<p>I'm looking at Rice and Dartmouth, each with its own + and - sides. One - side of Dartmouth is the coldness; Rice has a much warmer climate.</p>
<p>Aside from that, I like pretty much everything I hear about Dartmouth. I'm also planning bio major, and I heard the biology department is really strong. But how do the students cope with the cold climate? Is half the school year covered in snow?</p>
<p>This may seem like a superficial reason to choose a school, but I have health issues.</p>
<p>One more thing, how far is the nearest airport?</p>
<p>I was in the same predicament a year ago. I was set on going to Rice until i visited Dartmouth. If you have the chance attend Owl Weekend at Rice (I believe that is what it is called) and Dimensions at Dartmouth. Both programs are a lot of fun and worth the trip. </p>
<p>I absolutely hate the cold. I chose to come to Dartmouth in-spite of the weather because I felt it offers more international opportunities. </p>
<p>The last winter was not that bad. As long as you have a warm jacket, gloves, hat, and scarf you will be fine. My dorm is far from the dinning locations, so we ordered in a bit more than usual. The snow is not a problem. They do a good job of keeping the sidewalks and streets clear. And if they are not clear, they are salted and sanded. If you really can not stand the winter, you will be able to plan your D-plan so that you are not on campus sophomore winter and junior winter. You may also be able to spend senior winter away. Remember that Dartmouth may have snow and cold, but Rice has hurricanes...</p>
<p>The nearest airport is in West Lebanon. Most people fly into either Boston or Manchester. Both airports have buses that come to campus. It is almost painless to get here. Let me know if you have anymore questions.</p>
<p>thanks for your post! but tell me why you thought Dartmouth had more "international opportunities" than Rice. also, do you think the social scene will be open to a non-drinking, not-too-much-into-parties (tho they can be fun), liberal, middle-class asian? i try not to believe in stereotypes, but i can't help visualizing Dartmouth as full of "preppy" white conservative people.</p>
<p>Well, Dartmouth has the D-plan. The D-Plan allows you to take around two terms off campus. Both of those terms can be in a different country. For example sophomore year, you can take a Language Study Abroad program in Spain, France, China, Mexico, Germany, Morocco, Russia, etc. Junior year you can take a term off and get an internship where ever you want. Or you can Tucker Fellowship which gives you money to participate in community service in a country of your choice. Basically if you want to go somewhere you can. </p>
<p>The social scene is what you make of it. I have to admit, there are a lot of "preppy" white people. But, they are not all conservative, in fact most of them are not. Drinking is a big part of the social scene, but if you don't drink you will be fine. It is acceptable not to drink. A large amount of people, including myself and my friends, do not drink. We go out and have fun with out drinking. The frats often host dance parties, which are more fun when you are NOT drunk, because you can watch the people who are drunk. </p>
<p>like joydania said, the weather's really not too bad ... yes it will be a bit cold, but seriously, dress appropriately and you'll be fine.</p>
<p>You can easily fit in and have a ton of fun without drinking or even partying that much - there is soo much to do all over campus, plus you'll have friends from your DOC trip (you should go on one) and your dorm ... you can always find things to do with friends...</p>
<p>Your stereotype of dartmouth is pretty antiquated, especially compared to other elite schools ... while yes, there is a preppy faction, i'd say a majority of students aren't preppy ... Dmouth draws more the crowd of people who are a bit more outdoors-oriented and down-to-earth - ie, it caters more towards the non-preppy crowd.</p>
<p>As far as political trends go, the campus is decidedly liberal, not conservative ... however, there is a strong conservative voice on campus that allows for somewhat-interesting polical discourse - i would say this is a strength of Dartmouth's.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>What's a DOC trip?</p></li>
<li><p>if you choose to do the D-plan outside US, do you have to pay for your transportation/room/board/etc?</p></li>
<li><p>how do you get the Tucker Fellowship? (is this only for people in the business school?)</p></li>
</ol>
<p>DOC trips are trips incoming freshmen take in the wilderness before orientation to get in the Dartmouth spirit, meet classmates, enjoy the beautiful scenery of New England and gain insight on Dartmouth from upperclassmen.</p>
<p>The D-plan allows you to study up to 3 (though that can be hard) terms away from dartmouth (for D credit)... look at the off-campus programs office page for more details:</p>
<p>generally, all finaid transfers ... so you have to pay for transportation extra ... other than that, the term abroad (or wherever) should not be any more a financial burden than a term in Hanover.</p>
<p>The Tucker Foundation is a service foundation on campus, completely different from the Tuck school of Business. For more info, peruse</p>