Hi, my name is Brandon and I'm a '25 from just outside of Chicago. I study Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies, and am involved with multimedia journalism and videography on campus. I am passionate about documentary filmmaking and using film as a tool to present lived human experiences in subjective visual, aesthetic, and sonic terms. In my free time, I love to spend time with my cat, follow the Chicago Bulls, and study Arabic. Please enjoy these snapshots of my life in Hanover!
Here in Hanover, the temperature is now regularly dipping into the negatives. As I wrap up on my second week of the term, I feel more settled into campus and have enjoyed beginning my classes. My previous post discussed the courses I was taking this term, so if you're curious about a freshman's course load check it out!
Aside from academics, there are tons of things I missed about being on campus. For instance, I've taken advantage of grabbing meals at the HOP, where I can enjoy fresh grilled burgers, quesos, sandwiches, and other guilty fried pleasures. I've also been enjoying food from FOCO, the primary dining hall; while it can be repetitive by the end of the term, I've not gotten to the point where I can turn down a FOCO cookie just yet. While dining has been takeout only, this has not been an issue; I don't mind grabbing my food in a container and then eating in the library, or with friends in their dorms. However, things seem to be looking up; college policies have allowed for sit-down eating at all the dining halls, which is a huge positive.
All of my actual classes are in-person, which is great for quality of life. My professors are all passionate about their fields, and I feel like I'm learning lots of content in both my readings/homework and actual in-class lectures. Moreover, the workload is definitely manageable. I find that I have lots of free time for personal projects, extracurriculars, and a social life. So far, the term has been a perfect mix of work and fun.
One fun moment of the term was the campus-wide snowball fight at midnight on the first Friday of the term. There were tons of people showering each other with snowballs, and it was definitely a sight to see. I still have a cut on my lip from being hit! In terms of social life and activity, it is definitely a little more difficult to stay in touch with people than in the fall. While the weather is beautiful on campus, I frequently saw people between classes and around campus and used the opportunity to catch up and enjoy a conversation. However, with the weather being as extreme as it is and an early sunset, most people can be found cooped up in the library rather than out and about in the cold. Therefore, it's much more important to reach out to people and make plans in advance in order to maintain a healthy social life.
That being said, winter in Hanover isn't all bad! Getting cozy in the library or my dorm is a blessing, and winter term is definitely a great time to focus on academics and start planning for internships and study abroad opportunities for next year. In future posts, I'll update on my experiences with a four-course term and applying for internships/study abroad programs as a freshman!
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I wrote my "Why Dartmouth?" essay a little under two years ago, and I've had a year in-between to fully experience Dartmouth: how I've grown, changed, and how Dartmouth has been a part of all of it.
