Chelsea Mills

Sure, it’s important to not fall behind. But if you overload your schedule with a ton of clubs and DOC trips, it’s easy to realize that you might not even have the time to truly enjoy any of them. Not to mention, this would all be on top of your 3 classes and any office hours that may accompany them. I prioritize what’s important to me, and let go of any “filler” activities that I did just for the sake of doing. I was so excited to try everything at Dartmouth, but I had to be realistic about how much I could juggle at once. It’s totally fine to scale back commitments. Now, I have extra time to pour into the hobbies I'm most passionate about!

I love hanging out with my friends, and I am quick to say “yes” to spending time with them. Yet, my homework awaits. It can be hard to prioritize academics when you also want to make fun memories (Baker is a gorgeous library, but maybe not the place I'd like to spend my entire day). I balance the two by doing homework alongside friends. Studying with friends can help hold yourself accountable. Even if they aren’t in the same class as you, simply being next to someone else might motivate you to finally start doing that textbook reading you’ve been procrastinating. And you’ll have a friend to spend your study breaks with.

As cheesy as it sounds, we do indeed discover ourselves in college. I think I’ve grown a lot after just one term. It’s been helpful for me to keep my overall goals for college in mind. They serve as a motivator to do things that don’t seem as fun short-term. My high-school-senior-self had a couple regrets that she promised to not repeat in college. Maybe you do too. I knew that I wanted to work on exploring my academic interests, which means getting good grades across different subjects to set a strong foundation. Keeping this in mind, it’s easier for me to set my goals into motion today. I urge you to do the same.

I couldn’t wait to meet new people on campus. I remember smiling and introducing myself to virtually everyone. But the honeymoon phase of move-in day quickly came to an end as my parents left campus and I was left with 1,000 other freshmen. I quickly realized that every day for the next couple of weeks would consist of much more smiling and many more introductions. Orientation week truly put my social battery to the test. 

I was as social and outgoing as I could have been. And I’m sure you will be too. It’s important to be friendly as you meet new people. Just don’t forget to take some time for yourself. Even finding a couple of minutes to chill before leaving your dorm can really help.
 

You may not believe me now, but trust me when I say that orientation week is busy. The schedule is pretty much back-to-back for 12 days straight. But seriously, take breaks if you need them. My orientation seemed to start the moment I stepped on campus. And there was no turning back. Don’t get me wrong; I had a great time. It was just a bit overwhelming at times. And if you don’t recharge at night, you’ll find yourself feeling miserable the next day. The stress of moving in and getting acclimated to a new environment will catch up to you at some point. We all know that you don’t perform at your best when you’re tired. Can you imagine meeting your new classmates when you’re running on just 4 hours of sleep?

Orientation is the perfect opportunity to get to know people before the chaos of classes starts. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. I promise you that everybody else just wants to make friends too. (Bonus tip: remember people’s names!) I said “Hi my name is Chelsea and I’m from Maryland” more times than I could count. It might feel a bit superficial, but the friendship usually grows from there. You’ll have some familiar faces to say “Hi” to in passing. Even if you don’t think the Language Requirement lecture is going to be much fun, you might make a new friend with the person sitting next to you. If nothing else, embrace the activities for the sake of expanding your new social circle.

Orientation week is a great time on campus. There are a ton of cool traditions that you’ll be glad you took part in. My class (‘26) can say that we were the last to shake President Hanlon’s hand at Matriculation. You may be tired and overwhelmed at times, but you’ll make some great memories along the way.