Jack Heaphy
New Year, New Location, Same Me
Hello all! While it has only been a bit over a month since I've last written a post, a lot has changed. I am writing from a newly-assembled desk (proud to say I put it together myself) in a corner apartment outside of Boston. I am remotely enrolled in winter courses for the next ten weeks, and I am excited to face this new term, no matter how unusual it may be.
Due to limited capacity on campus as a COVID-19 precaution, Dartmouth originally didn't give freshmen access to be on campus for the winter term. Because of this, some other '24s I met in the fall and I have decided to live together to try to resemble some sort of independent college experience. While the college later did allow freshmen to apply for campus housing, I was already set on a remote term, and my friends and I settled on Boston as the location of our dreams. Two months later, and here I am! I've been living here for about a week and I'm excited to see what the next few months have in store for us (probably lots of snow, which I am not at all prepared for).
While this term is far from regular, I am hopeful that it will add a lot of new insight into my life at Dartmouth. In a normal, pandemic-less year, freshmen are required to live on campus for fall, winter, and spring terms. This is not the case for sophomores and juniors, however, and people often take off terms to explore internships and discover new opportunities. While my situation is nothing like an actual off-term that upperclassmen take, it is interesting for me to get a small bite of what that experience may one day be like. One of my favorite aspects of the "Dartmouth experience" is the flexibility in a yearly schedule. I don't think I would have opportunities like this at many other places, and I am once again falling in love with the school, even when I'm miles away. Living fully independently as an 18 year old in a city I have only ever been to prior for college visits is a bit daunting, but I feel ready to take on the challenge.
While I'm still getting used to hearing the sounds of traffic as I fall asleep and cooking three full meals for myself without assistance from family or a dining hall, I am extremely happy, grateful, and excited to be here. I know that I'm lucky to have an opportunity like this, and I am curious as to how this winter quarter will ultimately play out. Stay tuned, because I will keep you all updated!
Posts You Might Like
The Lunar New Year festivities continue! Here's a photo gallery of Korean Student Association, Malaysian Student Association, and Vietnamese Student Association's celebrations!
A weekend of embracing the cold and finding fun activities to do! From winning money at a game show to the Annual Snowball Fight, this weekend is a core memory of my experience with Dartmouth winters!
"Only three classes?!" The typical response I get from someone outside of Dartmouth. Come and join as I describe how those three classes actually feel in a ten week term!
During my time at Dartmouth, within the realm of medicine specifically, I was able to gain a broader outlook on what careers / optionalities are "really" out there, and I'm here to tell you the resources that were leveraged!
A bit about the different organizations celebrating Lunar New Year on campus, and a photo gallery of Dartmouth Chinese Student Association and the Chinese Language Houses' celebrations!
Where can I find internships? How do resumes and LinkedIn work in college? Am I behind if I do not have it all figured out my first year? All great questions so let's get them answered…
In this post, I write about what the culminating experience is as a part of Dartmouth's major requirements.
The first-generation community at Dartmouth is an extremely tight knit and supportive community! This past week, we celebrated first-gen week, with a myriad of activities and lots of chances to meet new people!
You have to see it to believe it—my Winter Carnival scrapbook