Hall House is the only residence hall on campus that gives individuals the opportunity to experience and pursue almost anything you have ever  dreamed of doing in the outdoors.
Residents participate in a number of outdoor adventures, from hiking and mountain biking to rock and ice climbing. Residents help plan trips centered upon experiential education as well as plan a number of social activities from arts and crafts to movie nights.
There is never a problem finding someone to go climbing with at the Dover Rock Gym or hiking with in the 300 acres of College Woods right on campus.
The
transition from high school to college is a very exciting and
fun experience for most people. It is a time to be free
from parents, free from curfews, and most importantly, to be
independent. While the majority of students are excited about
going into their freshman year of college, I, like many others,
found it to be rather intimidating. Only about 2 other
students from my high school ended up enrolling at the University
of New Hampshire, and quite honestly, I really didn’t know
them that well. I felt  as if I was being taken out of my
familiar hometown back in Rhode Island and being thrown into
a giant mess of strangers my age. Luckily, the decision
of choosing Hall House as my dorm freshman year made my transition
very smooth and helpful.
I was a bit
worried in the beginning about living in Hall House. Hall House, unlike
the other dorms on campus, was a smaller dorm in size, and was full of mostly
singles. It was located among six other mini dorms, each with a different
theme. What drew me to this particular dorm was the “outdoor adventure” theme. I
have always grown up with the appreciation of the outdoors. I was very
active in rock climbing, hiking, camping, and mountain biking. I felt like
this was the dorm for me. The first week of me living in Hall House only
reinforced my decision to live there.
Move in day
for me went very smoothly without any problems. Three very friendly Hall
House residents, who were considered the “move in crew”, greeted
me with smiles on their faces. They helped me move my stuff into my room,
told me the best setup for my bed and desk, and eventually showed me around the
dorm introducing me to other freshman. I immediately felt very comfortable
around the dorm, realizing that everybody was pretty much in the same boat as
me. Later on during the week, once everybody moved into the dorm, we took
a dorm trip up to Franconia Notch, where we spent the weekend doing activities
and getting to know each other.
The dorm trip
we took really strengthened the sense of community that is held within Hall House. It’s
a chance to get away from the campus with just your dorm residents, and get to
know them on a personal level. Because there are only about fifty other
residents in Hall House, everybody begins to get to know the other residents. It’s
a great feeling to be able to see someone in your dorm and be able to know their
name, their interests, and other random facts about them. It’s even
better being able to sit down with anyone from the dorm and just relax and have
fun.
I’d
have to say that Hall House was probably the best dorm I could’ve picked. Since
the dorm trip, we’ve done so many cool trips and activities. For
example, my freshman year, I went cliff jumping, mountain biking, hiking, snowboarding,
white water rafting, rock climbing, and so many other amazing outdoor trips. This
is my third year living in Hall House and there is always something going on
here. Unfortunately, I will not be living here my senior year. I
will always remember the fun experiences I had with my friends in the dorm, and
will definitely miss it. I highly recommend this dorm if you love the outdoors. You
won’t regret it.
-Will Hoffman
Junior
Toll Gate High '03
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