Hanover, NH: In the hills of central New Hampshire is Hanover, one ofthose places seen only in movies and on television: a perfect little New Englandcollege town complete with red-brick buildings surrounded by trees. Hanover ishome to Dartmouth College, and provides the school with an extremely beautifulcampus. I was at Dartmouth last summer for volleyball camp, so I stayed in thedorms, ate at the dining hall and got to know the campus.

An Ivy-Leagueschool, Dartmouth is extremely selective: only 20 percent of those who apply areaccepted. Dartmouth operates on a schedule of four ten-week terms, and requiresits students to take a broad range of courses. Reportedly, history, governmentand classics are the best majors at Dartmouth; the sciences also have very goodresources. Dartmouth has three graduate schools - medicine, business andengineering.

I stayed in two types of dorms: a large, beautiful brickbuilding and a small, blockish one. The rooms are a comfortable size, and thefood at the cafeteria is good, plus there are several eating options available indowntown Hanover.

The town is closely integrated with the campus. Thereare many things to do at Dartmouth, and although Hanover only has 9,000residents, there is a movie theater and art museum. There are also many outdooractivities, club sports and organizations. The facilities such as the library andsports complex are well maintained.

For a look at the campus withoutactually making the trip, the online "D-tour" is available; it providesa 360-degree view of the campus from the Green.

Although Dartmouth maynot seem as exciting as a school in a major city, it is not as isolated as someother colleges. Dartmouth has a lot to offer its students.


Reviewed in 2001