Chidera Duru

My study abroad last fall was honestly one of my most formative academic and personal experiences since I started at Dartmouth.

One of the main reasons I applied to Dartmouth was its vast range of study abroad programs in various departments and in different countries across the globe.

After six months of internships, vacations with friends, studying abroad and spending time with friends, I'm finally back on campus, living and taking classes at Dartmouth.

I won't be on-campus this fall (I'll be doing a AAAS foreign study program in Accra, Ghana), so I've put together a small bucket list of events and activities that I think really made my first fall at Dartmouth so memorable.

Over the past eight weeks, I've been interning at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in Washington, DC as part of the Rockefeller Center's First-Year Fellows program.

At the beginning of my freshman year, I was especially anxious about adjusting to a new learning style in a new country, but over time, I developed a few tips and methods to ace classes at Dartmouth and have a fun learning experience!

The short answer to this is yes! Classes at Dartmouth can be rigorous and challenging, but they're always such a fun learning experience!

Being in DC this summer and participating in the Rockefeller Center's First Year Fellows program, I've been able to really see just how special the Dartmouth alumni network is.

During a recent conversation with my HS friend who also goes to college in the US, we discussed what it's like experiencing culture shock especially as international students. I'd love to share the tips we developed to combat this feeling.

I can still vividly remember the combination of nervousness and excitement I felt preparing for my first year of college. After an eventful freshman year, here is some advice to '26s as you get ready for your first year: