Braids and Bandanas
Before coming to Dartmouth, one of the best pieces of advice I had received from current Dartmouth students is to register for First-Year Trips! For those of you who do not know what trips are, it is a five-day excursion the Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC) sponsors that includes a laundry list of activities to choose from such as mountain biking (which I chose), hiking, sailing, and much more! It is a pre-orientation event that I believe is amazing as it is your introduction to not only the college, but to your future peers and friends. For example, if it weren’t for trips, I would not have met the great friends I have today. The tight connection you build with your group of other fellow trip-goers (i.e. trippees) will always be there between you all. For example, my fellow trippees and I are all still in close contact and we aim to at least have a “trips reunion” once a term.
Initially, I was reluctant to register for trips just because I have little experience with the outdoors, but the DOC does a great job of making trips comfortable for anyone at any level of skill. For this reason, I decided to choose mountain biking despite having no experience whatsoever! With the introductory sessions to mountain biking and its technique, I became more comfortable each time I went for a ride. By the end of trips, I actually decided to pursue my newly-sparked interest of mountain biking and I try to ride at least once a week.
Overall, my trips experience was amazing. From playing jelly bean games, sharing our most embarrassing life experiences, and whipping up watery mac and cheese as the sun set, I really enjoyed my trip and I would do it all over again if I had the chance. Trips was a great introduction to Dartmouth and it set the foundation for the following orientation events. Because of the connections I built with my peers during trips, I was able to go into the school year with confidence knowing I have friends to chat and have fun with.
