Hey everyone! I'm Cooper from Wayne, Pennsylvania, which is right outside of Philadelphia. I am a '28 here at Dartmouth, and plan on studying Quantitative Social Science and Cognitive Science. In my free time, I love getting food with friends, playing pickleball, watching sitcoms (personal favorite is Modern Family), and going on walks. I am super excited to be here and cannot wait to take you along my journey at Dartmouth!
It was a Sunday. The week coming up was not only Halloween, but also Homecoming. Unfortunately for me, I was coming down with something. I was incredibly congested, had really bad face pain, and a terrible sore throat. I assumed that it would disappear after a few days with medicine and rest. But it kept getting worse. That Thursday morning, which was in fact Halloween, I developed a fever and a cough. Let me tell you about my experience leading into the weekend with so many events taking place.
Dick's House, the on-campus building for Dartmouth's Health Services, is such an amazing place to go to get checked for quite literally anything. Luckily, they were able to see me that Thursday morning, and I was diagnosed with pink eye and a sinus infection. Although it was hard to hear that, I am so happy I was able to finally understand what was wrong with me and get treated as soon as possible. Dick's House has their own pharmacy, where you can pick up medicine and antibiotics to help treat anything, which I was able to utilize to help cure my sinus infection.
In addition, having a CVS right off campus in Hanover comes in handy when you are sick. I was able to get some drinks, Advil, and probiotics to help cure my infection! They essentially have anything you need related to illnesses, so it is great to have that right near campus. Because it is at the end of the main street, it is super accessible for anyone at Dartmouth.
Beyond curing my illness, I found that Foco has some amazing options for people that are not feeling too great. The soup station is a very popular location for sick people, but really anything warm in the dining hall helps a lot! Although I did not have much of an appetite, I was still able to find food that helped me feel better. Foco is just simply an amazing place for anyone!
Sick dinner at Foco (kind of bland but got the job done)!
And finally, my friends were the best resource of all. They went out of their way to get food for me when I was super sick, check in on me throughout the day, and give me medicine when I needed it most. I simply cannot stop talking about just how incredible the community here is at Dartmouth. Everyone is here to help and support you through anything, which I am so thankful for.
Because of all of the amazing resources on and off campus, I was able to participate in so many of the amazing activities on the weekend, including the incredible Homecoming Bonfire! Seeing all of the alumni come back to campus was such a magical experience, and I am so grateful that I go to a school with such a strong alumni community. Walking around the bonfire was truly a once-in-a lifetime experience that I am so glad I got to experience!
The gigantic Homecoming bonfire!
So, if you are ever sick at Dartmouth, there are so many incredible resources on and off campus to help!
If you're like I was—staring at your closet wondering what "essentials" actually means—here is what I packed, what I'm grateful I brought, and what I now know you can leave behind.
New England's most iconic clock tower, captured from every angle and in every season! From sunrises to snowfalls, here's Baker Tower in all its glory. A visual love letter to Dartmouth's most timeless landmark.
