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Graduate Life

Dartmouth is situated in Hanover, on the Connecticut River, in the Upper Valley region of New Hampshire.

This resource curated by the Digital Arts program [link] is a treasure trove of information for incoming graduate students--it has pointers for first-time travellers to Dartmouth, information for new students just settling in, an overview of the graduate course structure, and more.

You can also refer to the sections below to get a glimpse of life at Dartmouth. It is a beautiful, historic campus, located in a scenic, year-round, outdoor recreational area. Dartmouth hosts an annual film festival; renowned musical and theatrical performers; and convenient transportation to Boston and other major cities.

Housing

The Dartmouth Real Estate Office lists local area rentals as well as Dartmouth-owned properties that are available to graduate students. This includes residences at Sachem Village, which is located about a mile and a half from campus.  

Students can also find privately-owned rentals through Dartlist, an online space for Dartmouth students, faculty, and staff to share event information and post classified ads.

Bulletin boards to check include the one at the Medical School and the Hinman Post Office in Hopkins Center - which has housing information as well as numerous articles for sale, rides, and other information.

The classified advertisement section of the Valley News (a daily local paper) and community pages on Facebook are also a good source.

Getting Around

Dartmouth College provides a number of transportation options to commute within the campus. The Dartmouth shuttle bus runs seven days a week and makes several campus stops. Shuttle services are free and available to anyone with a Dartmouth College ID, DHMC ID, APDMH ID, or Summit on Juniper guest or resident pass. 

Advance Transit shuttle buses, which offer connection to some campus parking lots, are free for the Dartmouth Community. The Advance Transit Bus Service also offers fare-free transit beyond campus to Upper Valley towns in Vermont and New Hampshire.

All commuting (living off-campus) students are required to register their vehicles. For information about parking options, maps, and permits on campus consult Transportation Services.

If you want to travel, there are two major highways within five miles of campus, I-89 and I-91. The closest major city, Boston, is a two and a half hour drive away.  The Dartmouth Coach provides bus service to Boston and New York, with stops in Hanover, Lebanon, and New London.  One can take Greyhound buses to various locations including New York, Philadelphia, and Montreal, from White River Junction, VT. Amtrak trains bound toward New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, also stop here.  The Lebanon airport is served by Cape Air with direct flights to Boston and White Plains, NY.

Health and Wellness Support

Each full-time student is entitled to health services, including mental counseling, at Dick's House. There are also many resources to support students dealing with mental health, sexual discrimination, and other safety and wellness issues at Dartmouth, both on and off campus. This guide, compiled by representatives of the Graduate Research Council, provides detailed information about these resources, and how they can be accessed.

The Outdoors

Hanover lies along the eastern bank of the Connecticut River, between the Green Mountains of Vermont and the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The setting lends itself to the pursuit of a variety of outdoor activities, whatever the weather. 

The Dartmouth Outing Club maintains hiking and ski trails all over New Hampshire, and the Appalachian Trail actually goes right through downtown Hanover.  The Outing Club leads hikes, bike rides, canoe trips, and ski trips all year round.

Arts & Activities

Dartmouth offers a modest but active cultural life.  The Hopkins Center at Dartmouth is a magnet for the arts in New Hampshire and Vermont; it sponsors concerts by visiting and local musicians, film series, art shows, and theater.  The Hop also has workshops for woodworking, sculpture, painting and crafts. 

The Hood Museum features a good art collection, and the building itself has aroused interest in the architectural community. 

The College provides the usual assortment of gyms, basketball courts, tennis courts, squash courts, weight rooms, aerobics classes, swimming pools, and baseball diamonds, as well as a hockey rink, and an indoor track.  

Additional Resources

The Guarini Graduate School of Graduate and Advanced Studies website is a great source of information for those looking to get involved in the Dartmouth Community on and off campus. They also offer support specific to international students and support a broad range of diversity-related programs and initiatiatives.

In addition, students can find support and community at the Dartmouth chapters of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) and Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (oSTEM).

The Dartmouth College Postdoc Association, which is focussed on improving the postdoc experience at Dartmouth, advocates for postdocs on campus and aids professional development.