Hello! My name is Melissa and I'm a binge-watching, carrot cake-loving, undercover art aficionado from the West Coast (best coast). I'm excited to explore the Government, Latin American Studies, and Geography departments during my first year at Dartmouth. You can find me studying in the Black Family Visual Arts Center, working or hanging at Novack Café 24/7, and adding to my earring collection at Dartmouth's jewelry studio.
Many students on campus find themselves juggling multiple jobs during any given term and I happen to be one of them. Originally terrified of the idea of working and all the potential hours that would take away from my studies, I have come to sincerely enjoy the two amazing jobs I have. Not only has work provided me with a welcomed distraction from academics, but it has also introduced me to a group of incredible students and provided me with an unprecedented level of financial autonomy.
Given the academic rigor of the Dartmouth, I’ll be the first to admit I was worried that my blogging position would subtract valuable time that I could dedicate to studying. Yet, I found that writing weekly blog posts for prospective and curious high school students gave me the opportunity to reflect on my week and realign my non-academic values. A couple of hours away from homework, if anything, has done me some good. The time commitment for my blogging position wasn’t major and was easy to manage (the same holds true this term). In other words, working on campus has been fairly easy to balance with my other responsibilities and has effectively taken my mind away from academics.
Additionally, working as a college student has helped me meet other amazing student workers on campus. With my blogging position, the admissions office hosts termly events where I can reconnect with the other bloggers at Dartmouth. This group of exceptional students is doing some remarkable things on and off campus and I love to catch up with them on a regular basis.
Yet another important working community of mine is the staff of the all student-run Novack Café. I joined the staff this term and I absolutely love it. My co-workers have been incredibly helpful in showing me the ropes and lending a helping hand during rush hours. Moreover, I have come to form some close friendships with the Novack workers and now even regularly study there. In sum, the working communities I’m a part of are ones I value very much.
A regular weekday at Novack Cafe. Students are hard at work and waiting for their shifts!
Last but not least, working in college has enabled me to become familiar with the concept of budgeting. Tracking one’s student income and various expenses are valuable skills to form at a young age and I’ve begun to do just that in college. Additionally, one of the obvious upsides of working and earning money is treating yourself every now and then (which I certainly do)!
Working in college is not something to be afraid of. I’ve found that my two student jobs have notably eased my stress, introduced me to amazing people, and equipped me with invaluable skills. You’ll find that the benefits of working at Dartmouth undeniably outweigh the costs.
I've been reflecting on the lovely past four years of my life, and I came up with this list of seven things to help you succeed and thrive at Dartmouth.
After talking with our new improv president for a while, we decided that we would do a Zoom show. Not only does performing allow me to share my comedy with my friends, it is just, in general, a great time!
It took a couple weeks, but then I arrived at the (rather obvious) conclusion that school shouldn't preclude my making pancakes or doing chores or watching Frozen II. Zoom does not render Dartmouth some unsympathetic entity.
Like many of my classmates, Dartmouth is the first private school I've ever gone to. Coming from a small Southern town, the vast majority of people I know don't travel more than a few hours away for college.
