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, are taught in small, tight-knit classes that help students become comfortable practicing a language while receiving support from your 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 on learning how the design process works when it's centered to address 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 fun course to make new friends through group projects, learn new skills, and a adopt a new mindset for analyzing your ideas. Specially, 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 taboo surrounding nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. Ultimately, I applied my theoretical knowledge to a prospective scenario where I evaluated the likelihood of Saudi Arabia's obtaining nuclear weapons. Incredibly fun class with lots of discussions with 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 center on current political-economic issues as well as the ability of students to discuss their various points of views with the professor and other students. Incredibly insightful and fun class!
I hope you guys are doing well. Today, I want to take you guys on a quick journey to explore some fun winter activities and traditions at Dartmouth. Winter term at Dartmouth gets often overly stressed as bitterly cold, dull, and sometimes depressing. While there might be a bit of truth to it, there are numerous opportunities to get involved in campus, have fun, and work on academics—I can personally attest to this. So, with that said, let's get started!
Dartmouth Skiway: Ski Lessons
The Dartmouth Skiway is an amazing opportunity to learn a snowsport for those who never had the opportunity to ski or snowboard in the past—some people like me. This winter I continued with my Intermediate Ski Lessons at the Dartmouth Skiway entirely for free!
This is me skiing at the Dartmouth Skiway during my lessons!
Dartmouth offers free Physical Education lessons to students in various sports ranging from golf and tennis to swimming and snowsport. Specifically, classes are sponsored by the Snowsport Schoolwho help students cover costs such as ski, boots, and pole rental by making them free! Ski classes tend to center around an instructor who is one of your fellow Dartmouth students who teaches a group of skiers who are around the same skill level—from beginners to intermediate to advanced skiers.
A little glimpse at the Dartmouth Skiway!
Ski classes are a perfect way to find a new hobby that you will enjoy, which I absolutely did with skiing, while meeting amazing new people such as your classmates or your ski instructor. During ski classes, I met some of my best friends this term such as my ski instructor—shoutout Stephen Fowler '29—and have spent countless hours inside and outside classes hanging out together. He introduced me to some of his friends and now we have a weekly poker night session that is the highlight of my every week this term!
Me and my ski instructor, Stephen!
Dartmouth Snowball Fight
The yearly snowball fight at Dartmouth is a very fun and crazy tradition. In short, Dartmouth students congregate on the Dartmouth Green after receiving an invitation through email by Dr. Seuss following the first snowfall of the season. In that email, Dr. Seuss encourages students of all years to go to the Green and throw snowballs at each other and have fun for about an hour!
This is me during the snowball fight!
This yearly fight is an amazing opportunity to go out and have fun with friends, destress from classes, and throw snowballs at your archnemesis—joking of course. However, it is still such a fun and amazing tradition to think about.
This is my second year participating in the yearly snowball fight and I have to say, I will not get tired of going out with friends, seeing some friends and throwing snowballs at their backs, and then going to FOCO—short for the '53 Commons dining hall—for a nice warm meal afterwards. Ultimately, I always look forward to the yearly snowball fight every winter!
Look at how many people showed up to the snowball fight
The Polar Plunge
The Polar Plunge is yet another Dartmouth tradition where Dartmouth students jump into the freezing cold water in Occum Pond and swim for a few seconds before being pulled out. It is a very thrilling and unique experience if you are not used to bathing in ice cold water!
It is also a fun way to bond with friends while waiting in line to jump into the water—which tends to be quite long sometimes given the popularity of this tradition. Nonetheless, it is a fun and unique experience to spend with friends as you all are shivering and trying to warm up after a few seconds of freezing cold water. I did it my first year with two of my closest friends and I would definitely say I will not trade that experience—as cold as it may have been—for anything else.
Dartmouth Academics and Extracurricular Activities
Winter is also one of my favorite times to focus on my schoolwork and extracurricular activities—I have less distractions during this time. I usually use winter term to take harder and more time-consuming classes while leaving somewhat less time-consuming classes for fall and spring when there is more to do outdoors!
This is exactly what I did this winter when I decided to take two introductory courses in economics:ECON 22: Macroeconomicsand ECON 21: Microeconomics. These courses are known to be demanding and time-consuming, so I figured I would get these done as they are required for my Economics Major. This will allow me to pursue more economics courses related to my economics concentration—a focus on a subfield of study—in the spring and summer terms. I know many of my fellow students and friends follow the same mindset, as we strive to have more time for the outdoors when it starts to warm up!
A little picture of me studying for my macroeconomics midterm!
Since 1911, Dartmouth has hosted the annual Winter Carnival. This year, we celebrated the 116th Winter Carnival, The Blizzard of Oz, filled with winter-themed activities and campus wide fun!
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.
Winters at Dartmouth are beautiful, but if you're coming from a warmer climate, winter can also feel a little intimidating. Know that you're not alone! This guide covers how to best prepare for the season.
