So you've managed to figure out that your Introductory Chemistry class is in 106 Steele. As you wander past buildings reminiscent of the campus tour you took with your parents, you begin to wonder anxiously about what your first college class holds in store for you.
Images swirl in your head: 600 scribbling students crammed in a huge auditorium where the chalkboard is a mile a way, the professor seems to be a mere ant mumbling in a distant voice.
In reality, Steele Hall comfortably houses about 100 students in an auditorium-like room where the chalkboard and overhead projectors help students enrich their lives with chemistry.
Fairchild Tower, with its 70-foot- high, 260-pound rotating pendulum, connects four major science buildings.
Fairchild houses the geography and earth science departments, while Steele Hall is home to the environmental studies department.
The physics department is located in Wilder Hall, where two large lecture halls hold classes in math, biology, astronomy, and physics. Completed in 1992, Burke Laboratory houses the chemistry department and boasts state-of-the-art facilities.
On the third floor of Fairchild you can be sure to get some work done in the air-conditioned Kresge Physical Sciences Library.
For all you budding biologists, you'll have to make the trek to the north side of campus to reach the Gilman Life Sciences building, the Dana Biomedical Library or the Dartmouth Medical School.
Sudikoff Laboratory for Computer Science gives students 24-hour access to computer laboratories. Behind Kiewit Computation Center is Bradley Hall with the mathematics department and Gerry Hall with the pyschology department. Bradley and Gerry Halls are familiarly refered to as the "Shower Towers" for their distinct 1960s tile design.
Closer to the Green by Tuck Drive are Silsby Hall and Rockefeller Center, the offices of the social sciences. Silsby is home to the government department.
"Rocky" is named for four-term governor, U.S. Vice President and Dartmouth alumnus Nelson Rockefeller '30. The building, an addition to Silsby in 1983, is home to the economics department and is the site for numerous speakers and debates.
Look on the wall upstairs to see photos of the numerous political figures who have dropped by Rocky.
Need to do some research for a class? Head to Baker Library, smack in the middle of campus. Study spots include the air-conditioned Reserve Corridor, the large Class of 1902 room and the silent Tower Room.
You can also climb the trademark tower on special weekends, see the bells and enjoy a great view of campus.
Sanborn House, adjacent to Baker, contains the English department, a cozy library in which to study and a Composition Center where you can get your papers edited by student reviewers. Stop by Sanborn Monday through Friday at 4 p.m. for tea and goodies.
Also next to Baker is Carpenter Hall, home to the art history, anthropology and women's studies departments. You can also find a quiet place to study in Carpenter's Sherman Art Library.
You can't miss the big row of white buildings on the east side of campus. The College's oldest standing edifices contain numerous classrooms, offices and humanities departments. Large lectures and guests speakers head to 105 Dartmouth Hall, where Martin Luther King Jr. once spoke.
If you decide to learn a new language, you will be required to log in hours in Bartlett Hall's language lab, located at the end of Dartmouth Row. Here, students can be found practicing foreign language phrases or watching the news broadcasts from the opposite side of the world.
The Hopkins Center for the Performing Arts is home to the music department, the drama department and studio art department. The 1,000 seat Spaulding Auditorium hosts movies, concerts, dances and shows. Visiting artists, such as Mikhail Baryshnikov, find themselves at the Moore Theater, while many student productions are performed at the Bentley Theater.
Fries from the Hop's Courtyard Cafe are a popular snack on campus. Over at the Collis Student Center, a cafe serves up unique entrees, smoothies and sandwiches. Try dinner downstairs in the Lone Pine Tavern, where students and bands perform in the evenings.
Collis perks also include billiards, ping pong tables, a TV room, an ATM and fax machine, video games and numerous big couches perfect for a quick nap or a good book.
The Collis Common Ground hosts the start of the weekends with the Friday Night Dance Club with music by disc jockeys.
The upper two floors of Collis house meeting rooms for student organizations, the Academic Skills Center, Career Services, the International Students Office and the Student Activities Office.
Behind Collis stands Thayer Dining Hall with three different dining options. Westside Buffet offers all-you-can-eat meals for those with a hearty appetite. Home Plate's pleasant ambiance and healthy food mean a large dinner-time crowd. Food Court's cafeteria-style and stereo system also draw many students.
The basement of Thayer contains the Student Employment Office, while the third floor contains the Topside convenience store and the College Copy Center.
Robinson Hall, with the large Dartmouth Outing Club sign on the front lawn, is the first in a row of administrative buildings. "Robo" houses the D.O.C., the offices of the College radio stations WDCR/WFRD, the Aegis yearbook, The Dartmouth newspaper and other student groups.
Next door to Robinson is McNutt Hall. You may have been already been inside awaiting a tour or visiting the Admissions Office.
Expect to descend into the depths of McNutt to drop a class, add a class or speak to someone about your academic record at the Registrar's Office. Handle your bills and loans upstairs at the the Student Accounts Office, Student Loans Office and Financial Aid Office.
Massive wooden doors more than three times the size of the tallest Dartmouth student grace the ivy-covered Parkhurst Administration Building. The First-Year Office, located in the basement, is always open to give you a hand or some friendly advice.
Upstairs, you can find the office of College President James Freedman, the Dean of the College Lee Pelton and the Acting Provost James Wright. The Office of Residential Life is located in the basement.
Soon to be home to the College's rare books collection, Webster Hall once provided the largest social space on campus.
The building hosted formals, campus-wide parties, cultural activities and performers like Natalie Merchant and Branford Marsalis.
