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<p>Absolutely!! my d lived in east wheelock freshman year which has a reputation for being anitsocial and a bit cut off from every one else. However, she was on a very social floor, they all got along very well with one another and are still friends with a lot of them even after graduation. She too ended up in a sorority with one of her suitemates and girls across the hall. However, on the floor above them, most of the people did not even speak to one another.</p>
<p>My S lived in another one of the River dorms freshman year. His experience, including the fraternity, was identical to that of VeryHappyâs S. This year he is across the drive in an apartment. (He was placed there after spending fall term abroad.) He likes that too. A major virtue of both has been that he has his own bedroom. Even freshman year, he was in a 2-person suite where they had two little bedrooms and a little common room. There is much to be said for having a private place where one can go and close the door.</p>
<p>Too bad he is missing Dimensions. I am sure it would also be great to explore the campus with the other '14 parents. I have not heard anything negative about the dorms yet. Guess we will have to see what September brings. Thanks</p>
<p>Magnum PI, since you live in Hawaii, Iâm curious why your son will be attending Dartmouth. Not that I think itâs a mistake â I think anyone who can should attend Dartmouth!! But itâs so far, and the weather is so different!! What is it about the school that heâs excited about and that, for example, he likes better than some West Coast schools?</p>
<p>There is also a small North Face in Hanover, but coming from San Diego, we had to shop at our local REI and in Los Angeles for our Sâs winter wardrobe, since he basically wore shorts, tee shirts and sandals. He was a freshman last year and lived in Judge in a two man two bedroom dorm. The guys shared the small room bunking the beds and used the larger room for desks and computers which worked out well for them. This year, he ended up in Lord. He and his freshman year room mate are now fraternity brothers and remain good friends.</p>
<p>As for bike shops, he got his at Omer and Bobâs 603-643-3525 in Hanover which is next door to EBAâs pizza.</p>
<p>Hey, dartmouthdad, our guys were freshmen in the same dormâalthough not roommates!</p>
<p>During their growing years we traveled all over the US, and sometimes abroad. My wife and I were educated in Hawaii and back East and felt that the time spent back East was a priceless experience. An opportunity to experience life at full throttle so to speak. Here, we literally coast through the year, 12 months of sunshine and 80 degree days. Both of our children wanted to go East, and our college road trips included all the Ivies, 7 sisters, Williams, Amherst, Swat, etc. Now, several of their classmates this year are taking the big step from a small town public high school to schools such as Dartmouth, Wellesley, Vassar, Cornell, UPenn, hopefully to learn with the best, and of course spread the alohaâŠ</p>
<p>Although, my kids were not ready to experience the big cities for their educational environment, so they did not apply to schools like Columbia, UPenn, etc. Dartmouth fit the bill nicely. We couldnât be happier. It was a tough choice between Williams thoughâŠ</p>
<p>Hi Consolation. My son was on the third floor of Judge. I think it was #319. Where is your S living this year?</p>
<p>He was on an FSP for fall term, and was placed in one of the apartments in the dorm right across the drive from Judge when he returnedâŠMaxwell? I know where it is but I forget the name! :)</p>
<p>Next year he apparently has one of the 15 best lottery numbers in the class, so he will be able to select a room close to the Hop and so forth. Should be quite a change! I hope he takes up some form of exercise to replace all that walking. :)</p>
<p>Mine is living in a house off campus with three of his BG fraternity brothers this term, but will live in the BG house next year. In describing the walk from Judge last year, he joked that he was living in Vermont but going to school in New Hampshire. The dorms that have been remodeled near the Hop are a lot more convenientâŠand near the fieldhouse for that valuable exercise!</p>
<p>An article in the Daily PrincetonianâŠ</p>
<p>[Why</a> Dartmouth does it better - The Daily Princetonian](<a href=âhttp://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2010/04/13/25787/]Whyâ>http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2010/04/13/25787/)</p>
<p>That said, I would say it depends. My son ate very little at Dartmouth and we spent a few hundred (âfreeâ) dollars at the end of each term at the store to use up the food budget. An impressive amount of junk we bought. Others complained about how expensive the food was and said they outran their budget.
Money as an issue is off the table at Princeton.
At both places, in my limited experience, Iâd say the quality is very good, though monotonous if you choose to eat the same thing every day, as many do.</p>
<p>Re food quality: sometimes parents say that when they visit their kidâs school for an official parent weekend the food is clearly better than it normally is. Judging by what S says he can normally get at Homeplate (or is that Home Plate?), the food at D is actually not as good on Parent weekends. No paninis. :)</p>
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<p>^^^From the article danas linked to.</p>
<p>I guess for me, the problem is that I have a male child who eats a lot of healthy food â and that translates to âexpensive.â</p>
<p>Freshman Parents Weekend is next week and we are going. For those who have already attended, are there any worthwhile events that require nice clothes? I like to pack light for cross country plane travel if I can. But I donât want to be caught without proper clothing. So should I pack slacks and a blazer, or will jeans and t-shirts be sufficient for most everything?</p>
<p>Coureur, if you want to take your child out for dinner to a semi-decent place, youâll probably want something a step up from jeans and a tee-shirt. Nothing fancy, though.</p>
<p>(If you want to get out of Hanover, I recommend Jesseâs, in West Lebanon.)</p>
<p>Any parents here have a kid attending Dimensions this year? How is it going? Any news?</p>
<p>Have fun Coureur - you wait so long as a parent at Dartmouth for an official weekend . As a result, maybe you appreciate it all the more when it finally comes along - and your children are really comfortably established and excited to show you their world. I loved parentâs weekend. Hope the weather is nice.</p>
<p>My daughter had the time of her life at Dimensions! Sheâs an ED but still was encouraged to go so that she could start her Big Green experience. She said that she had never met so many nice people in her life and got to enjoy lots of different events. She doesnât know how people could NOT choose Dartmouth after experiencing Dimensions, and that lots of undecideds that she met said that they were definitely choosing Dartmouth based on their experience at Dimensions. She canât wait for the fall!</p>
<p>Garnets - how great for your daughter to have had that experience, confirming an ED choice. I have to say that in observation of my daughterâs experience, and that of her friends, that warm, welcoming spirit is real and not just summoned up for the benefit of Dimensions.</p>
<p>I gathered that Dartmouth is a casual dress place so I told my son to pack mostly casual clothes with one set of nice clothes when we take him out to dinner! He is sad he missed Dimensions, but he did not need to go the 5000 miles to be convinced. We ordered Dartmouth sweats, tees, banners and stickers instead! We are planning our September trip now, although I do wish we knew when his DOC trip will be. We will explore NH and VT while he is on his trip. </p>
<p>Coureur, back in 2007 when we visited Dartmouth we had a nice dinner at the Simon Pearce Restaurant and Glassblowing factory at the Mill at Quechee, Vermont. About 10 minutes from Hanover. [Restaurants</a> - SimonPearce](<a href=âhttp://www.simonpearce.com/category/restaurants.do]Restaurantsâ>http://www.simonpearce.com/category/restaurants.do)</p>