Welcome Gauchman, hope you enjoy your visit to Hanover. Eat a burger for me at Lou’s. Paddle a canoe on the river, Visit the Rauner collection, climb the bell tower, visit the Hop, have a coffee at Dirt Cowboy, have many Moreno Gelatos. Visit the Skiway, Visit the lodge, sit in Baker Library tower room. Get a Hanover parking ticket (or carry a bunch of quarters). Eat dinner at Simon Pearce. If your son stays in California after all that I don’t know what else to tell you, except we’ll miss ya!
Gauchman, If you’re flying into Logan and renting a car, PM me. I have travel tips for you.
Thanks, folks, for the great recommendations. Wife and I - with admitted son - are looking forward to our Hanover visit next week. Dartmouth seems to be his 1st choice right now!
My S is choosing between Dartmouth, Duke, and Georgetown. I am trying to convince him to go to Dartmouth; he is a bit concerned that Hanover is a bit isolated, a big contrast to Georgetown. Any suggestions here? How does the location affect the vibe on campus?
Congrats hzhao on your '19. There are lots of discussion on isolation, Greek scene, New Hampshire, cold weather, etc. in numerous past threads. He has a choice of 3 great schools, with 3 very different vibes. For Basketball fans you have to go to Duke. For fans of the federal government, Georgetown. For an incredible college education, Dartmouth. But be warned, you are not going to get an unbiased opinion here.
Speaking as a parent [of a grad], I think the location fosters connections between the students. There’s not a lot of non-college night life. The social scene revolves around the college. That is largely, but not entirely, the Greek scene. You can’t just go down to the latest hip-hop club on whatever avenue in DC. If that’s really important, he should go to Georgetown. Visit Dartmouth before choosing. He might be surprised at how much is going on.
I’ve never done this before, so I’m posting in a couple threads, bare with me. So, I gained admittance to some really solid schools (GTown, Cornell, Dartmouth, ND, etc.), and I’ve narrowed it down to two: Dartmouth and Notre Dame. Obviously the major differences are:
Dartmouth–Ivy, academia, D1 rowing (I row), drastically smaller class sizes, better student-faculty ratio, Greek life, etc.
Notre Dame–Big Football/BBall teams, Catholic/strong religious presence, club rowing, bigger student body, etc.
I’ve come down to these two because I decided I want a classic college campus, or as close to one as is still available. The hard fact is that Dartmouth is an academic powerhouse with a great camaraderie amongst the students and alumni, while Notre Dame’s academics are inferior to Dartmouth’s, but its big-sports-school experience and undeniable brotherhood cannot be knocked.
I come form an all-male, nearly all-white Catholic HS on Long Island (Chaminade), so I’m trying to figure out whether cranking out the next four years at what is essentially a bigger version of my high school with intense academics and girls, or a 247-year-old bastion of educational excellence and fraternity will fit me best. If someone can answer this question for me, that will be a godsend, but any help/advice about either school will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Suggestion: Go to Dimensions, and also visit ND. Then decide.
Go to Dimensions. Keep in mind that you will not be able to pledge a frat until sophomore year. So will have a whole year to observe, speak go to open events to find the fraternity that treats you best.
@hzhao2004 - part of its charm is the small town community. If he really wants to get away to a big city on weekends, Boston is 2 hours away, NYC is 5 hours away, (both have Dartmouth Coach bus routes from campus) and Montreal is a couple hours away. We like to call it “centrally located.”
However, a handful of students come to campus every year saying they’ll totally travel down to Boston like every weekend for some CULTURE and PEOPLE and STUFF TO DO, yet invariably one week in, everyone always stays on campus because there’s a lot of things to do, and it’s just more fun being with all your friends.
If you’re choosing between those three, it’s actually going to be pretty easy. If he wants a small college with a community feel, it’s Dartmouth. Tons of students in an urban setting it’s Georgetown, and tons of students in a small city, it’s Duke. I always suggest they go visit Dartmouth if they can because what they think of in their mind is very rarely what they’ll experience in person.
Bear in mind, also, that if your student needs a change of pace, D has possibly the best study abroad program out there, and the D plan facilitates getting internships in many places during the winter, rather than fighting it out with everyone else for the summer gigs. S spent fall term in Paris one year, and winter term in DC another.
As it happens, we were in the area yesterday visiting S, and we had lunch in Hanover and a very nice dinner at the Norwich Inn. (He lives within walking distance of the village of Norwich, which is one of those absolutely perfect New England towns.)
Thank you so much for the advice, folks. I think thh D plan may be a deciding factor for S.
I’m wrapping up a 3-day visit to 1st Dimension with my D. She has loved everything about her experience: incredibly welcoming students, a chance to play ultimate on the green as snow began to fall, sitting in on four great classes, her first frat party (“No one pressured me to drink – and it wasn’t weird that I didn’t want to. When I couldn’t remember my overnight host’s name, a guy asked me if I’d been drinking and if I wanted someone to walk me back to my dorm. I love that he was being protective of the prospy!”), observing a cappella rehearsal, skating at Collis, eating surprisingly good vegan meals… She doesn’t want to go home.
I told her before we arrived, “The right school will make your heart sing.” She texted me last night: “SINGING!!”
PosAttitude, I love your post. My D was a '14 so I don’t come on here very much anymore, but your post reinforces all she loved about Dartmouth. It is such a special place. D misses it immensely.
^ Echo from the parent of a '13 (although I still come here – probably more than I should).
Heck, my S is a '12! 
Thanks to all for the recommendations for our visit last week at Dimensions. A fresh April blanket of snow awaited us as we (son, wife and I) arrived into Hanover for the first time. Although cold, our Calif. son could not be any happier to experience this idyllic New England college town. Hanover Inn, Murphy’s, Molly’s, Canoe Club, Baker Library, Darmouth Hall, etc. - all recommendations were perfect for the family. Great program of events really “sold us” on the school. S still has not made his final decision - but he (and we) left this beautiful school with great memories after only a couple days. Thanks again for all the advice - Go Big Green!!
Glad to hear all of your visits went well. We did not attend Dimensions, however our earlier trip to the campus was generally positive. Both our children attended Dartmouth (one attended TDI) and their experiences exceeded their expectations. Not only did they receive a great education, they made lifelong friends and as a CC parent, well, it appears so have I.
It’s official, S will be a Dartmouth '19! Admissions did a great job in reaching out to him in answering questions, etc via Dimensions, the So. CA alumni event, and several alumni calling him directly. What a great support group! He’s super excited - and mom & I are looking forward to visiting New England these next four years. Thanks again for the CC advice - we may need more tips in this forum as we move into this next chapter. Go Big Green!
Glad to hear it! Enjoy the next four years. They’ll be gone before you know it.