Looking Ahead: Winterim Trips!
'Winterim' is Dartmouth's designated break between Fall and Winter terms. While Thanksgiving seems far away, Dartmouth's short 10-week terms ensure that it will be here in no time. As a result, Dartmouth offers many programs, internships, and fellowships for students to pursue during this 6-week break, often months in advance! This winterim, I am going on a trip with a cohort from the Dartmouth Center for Social Impact. As a group, we're traveling across the U.S. border with Mexico from El Paso to Brownsville. In this post, I'd like to tell you prospective students a bit about social impact programs available on campus, and a glimpse into how a Dartmouth student might spend part of their winterim!
The Dartmouth Center for Social Impact's trip to the Texas-Mexico border will last about 10 days, and will consist of road tripping and working with refugee groups, legal non-profit organizations, and film/cultural societies in their respective communities. The trip provides a comprehensive perspective on a refugee crisis on our border that is underrepresented in the news and daily discourse.
In addition, the trip also includes opportunities to experience hiking trails and recreation in the area, where many students in the cohort haven't had the opportunity to visit. After my language study abroad in Morocco, I've learned that programs like these are valuable both for their content and the opportunity to form much closer bonds with other Dartmouth students as a product of traveling. Therefore, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to experience new things with new people!
The process of applying for Winterim trips is not intimidating - oftentimes, all it takes is a watchful eye on your Dartmouth email! The Dartmouth Outing Club, Center for Social Impact, and other organizations on campus are constantly communicating with students to get these programs out there. After all, because of all the funding Dartmouth has to go around, someone might as well use it!
In addition, if you'd like to spend your winterim doing an internship in your home city, you can get funding from campus via application! And even cooler, if you're able to find an internship abroad, you can get full funding from the Dickey Center to pursue it! A friend of mine who went to Morocco with me met a Moroccan director through Dartmouth. Since he studies Film, the Dartmouth connection was able to secure him an internship in Morocco this winter, and it will be fully funded by the Dickey Center! There are so many opportunities on campus; all you have to do is look and take advantage of the institution.
But, truthfully, most people just spend their winterim at home chilling with their families! That's what I did my first year, and I really enjoyed it - Dartmouth gives you the option to pursue (or not pursue) a multitude of activities during Winterim. Prospective students should keep that in mind!