url%5D">www.llbean.com</a> website. Under Outdoor Gear - Women, hunt around until you find the Wildcat 3-1 Parka/Jacket. Then, click on the Enlarge Photo and look at the Orange one. That photo shows the general idea very well: the water resistant outershell, the zip-in fleece layer, and the rain hood that rolls up into the collar when it's not needed. That's your basic winter "ski jacket" these days.</p>
<p>Fancier versions have "high-tech" GoreTex fabrics, and a list of technical "features" suitable for trekking to the South Pole. Simpler versions have a fleece lining that does not zip out, and so on a so forth. With the fleece lining, these jackets are downright hot. </p>
<p>This stuff is available everywhere in snow country -- TJ Maxx, Burlington Coat Factory, department stores, outdoor/ski outfitters.</p>
<p>We'll print out the jacket advice, the only thing I would want her to buy early would be shoes, she's a little hard to fit and doesn't like to order them, but I'm sure she will be able to get to a store somehow if she has to.
I smile at the skiing, maybe she will, her one foray into skiing ended in a trip to the ED and a knee brace for a week or two - maybe there are some things Southern girls just shouldn't do!</p>
<p>Interested Dad is right, the preferred insulation is no longer real down but light weight, fast drying polyfill. The new middle-tech range of jackets with snap in, zip out, velcro'ed extras are perfect for both day to day wear and snow sports. A million miles from the Michelin man look of my childhood.</p>
<p>We bought our son's winterwear in August when we were in New York. We did this because 1. I doubted his reliablity in this area and had visions of him picking his way through snowbanks in flipflops and shorts 2. Being a garmento, I understand retail cycles make it impossible to buy any seasonal clothing when you might need to use it and 3. It was fun and interesting. Actually it became less fun when we encountered major push back from our tropical son who was in major denial that he would ever need/use all this hot, strange and decidedly un-cool gear.</p>
<p>What worked best:
Jacket Northface, nylon with separate fleece inner lining
Snow Boots
Colorful scarves
Weird hats (like the Peruvian style worn by Ethan Hawke in Hamlet)
High tech gloves
Long underwear
Plenty of polyester fleece separates
Warm socks</p>
<p>Later in the year during a Manhattan visit son also bought a more trendy anorak at H&M. It cost about 1/3 of the Northface item and can't be worn at the north pole but it's fun and good to have an alternative.</p>
<p>As it turned out, we made the right choices and heavens be praised were even thanked mid-winter for our foresight and persistence. The kids really have fun in the snow, as long as they're dressed for it. Son hasn't worked up to skiing yet, but he's become an avid snowboarder, loves tobagganing and broomball, hated cross country skiing, was intrigued by ice skating, and is considering a long weekend winter backpacking trek in Maine. This from a kid who spent 10 year on the equator.</p>
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<p>doubted his reliablity in this area and had visions of him picking his way through snowbanks in flipflops and shorts 2. Being a garmento, I understand retail cycles make it impossible to buy any seasonal clothing when you might need to use it and 3. It was fun and interesting.<</p>
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<p>Momrath, that was more than a chuckle post, I got a snort of laughter. Glad to get confirmation from a professional that the retail clothing industry is truly operating on a different calendar (perhaps Australian?). You should see what they try to sell down here when it is 95, and you know it won't break 60 until Halloween! Thanks, when this thread scrolls to the 3rd page, I'mm going to save it.</p>
<p>Winter clothes will be going on sales soon as curisewear is now out and they are beginning to make way for the spring line. After the holidays, you should be able to get gloves, hats scarves, fleces on sale ususally this stuff willbe gin to be on sale at 65% off. Buy and pack, There are not a lot of stores or offerings in Hanover.</p>
<p>You can get really great deals on rei and sierra trading post websites.</p>
<p>I ahve to look through my junk for the list of stuff you will need for the doc trip and send it to you</p>
<p>My d. got the zip in fleece etc. set up, but oddly enough, for most everyday wear she seems to prefer her peacoat. But wait til Nanook comes.</p>
<p>Here, we are having "Pineapple Express"! (I have a friend who retired in the northeast from the Marianna Islands, and he still wears shorts and flipflops in mid winter.)</p>
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<blockquote> <p>the only thing I would want her to buy early would be shoes, she's a little hard to fit and doesn't like to order them, but I'm sure she will be able to get to a store somehow if she has to.</p> </blockquote>
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<p>The winter boots to end all winter boots are "Sorels" from Canada. That's what real New Englanders wear. Even with a business suit! Ideal for slush, mud, snow.....</p>
<p>Unfortunately, Sorels are very heavy and clunky and aren't great for walking long distances and college is all about walking. So, probably the way to go would be a pair of the new-fangled waterproof hiking boots. You daughter will have no trouble finding these at school. Lebanon's a decent sized town and I think is a big collection of outlet stores just across the river in Vermont that Dartmouth students make trips to for getting outfitted. The weather really doesn't get bad until Thanksgiving.</p>
<p>It is funny, though. Every day since October in Philadelphia, my daughter's San Diego roomate has said it is a new "coldest day of my life!"</p>
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<blockquote> <p>maybe there are some things Southern girls just shouldn't do!</p> </blockquote>
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<p>When I was a young southern male, I couldn't think of any!</p>
<p>Seriously though....she'll go stark raving mad without skiing. It really is the ticket to winter in college.</p>