
Secret Fun Stuff To Do on Campus
Some prospies are a little shocked with how small the town of Hanover seems when they visit, and worry that there won't be enough things to do in their free time. First, I'd just like to let you know that you definitely won't have the amount of free time that you think you will with classes, extracurriculars, research, and lab or drill, but if you do end up with enough free time and energy to be bored, here is a list of some low-key cool things you can find at Dartmouth. I hope you take advantage of them early, because I just found out about some of these recently and I wish I had known sooner!
- No. 1
Jewelry Studio
Hidden in the basement of the HOP, the jewelry studio is open to students to learn how to make their own jewelry. You can pay for materials using your DA$H and take home your creations when you're finished. Jewelry studio staff are always available to help you if you don't have a lot of experience with jewelry making.
- No. 2
Ceramics Studio and Woodshop
Very similar to the Jewelry Studio in location (basement of the HOP) and logistics (you pay for materials with DA$H and get to keep your creations), the Ceramics Studio and the Woodshop are open to all students to learn how to throw and glaze pots or build any sort of wooden contraption you can imagine. The only difference here is that students do need to complete a safety orientation in order to work in the Woodshop. Need new decorations for your dorm? Build a shelf or make a bowl! Some people have gone into the Woodshop with ambitious projects like building a boat or a musical instrument and have finished them!
- No. 3
Student Wellness Center
Student Wellness HQ is in Robo and offers a massage chair, safe sex bar, and more, but the Student Wellness Center also offers free activities for students like yoga classes, puppy-petting de-stressing sessions, lots of free food, and wellness classes like Koru Mindfulness and meditation. I personally recommend the Koru Mindfulness class. I took it my freshman year and I learned so much about meditation that I still use on a daily basis.
- No. 4
The HOP
The HOP is a super convenient resource for entertainment for students. There are constantly different plays, dance performances, a cappella shows, improv groups, and movies being shown at the HOP for free or super low cost. The HOP is a great way to see a group or person (like Yo Yo Ma or Leslie Odom Jr.) perform for an unbeatable price that is only available to students.
- No. 5
Housing Community Events
All of the housing communities offer events during the term such as interesting speakers, free community dinners, crafty events like building terrariums or painting pottery, and de-stressing events like massages. They also sponsor (free) events that take students off-campus, like to see Broadway shows, sports games in Boston, to go skiing, or to Six Flags. The housing communities are relatively new to Dartmouth and are super open to hearing students' ideas for what kind of events they should sponsor, so if you were hoping something would be on this list that isn't, see if your housing community can make it happen!