Lauren Groulx

From Reed Hall to Rome

For the past few weeks, I've been listening to my second-year friends talk at length about the major declaration process, and it's made me reflect on my own double major. I've referenced both Classical Studies and Italian many times in passing on the blog, but I don't think I've ever really explained how I ended up choosing them. 

When I got to Dartmouth, I had no idea what I wanted to major in. I knew what I liked—history, languages, writing—but I had no sense of how those interests were supposed to fit together. I didn't have much academic freedom to explore in high school, and wasn't sure which direction I wanted to go in. For my first term on campus, I elected courses from three completely different departments and hoped something would stick.

I don't know if I anticipated Classics to be the winner. I signed up for Latin 1 mostly because I wanted to start my language requirement and the department seemed approachable. I fully expected to check the box and move on. Instead, the first week of Latin left me full of the good kind of questions. When I realized I was hanging out at Latin Help Desk for fun one night, I figured it was time to look up the major requirements and talk to an advisor.  

Reading Classics books for fun was another sign that I should pursue it as a major!

I still remember the phone call I made home after going to a prospective Classics majors meeting. My voice shook as I stood outside Reed Hall explaining to my parents why I wanted to study a "dead" language and cultures that are no longer physically intact. They were surprised, but supportive. 

The deeper I got into the Classics Department, the more I realized how expansive it is. For my major, I've done everything from soaking papyrus strips in Occom Pond water to squinting at handwritten medieval manuscripts to learning how ancient catapults worked. Along the way, I've managed to knock out a surprising number of distributive requirements and make some of my closest friends. It's a win-win-win in my book.

Studying manuscripts is one of my favorite Classics course activities

More than anything, Classics has taught me how to sit with confusion. Translating a Latin sentence that stubbornly refuses to make sense forces you to slow down. Working with an object that exists only in fragments requires accepting that there isn't always a clean answer. As someone who likes things to feel figured out, these challenges have helped me grow.

Italian, on the other hand, entered my life all at once. I applied to the department's FIRE (Full Immersion Rome Experience) program for my first-year summer mostly out of curiosity, without ever imagining it would turn into another major. But that first week in Rome felt a lot like that first week of Latin: I was constantly asking questions, scribbling things down, and wanting to know why everything worked the way it did. Why this phrase and not another? Why did conversations move so fast? When's the next break so I can go grab some more gelato?

I have made lasting friendships in the Italian Department, too!

My interest only increased when I returned to Rome the following winter for the Italian LSA+ program. Some of my favorite memories from that term are small, ordinary moments, like sitting around my host family's kitchen table after dinner and slowly realizing that I could follow along with everything being said. It was at that same kitchen table that I declared my Italian major. That decision felt right in a way that was hard to overthink.

Studying Italian hasn't always been an easy process. I've had to become comfortable with discomfort and practice speaking even when I'm unsure. But being immersed in the language gave me a kind of confidence I never could have expected. There's something amazing about realizing you can express yourself in a language that once felt completely inaccessible.

Balancing Classical Studies and Italian works well on paper, at least most of the time. There are weeks when I'm bouncing between ancient Rome and modern Italy so fast it makes my head spin. But over time, I've come to see how much they complement each other. Classics asks me to slow down, look closely, and embrace complexity. Italian reminds me to take risks, speak up, and let go of the need to have everything perfectly figured out.

I began planning my two majors during the FIRE Program in Rome!

I didn't choose my majors because they fit neatly into a plan—I chose them because I kept coming back to them. I'm really glad Dartmouth gave me the time and freedom to follow my curiosity instead of forcing an answer right away. My majors feel less like boxes I checked and more like reflections of how I think and what excites me. And that's why I chose them.