<p>Is Dartmouth really in the middle of nowhere? My mom said it was in the middle of a cow pasture...literally. I really want to go to Dartmouth, so I'm hoping this isn't completely true!</p>
<p>I visited this weekend. It really is very isolated. The main street of Hanover is right next to the college. It’s lively but very small. Personally, I didn’t like the location and felt it would be a little stifling over four years.</p>
<p>Cow Pasture? No, Dartmouth is not sitting on a cow pasture. Isolated? Somewhat, but the campus is tied to Hanover and it’s bigger than it appears(don’t judge its size based on the small tour given on visits. Also, Dartmouth Outing Clubs do a good job of getting students to take trips to their nearby recreational spots including their ski mountain and these opportunities help make the experience there seem bigger.</p>
<p>Make no mistake, Dartmouth is rural but it’s one of the most “lively,” rural experiences a top tier school can give. If you’re looking to have some access to something more urban, look elsewhere.</p>
<p>Your mother is misinformed.</p>
<p>Dartmouth is located in a lovely small New England town with a movie theater and an array of shops and restaurants. It is surrounded by beautiful, hilly scenery and bordered by a major river. If you must have it, there is big box type shopping within a few miles. You can, if you wish, take the Dartmouth Coach to Boston. It takes the same amount of time it used to take me to commute into Manhattan from my home in CT. </p>
<p>The D-plan makes it possible to spend terms in cities both abroad and at home. My S has spent terms in both a European capital and Washington, DC.</p>
<p>Frankly, you will probably have most of your adult life to spend living and working in office buildings, strip malls, and cities. Many of us look back and appreciate the brief time spent in an idyllic college campus environment.</p>
<p>I suggest you make up your own mind.</p>
<p>It’s not a cow pasture, but it is in the middle of nowhere.</p>
<p>Yes, there may be some nice shops, a movie theater, nearby recreational spaces, ways to get off campus, but at the end of the day, a spade’s a spade.</p>
<p>First time my D visited, she said “no way i’m going there out in the boonies.” She was there for a summer as a rising senior in HS. Said, “no way i’m going there out in the boonies.” Come time to visit other schools, she hated Yale and thought that Harvard and Penn were just part of big cities. Post-admit visit to Harvard just confirmed that feeling. My opinion? Dartmouth/Hanover is one of the most beautiful places on the face of the earth. Her opinion? She can’t imagine having gone anywhere else. Yes, it’s a pain in the butt to add on a three-hour coach ride at each end of every trip home (to California for us/her), but you also have the benefit of living in a place where people actually look out for each other and respect each others’ property. Leave your door unlocked in Cambridge? Don’t think so. Lose your wallet around Penn and have the person who finds it blitz you to arrange its return? I kind of doubt it, but maybe. What DowneasterDad said: if you really want an urban school, look elsewhere. What Consolation said: There’s a lot to be found in and around Hanover.</p>
<p>Define ‘nowhere.’</p>
<p>middle of New Hampshire? I’m in the middle of nowhere.</p>
<p>LOL</p>
<p>All of this “middle of nowhere” stuff drives me crazy. I’ve seen people claiming that Bowdoin is “in the middle of nowhere,” for example. Bowdoin is in a very nice town, with restaurants, shops, and one of my favorite indie movie theaters. Your typical multiplex and big box stores are on the outskirts of the town if that is what “somewhere” means to you. (Bowdoin is also near the ocean, not far from skiing, and half an hour from Portland, with its lively music, art, and foodie scenes.)</p>
<p>The irony to me is that most people claiming that these schools are “in the middle of nowhere” probably live in subdivisions outside “cities” with virtually no cultural activity where the big deal is a mall. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>What’s a mall? </p>
<p>Seriously, the kid that will be the happiest at Dartmouth will be the kid that want to spend 4 of the best years of their life in a small college town where the college is the focal point of life. That is so special. Most of us, live (or used to live) in urban or suburban areas because that is where the jobs are after graduation. Enjoy life in a town like Hanover while you can. If you can appreciate that, you should attend college in a rural environment. If not, stay urban, or as my buddy Consolation says, stay suburban.</p>
<p>I completely agree, Magnum.</p>
<p>No, Dartmouth is not in the middle of nowhere. Middle of nowhere suggests away from all civilization; just the college and its students. That is far from the case. The better question is: Is Hanover geographically secluded/sequestered? The answer to that would be yes. That said, you must remember a few things. Firstly, there are over 4,000 undergraduates on campus and nearly 2,000 graduate students. Dartmouth (and every other elite institution) strives to build a student body of intellectual, passionate, and caring people who all want to be at Dartmouth, so being surrounded by roughly 6,000 people who really love what they learn and love Dartmouth will make a small town feel not-so-small. It is a college after all, and there will frankly never be a time for you to say or feel bored and isolated. If the need arises, you can even commute down to Boston for the weekend with some friends. </p>
<p>Daniel Webster, former Congressman, said this in his defense of Dartmouth during the famous SCOTUS case Dartmouth College Vs. Woodward, “It is, Sir, as I have said, a small College, And yet, there are those who love it.” The point is that its isolation nurtures a community that no other Ivy League school has. D alum all have an intrinsic connection like no other, and if anything, that is evident in how successful they all are. People come to Dartmouth because they want to be away from the loud suburban sprawls they likely grew up and will live in the future. As someone said earlier, Hanover is remembered in the minds of alum as four idyllic years like no other, in a town like no other. </p>
<p>And the fact that you didn’t even know about the location of Dartmouth, what I would imagine to be the initial selling point for most prospective applicants, leads me to believe that you really want to go to Dartmouth for the name recognition alone. Because come on, how hard is it to Google “Dartmouth” and look at its location for yourself.</p>
<p>It does have a summer camp feel</p>
<p>I remember when I went to Bound. I fell asleep on the bus but the long ride was nothing but trees around the road. It’s pretty secluded, much too much for me.</p>
<p>When thinking of how isolated Dartmouth is, I would advise that you break it down into two categories. </p>
<p>First, “night life”. Hanover has grown quite a bit in the last 20 years and now has enough restaurants to at least give you some reasonable dining options, but what Hanover lacks is a nightlife scene that can compete with the fraternity parties. There are a few bars in Hanover, but nothing that would resemble a “club” in the city. If that is the kind of scene you are looking for then Dartmouth might not be the place for you. </p>
<p>Second, daytime activities. The Hanover area itself offers almost nothing in the way of museums, libraries, sports or cultural activities other than the Dartmouth facilities. However, there are outdoor recreation opportunities all over the place. There are abundant hiking and biking trails, great access to ski areas and the Dartmouth Outing Club does a good job of putting together outdoor activities to keep you busy. Hanover Country Club has great student rates for golf. The gym has racquetball and squash courts and there are a lot of tennis courts as well. In general, the Dartmouth student body is very physically active. It is very easy to find a pickup game of football on the green or other activities to keep you engaged. </p>
<p>Boston is about 2 hours away, I went to at least one Red Sox game each spring and fall. Montreal is about 3.5 hours away. Used to go up there to catch an Expo game (they are now gone) and enjoy the 18 year old drinking age in Canada.</p>
<p>Personally, I found that most people end up loving Hanover as a college town and there are a lot of alums who end up moving back to the Hanover area. There is plenty of time after college to move to a city and enjoy that kind of life.</p>