Most freshmen will be anxious to see their new rooms. Upon turning their key, just obtained from the Office of Residential Life, and swinging open their doors, freshmen will be met by a wide range of sights.
Some students will be met by spacious quads in the East Wheelock Cluster, others by cramped and dank one-room doubles in Topliff Hall.
But while some rooms are spacious and centrally-located and others are remote and tiny, all dorms have their pluses and their minuses. Butterfield/Russell Sage
Butterfield and Russel Sage Halls are known for their great location, close to Kiewit Computation Center and Baker Library.More importantly, to some students, this cluster is just south of Webster Avenue, or Fraternity Row, so the walk home from parties on chilly winter weekends isn't much of a problem.
Russell Sage offers freshmen mostly corner room triples, though upperclassmen live in some singles and doubles.
Butterfield, composed of singles and doubles, is the College's substance and alcohol-free housing. Coffeehouses and non-alcoholic events often take place in a large common room that connects the two dorms called the Hyphen -- for no known grammatical reason. The Choates
Never mind that it seems to have sprung from an experiment in low-income housing, or that residents often crack about the need for a bus service to and from the campus center, the Choates cluster is not all bad.
"You meet more people in the Choates than anywhere else," Shaun Peet '98 said. "It's a great social place to live."
In fact, students living in the four recently-renovated buildings that make up the Choates say they just get to know one another better because of their cluster's remote location in the northern reaches of campus.East Wheelock
The swank and spacious Andres, Morton and Zimmerman Halls, colloquially known as the "New Dorms," comprise the East Wheelock cluster, the most recent of all the dorms on campus.
The rooms are incredibly comfortable, but a private bath in every room can mean students don't mix as much as in other clusters.
"They are far and away the poshest dorms on campus, but are less social than other dorms," Lou Moore '98 said. "Most people, especially the upperclassmen, tend to keep to themselves."
Located across from the Berry Sports center, the New Dorms are the furthest east of any dormitory, and though the distance from campus is sometimes considered a drawback, students living here have little else to complain about. Fayerweathers
In many ways, "the Fayers" are the quintessential Dartmouth Dorm. Remodelled last summer, they rival the New Dorms in comfort, but retain the character of an old style college residence. Due to their convenient location and half-bathrooms, the Fayerweathers tend to be a favorite with students. North, Mid- and South Fayerweather Halls are connected by an underground tunnel.The Gold Coast
This cluster comprises Gile, Lord and Streeter Halls, nicknamed the "Gold Coast" because when originally constructed during the depression they were seen as the exclusive domain of wealthy students. They are located on the south side of Tuck Mall.
These residence halls are coed by floor, except Gile, which is coed by room. Some of the larger rooms have half-baths and fireplaces.Hitchcock Hall
Another of the dorms on campus that put the "Ivy" in the Ivy League, Hitchcock has its own special advantages.
This dorm is L-shaped with a two-story atrium and lounge in the center.It is carpeted and has large comfortable study rooms.Massachusetts Row
In students' minds, these dorms compete with the New Dorms for the title of most desirable housing on-campus, mostly because of their great location.
Located next-door to Thayer Dining Hall and close to Baker Library and the Green, Mass Row rooms are coveted by many.
Mid-Mass is especially desirable because each of its two-room triples and one-room doubles has its own full bathroom. The rooms in North and South Mass Halls are mainly singles and large one-room doubles. New Hampshire/Topliff
This cluster is found a hop, skip and jump away from the Green, so to speak. Topliff and New Hampshire Halls are the closest dormitories to the Hopkins Center for the Performing Arts.
Although grouped together, the two residence halls could not be more different. Topliff's appearance could definitely be described as "droopy," while New Hamp underwent renovations a mere two years ago.
Most of the rooms in Topliff are singles, but New Hamp contains many more doubles and triples.
Students in these dorms must also deal with the night-time torment of the College's steam plant, whose smokestack has a habit of spewing its exhaust daily at excruciating decibel levels. Ripley/Woodward/Smith
When telling new friends that you live in Ripley, Woodward or Smith Halls freshman week be prepared for some blank looks.Located behind the Fayerweathers on the east side of campus, and snuggled into the greenery of the Bema, most students will not have either seen or heard of these three dorms this early in their Dartmouth careers.
Even though the cluster is located right next to two fraternities, it tends to foster an unsociable atmosphere because the dorms are made up of mostly singles.
But freshman are generally housed in spacious two room doubles with a fireplace and a half-bath, meaning there are some perks to living here.They are also conveniently close to the gym and tennis courts.The River Cluster
The River is the largest cluster on campus. It is comprised of five buildings: Hinman, French, McLane, Maxwell and Channing Cox Halls. Maxwell and Channing Cox are upperclass apartments.
Because of their remote location and personalized facilities such as basketball and volleyball courts and even a climbing gym this cluster comes very close to being the suburbs even in a town as small as Hanover.
Located on the far western end of campus, beyond the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration and the Thayer School of Engineering, the cluster is about a ten minute walk from the center of campus.
On the opposite side of campus from the Berry Sports center, this cluster has decided to put in some facilities of its own.The River boasts racketball, basketball and beach volleyball courts as well as a climbing gym. McLanehas a weight room in the basement.
The rooms are carpeted and are generally singles or two room and three room doubles. Each dorm has a lounge on the first floor.Wheeler/Richardson
These dorms, located just East of Baker Library, are the oldest still in use at the College, but that means they are brimming with character.
As freshmen in Wheeler Hall, students are placed in tiny, cramped, one-room, L-shaped doubles or spacious two-room triples with half-baths. But both rooms have fireplaces.
Richardson is coed by floor and freshman are also usually placed in doubles and triples. Most rooms in Richardson have a fireplace.
