Welcome to the blog of an Englishman studying at Dartmouth—do take a look around! Hopefully, my blogs will provide you with an insight on life at Dartmouth, and specifically through the eyes of an international student. Dartmouth has a ton to offer from the staggering natural beauty of its surroundings and stellar academic programs to the wonderful people you meet along the way. So stay a while, I'll make us cups of tea, and take a moment to discover life at the College on the Hill.
As a Brit, and one from the North of England at that, I didn't have the foggiest clue what a 'recruiting season' was when I arrived at Dartmouth. I hadn't heard of most of the jobs that people were looking at, never mind the kind of jobs some people's family members had! The professional world just seemed so far away, and as a first generation low-income student, I had no perception of the job possibilities that lay out there potentially awaiting me!
I decided to go down a route which is rather untraditional for someone of my background, and began looking at corporate and banking industries as I entered my second year. I had already switched to an economics major midway through my freshman year, and when I was looking at the career opportunities that lay before me upon graduation, I began to do something I had never dared to do before Dartmouth: visualize myself scaling the corporate ladder. Dartmouth had opened up a whole new world for me.
Speaking of scaling... here is the view from Holt's Ledge the other weekend!
As things stand currently, I am extremely interested in the possibilities that lay in the world of business. I love the systems of risk and reward, and working to innovate and revolutionize. I especially love politics management and leadership roles. I love the collaborative and creative energy that persists in a serious atmosphere. The main question on my mind, though, was 'how do I get to be part of this world?'
This is where Dartmouth comes in; here on campus we of course have a plethora of resources that aid in the navigation of pretty much any job market imaginable with a dedicated team of extremely knowledgeable people to advise us – but this isn't all. For me, the greatest resource has been the alumni network. The alumni of this small school are rather unique in their adoration for their alma mater, and as a student you are connected so deeply with people from a different era of education and completely different backgrounds – and they're all willing to help!
Considering that our alums span all industries and all backgrounds, they have been indispensable in my search, and that of pretty much everyone else that I know of. From simple advice to offering to practice interviews with me, they have been such a great help! Dartmouth really goes the extra mile when it comes to career prep.
While many people might associate cold, long, snowy winters with hardship, I've found that winter at Dartmouth is full of potential to be just as fun as other seasons.
