Welcome to the woods! My name is Natalie and I'm from California (3035 miles away from Dartmouth)! I'm a political science and crossword puzzle nerd who's excited to dive into the millions of activities we have on campus. I'm a Politics, Philosophy, and Economics major at Dartmouth, and am considering both a History and Human-Centered Design minor. I'm also the President of the Parliamentary Debate team! Go Big Green!
One of the major ways I spend my time on campus is on the debate team! At Dartmouth, there are two main types of debate, each who slot and fill their own teams: policy and parliamentary. I'm on the parliamentary team here, which is both informal and competitive. We practice 3 times a week for around an hour, running cases and talking through strategy, but we never have to wear suits or dress up for competition. For the fall term, our tournaments were online, and we debated against teams like Harvard, Williams, MIT, and Wesleyan. Most of the Parli team debated in high school, but we have a loud and proud contingency of novice debaters. Those of you who debated in high school might resonate when I say high school debate was intense — kids treated it like life or death!
I've been pleasantly surprised by the college debate environment. Tournaments are usually held on Friday nights, which contributes to the laid-back vibe. Don't get me wrong — the spirit of intellectualism and competition is still fierce — but the focus lies on the intellectual ideas, not the minutia of random rules like it did in high school. We debate in our t-shirts and jeans, letting the weight behind our words speak for itself. Topics also cover a fascinating range of topics: I've debated the death penalty and Batman movies in back-to-back rounds.
However, what I've loved most about Dartmouth debate is the social aspect: We have socials nearly every week, like ice skating on Occom pond to formals and a Dartmouth Pong 101 class. The group is very tight-knit, and I've loved being a part of the community.
In a few weeks, we're headed to our first in-person tournament at Northeastern — watch out Huskies! I'm excited to travel with the team and interact with some of our competitors in person. I'll keep you posted.
One of the staple characteristics of the D-Plan is the off-term, a term in which you are not taking classes! Most students at Dartmouth will take at least one off-term, and this winter happens to be my turn! What will I be doing?
It's hard to believe that it has been a year since I wrote my first end-of-fall-term reflection. It felt like only yesterday that I stepped into my dorm room this September, eager to reunite with my friends.
