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The Brazilian class of 2025 in front of the bonfire

Welcome back to my blog, folks! As a reminder, I'm Antônio, a Brazilian member of the class of 2025 studying Linguistics, Native American & Indigenous Studies, and minoring in Spanish. 

As we prepare to welcome the class of 2027 to campus, I was drawn back in my memories of my own experiences getting ready to come to Hanover for the first time. It was less than a few hours after opening my admission letter that my Instagram got flooded with messages from other Brazilian students here. This, as I later found out, is a meticulously organized movement. In attempting to make sure all students feel welcomed and included at our school, many affinity groups run side operations to share their own experiences and answer any questions prospective students might have. Now, this year, as I serve as chair of outreach for the Dartmouth Brazilian Society (DBS), it was no different. 

With Dartmouth's new financial aid policy for international students, we have seen an extremely diverse pool of accepted students emerge from around the world. Due to my involvement with the Admissions Office — where I work both as a blogger and as an International Student Ambassador — I have had the privilege of getting to know the wide array of opportunities Dartmouth puts together to welcome the newest class. However, it is not only on the third floor of McNutt Hall that we brainstorm how to best welcome the '27s. As a member of DBS, I have seen up close what it's like to design and implement programs that integrate and help the new class!

A good example is our weekly take-overs on Instagram, where prospective students get a taste of what day-to-day life is like on campus. Moreover, at least once a month up through September, we host a Zoom call to help admitted students interpret their financial aid letters, as well as give advice on choosing classes and navigating Dartmouth's housing system. 

It is an honor to be a part of such a close-knit community as DBS, but I am also sure it is not a Brazilian-exclusive privilege. Both the Admissions Office and other affinity groups (ie. the International Student Association, the Latinx & Caribbean Council, the Dartmouth Turkish Students Association, etc) have done incredible work in yielding accepted students to our communities. 

This is all to say that, no matter where you are hailing from on your way to Hanover, there will be plenty of people here to welcome you with arms open! And, more than that, please remember: you are already a part of this! You don't have to wait to be on campus to find community — we are always here to help, no matter at what point of the process :)

 

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