Abbi Fralick

Like many of my classmates, Dartmouth is the first private school I've ever gone to. Coming from a small Southern town, the vast majority of people I know don't travel more than a few hours away for college.

Whether you're looking to work on sustainability efforts, tutor kindergarteners, or support the elderly, there are a ton of opportunities to give back at Dartmouth.

The college selection process was far more challenging as an introvert. During my freshman year, I've had the opportunity befriend people who fall all over the introverted/extroverted spectrum.

This post is dedicated to the tiny, tiny facets of Dartmouth's campus that I am finding myself missing more and more everyday.

This spring is going a bit differently than any of us were expecting, but the one constant has been the interesting classes Dartmouth offers.

We may be living in new and weird times, but the core of Dartmouth — our community of kind and intelligent people — will be around forever.

The conversations I had helped me realize that part of the beauty of Dartmouth is evolving throughout my time here.

Now, as a freshman over halfway done with my first year, I thought I would take the opportunity to update my "Why Dartmouth" (this time without the stress of a 100-word limit).

Because the town and school are small, they are extraordinarily interconnected and, in my experience, people in the community have been super welcoming. One long time Hanover resident even helped me pick out a good winter coat!

After reflecting on my first term at Dartmouth, I decided to continue on the pre-med track and to begin taking some required classes during my second term.