By the second week in August, many of you will have received what can be the most important item that the College will send you regarding Freshman year -- roommates and a housing assignment.
Providing freshmen with housing assignments is obviously necessary, but tends to create anxiety, because of the uncertainties.
Possibly even more confusing is that when the computer randomly generates roommate and housing assignments, it tells you where you are living and how many square feet each dormitory room is. Of course 113 square feet in the River cluster means almost nothing to you, so we thought we would provide a basic outline of dorms at Dartmouth.
There are better rooms and dorms, but generally every dorm has both benefits and drawbacks. What is unique about Dartmouth is that we have no freshmen housing, so wherever you are, you will be living with upperclassmen. And a new addition last year is the availability of limited cable in every room on campus, limited being the key word, as currently even Fox is still not available.
East Wheelock Cluster
The newest dorms on campus are often refered to as the "hotel" due to the luxurious accommodations. Andres, Morton and Zimmerman Halls comprise the cluster.
All freshman received an application to live in East Wheelock, and housing here is not random as in every other dorm on campus as the Dartmouth Experience program is based in East Wheelock.
The idea behind the program is to integrate residential, social and academic life into the lives of students. To that end, members of the faculty live in a house adjacent to the cluster.
The cluster has a large budget to run programs, such as community dinners and performances, in the Cluster's communal area, Brace Commons. The programs are open to the entire campus, but special concern is given to those students who live in the Cluster.
What makes East Wheelock so appealing are the rooms. The doubles and quads are arranged in a variety of patterns, but each has its own bathroom and the rooms are very large, more like suites.
Each room has a living room separate from the bedroom. All rooms are carpeted, and have big windows, which gives the rooms plenty of natural light.
No hotel can be perfect, unfortunately. The walls are somewhat thin. Football and rugby players beware, it is not so hard to put legs, arms, heads or whatever through them.
On that note, sound also travels well, so loud music can be a problem on halls with people who enjoy to pump up the volume.
Although East Wheelock is close to the athletic center, it is further away from the center of campus than other dorms.
In addition, there is a fourth building being added to the East Wheelock cluster. The construction, expected to last through next year, might cut into naps if your room faces east.
Overall, you should be thankful to be living so well.
Massachusetts Row
You cannot get more central to campus than this. The three buildings make up Mass Row, as it is known on campus.
Directly next to Thayer Dining Hall and located close to so many classrooms, the value of these dorms is based on location, location, location.
But what makes Mass Row even better are the rooms. The best of the three, Mid Mass has mostly large two-room doubles, triples and quads with full bathrooms (shower, toilet and sink).
North and South Mass also have large rooms, simply sans private bathrooms. Not every room in the cluster is a palace, and some can be quite cramped, though the College is making an effort to decompress the dorms.
Overall, very easy living in nice rooms with an awesome location.
The Fayerweathers
Directly behind the white buildings of Dartmouth Row, the Fayers, as they are known on campus are three buildings that prove to be very desirable accommodations in mostly doubles and triples.
Besides the above-average size of the rooms, of Mid and South Fayer have half bathrooms (toilet and sink), these dorms are very central to campus, especially language classes, which makes early morning drill just slightly more bearable.
Another plus of this cluster is the huge common lounge in the basement with a large television and a kitchen. Also, since all three buildings are connected by a tunnel, in those wintry nights there is no need to go outside to catch The Simpsons in the lounge.
The Fayers are one of the few clusters that has almost no drawbacks. There are no roads directly adjacent to the building, so it will be quiet, for those of you who need to nap.
Overall, generally large rooms in a great spot.
New Hampshire/Topliff
Located very near the Hopkins Center, Hinman Boxes and Alumni Gym, Topliff and New Hampshire Halls are good dorms for all students.
Topliff is mostly singles and has many seniors, though freshmen inhabit the one-room doubles in the corners of the building. There is a great porch at the back of Topliff for barbeques and gatherings while the warm weather holds in the fall, and when it returns in the spring.
New Hamp, as it is referred to, has a mixture of two-room doubles, triples and quads. Many of the rooms have working fireplaces, and all of the rooms have carpeting.
The triples tend to be really crowded, with the quads being slightly more spacious.
New Hamp, perhaps because it has so many students, tends to have a wonderful social environment. People meet each other easily on the wide, naturally well lit hallways, and there seems to be a great uplifting atmosphere to the whole dorm.
New Hamp also has a great two-story lounge with a television that is almost always in use. Whether it's Monday Night Football or knitting classes, people are always around.
A problem with New Hamp/Topliff is the steam plant that lies directly south, behind the two buildings. It becomes very noisy during the late fall and winter while the College provides heat to campus, especially when there is a steam let off.
Overall, these are fun places to live, though your rooms may be cramped.
Hitchcock Hall
Located on a busy student intersection, students living in Hitchcock will find it very easy to get to classes. The rooms here are okay, with the two and three room triples that Freshmen often acquire being cramped, but very livable.
Being so central, many people living in Hitchcock will find that their room is a great place for friends to rendezvous before heading out for a big night. An added plus is that the rooms are carpeted.
The building has a lovely two-story lounge for studying and it is so near to Baker Library that if somebody needs quiet space, it will not be hard to find.
Overall, a fun place to live, even though your room may be crowded.
The Gold Coast
If you are assigned to the Gold Coast, you will arrive to find all three buildings, Gile, Lord and Streeter Halls completely renovated, thanks to summertime work. The cluster was given the name the "Gold Coast" during the Depression when it was seen as the home to the College's wealthy students.
Though rooms here are somewhat small, they are well located on Tuck Drive, with access to the library very near in addition to classes.
The halls are co-ed by floor, except Gile which is co-ed by room. Certain larger rooms have half-baths and fireplaces, giving them old-world charm.
Overall, it's a fine location to live in, though your room might be a bit small, despite the name, nothing super special.
Butterfield/Russell Sage
Butterfield and Russell Sage Halls are known for their convenient location -- close to the soon to be destroyed Kiewit Computation Center, Baker Library, "Frat Row" and only a short distance from the Green.
Also, if government, sociology and economics courses are your bag, you are just across the sidewalk from Rockefeller and Silsby, homes to these departments.
During the winter, the residents of these halls will really appreciate their proximity to almost anything on campus, though they would probably still agree with the idea to connect all the buildings with underground tunnels.
Russell Sage houses Freshmen mostly in corner room triples equipped with private half bathrooms and fireplaces. Upperclassmen also inhabit singles and doubles in the building. Many of the rooms have fireplaces and half bathrooms.
Russell Sage and Butterfield are connected by the common lounge called the Hyphen, named this for its resemblance to the punctuation mark. Social events, a cappella performances and speakers are often held in this space.
Butterfield is the College's only substance-free housing on campus, and is composed of singles and doubles. Refurbished in the last few years, the cluster feels relatively new.
Overall, the rooms are small although Hyphen is a great space, but if you are one for going out in the evening, Frat Row is just around the corner making it convenient.
Wheeler/Richardson
These dorms, located just east of Baker Library, are the oldest still in use at the College, and are brimming with the character to prove it. Located well for science majors, the Fairchild Science Center is just next door.
Freshmen placed in Wheeler Hall inhabit either tiny one-room, L-shaped doubles or spacious two- room triples with half-baths and the rooms are all carpeted. In Richardson there are four one-room triples, the only ones on campus, which make for neo-cramped living.
Either way, most rooms have working fireplaces, which chilly residents often put to good use during the winter. In warmer times, the Wheeler lawn is a popular sun-bathing and studying spot.
In the next year, construction on the new Berry Library will be moving ahead, which could cause some dust and noise, a minor bother to all but day-sleepers.
Overall, you could do worse, but you could do better. It's not bad.
Ripley/Woodward/Smith
These three connecting buildings are known as "RipWoodSmith." Hidden amongst trees and green spaces, they are among the prettiest of the dorms on campus.
The cluster is very near to Dartmouth Row and to the Fairchild Science Center, which makes getting to class easier. Also, with the Bema close at hand, there are fabulous places to sit, think, read or whatever. The gym is also very close.
Also for those who enjoy nightlife, two fraternities, Alpha Delta and Chi Heorot, are well known for entertaining the masses. Avoid speculation about the large concrete object directly in front of the dorm; the Sphinx is a secret society of which little is known. What is known, is that despite the rumor, they do not have the highest water bill on campus.
Even near such social meccas as Heorot and AD, the dorm does little to foster social interaction. Rooms consist of mostly singles and are single-sex by floor.
Freshmen are mostly placed in two-room doubles with fireplaces and half-baths, though the singles are notoriously small. The common lounges are inadequate in making up for the small corridor's lack of charm.
Overall, beautiful surrounding do not make for beautiful living, and despite a good location, not great.
The Choates
Possibly the single greatest reason for the complete destruction of all architecture of the 1950s and 1960s, this modern atrocity is based on skewed modernism, comprising the four halls: Bissell, Brown, Cohen and Little.
Small square buildings connect with glass sky-ways to form a spider-like creation. At the heart of this conglomerate is a large open recreation area, which is one of the few highlights of the Choates.
Located in the center of the complex below the lounge is the Women's Resource Center, a great resource to everyone on campus. The cluster is also located directly north of "Frat Row," the Choates makes for excellent socializing.
Unfortunately for Freshmen, the only rooms available to you are the one room doubles, of which there are many. These small rooms are totally horrible. There are also singles, but these are reserved for upperclassmen.
Though students complain about being marginally further off-campus than other students, it is really not so far from anything. Students actually enjoy living here, and there tends to be a great social atmosphere.
Overall, so it will only be one year, make use of social options right next door.
The River
The end-all and be-all to horrible housing on campus. The dregs of society, the bottom of the barrel, just shoot me now. The River could challenge the premise, there is no such thing as a no star hotel.
The largest cluster on campus, there are five buildings that make up the River cluster: Hinman, French, McLane, Maxwell and Channing Cox.
Maxwell and Channing Cox are very nice with four bedroom apartments that each have a living room, full bathroom and kitchen. But forget about those until senior year.
It is the three other beautiful buildings, with architecture reminiscent of the communist era, that house the most freshmen.
Located at the absolutely furthest west point on campus, past the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration and past the Thayer School of Engineering, the River is often called the "Foreign Study Program -- Vermont."
Students often eat EBAs more than Thayer Dining Hall food, because they do not want to make the walk and EBAs is good about getting to your room in 20 minutes, about the same time that it would take to walk to Foodcourt and order.
Some may tell you that the walk to campus is a time for bonding and friendships, but they lie. Through the winter it is too cold to talk to anybody as you make your way on the 10-minute walk, which becomes 15-minutes during the heavy snow and ice times.
Even during warm times, people drive their cars to the gym, because it can take 20 minutes to get there on foot. The lesson, get a bicycle.
The construction of a new dormitory for Tuck is just beginning and in the next year it will provide all the noise that inhabitants could desire.
The rooms in the river are either singles, two room doubles or three room doubles. The two room doubles are a joke, because one person can touch all four walls at once in the smaller of the two rooms.
The three room doubles are actually nice, and are the bright spot in the cluster, though they are often reserved for sophomores. Rooms are carpeted, but the staircases are narrow, the halls are claustrophobic and dark, and the common rooms are lousy.
Another speck of light: if you are an engineering student, don't worry about traveling far, the classes are right next door.
Overall, many people have lived in the River, and when you tell people you live there, they often say, "I'm sorry." But at least this space gives you something to talk/complain about.
