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!
German was absolutely one of my favorite courses Freshman Fall. German, like many other languages at Dartmouth, is taught in small, tight-knit classes that help students become comfortable practicing a language while receiving support from their fellow students. This course was incredibly interactive between students and the professor, with activities ranging from role-playing buying a house, to having improvised acted conversation mid-class. If you're looking for a class with a small group of people that's very interactive and fun, you should look no further than GERM 1!
ENGS 12 was an incredibly fun and fulfilling course during Freshman Winter. It consists of learning how the design process works when it's centered on addressing specific human needs. This course teaches you several new skills, such as using Photoshop, video editing, working with foamcore, sewing, and more. It's such a really good course to make new friends through group projects, to learn new skills, and to adopt a new mindset for analyzing your ideas. Specifically, it provides you with the tools to bring your craziest ideas to life!
Weapons of Mass Destruction was my favorite class during Spring Term. Throughout this class, I got a chance to learn the theories behind the use and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Specifically, I studied the origins and taboos surrounding nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. Ultimately, I applied my theoretical knowledge to a prospective scenario where I evaluated the likelihood of Saudi Arabia obtaining nuclear weapons. Incredibly fun class with lots of discussions between the professor and the students.
Growth and its Critics was my favorite class during sophomore Fall. In this course, I studied the theories and arguments behind population growth, economic growth, pollution, and technological innovation. The class was taught by Professor Henry Clark—a brilliant and incredibly dedicated professor. I enjoyed the course's focus on current political-economic issues as well as students' abilities to discuss their points of view with the professor and other students. Incredibly insightful and fun class!
My favorite class this Winter term was an introduction to creative writing with New York Times Best Seller Author Prof. Crouch. I had an amazing time during this class. I learned so many things, such as how authors create complex characters and use various writing styles to convey different meanings. We also discussed several interesting works of fiction. The main thing I loved about this class was writing my own short story from beginning to end. I have never written a work of fiction, and doing so this term made me appreciate how much time, work, and dedication go into each book I read. Overall, amazing class!
This spring, I had the opportunity to take ECON 29, an international finance class, and I loved it. The class focused on all aspects of international relations (which I love as a government double major), including trade, the balance of payments, exchange rates, and more. It was a very technical class, but I enjoyed the content a lot. I can say that this class helps me understand what is going on every time I read a financial article in the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times!
I hope you guys are doing well. In today's blog, I want to focus on a topic that's very near and dear to my heart: finding your own community at Dartmouth. College can be a daunting experience: starting over in a new environment, taking harder courses than you are used to, and meeting dozens of new people every day—I know it was daunting to me at first. However, that experience does not last forever. This is why I want to talk about my experience building my own community and support network at Dartmouth. Let's get started!
My friends and I during Green Key 2025!
As I previously mentioned, starting college can be an exciting yet daunting experience. You are likely moving away from your hometown, your parents, and the friends you've known for quite a long time. I can say from firsthand experience it was hard for me. It is funny—I remember that my first thought when I started college was 'where would I get a haircut?' It is such a silly little thing, but it is true. I had been going to the same barber for the past four years before coming to Dartmouth, and it felt weird having to start anew.
However, I also found it exciting to start over in a new place where I did not know anybody. I took it as an opportunity to reinvent myself as the best version of me that I could be. I decided that I was going to make Dartmouth a place I could call home—yet, for that to happen, I needed to put effort into it.
This prompted me to be outgoing, friendly to everyone I met, and to participate in as many Dartmouth-sponsored events as possible. I started attending events such as Collis After Dark, which are student-sponsored events at The Collis Center, such as bingo or trivia nights, Greek-Life sponsored events at various fraternities around campus, or Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC) trips such as day-long kayaking or hiking trips around the Upper Valley—among others. I also decided to become involved in winter sports through the Dartmouth Wintersport School,which offers free ski and snowboard classes to Dartmouth students. They provide gear and lessons for free to students for the entire season.
A picture of my friends and I skiing at the Dartmouth Skiway—I am in the back!
These were some of the events I attended throughout my first and second year at Dartmouth to put myself out there, and this strategy worked. I met some amazing people from various backgrounds: whether that be my friend Stephen, who was my ski instructor, or my friend Elloise, who I met on a DOC-sponsored sunrike, a 'sunrise hike' up Mount Moosilauke!
The best thing about Dartmouth is that your ability to find a community does not stop after your first year. Given the tight-knit nature of our school as a result of our small undergraduate population, you are very likely to expand your friend group 10 fold simply by having friends introduce you to their friends—you ultimately end up becoming a big friend group!
This is what happened to me with my friend Stephen during last winter term. I met some of his friends, and we all eventually became close friends to the point where we play poker every Friday night and even went on a Spring Break trip together to Puerto Rico! My friends and I have also gone on Dartmouth Outing Club break trips, which are student-led trips that take place in the breaks between terms (e.g., fall term going into winter term) and explore some really interesting places. These trips are subsidized by the DOC and provide students with the opportunity to explore places all over the United States while meeting new friends!
My friends and I in Puerto Rico during spring break!
Another perfect spot to make friends is in your classes!
Attending classes is a perfect way to meet fellow classmates with similar interests to yours. Whether that be philosophy, government, economics, or a myriad of other subjects, you are very likely to leave a class knowing many of your fellow classmates as long as you are willing to put yourself out there and talk to people. I actually met one of my close friends during my Writing 5class—a class many first-year students take to fulfill our first-year writing and research requirement—during my first-year winter.
My friends and I from Writing 5 spending a chill day at the Connecticut River during Spring term of our first year.
What I mean to convey with these stories is that it is completely normal to feel overwhelmed or alone during your first few weeks at Dartmouth—or any other college for that matter. However, I hope you do know you are not the only one experiencing that feeling. Everyone else around you is likely feeling the exact same way. Yet, once you get past the first few weeks of 'What is your name?', 'Where are you from?', 'What's your major?', I can assure you that you will find a community that cares about you and makes you want to call Dartmouth your home!
Last September, a friend and I crafted a ten-item bucket list for our final year as undergraduates. It's the end of our senior spring now. These are some of the boxes I've checked.
Welcome back to Open Doors—your inside look at life in the Woods! This week, Greta Richardson '26, an engineering major, showed me around her room in her off-campus apartment, where we discussed Dartmouth residence halls, classes, and campus life.
