Staying Over Interim

After a month of sweet winter break time, we’re back in Hanover for winter term. Most students have been at home or away traveling, but some students choose to stay on campus over breaks. Many of them are students from abroad or the west coast, and there are some who just want to stay and work at school during break (this can amount to quite a sum of money). The option of staying during the interim period (the time between terms) is definitely available, and although I did not stay for winter break, I did stay for the past Thanksgiving.

A good number of students stay at Dartmouth for Thanksgiving break – it’s pretty short, and winter break comes a little more than a week afterward anyways. You do not need to make any other dorm arrangements to stay over Thanksgiving break – you can just stay in your room as usual. The dining halls have odd hours and close for a few days, but it is a great time to just get together with friends on campus and make a meal together. Neighborhood restaurants are also available. EBAs, a local pizza place, even has a Thanksgiving dinner special. A big group of my friends did not go home, bought turkey from the Co-Op, a local supermarket, and made delicious stuffing!

Staying for winter or spring break is a little less common, as they are longer chunks of time, but some students do choose to stick around. You have to apply to stay during interim and ORL (Office of Residential Life) looks over your reasons, and decides whether you qualify for interim housing or not. There are dates where the dorms are officially closed, so they want to keep track of those who stay. If you live far away, plan to work on campus during break, or conduct research, etc. you will virtually always be granted interim housing. You don’t even have to be staying the entire break to apply for interim housing – if your flight arrangements force you to leave or arrive on campus later or earlier than the dorm schedule, you should apply for interim housing as well.