Hi! I'm Chelsea Mills, a '26 from North Potomac, Maryland. I'm a pre-med student pursuing a Psychology major and a Biology minor. I'm a tour guide, co-president of the Student Mental Health Union, and an outreach coordinator for Camp Kesem (a college-run camp for kids with a parent who has cancer). On weekends, you might find me grabbing a bite at The Works Cafe, spending time with friends in my sorority house, or taking a stroll around Occom Pond. I hope you enjoy my blog- thanks for reading :)
With the college experience comes the dorm experience. It can be scary to think about living away from your family. Luckily, roommates help make the space feel more like home.
The process begins before you even step foot on campus. Months before Fall term, incoming students are sent a "roommate questionnaire." It asks about how early we get up in the morning, preferences on keeping the window open, etc. It's a basic survey that helps give some sense of direction in the randomized matching system. This was unique among my friend group in high school; many of them were stressed about choosing their own college roommate. I like that Dartmouth randomly assigns us one. It allows us to meet people that we wouldn't otherwise.
Daphna!
My roommate Daphna and I probably would have been friends either way. We've gotten really close as the year goes on. We also have a lot of fun together, so our room always has a lot of good energy. I consider her to be one of my closest friends, and someone that I can really trust. I think that's the most important part of a roommate relationship. Some of my friends don't go out with their roommate or otherwise hang out together often. But, they still have a respectful, trusting relationship.
Daphna and I live in a two-room double. This means that I have one roommate (a double), and we each have our own room (two-room). My favorite thing about this set up is the privacy it affords for both of us. Our rooms are connected through a door, so we have the option of opening it when we want to talk or closing it when we want some alone time. It's important to note that there isn't a "typical" Dartmouth dorm. Many of my friends are in singles, triples, or one-room doubles. I'm secretly a little jealous of the three-room doubles... they're huge!
If you were to knock on my door on any given night, you'd probably open it to find me sitting on my bed sitting and chatting with Daphna, catching each other up on our days. There's nobody else that I would rather have nightly debriefs with. I really lucked out with my first-year roommate.
The big-little process in my sorority has strengthened my bond with my big, fostered new friendships across class years, and deepened my sense of community and belonging on campus.
After a long winter term where everything was overlaid in snow and serenity, the weekly Norwich farmer's market is finally back—and I could not be more excited.
