Hi! I'm Lauren, a '26 studying biological anthropology and classics! Originally from Water Mill, NY, I grew up spending every free moment swimming in the ocean. Going to college in NH was a shift away from that; however, I frequent the CT River during the warm seasons! Outside of academics, I am a senior fellow and tour guide for admissions and am involved in paleoanthropology research, Global Health Fellows, Kesem, and First-Year Trips. I can't wait to share my Dartmouth experience with you!
Academic Program
Anthropology major concentrated in Biological Anthropology, Classical Studies minor
This past September, I was aFirst Year Trips(FYT) leader for an Ecology trip. Here is a little about my trips experience both as a leader and a "trippee" (term for first-year students on the trip). Although it is mid winter and trips happen at the end of the summer, I thought I would reminisce on the warm months and hopefully introduce prospective or accepted students to this lovely tradition.
First Year Trips is a program through the Dartmouth Outing Club which a majority of incoming first-year students attend. You go exploring in the woods (in some capacity or another, with varying activities for levels of comfort and experience) for 3-4 days culminating at a lodge with other first-year students. It is a fantastic program and some of my trippees remain close friends!
As a leader for the pre-orientation FYT camping trips, I had to arrive on campus early to do some additional training—most training takes place in the spring term–and gear organization. This was a fun experience getting back on campus early and seeing my friends who were also trip leaders!
My trip was an Ecology based trip, and we were camping at the Hubbard Brook Research Center in New Hampshire and spent 3 days living in a farmhouse in the woods. One day, Matthew Ayres, Professor of Biological Sciences at Dartmouth took us throughout the research center, spoke about his research and we engaged with a graduate student learning all about her ecological research.
The rest of our trip at the research center consisted of a lot of fun games, ice breakers, and day trips to a nearby lake where we had discovered another Dartmouth group.
On our third day we left our campsite to go to Mt. Moosilauke for more bonding with other trip groups. We had the option to do a hike the next morning, known as a sunrike (sunrise hike). This is my second time doing the Moosilauke sunrike and it was foggy both times—see photos as proof.
My experience as a first year on FYT was quite different as I was canoeing in Maine and had up to 6 hours of canoeing per day and sleeping under tarps, but I wouldn't change either one of my experiences for the world. I am so grateful for first year trips and the people I've met through trips!
Dartmouth is no stranger to a variety of student-run full-year performance groups in dance, a cappella, improv, and comedy. Sophomore summer is particularly special, as most of these groups allow sophomores to audition and join just for the summer.
In one of my previous posts, I mentioned how I joined a sorority earlier this fall by going through the recruitment process. I've come a long way since then. In fact, I am living in my sorority house for my sophomore summer!
Dartmouth is not just a college. With world-renowned graduate schools, why would we choose to call ourselves a college instead of a university? The story behind that decision dates back to a significant Supreme Court ruling.
On a quiet spring Saturday in Hanover, I traded the usual campus buzz for Monet in the morning and archery in the afternoon—a reminder that Dartmouth weekends can be just as meaningful when they're slow, reflective, and a little unexpected.
During my sophomore spring quarter, I took on the challenge of four STEM courses, and while it has been intense, the unexpected connections across subjects and the joy of learning have made it one of my most rewarding academic experiences yet.
