his blogpost is part three of the Freshman FAQ series. Today, we’ll be answering the logistical questions: “How can I prepare over the summer for move-in?” “What important things should I bring?” and “Can you give us winter tips for people who live in areas with little to no snowfall?”
How to Pack
To prepare over the summer, you should first make a list of things you need. I like to do this starting with categories. For example, you should have the following categories: clothing, toiletries, room essentials, and technology. If you plan to use school supplies or room decor, you should have categories for those as well, though you can purchase those here. We have a Walmart (take bus*), Home Goods (take bus), and CVS (walking distance) nearby!
Once you have categories established, write down everything you need and gather your boxes. To make move-in painless, you should label each box and keep a document containing what you store in each box that you’re driving or mailing to Dartmouth, so you can easily find everything when you unpack. For example, label one box A, and in a Google Doc, you can write the contents of box A.
*Our local bus is called Advanced Transit, and you can find the routes on their website: https://advancetransit.com. To get from Hanover to Walmart, you can use the “plan your trip feature,” and it will tell you which color lines to take. Select the Walmart in West Lebanon for your destination.
Important Things to Bring
You will need twin XL sheets and blankets unless you choose to use Evolving Vox (a paid service that takes your twin bed and replaces it with a full one at the beginning of the term) to get a full bed, in which case you should bring full sheets and blankets. For twin XL beds, you should purchase a mattress topper. The mattresses that come with the room are not very comfortable, so a mattress topper is essential for getting a good night of sleep. Do this as early as possible because they will run out of stock online.
You also need a good winter coat and boots because it often snows toward the end of the fall term. Many students use L.L. Bean boots, but if you don’t have winter boots, you should research different options.
If your dorm does not have air conditioning, you should purchase a fan. You can get one in the Hanover Hardware store here or Home Goods. If you would like a full-size mirror, a mini fridge, a vacuum, or storage for under your bed, you probably do not need to buy them now. Each fall, there is a sustainability sale one morning during orientation. At the sale, you can purchase those items at a discounted price (e.g. $7 for a vacuum).
Each room has a small mirror on the wall that will show your torso and face (depending on your height), so if you like to keep things clean, windex will be useful. For laundry, you will need the basics: detergent, dryer balls or sheets, and a hamper. I bought mesh laundry bags for delicates so they don’t get lost, but it isn’t necessary. You can use your ID to pay for using the laundry machine, so you do not need quarters.
For eating and drinking, you do not need dishes. You probably won’t be eating in your room because the Ivy dining plan you’ll be on in the fall will have more than enough swipes to ensure you won’t go hungry. However, you should bring a reusable water bottle and a cutlery set like this. These are useful for sustainability purposes, but you will also need them during trips. Most dorms don’t have filtered water, so filling up your bottle with filtered water elsewhere, like the library, before you go back to your room for the night is a good idea.
Lastly, bring things that make you happy (pictures, art, books, makeup etc).
Winter Tips For Students from Warm Climates
As a student from South Florida, I often wore a thin layer of tights under my pants, but I know for some other people thick socks are enough. So, invest in thick wool socks (and wool tights or long underwear if you wish). It is important that your socks are wool or another warm material that dries quickly because snow might get into your boots and melt.
As long as you have one good winter coat, you might not need many sweaters or layers for your torso. I found that a t-shirt and a winter coat was enough, and if I wore a sweatshirt under my coat, I would be covered in sweat by the time I got to my destination. I liked having sweaters for the fall when a winter coat was too much. However, it is important to note that different things work for different people. Some people prefer layers upon layers under their coat. I suggest you come here with what you have and purchase layering items according to your needs as you learn them.
If you enjoy going to the gym, you will need to wear sweatpants over your gym pants starting around the end of the fall term. I would say 40-50 degrees is a good time to begin doing that, depending on your tolerance for the cold. You will also need to wear winter boots if it is a far walk to the gym, so you don’t slip and fall in the snow. I used my backpack to bring my gym shoes and water bottle. When you arrive at the gym, you can change shoes on the bench and store your boots in a cubby with your backpack, sweatpants, and winter coat.
On warmer winter days, you need to be very careful while walking outside. The snow will melt because of the heat and freeze again when it is cold enough. This causes the ice to form a slick, thin layer over the sidewalk, which is much more slippery than snow. Walk slowly when this happens.
This winter tip isn’t just for students from warm climates, but make sure your back-to-back classes, if you have any, are not far from each other. For example, do not take a class at Dartmouth Hall for your B-block and a class in the Thayer School of Engineering for your C-block. The snow makes it harder to take shortcuts around campus, so getting around will be slower in the winter.
To recap, the essentials are wool socks, good winter boots, a warm winter coat, possibly wool tights/long underwear, and sweatpants for gym-going folk. I hope this helps! If you have any further questions on these topics, feel free to DM us on Instagram @dartmouthacademicskills!
