<p>What is the situation with bringing up cars for freshmen? What about mini fridges, microwaves, tvs, and other things of the sort?</p>
<ol>
<li>You really don't need a car and for some it is more of a hassle than needed.</li>
<li>A mini fridge is good and you can get one at Walmart or Best Buy</li>
<li>You don't need a micro, as most dorms have kitchens near with micros, etc. I think they are prohibited in rooms anyway.</li>
<li>Many students use their computers for TV with a simple installation and configuation required-- you might want to get a bigger stand alone monitor-- my son got a 27" Samsung monitor for this purpose.</li>
<li>You can get pretty much anything you want in West Lebannon, which is nearby</li>
<li>Bring your skis and snowboards up after Thanksgiving break, but you don't even have to bring yours since there are plenty available for rent or use.</li>
<li>Bring layers of clothing for cold days and it is nice to be ready for a rainy day-- interestingly, there are more sunny days than grey days in the Winter though, but it does get cold and if you are not from the northeast you will get the layering thing down. Dartmouth does not get that depressing run of grey days that you see around lake effect regions.</li>
<li>The feedback is that Dartmouth food is great and there are many options.</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>Bring a cardigan. I was really impressed by all the kids walking around in cardigans :P</li>
<li>Bring a ball point pen.</li>
</ol>
<p>I think that you should wait until you get your housing roommate assignment before you may end up purchasing things that you may not need or have room for.</p>
<p>Scarves, 5 ply sweaters, face masks.....oh, you mean fun stuff!</p>
<p>DS definitely wanted a car. Freshmen can not get parking permits Fall term but some can by winter. You can also rent parking. It's not that freshmen are not allowed cars, just that they have low priority for parking.</p>
<p>Microwaves are not allowed but are in the common rooms. Most seem to have small fridges. Futons also seem popular.</p>
<p>S and room mate bought a used minifridge at the sale on move-in day for $25, IIRC. Apparently it works fine. Since they have a little living room, we also brought a futon couch, assembled from used components/Craig's List and a new cover and pillows. (You can rent one for $80 per term if you don't happen to own any major components or live at a distance.) I gave him an electric kettle and a set of over-sized china cups, which are handy for making hot drinks or ramen kinds of things in your room. It has a safety feature that shuts it off if the water gets low. (I almost killed myself with an early and rudimentary hot pot thing in college. Luckily I semi-awoke before expiring from the fumes of melting plastic and threw the windows open.) Microwaves are not allowed in rooms, and there is one in the dorm kitchen.</p>
<p>Other than that, not a bad idea for someone to bring an old phone to plug into the free phone jack in the room.</p>
<p>No one S knows seems to have a car.</p>
<p>My son brought up a bike when he was a freshman and found it quite useful because he was in the River dorms and a bit far from some things. He and his roommate rented a futon and a coffee table. My son also brought along a printer and his roommate brought a refrigerator which they shared.</p>
<p>I was observing the area and seen no mall, very surprise.</p>
<p>There isn't a mall, but there are several shopping centers in Lebanon and West Lebanon</p>
<p>Great Thread...More Questions....</p>
<p>Sheets - Are mattresses in all dorms extra long or do you need to wait to see your room?
Are mattress foam pads recommended?</p>
<p>Laptop - Does the college specify a certain type or do you just get what you want?
Are all dorms/campus areas wireless or do you need a cable for room?
Thanks!</p>
<p>From what I've heard, all mattresses are twin XL. I've seen a full or two in affinity houses, but that's definitely not the norm -- plus, I'm pretty sure you can't stay in them as a freshman.</p>
<p>Dartmouth has wireless all over campus. I believe there's Ethernet?</p>
<p>One thing I saw (and they're obviously not used on days like today.. Hanover must have gotten 6+ inches of snow) was that a lot of people have bikes. It's nowhere near standard, but I visited in October and saw bike racks and people cycling.</p>
<p>Bring an open mind, a strong work ethic, some curiosity, and a sense of adventure. Walmart doesn't carry these, so you may have to go to a specialty shop. :-)</p>
<p>Bring pregnancy inhibitors! LOL, jk...maybe...:/</p>
<p>I forgot to mention that during the few minutes I had to investigate the common areas of the dorm, I noted that there were vacuum cleaners for everyone's use. </p>
<p>Not that S would ever think of using one or bringing such a thing, but I recall a "what to bring" list compiled by a girl that included such items, plus more cleaning equipment and laundry aids than I think I had in my first couple of apartments! ;)</p>
<p>And yes, the beds are X-long twin and S has a mattress topper, thanks to mom.</p>
<p>Rain boots are absolutely essential for the April rainy days and when the snow turns into slush in the winter. </p>
<p>Don't bring too many clothes - that's one thing most people I know regret bringing.</p>
<p>I agree with not bringing too many clothes-some rooms have very sparse storage and drawer space.</p>
<p>how about irons? i know we’re not allowed to bring any items with a heating element to our rooms, but when i looked here: ['SHMEN</a> GUIDE](<a href=“http://www.dartmouth.edu/~shmen/whattobring.html]'SHMEN”>http://www.dartmouth.edu/~shmen/whattobring.html)
it listed an iron and a small ironing board as things to bring.</p>
<p>Holy thread revival batman! But as far as iron, go for it if you iron much. The heating element ban is not really strictly enforced at all…</p>