Cally!: Wow, this is taking forever.
Student: Yeah, no kidding. I should have waited until later to come. At least we're not at a total stand still, though. Hey, weren't you in my trip section?
Cally!: J65!
Student: Yeah! Only I did climbing. Where are you living?
Cally!: I'm in East Wheelock, Andres. What about you?
Student: Oh, I'm in the River. You don't seem like someone who would live in East Wheelock.
If you have investigated housing information then you know that all first-year students are required to live in standard residential buildings and that both rooms and roommates are assigned. Not until they return as sophomores are students allowed to live in off-campus, affinity, or Greek houses.
But what if you want to live near the fitness center? The co-op grocery store? The Hop? What if you just want to take some of the guess work out of where you'll be living?
The one alternative to standard residential dorms available to first-years is the East Wheelock cluster. East Wheelock is comprised of four dorms (Zimmerman, Morton, McCulloch, and Andres) that are connected by centrally located Brace Commons. The official Website of the cluster (which can be accessed by clicking the image below) describes EW as "an intellectually vibrant and culturally diverse residential community that expands the educational experience beyond the classroom," but what does this mean in terms of day-to-day life?
If you have already searched for student testimonies then you likely know that East Wheelock has a reputation of being "nerdy" and "quiet." Residents are characterized as awkward, studious hermits who scuttle along the periphery of the social scene only to dine and attend class. This is ridiculously inaccurate. We prefer ordering delivery to the bother of trekking to a dining hall.
All joking aside, we are not the reputed recluses of whom you may have read. We play varsity sports and musical instruments. We join debate teams and dance troupes. We go to class, but we also go to parties. Sure, our dorms tend to be quieter than others, but this does not indicate any lack of social interaction. On the contrary, the idea behind East Wheelock is to promote a strong social network between residents, college faculty and staff, and visitors to the campus.
An example of this community-building are the dinners regularly hosted by Professor Susan Brison at her home, known as "the White House," adjacent to the cluster. These dinners give East Wheelock residents the opportunity to meet and speak with visiting scholars and performers as well as Dartmouth affiliates.
Of course, East Wheelock is not the right fit for everyone. If, however, you think that it sounds like the community in which you would like to spend your first year at Dartmouth, fill out the relatively short application and dream of engaging dinner conversations, the snack bar in Brace, and having your own bathroom. In the mean time, feel free to respond with any questions!
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