Hello! My name is Mario and I'm a Dartmouth '28. I am double majoring in government and economics with a concentration in international relations. I love to spend my free time swimming at the Connecticut River or skiing at the Dartmouth Skiway with friends!
Hi, and welcome to my blog for the Dartmouth Admissions Office! As this is my first post, I'd like to give some background about myself, my interests, and my plans for this school year. My name is Mario, and unfortunately no, I don't have a friend named Luigi—bummer, I know. I'm a current first-year student at Dartmouth!
I'm from a small town in Arkansas called Springdale. I love referring to my town as Walmart town because of its proximity to Walmart's headquarters and its plethora of Walmart Supercenters in the area—I swear it's a cult centered around Walmart. At Dartmouth, I'm part of North Park House which is one of the six housing communities on campus.
Each incoming first-year student at Dartmouth is sorted into one of the six houses (North Park House, Allen House, East Wheelock House, West House, South House, and School House) where one will reside for the rest of their time at Dartmouth.
At the moment, I'm a prospective Economics major with a concentration in Finance and a minor in what we like to call QSS at Dartmouth—this is Dartmouth lingo for Quantitative Social Sciences, which is our Applied Data Science Major.
Growing up in Arkansas, I developed a taste for the outdoors whether it be going swimming in the lake, kayaking down the Elk River in Missouri, or going on a hike in the Ozarks, I'm a big outdoorsy person. It was no wonder that when it was time for First-Year Trips—camping trips out in the wilderness designed for incoming first-year and transfer students—I was incredibly excited to go canoeing down the Second College Grant River in Maine for three whole days!
So far, one thing I love the most about Dartmouth is the emphasis on the outdoors. Whether it be through First-Year Trips or the DOC—lingo for the Dartmouth Outing Club—any Dartmouth student has the opportunity to go explore the beautiful mountains, rivers, and lakes of the Northeast!
Since this is my first year at Dartmouth, I'm thrilled to share all my experiences, ideas, and lessons throughout the year with you guys. I also hope that through my blog posts, I'll be able to provide you all with a glimpse of what life is like as a first-year Dartmouth student and experience all the fun and crazy things there are to do at Dartmouth!
Senior spring is here and it is surreal to reflect on how much my daily routine has evolved. We have just welcomed the Class of 2030, and I am so incredibly excited for the next generation of Dartmouth students to find their home in Hanover!
Ah, college—a new beginning. Read on to hear what the transition was like for me, from being a nervous but excited high school senior to slowly settling into college life.
