Hi there! I'm May and I'm sooo excited to share my Dartmouth experience with you! Coming all the way from Southeast Asia, I have loved joining such a tight-knit community under the shades of the great trees here at Dartmouth. I love blogging about food, binge watching Asian shows, and cozy movie nights! Find me in the soccer field during intramurals, with my friends in the common rooms, getting coffee at Collis (my favorite), or volunteering at local service projects!
How often do students travel in and out of Hanover? How easy is it?
A:
One question I've been getting from many prospective students is if Dartmouth students travel out of Hanover to other cities nearby such as New York or Boston often, and how easy is it to do so. Because Hanover is a small town, some students worry if they would miss the hustle of the city and feel limited to staying on campus.
Whether you want to visit other places or travel to a bigger city hub depends on you, but there are several opportunities for students to do so! By public transport, the nearest "city" is West Lebanon which is about a 15 minute bus ride, where you can find retail stores such as Walmart, JC Penny, TJ Maxx, and LLBean. You can also find Asian markets, more coffee shops, and fast-food chains such as Wendy's and Taco Bell in West Lebanon. Buses run on weekdays from about 6 am to 6 pm. There is a bus stop directly on campus so all you really have to do is hop on the bus! Concord, the capital of New Hampshire, is about an hour car ride away and is a good opportunity for you to rent a car with your friends for a day trip!
For longer distance trips to New York or Boston, Boston is about a 3 hour bus ride while traveling to New York takes about 5 hours. The most popular transport to get there is by the express buses such as the Dartmouth Coach or the Greyhound which operate daily and have multiple departure times throughout the day. A ticket to Boston is about $30 while a ticket to New York costs around $75.
If you're worried about costs, the College has events and giveaway programs where you can win yourself a bus ticket! Also, the house communities organize an all-expenses paid trip to Boston or New York each term so you can definitely benefit from this opportunity as well! These trips range from going to support the Dartmouth football team at Harvard, exploring the cultural landmarks of Boston, or sightseeing around New York! Some clubs and student organizations, such as the marching band, dance groups, acapella groups and sports clubs, also plan trips outside of Hanover for intercollegiate activities and competitions. For example, last month, I joined my badminton team on a 2 hour drive to Vermont for a tournament over the weekend! With the Dartmouth Outing Club, you will also be able to travel out of Hanover to the Dartmouth skiway or hiking trails if you're up for a day out.
As you can see, travelling outside of Hanover is very accessible and there are several resources you can take advantage of if you wish to do so.
Hopefully you all caught that slightly altered Mean Girls reference! While Regina George wasn't exactly going apple picking with her friends...I think she should've been! Here's a look into my own day of apple picking!
After a year at Dartmouth, I've been able to carve out little niches for myself where I'm able to explore my passions, which I'd like to share with you all!
As I write this I'm covered in my fluffy blanket, listening to a ~fall vibes~ playlist as the 36-degree crisp October air enters my room through my window. Obviously, fall in Hanover has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life!
Dartmouth's Student Assembly has already run several voter registration drives, and I had the opportunity to vote early in my first presidential election ever at a town hall just last week. That's a moment I definitely won't forget!
