I think the only negative thing about Dartmouth for my junior (about to be senior-yea!) daughter is the weather. We are from the deep south. We like it hot and humid, and I think she is nervous about the extreme cold. I have to think if you have the right gear, it must be bearable. She needs to exercise – play tennis. There has to be lots of indoor activities.
@luckymama64 My Florida child just spent her first winter at Dartmouth and loved it. She too wondered how she would fare but beyond a momentarily thought at first, it never crossed her mind again. Dartmouth was everything she had wanted, snow and cold were not going to keep her from it. She took a PE class in Nordic skiing during Winter Term. It was definitely a new experience!
Your daughter will find that there are plenty of opportunities for exercising both indoors and out. The Dartmouth Outing Club offers year round activities and the range is extremely broad that she would certainly find something to pique her interest.
My 13 California girl did just fine. And: http://www.dartmouthsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=11600&ATCLID=644518
My Hawaii kids learned how to ski and snowboard. They like warm climates better, but enjoyed the different experience.
You can easily get by doing only two winters in Hanover. Take one winter as an off term and do an internship somewhere warm. The other winter you can study abroad (e.g., West Indies, Ghana, South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Cuba).
I have to echo what the rest have said here. My Californian son enjoyed the winter there much more than he had expected, and made the most of it by finally learning to snowboard. In fact, he has now opted to be there next winter when he could have taken that quarter as an off term to compensate for Sophomore Summer! But you are right, it’s all about the gear, so invest in what they will need to be comfortable.
There’s a funny thread on the parents forum about how people react to colleges that are “hilly”. The consensus it was the parents’ concerns and less so the kids. OP, your kid is very adaptable. More than she thinks she is. I’d encourage her to buck up. Listen to her concerns . But don’t feed into them.