Dorm Guides
Your one-stop shop for Room Draw, including comments from fellow students and links to floor plans.
ANDRES
"This dorm has a great location as it is near the laundry rooms,
snackbars, and Tv. rooms. There is plenty of room within the two rooms
of the double. It is also not far from the center of campus (east
wheelock)"
"My experience of this dorm has been great! I would definitely live here again if I could."
"The rooms are big and it's great to have your own full bath. Lots of
study spaces. It's far from many of the places on campus but as an
athlete I like it being right across from the gym."
"However, the walls are so incredibly thin I can hear my
neighbors humming in the room over, and when his phone rings I
sometimes think it's my own. And it's relatively anti-social - I don't
know many people on my floor."
"I might live here again except for the walls."
Andres floor plans can be found here: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~orl/housing/communities/e-wheelock.html
BUTTERFIELD
"I live in Butterfield. My room is awesome. It's big, it's close to
everything on campus, it has a half bath, and it's right next door to
my sorority. My only complaint is that the doors do not really keep out
any noise from the hallway. They should be made thicker, if possible.
(so should the walls, but it's really the doors where the noise comes
from) I never use the kitchen. It would be nice if there was a real
door instead of just a curtain on the shower. I only use the shower in
the common bathroom. Study spaces in this dorm suck. The hyphen could
be nice if they redid it. The basement lounges are depressing and need
redone. I would definitely live in Butterfield again though. It and Gile have been my favorite dorms that I've lived in."
Butterfield floor plans can be found here: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~orl/housing/communities/brs-gold.html
CHANNING COX: see River Apartments
GILE
"There are not enough washers and dryers. Literally every time
I go down there they are always all in use. I end up going over to
Streeter because they have about half as many people but one more
washing machine."
"The higher floors seem to have a lot of trouble getting hot water to
the showers... I often go downstairs to shower. The heaters make a fair
amount of noise. The singles are huge though, the biggest room I have
ever had. There's no kitchen in Gile."
"I think if I wanted to live in Gold Coast again I would go for Streeter...
it's all upperclass (so it's quieter) plus it has a kitchen and a real
lounge, and you don't lose anything in terms of location. But the
advantage of Gile is the huge rooms."
" Great location, bathrooms were nice, very impersonal -
not too much camaraderie between residents, very quiet, stairs are
steep so living on a high floor can be a schlep, nice study areas, poor
laundry facilities"
"Gile has a cool common room on the 1st floor. In the basement it lacks
the usual TV which sucks. Bathrooms are small. Location is superb. 112
Gile does suck since you can hear everything in the adjoining rooms."
"The rooms are large. That's the best thing that Gile has going for it.
And, for me anyway, that's the most important thing. There's no
kitchen, which is too bad, but the lounges are good enough. It's got a
great location, especially compared to a lot of places, though it is
far from the gym. "
"Yeah, I would live here again. I'd probably pick one of
the 'nicer dorms' first--like any of those on Mass Row--but for the
most part, it's a good dorm. I live in a 2 room double, so I
essentially have a single, and a big one at that. "
"Rooms in Gile are fairly spacious and have some nice architectural
features like fireplaces and bay windows. We have new furniture but
they really feel like classic old dorm rooms, in a good way. Very
Dartmouth, very ivy league. The singles have to share a common bathroom
in which there is only one toilet and functionally one shower, but it
is rarely a problem, because all the doubles and triples have private
half baths.
There is no kitchen in Gile (you have to walk over to Streeter), but we
do have vending machines and a new microwave in the basement which is
very useful. There are two study lounges, one nice one and one horrible
dungeon, but both are sufficient to use, especially in the winter.
Location on campus is fantastic -- a few steps away from Thayer, frat
row, the library, Carpenter and Silsby/Rocky, yet free from the traffic
of Mass Row.
Gile has great energy, but it can get a little ragey due to the freshmen, and some diehard upperclassmen.
Overall though, the people tend to be friendly, and there is a lot of
Gile pride. I would definitely recommend this building and the Gold
Coast cluster in general."
Gile floor plans can be found here:
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~orl/housing/communities/brs-gold.html
HITCHCOCK
"If you get a room with your own bathroom it's pretty swanky. Good sized rooms, bathroom, middle of campus;
with the right setup, you have easily the best room on campus.
Unfortunately, each floor only has one shower which makes it tough when
trying to coordinate with 18 guys on the floor. Possible solutions:
Don't shower or shower at weird times, like 3 in the afternoon. The
lounge is the best on campus, with a 2 floor setup with a balcony and
cushy couches and a built-in desk. Perfect
napping/homework/study/sketchypeoplewatching place."
"This is a nice dorm. It's not social at all among upperclassmen, and
you stand a good chance of never talking to your neighbors. Based on
the sweet room setups, possibilities of own bathrooms, and location on
campus, this is, in my experience, the best dorm on campus to live in."
"Public bathrooms on all floors. Kitchen and two study spaces in the basement. Washers and dryers in the building."
"Rooms are kind of small. If you cant get into mass row, this would be a close second."
"Hitchcock 214 is one of the larger singles on campus. It has a bureau
rather than a closet, which is bad. One large window faces south.
Although this is a second floor room, it is on the bottom of a slightly
sloping hill, so people can see into your room walking back from food
court. The east wall is shared with another dorm room. The foam which
covers the once-entrance to that room blocks most, but not all of the
sound. The other wall adjoins a stairwell, but the walls are thick so
most noise is blocked. The room is longer than it is wide."
"Hitchcock is one of the nicer dorms-old, but not quite as dingy as mass row. The
old style heaters beg you to waste energy (the only way to regulate the
room temperature is to vary the degree to which your window is
cracked). Location is perfect. Kitchen is nice. Men's bathroom is on
the low side of average on this floor."
"The location is ideal, on the end of mass row, it's
almost directly across from the library, great for gov. majors because
of its proximity to silsby and Rocky. Also at the end of the trail to
the river, if anyone does crew. Seriously, location is central to most
things on campus. "
"There are some silent study rooms (stark, bare, and depressing) across
from the laundry room, the lounge downstairs is part of the kitchen,
television space, which does not guarantee quiet (though it is most of
the time, people use these resources sparingly, which is great for
people who want to) other than that there are two rooms lofted on top
of each which the stairs loop around, but there are doors on each end,
which people continually cross to shortcut to the other side of the
building....and this is extremely annoying and not conducive to
studying in the least!
I would totally live here. Personally I'd want a single, BUT the three
room CORNER triples rock! They have a fireplace, their own bathrooms,
and two individual side rooms for people who need their own space. So
if you can find two other friends, your chances of getting in here
greatly increase (so I hear) and also the room is pretty sweet. Yup."
Hitchcock floor plans can be found here: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~orl/housing/communities/hitch-mass.html
LODGE
"The rooms are all doubles with full baths, which is really convenient,
and the rooms are nice by the standards of some doubles on this campus,
but all in all the living quarters are pretty close. The bathrooms seem
pretty prone to problems, too (clogged sinks, overflowing toilets).
It's also quite a hike to most places on campus. Since it's all
sophomores out here, I guess this is a better option than the
treehouses, though I would not live here again."
Lodge floor plans can be found here: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~orl/housing/communities/lodge-top-nh.html
LORD
"I lived on the 4th floor of Lord my junior fall and liked it. The
floor are all male/all female, so there wasn't a ton of communal feel
to the dorm, and people weren't overly social, and that was kind of a
bummer. I had a roommate so that mitigated the non-social floor factor.
But the rooms are great (esp if you have a half bath), the showers are
nice, and it's definitely comfortable living. The central lounge in
Streeter is good for booking and has a decent kitchen, athough you do
have to go outside to get there (not a problem other than the winter).
Lord has its own laundry room. If I were choosing between here and Mass
Row I'd do Mass Row (I thought better location + more social), but lord
is def a step above Russ Sage for instance b/c it isn't substance free."
Lord floor plans can be found here:
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~orl/housing/communities/brs-gold.html
MAXWELL: see River Apartments
MCCULLOCH
"The logistical side of this dorm is amazing. It may be
slightly farther from the green, but there is amazing study space
EVERYWEHRE and huge rooms (I currently have a two room double). I
couldn't ask for anything more."
"I have had enough of dorm life in general, so I'm not sure I'm the one
to ask about living in Mcculloch again, but it has been an absolute
pleasure. It is quiet, but there is no lack in social interaction--you
just don't get people booting in the hallways during the weekend."
McCulloch floor plans can be found here: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~orl/housing/communities/e-wheelock.html
MID FAYER
"Great kitchen and basement lounge and as good as dorm laundry can be (lots of machines in the whole building)... rooms are spacious and great because they have bathrooms, good first floor lounge too, perfect location on campus, good weekend parking."
"Best dorm on campus in my opinion"
"Mid Fayer has roomy triples with half baths, good study rooms, kitchen, etc. Great location. "
"I would LOVE to live here again. I had an awesome experience and I
have a really tight floor; we would all live here again if we could."
"Overall I really like the space in Mid-Fayer. The kitchen is a little
small but adequate, and the whole rest of the lounge area is great! I
really like having a half bath in my room, and the overall size of the
room is pretty good! While there's not a lot of space for all 3 of us,
there is enough space for us to be comfortable. I wish I could fit more
in one load in the washers and driers we have now, especially since
they're more expensive, but it is nice having new ones. The location on
campus is fantastic! It's very central and I love that!"
"Overall it's been a great experience! I love the location and the dorm's comfortable, so I would definitely live here again!"
"Lived in 2 room triple on the 1st floor: Living in the first floor meant paying for a lot of stuff that drunk people broke.
The kitchen/common area is in the basement and not really comfortable /
friendly, it's too open. The room was on ok size but the closet
situation was weird b/c one person had to hang up their stuff in the
outer room. The half-bath was pretty small but sufficient. The hall
bath is small. The study lounge was nice but the lighting is bad.
people were friendly but not really outgoing. Great location if you
have a class on Dartmouth Row!"
Mid Fayer floor plans can be found here: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~orl/housing/communities/fayers-rws.html
MID MASS
"I lived in a triple with a full bath, and it was great. The bathroom
is nice, there are plenty of washers and dryers, the location is great,
and the rooms are big."
"Yes, I would live here again, it is a great place to live. The only
problem is that with food court so close you might be tempted to eat 8
midnight snacks per day."
"I don't really use the kitchen, but it's a nice big one. The lounge
downstairs and the study rooms on the first floor are great. The
washers and dryers are nice, though you have to avoid peak times if you
want to get your laundry done. That's the same in any dorm, though. Obviously, location on campus doesn't get much better than MidMass, especially in the depths of winter!"
"I really really loved living here for three terms in a row, and if I could keep right on living here, I sure would!"
"(2 room triple) awesome rooms, tile floors, private bathrooms with
tiny shower but so nice to have a bathroom in your room. in the triples
you have to bunk a bed which kind of sucks. great location, but if your
room faces the green, it is noisy at night with many drunk people
walking by, screaming, pulling their pants down, etc. I found it
entertaining. You will definitely eat more because food is so close. I
really liked the smaller study rooms on the first floor. not as social
as new hamp."
"Rooms are big and all have full baths. there is only one very small
study room in the dorm but it is close to other study spaces so isn't a
big deal. Perfect location on campus for food, collis, and library.
Good basement with kitchen,
Great dorm and would like in any of the rooms again."
Mid Mass floor plans can be found here: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~orl/housing/communities/hitch-mass.html
MORTON
"Whatever you do don't get a 1st floor room facing into the courtyard.
Sleep will be sporadic at best, and nonexistent on party weekends. The
walls throughout the cluster are paper-thin as far as sound blocking
goes. If somebody slams a drawer 2 floors up, you'll hear it. Invest in
earplugs."
"EW does have upsides that make the noise worthwhile. If you get a good
room and/or good neighbors, you're golden. 4th floor anywhere is nice
because you don't have anybody stomping around upstairs or any noise
from the courtyard. Most of the rooms are huge and singles, but if
you're a rising sophomore with a room draw number over 4000 it's a
one-room double for you, no prayer of anything better."
"Lounges are nice, with comfy furniture. Study spaces are quiet and
large. There are lots of washers and dryers. The location is decent
too, it's only about a 5 minute walk to the Green."
"I'll live here again, but not until I get a better room draw number.
Until then it's an apartment for me. Rising Juniors and Seniors are the
minority here, and are pretty much guaranteed to get anything they want
in terms of room selection, since so few apply."
Morton floor plans can be found here: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~orl/housing/communities/e-wheelock.html
NEW HAMP
"Kitchen in basement but isn't used much. However, when I've used it,
the stove works fine as does the microwave. 4 washers, 4 dryers which
are generally pretty available (in basement also). One study space in
basement and lounge on 1st floor but neither are used a lot. Overall
this year not a very social dorm on the upper-class floors (3rd) with a
lot of shut doors all of the time. Location is great - close to the hop
and gym and easy to run home if you forget something. The
Custodian, John, is awesome, and he'll always engage you in
conversation and he does a great job of keeping the place in perfect
shape."
"Yeah I got a single so it was a pretty decent place to live (big
room). I actually chose to live in this dorm again (lived there junior
year, got the same room at squatter's night) senior year."
"2 room double) great location, close to the hop, the gym, many
classrooms, XH. I never had a problem with the building itself, if john
the janitor is still there he is the nicest person ever. I had a HUGE
room with a fireplace and mantle. new hamp has storage space, the
common room is nice but is often being used for something. I never used
the kitchen."
New Hamp floor plans can be found here: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~orl/housing/communities/lodge-top-nh.html
NORTH
"Everything about North Hall is small but that's what makes it so cute.
It feels much more like a house than a dorm. It's a fair distance from
everything, on the same road as the choates and is delegated as a quiet
hall although the people who live there get together and decide whether
they want to enforce that rule or not. The tv room is comfy, although
the television is very small. The kitchen is a good size. There are two
dryers and one washer in the basement and while I lived there it only
took quarters although that was supposed to be fixed during spring
term. The rooms are pretty small and I had a problem with flies getting
in through the window even when it was closed.
I liked North Hall because of its size and the fact that there are only
19 people living in it. I would live there again, but if you want a
social dorm I wouldn't recommend North for that. "
North floor plans can be found here: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~orl/housing/communities/choates-north.html
NORTH FAYER
"I lived for fall and winter of my sophomore year in North Fayerweather. It was a great dorm, great location.
I had lived in Russell Sage before, and I doubted any location could be
as good, but I soon realized that N. Fayer was just as close to the
library, which is what mattered most to me 
I had a very good room
number and so I was able to procure the fourth floor suite for myself
and 5 friends. I absolutely loved the large common rooms and the
private bathrooms, though the four story climb was a bit of a hike. The
worst part was the five stories you had to climb to the basement with
your laundry. That is my only complaint, however. That and the fact
that there was only one microwave, in the basement of Mid Fayer, and
you had to
walk a while to get there. The greenprint station in the basement, however, was a big plus.
There was certainly an abundance of study space available, which I
really enjoyed. The fourth floor had bad lighting, though, which made
it difficult to study in the rooms, though the common room was great to
study in. I would definitely live there again--great experience."
"The two-room triples and singles are pretty spacious. The one-room
doubles are a bit cramped. They stay warm in the winter, and the walls
are thick so you can get away with making a bit of noise late at night.
The kitchen is a bit of a hike, especially if you're near the top of
the dorm. Location is prime for just about everything besides Webster
Avenue."
"North Fayerweather's hall configuration lends itself to a social
atmosphere. People are wandering in and out of each other's rooms all
the times, hanging out in the large space between rooms, and generally
having a good time. Although I don't advocate it, the hall is perfect
for having parties, hanging dartboards, installing a futon or other
seating requirements, or just posting pictures. I would definitely live
here again if I could."
North Fayer floor plans can be found here: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~orl/housing/communities/fayers-rws.html
NORTH MASS
"Worst bathrooms on campus, very small and dilapidated,
nice study area but always crowded, great laundry facilities - always
empty, small floors allow for residents to meet each other, perfect
location"
"1) great location on campus. dryers far down in basement. male bathrooms are TINY. not enough study space.
2) environment wasn't very social. many focused upperclassmen. but our
room was terrific and we brought visitors to the bldg. I would most
definitely live here again, if only for the location."
"Great location. Perfect - next to laundry, and lounge, and it's NORTH MASS! Right in the center of campus."
My experience was perfect. I'd live here again. Although the 1st floor
is a bit noisy, so maybe 2nd floor of the building is better. Just a
thought..."
"Best dorm in Mass Row. Better than South Mass because you
can't smell the food cooking at Thayer and better than Mid Mass because
it has carpets. It is also one of the best locations on campus because
it's so close to everything. This also makes you lazy. My room is a
great size, but the inner room can be a bit small if you aren't sharing
some of the space in the outer room. I live on the floor where my
communal bathroom is the large one, but even the small bathroom isn't
that bad, since you can just go down a flight if it really bothers you.
The kitchen in Mid Mass is nice, but not as nice as the one in Wheeler,
which felt more like home. Unfortunately, North Mass has only one
lounge, but Mid Mass and the library are just a short walk away."
"I loved living in a two room double. It has all the advantages of a
singe and a double. I hope to be able to squat in this dorm for the
next year."
North Mass floor plans can be found here: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~orl/housing/communities/hitch-mass.html
RICHARDSON
No comments received. If you have lived in Richardson and would like to comment on your experience, blitz Student Assembly.
Richardson floor plans can be found here: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~orl/housing/communities/wheeler-rich-aff.html
RIPLEY
"Location on campus-choice. Near the Bema, which is quiet and outside,
and very near the Hop and the gym and the green. It's a pretty building
from the outside. Study spaces-there aren't any inviting ones, you must
go elsewhere. Noise can be a problem sometimes. Bathrooms always clean,
as well as hallways, although there are only two shower stalls they are
very rarely ever both full so that is fine. Washers and dryers, like
everywhere on campus, are expensive. The corner rooms are spacious and
wonderful. Other rooms are too small."
"Generally good experience. Yes, I would consider living here again. Freshmen are just noisy sometimes. "
"There is only one kitchen for the three buildings, but it is generally
clean. The issue with some of the singles in Ripley is that some of
them were once two room doubles, and though the door between the rooms
is locked, for some reason the entire wall on that side is paper thin--
worse than any other room I've ever been in. An okay location behind
the Fayerweathers, and a short walk to the library."
"Ripley is a great building to live in, and the Rip-Wood-Smith cluster is serviced by a great custodian/handyman, Dennis. I would definitely live here again.
"I liked the Kitchen of Ripley. It was clean and well used. The TV
lounge was nice too. The one room double I was in was considered the
smallest in the dorm. So, size-wise, it is hard to comment. One
compliant towards the 1st floor (not Ground floor) women's bathroom is
that there is barely enough room within each stall to stand up. Perhaps
the stalls were made for men. Location wise, the dorm was a bit far
from most things, but it was nice and close to the gym. The people were
courteous and a bit more studious than other dorms. More people cooked
and lounged, so it was like the home-economics dorm. The study lounges
were nice. I remember using them quite often since my room was a bit
small. While I didn't mind living there, I would not want to live in
Ripley again because of its location and room sizes. There are also a
lot of entrance/exit ways in certain areas, making it rather dirty in
the winter and spring; and then, not enough entrance/exit ways in
certain areas so people have to weave in and out to get out."
Ripley floor plans can be found here: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~orl/housing/communities/fayers-rws.html
RIVER APARTMENTS (Channing Cox, Maxwell)
"it's nice because everyone has her own room, like singles, but we all
live together and have a community feeling because of the common
spaces, which are a good size. the bathroom is nice in that it has two
sinks. "
"I would definitely live here again. I love it."
"I loooooooooooooooove, love, love, love, love, love living in the
river apartments. The walk is DEFINITELY worth it. Live here if you
can~it will be the best thing about your senior year!!!!!!!"
River Apartment floor plans can be found here: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~orl/housing/communities/river-tree.html
RUSSELL SAGE
"Triples in Russell Sage are nice but tend to feel kind of small. The
not-so-stable metal bunk beds in particular can be a major drawback if
you have a roommate who tends to toss around in bed a lot (I know from
personal experience). Many have private bathrooms (with toilet/sink)
though, which is a plus.
The hyphen is great for studying/cooking/watching movies, but the study room downstairs really sucks.
Location, however, can't be beat (and the major reason I lived
there for two years)- this is a great option particularly for
sophomores since it's sub-free and tends to be less popular (but
honestly webster ave is 5 steps away, why do you need to party in your
room?)"
"1 - I have really enjoyed living in Russell Sage (in a single). It's
very quiet, so if need be you can get your work done, yet it is
somewhat social, if you need that as well. On the whole, people are
pretty chill and respectful of one another's space. I like the size of
the singles as well, not to big or small, and its location on campus is
ideal
2 - Absolutely. I would live here again if I weren't graduating. And I
wish I'd opted to live here sophomore year as well (freshman year I was
in the Choates, Junior year off all terms but one, when I lived in a 2
room triple in Russell Sage - no comment about that, lol - get a
single, no matter where you live!)."
"As a triple, the room size seemed rather tight. There was barely
enough room for the three of us to sit and study, but it was livable.
The environment was friendly, I got to know my neighbors eventually
though there wasn't a lot of planned interaction. The location was
great. The only downside was that whenever it rained, all the sidewalks
would flood, so it was hard to get into the building without getting my
pants wet. The basement lounge was pretty nice to study in and Hyphen
was a good hang out zone. I really liked that little study room next to
the Hyphen though. The kitchen was pretty clean even though the tables
to eat on were not. I went back recently and noticed the new carpet,
which was nice. However, the Hyphen needs some serious lighting. It is
very dark and dinghy, especially at night. With all though big windows,
it's actually a bit creepy. It would be nice to have light switches
that were actually findable.Overall, I really like living in Russell
Sage. I would live there again if I could."
"Great location on campus, well-maintained and atmospheric--one of the
nice old dorms. The triples are roomy (I don't know about the singles),
and the kitchen is one of the nicer ones on campus. There is no feeling
of community, but that may be more of an issue for first-years than for
upper classmen.
I like this dorm so much I have lived in it three times. The location
is key, and the quality and maintenance of the place is much better
than in some other dorms.
Nice kitchen in the first floor. The lounge (The Hyphen) next to the
kitchen is so big that it lacks an intimate feel. Being the only lounge
in the entire building, it is difficult for students from other levels
to come down and relax. They would rather stay in their rooms. I wish
the school put small lounges on each floor when building the dorm. Poor
design."
"Study area in the basement is pretty terrible. The laundry room is
right next to it, so you have to close the door to keep the sound out.
The heater and the water pipes can be pretty loud.
Russell Sage has a lot of two-room triples, which I think are pretty
horrendous. I expected an expensive private school such as Dartmouth
would do a little better than stuff three students into two rooms where
there's no privacy or personal space.
However, the bathrooms in the two-room triples are pretty nice features."
Russell Sage floor plans can be found here:
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~orl/housing/communities/brs-gold.html
SMITH
"the kitchen is small but nice, as are the study spaces and the shared
lounge (rip-wood-smith)... bathrooms are exceptionally clean, and the
janitors are really friendly--eg. brought in a toaster for our kitchen.
close to the gym, the hop, and heorot and ad. not too far from other
things--in between east wheelock and the fayerweathers. nice location
because it's not too far from anything, but removed enough that it's
not too loud at night. very friendly atmosphere, and very clean space.
lots of singles. rip-wood-smith (all one building) is mixed class
housing, with some floors only upperclass."
"i would live here again, no question. friendly,
laid-back, clean... a little far from classes and dining halls in the
winter, but the trade-off is that it's right by the gym, and still near
other dorms (read: friends not too far away)."
Smith floor plans can be found here: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~orl/housing/communities/fayers-rws.html
SOUTH FAYER
"South Fayer is the best dorm. It has the largest triples in the Fayers. It is a relatively small dorm, so hall bonding is possible.
The rooms have sweet features like bay windows and half-bathrooms. If
you are very lucky, you might score one of the extra-large rooms
upstairs or the two-room single (only for ugas though). Also, the odds
are good if you are a girl, because there are 3 male floors and only
1.5 female floors. The common room is small but comfy. Greenprint and a
large porch are a few of the other amenities."
South Fayer floor plans can be found here: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~orl/housing/communities/fayers-rws.html
SOUTH MASS
"No kitchen, that I know of. Bathrooms are every other floor, which
sucks - so pick a room close to the bathroom if that's an issue. Room
size is good, usually two room triples. It's okay to make one room
study, other room sleep. Study space on first floor usually occupied.
They provide one in the basement too but no one goes there b/c its next
to the boiler room and its so hot you can't concentrate. Washers =2,
dryers =3. usually never occupied b/c south mass is small dorm. great
location. close to greenprint in collis."
"living in mass row really improves the quality of life at dartmouth.
I would much rather live in a two room triple with two complete
strangers than have a single anywhere else. its so close and you are in
reach of everything."
"The first floor women's bathroom has only one stall and one shower and
the toilet is ALWAYS clogged. The floors squeak a lot in my room too. "
"Yes. Since it's upperclassmen its pretty quiet and people respect the
space and each other. You can't beat the location either."
South Mass floor plans can be found here: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~orl/housing/communities/hitch-mass.html
STREETER
"The bathrooms are nice, in that they all have two toilets, two sinks,
and two showers. The kitchen and lounge areas are really nice."
"Yes, I would definitely live here again. The only problem is that the
rooms, even the singles, are kind of small, but Streeter is nice and
quiet and the rooms have nice views."
"It would probably be better to room with someone you know. The living
quarters are a bit cramped...SO your desk will have to be in the center
room....which is also another persons room.... "
"It could be worse.
It's nice having a half bath. I wouldn't want to live here again. It's
a bit of an awkward living arrangement esp. if you don't know your
roommates. The walls are PAPER thin."
"Super clean and neat. Nice small kitchen. The janitor is very studious
and hard-working. Definitely recommend it to everyone who wants a
peaceful and clean environment. This is the dorm to spend your senior
year."
Lived in 3 room triple on 2nd floor: "Nice room size, second floor end
rooms get a lot of echoing from the covered walkways. The half bath is
definitely a plus. The dorm was pretty anti-social with a bunch of
seniors in the singles and sophomores in the doubles/triples. Little
interaction occurred. I personally did not like the single sex floors.
The bathroom was nice but the showers were separated only by a curtain
and often times girls would lock the shower door feeling uncomfortable
having someone in the shower on the other side. Location is awesome. I
would live there again gladly--it's the "gold "coast for a reason."
Streeter floor plans can be found here:
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~orl/housing/communities/brs-gold.html
TOPLIFF
"Huge kitchen and lounges. Lots of washers and dryers, located near the
Hop, Gym, Dartmouth Hall, and near town. Overall it's great, but watch
out for the rooms which have boarded-up doors interconnecting two rooms
that have since been made into singles. If you can avoid getting one of
these, try to, because they provide NO sound insulation at all. It
hasn't bothered me much because my "roommate"/next-door neighbor is a
really nice guy and generally not there a whole bunch, but I can still
hear it every time he opens drawers, turns on the TV, is on the phone,
etc."
"If you want a single, it's a great place. There's not a big sense of
community here, since nearly all the rooms are singles, but it's great
location and a ton of people live here too. I'd live here again."
Single, first floor: "My room was very large and I loved the wardrobe!
Noise carries as most rooms are just separated from the next door
single by a door that doesn't really keep sound out. I chose a room
near my gender's bathroom--otherwise it can be a long walk. The kitchen
is really nice. The janitors are a really cute married couple that are
really friendly! The football games can also wake you up on a saturday morning.
I loved being so close to the gym. I knew some people on my hall but if
you don't it's not really a place to meet people. I'd definitely live
there again though."
"The kids here are (in general) socially awkward and just plain strange."
"Topliff has very spacious singles, and many of them. The only
complaint I might have with the singles however, is the noise. The
problem is that sets of two neighbouring singles used to be joined in
the middle so that it was essentially a two room double with individual
entrances into each room. Now, the door is still in the middle of the
two rooms, but it is bolted shut. So not only are the walls in Topliff
relatively thin, but the door makes it worse. Imagine the amount of
noise one hears in their home when a door is merely shut. ORL made a
somewhat silly attempt to put "soundboards "up to block the sound, but
these "soundboards "are just pieces of drywall and don't do much at
all. I requested to have a second one placed on my side of the door,
yet still the problem was hardly fixed. Who knows though, maybe the
situation would be a bit better if one's neighbour wasn't learning how
to play the guitar.As for the doubles, there are two at each end of the
L shaped building. They are all one room singles, some quite spacious,
others not so much. If you bunk beds, you have room for a futon and
coffee table and stuff. If not, you may have a hard time fitting the
furniture in the room at all. Actually, I think some are just bigger
than others, because I know some people who have two windows in their
doubles and others who have three.
As for the location, getting to the gym or Dartmouth Hall is fabulous,
but walking all the way home from Webster on a Friday night not so
much."
"Topliff is excellent. It's the perfect location, rooms are big, the
kitchen is accessible (although you have to share a kitchen cabinet
with someone else if you want one, which kinda sucks), lotsa lounge
space, and it's generally cool. I'd definitely live there again (and I
hope to!)."
Topliff floor plans can be found here: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~orl/housing/communities/lodge-top-nh.html
TREEHOUSES (Birch, Elm, Maple, Oak, Pine, and Spruce)
"I live at Elm treehouse.
The rooms and bathrooms are new and clean.
The common room is nice.
There are no laundry or vending machines, and there is no kitchen."
"I would describe living here as unfortunate. There is no
kitchen or laundry facility. there was major difficulty with the
bathrooms and we had to go to another treehouse to use bathrooms for a
day and a half. It is far away from campus and the rooms are tiny.
Walls are so this that I can hear the music other people are listening
to on headphones. It seems to me that if you get placed in dorms that
are clearly inferior to other housing options and don't have the
amenities generally provided to other students that your housing costs
should be reduced but this is not the case. They can make the sr
apartments more expensive but they can't reduce the treehouse rent?
Avoid at all possible costs although you probably knew that already."
"I would rate my experience here as very poor. It is stressful on any
relationship to live in such close contact and although there is an
empty room downstairs that is bigger than ours we are still together in
this one. Luckily I will never have to live in the dorms again but I
would do everything you can with ORL to avoid the treehouses."
"I have a huge single to myself. the furniture is all new, there are 3
windows and 2 closets. there is no laundry or kitchen in the building.
my room is the best one that I've seen at Dartmouth. its a wonderful
single, but its actually a 1-room double. So it's huge as a single, but
incredibly small as a double. Also it's in the river which is kind of
inconvenient but I got used to it."
"No kitchen. Bathrooms are new, but the hot water takes forever to come
on. Rooms are small for doubles. Only sometimes have lounges, sometimes
the "lounge "is converted into a room if necessary. No washers or
driers which is pathetic. Location is awful.
General view of my experience is thank god I have a girlfriend who
doesn't live in one of these dorms. I would never live in this dorm
again under any circumstance, unless they paid me."
Treehouse floor plans are not available.
WHEELER
"I had a single in Wheeler with a half-bath. It was nice. Of the dorms I've lived in, Wheeler's building layout makes the most sense to me.
The study lounges were big and nice, not to mention there's quite a
variety in them. The one in the basement is more library like and the
one on the fourth floor is cozy. The kitchen would have been nice if it
was less closed off. Then again, most the people in the dorm barely use
the kitchen except to cook instant mac or to bake. It was left messy a
lot. Wheeler had the best laundry room a dorm could have. It was large
and roomy.
The people in Wheeler were really what made Wheeler different. A lot of
them were very social in very different ways. I really liked the
friendly atmosphere. There is a piano on the second floor. People
coming to play on that piano were pretty good.
Wheeler is surprisingly central in is location. East Wheelock, Library,
the Hop... everything seems pretty close. Still, because it is on the
other side of the Library, it feels disconnected to the rest of campus.
Although it would not be my first choice, I would love to live in
Wheeler again. It is friendly, centrally located, and the rooms are
nice."
"Some of the rooms are L shaped, one room, doubles, with no bathroom.
They are really small so you really have to bunk the beds and there are
no closets. There is a lounge on the top floor (which is a quite floor)
which is a really nice place to study. There is also a lounge on the
second floor that is nice to study in but can be louder. It is a great
located for the library.
If you have to live in an L shaped double I wouldn't live there otherwise the dorm is great."
Wheeler floor plans can be found here: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~orl/housing/communities/wheeler-rich-aff.html
WOODWARD
"Bathrooms are clean and showers are decent. Rooms are small. It is a
somewhat far walk to main parts of campus. It is very quiet! I would
live here again."
"The general consensus among those who live in the Rip/Wood/Smith
cluster is that it's one of Dartmouth's best kept secrets. Once you get
used to no one knowing where you live, it's great. Quiet (unless you
personally are being loud), has a big kitchen perfect for baking
cupcakes in, and you never have to wait for a shower. Additionally, you
tend to discover that a bunch of your friends have been living there
too and once that happens, late night hang out sessions are a fairly
often occurrence. The dorms are also all connected, which makes
everything much easier. The washers/driers are all new and there is
never a line for either.
I would definitely live in Woodward again. The two-room doubles are
ideal, as is the location, particularly for those taking language
classes in the morning."
Woodward floor plans can be found here: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~orl/housing/communities/fayers-rws.html
ZIMMERMAN
"East Wheelock is way out of the way, but it's pretty easy to subsist there and not have to leave for much. Lots of good study spaces, a snack bar, great rooms. The major pros of the Zimmerman and Andres rooms are lots of room space and private bathrooms."
"I enjoyed it. The programming isn't really required at all and some of it is even enjoyable. Yes I would live here again."
"Rooms are nice and big. Having to share a shower with only one other
girl is great. The kitchen is a long walk and I tend to not use it.
Laundry is also a long walk but it must be done. The location on campus
is the only draw back about living in Zimmerman. It is a long walk to
anything but the gym. In the winter that long walk is not that fun.
My experience in Zimmerman has been wonderful but I do not plan on living there again due to the long walk and the thin walls."
"I live in 407 Zimmerman, in a two room double. We have our own
bathroom, my room is really spacious, and it's a really comfortable
place to live in. Since I live in the East Wheelock Cluster, we have 2
really big kitchens, great study rooms/places, brace common is an
awesome lounge, and there are plenty of washers and dryers. East
Wheelock is the best place to live in."
"The room is really nice and large. I have my own bathroom and room .
(it is a 2 room double in zimmerman). the kitchen is awesome. as are
the study spaces. it is a little bit of a walk but that's ok. there are
lots of washers and driers. the walls are really thin though so you can
hear everything that the people next door are doing. in general this
dorm is well equipped and clean and a nice place to live. however I
would not live here again. it is the only dorm on campus that spends
money on community (there is a community director) but there is no
community. everyone stays in their rooms and I feel that I am one of
the few people that really utilizes the kitchen, the study areas, and
the public blitz computer. we don't even have door stops, and every
room has a long hallway in the beginning when you open the door, so you
can't just poke your head into people's rooms and say "hi". I feel that
this dorm was a big waste of money-- they could have build a similar
building with less wasted space (all the study areas that no one uses),
and if they made some of the study areas into rooms, and some of the
ridiculously spacious rooms (like 3 room doubles) into more rooms,
there would not be a sophomore housing shortage. basically if you want
to have a lot of room and your own bathroom, with good study areas,
this is a good choice. however, it can be too quiet, sterile and a bit
isolating at times."
Zimmerman floor plans can be found here: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~orl/housing/communities/e-wheelock.html