Lauren Groulx
You are here
Welcome to The Woods!
Hello, and welcome to my blog! My name is Lauren, and I'm a '27. I was born and raised in Munger, a rural community in Michigan. I love listening to (and making) music, writing, spending time with my friends and family, watching sports, and traveling (especially road trips).
I was unable to visit Dartmouth before I applied. Everything I knew about New England came from Gilmore Girls until I stumbled upon a People Places Pines post. I spent the next few hours exploring the blog (which I encourage you to do!) and quickly fell in love with Dartmouth and all of its traditions.
I ultimately decided to attend Dartmouth because I loved my hometown. Wait—let me explain myself. Despite being separated by over 700 miles, Munger and Dartmouth share two important similarities:
1. Community
Dartmouth features an incredibly close-knit community. I've only been on campus for two weeks, but I've already become accustomed to seeing friendly faces wherever I go. While walking across the Green, grabbing food at Foco, or studying in Blobby, I've met a multitude of kind, welcoming, and friendly Dartmouth students.

2. Connection to the outdoors
I'd like to consider myself a pretty adventurous person, but I'm not the most outdoorsy. Luckily, no matter your level of expertise, Dartmouth has an outdoor opportunity for you! The Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC) is comprised of 23 sub-clubs, which range from Nordic Skiing to Surfing to Organic Farming. I'm excited to engage with these opportunities and explore the beautiful Upper Valley (and beyond!) over the next four years.

In addition, Dartmouth provides a world-class liberal arts education and unparalleled opportunities. I'm academically interested in Quantitative Social Science and Cognitive Science, and here at Dartmouth, I'll easily be able to explore both. I've also already engaged with multiple clubs, including the Dartmouth Sports Analytics Club, Cabin and Trail (a DOC sub-club), and the Dartmouth Democrats.
I'm not going to mislead you—I was incredibly nervous to come to Dartmouth. But discomfort leads to growth, and I've already grown so much here. I've found myself saying yes to every opportunity I can, introducing myself to people wherever I go, and smiling almost constantly. I've also met some incredible friends and been incredibly engaged by my professors so far.
I hope that I can represent student life at Dartmouth authentically through my blog posts and that you are excited to learn more about this wonderful place along with me. Go Big Green!
Posts You Might Like
As I begin my junior year, I feel my time at Dartmouth shifting from exploration to deeper focus, with my studies, experiences, and passions beginning to take clear shape.
As a senior now, I've experienced and learned more about myself and about life than I ever anticipated I could. With that, I want to reflect on Dartmouth's unique qualities, from its rural setting to the Greek Life presence to the quarter system!
New Hampshire is such a glorious state with so much to offer in the fall! Come with me as I explore Plainfield, NH, and go apple picking at Riverview Farms.
Hear about the start of my sophomore year!
Now that I'm a sophomore, I find myself in the possession of an extraordinary amount of 'Dartmouth lingo.' This is your formal invitation to get the inside scoop!
Now that I'm officially halfway through my Dartmouth career, I'm acutely aware of how fast time seems to fly. It seems like years ago that I first experienced Fallapalooza, a free concert for Dartmouth students hosted by Programming Board.
Here's a list of some things I'm looking forward to this fall!
This blog post is dedicated to my mom, the heart of who I am today—and my time at Dartmouth.