@baxter my daughter flies into Manchester and I know others fly into Logan. I am zero help on trains. I’m including a link to area transportation via Dartmouth’s website. http://www.dartmouth.edu/~ovis/updates/prearrival/transport.html
There is a free bus service, Advance Transit, that operates in the area Monday-Friday beginning at around 6am until 6pm. How close it has a stop to train station I don’t know but a quick call to Advance Transit should answer any questions so you can determine if they are a viable option. As far as I know Dartmouth itself does not offer area transportation involving Trips.
Thanks @saffysmum I think Advanced Transit may be the way to go. I’ll contact them.
If you compare a map of White River Junction with the Orange Route map at http://www.advancetransit.com/orangeroute.htm, it appears that the shuttle goes right by the train station and the Main Street stop is maybe 2 or 3 blocks walk. Hover over the little blue markers: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Veterans+Park+NB/@43.648667,-72.3203629,17z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x4cb4ca87054c3a73:0xb78d92eebcddd82b!8m2!3d43.6497383!4d-72.3188019?hl=en You can email them at rideAT@advancetransit.com
@baxter My daughter uses the bus system frequently and has no complaints. The drivers have always been accommodating and willing to drop her along the route even without it being an official stop. Advance Transit released an app this year that is very handy. Click your stop and it will pull up all the places that you can be dropped or picked up, some stops are drop only. The schedules on the website are rudimentary, there are many more stops. The app also provides real time tracking so you always know if the bus is on time or running late.
If for some reason the bus system will not work I can recommend Upper Valley Ride. My daughter uses them to get from campus to the Manchester airport and back but they offer more than airport transportation.
There is also Dartmouth Coach service to and from NYC. (I don’t know anything about the cost or schedule.)
http://www.dartmouthcoach.com/index.php/new-york/new-york-city.html
I’ve taken the Dartmouth Coach to and from NYC. In NYC it picks up and drops off at the Yale Club across the street from Grand Central Station. It is a nicer bus with larger seats with wifi and movies. I recall it went up the 95 to the 91 and drops you off on campus at the Hop. There was a mix of students, family and faculty on the bus.
I am dating myself, but just checked the Dartmouth Coach webpage sent by @Consolation . The NYC pick up moved to 145 East 42nd Street. If you go to the Google Maps site and type the address in and look at streetview, of all things it shows the Dartmouth Coach parked there. What are the odds of that occurring?
We learned that there’s a bus that will pick up our son and take him up to Dartmouth for his freshman trip. Cool! $60 and the pickup point is only 20 minutes away. A definite perq to living in MetroWest Boston.
Looking at dorm storage on various websites. We don’t live in the States and won’t have much time to shop once we get there. I am trying to order most stuff online and ship to one address where it can be collected from before arriving at Dartmouth. Will the college provide information on the size of the closet/wardrobe and height under the bed? Will there be space under the bed for suitcases and more?
Would appreciate any recommendations / advice on storage options. New parent - Class of '20
@forgetmyname dorm buildings are all different with some being quite modern and others more historic in nature. There would not be a standard measurement for the wardrobes. Once your child has their housing assignment perhaps a call to the Office of Residential Life could provide the particulars on the rooms in their building.
Students needing to send items prior to their arrival on campus may ship the items to themselves at their Hinman address. I believe there is a limit on how long they will store parcels, international students are given some leeway. I have spoken with the staff at Hinman several times and they are always helpful. I would recommend ringing them for particulars on having the items shipped directly to them. 603-646-2824
Bed, Bath & Beyond is a popular choice for many students outfitting their room. Items may be ordered online and shipped/held at a local store awaiting pick up instead of shipping directly to Dartmouth. The nearest Bed, Bath & Beyonds to Dartmouth are either in Manchester, New Hampshire or Rutland, Vermont. This was the option our family used.
Welcome to Dartmouth, Welcome Home 
I recall the bed frames allow them to be raised at least 3 feet above the floor and students would raise the beds up to the maximum height to create quite a bit of storage space beneath them. The closets were usually small. Many halls have storage in the basement for suitcases and boxes. We would have packages sent to the Hinman box number without any problems. There are a lot of stores in West Lebanon which is accessible by Advance Transit. However, students usually order on-line and get items delivered to Hinman. Amazon Prime is taking over the world.
Thanks! Will call the office for details after the room assignments. Do most students get a mini refrigerator for their rooms? Is this purchased on campus? I will drop her at the beginning of her DOC trip and not be around for parents orientation. When do these sales take place? She could buy one then?
Choates: Bed would take three large tubs underneath. Not sure how you would raise it. The wardrobe was decent sized – maybe 3 to 4 feet across and space to store things on top and maybe a drawer below. Memory is failing me. Mini-frig YES and a fan. There is a sale of used stuff at the start of the year. Get there early.
@forgetmyname my daughter was on the final DOC Trip offered last Fall and returned to campus the morning of Orientation and was herded straight there. The sale was that morning and there was no way for her to attend it to purchase anything. She was allowed to check into her room prior to leaving for her Trip since she was on the last one. Her father went with her to get her settled in and they bought a mini refrigerator for her from Wal-Mart in the neighbouring town. Depending on when your daughter’s Trip is she may or may not be on campus and able to take advantage of the sale.
I will strongly second the recommendation of getting a fan! My daughter’s building had air conditioning but goodness knows it was never turned on and the room was stifling at times.
Hello parents–thank you for all your helpful discussions regarding the logistics of getting prepared for Trips and moving in and clothes and all of that good stuff. 
I don’t mean to hijack this thread, and if this post is inappropriate let me know and I’ll move it right away. I just wanted to share it with the parents because it might be of interest to ya’ll.
Basically, several student leaders (mostly '16s) wrote a petition protesting some of the College’s wasteful spending and high tuition increases and mishandling of certain issues in recent years. We certainly aren’t trying to bash on our own college; we love it very dearly and want this petition to get more signatures in order to help the Trustees and admins steer the College in what we see as possibly a better direction. It’s a very eloquent and thoughtful petition and (imho) well worth the time to sign and share it.
https://www.change.org/p/philip-hanlon-take-back-dartmouth
This petition is really important to us and deals with issues that will directly affect the students currently at Dartmouth and the future classes to come. So if you’re interested and agree with the viewpoints presented, please sign the petition, and share w/ Dart alums, students, parents, etc and anyone else who is interested in the future of the college. We really appreciate the support. Thank you and go Big Green!
I think many, of not most, would agree that the explosion of non-faculty administrative employees at colleges and universities is a significant problem; however, I am unwilling to support any petition that is not willing to be specific about which positions they consider “unnecessary.”
Moreover, it is somewhat difficult to envision the traditional Greek system as a lost Eden, even for one whose student belonged to it.
^^agree. Would love to see which programs/deans/adminstrators are considered unnecessary…
And quite frankly, I don’t see much in the Petition that “directly affects” students, except the points directed towards the Greek system. Think about it: eliminating admin will also affect students, since many of them contribute to/assist with student life in some ways. Perhaps not a lot, but still, they contribute.
Do they contribute commensurate with their cost?
Who knows? We don’t know what they are.
Excellent point^^