Garrett Crouch

Fall In Hanover (and all its glory)

As midterms creep around the corner, I've been stressing pretty hard lately about logging enough study hours for my courses this term; however, recently, I've come to realize no such thing exists, especially here at Dartmouth.

At Dartmouth, with the ten-week term, classes are never at a standstill, you're constantly learning and building upon everything, every day. And this manifests an extremely positive learning environment as well as a very enriching one. In general though, because the academics are so enriching, sometimes you can get overwhelmed—lately, I've been experiencing this first-hand. So, instead of constantly trying to satisify that unrelenting voice in my head telling me I haven't sudied enough, I've been emphasizing my mental health through spending more time outside in the Dartmouth scenery. With fall in full swing, there's really no better time, so join me as I chat about self-care at Dartmouth and show you some of my favorite fall campus nature staples.

This is one of my favorite trees on campus—It's right next to my dorm!

I've been documenting nature here on campus a lot more lately—the trees, the leaves, and the like. And I've come to realize that while academics are important, and it's important to prioritize your studies as a college student, they aren't the end all be all—sometimes there's only so much you can accomplish in one sitting. Allocating some of my time each day to immerse myself in the fall scenery here in Hanover has been a precious experience overall; through nature, I've come to understand the importance of balancing academics here at Dartmouth with self-care.

This tree is also one of my favorites—It's right next to Baker-Berry Library

One aspect of Dartmouth that I've found to be particularly comforting, especially as a first-year student, is the outlook on mental health. Inclusivity and well-being are always a priority, and I think that's something very few institutions embrace in the style Dartmouth does. On top of the beautiful scenery and well-being spaces around campus, all the faculty are extremely transparent about mental health and encourage time off and self-comfort whenever necessary. At every student gathering, assembly, conference, or panel I've attended, the first thing the opening speaker always highlights is the importance of mental health as well as available opportunities to implement well-being practices.

Here's the physical science building with its beautiful surrounding plant life

Leaning into Dartmouth's philosophy on mental health through the fall foliage and nature has given me an outlet to release some of my academic stress while also providing me with a sort of introspective boost towards accepting the fact that a sufficient amount of study time truthfully doesn't exist. In reality, as long as you do what you can, and give your all while you're doing it, you're going to end up just fine, and I'm more than happy allowing the trees here to invoke those kinds of thoughts! Although midterms and the like can be hard, Dartmouth does a phenomenal job at providing routes for self-care and community embrace, and as you've seen, campus is nothing short of breathtaking. So, to end this week's post, let me go ahead and reiterate that one more time with another glorious fall photo!

This is "Thel" by Beverly Pepper—It's a really cool piece of art right next to the physical science building

And always remember to take time for self-care. Especially during the fall!

Your friend, 

Garrett