Abbi Fralick

When my alarm goes off at 7:30 each morning, my day begins with me rolling out of bed, hitting play on my favorite morning news podcast, and getting ready for the day ahead. I always like to open my blinds first thing in the morning, so I can have a view of the changing leaves.

After packing my bookbag for the day, I head to Novack Café, which is a coffee shop in Baker-Berry library. It serves Starbucks, pastries, and lots of other yummy snacks. My favorite breakfast order is an iced coffee, yogurt covered pretzels, and an apple!

When choosing classes for my first term here at Dartmouth, I was a little nervous to start out with a big, STEM lab class, but I’ve really enjoyed Gen Chem so far! As well as having a great professor, my class also has a Teaching Science Fellow (TSF), who just graduated from Dartmouth as a chemistry major. The TSF holds office hours almost every day, and I’ve found it super helpful to be able to work with someone who has firsthand experience as a Dartmouth student.

After chemistry, I walk with some friends from class to the Class of 1953 Commons (lovingly known as FOCO) to grab lunch, talk about class, and decompress before heading to our next classes.

My second class of the day is an English Class focused on the rhetoric surrounding debates on evolution and religion. In class, I’ve enjoyed discussing a wide range of ideas from religious, scientific, and philosophical thinkers.

After class, I like to head up to the Tower Room in Baker Library. Here, the view is amazing, there are big comfy chairs, and it’s super quiet. I think it’s the perfect place to read or work on homework!

My last class of the day is a creative writing class focused on poetry. Each week, we have a chance to write and get feedback on our work while also reading and learning from other authors’ work.

Before heading to the pool, I try to finish up any work with upcoming deadlines, so I can use practice as a time to relax. I did not play water polo before coming to Dartmouth, so I have loved learning a new sport and bonding with the other girls on the team. After practice, we all grab dinner together.

After practice, I finish up the night in my room talking with my hallmates, doing homework, and sometimes grabbing a late-night snack. I head to bed around 11:30, excited to wake up and do it all over again in the morning.