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 an FGLI (first generation low income) student at Dartmouth, part of my aid package is having an on-campus job. This can be anything I want, but I had to apply and decide on a job to do. This might sound like a drag, but honestly I love it so much! Working here is so fulfilling, and gives me some pocket money to be able to buy the things I want or go out with friends!
My primary job is as an usher at the Hopkins Center for Arts, where I greet and check tickets/COVID-19 records for patrons attending a range of live events, concerts, movies, and plays! This job lets me meet other people from the local community, and gives me a greater exposure to the arts at Dartmouth! It is super interesting being behind the curtain and seeing what goes into a live event.
As a side bonus, I get to watch the shows for free! I get to see a range of awesome stuff, such as last week where I got to watch a new film called Freda about the experiences of black Haitians in modern-day Haiti. This actually was massively linked with one of my classes—"Coloring Brazil"—as it contained a huge amount of coverage on topics such as the degradation of self identity within African Diaspora communities, and the impacts that colonialism can have on communities lasting all the way through to today in rather striking ways.
Freda is an awesome, thought-provoking film—I highly recommend it!
One worry I completely understand about being a student worker is the one of not having time to do work, but don't worry, Dartmouth has thought of this! Generally speaking, student jobs allow for time to work during shifts. I, for example, can opt to not watch the show, and instead do my work! While being paid! It's also a great talking point with others on campus—I definitely worried about there being a stigma around being a working student, but honestly people tend to find my job super interesting and impressive!
I would say overall, Dartmouth is a great school for learning, but also having a job here can be great too. It is a great way to help pay bills or save up for trips with friends, and also can provide some important life experiences (and fill up your CV a little).
Instead of spending sophomore summer on campus, I pursued an internship in Hong Kong, where Dartmouth's alumni network and fellow students helped me to I find community, friendship, and adventure that made my summer just as memorable.
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.
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.
Summers between terms look different for every Dartmouth student! Opportunities are abundant and it's all what you make it out to be. This summer I interned on the Clean Energy Team at Wood PLC and traveled home to see my sister get married!
