Welcome to the (virtual) woods! My name is Natalie and I'm a '25 from Oakland, 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 love to cook and read, I make a mean Spikeball partner, and I love to ski. I'm hoping to pursue a Government major here at Dartmouth and am equally excited for all the academic exploration between now and when I declare my major. Go Big Green!
Hi everyone! We're officially nearing the end of Dartmouth's infamously fast 10-week term! Things are picking up pace around here, and admittedly, it can be pretty easy to get overwhelmed with all the academic, extracurricular, and social obligations on our plate!
I can't tell you how to avoid feeling overwhelmed, as I'm still working on that myself, but I can tell you a piece of advice that's helped me along the way: Saturday Mornings Are Sacred (SMAS).
Whether you're into the party scene or not, it's pretty typical for Dartmouth students to be out late on Friday nights. Energy is high after a focused academic week, and people socialize (in many ways) late into the night. As a result, the campus is usually buzzing well past midnight.
Because of late Friday nights, there's usually not a ton of time to recover from the week on Fridays, and with the workload Dartmouth students carry, it's typical to do homework all day Sunday. That's where Saturday mornings being sacred comes into play.
The idea of SMAS is simple. You don't work on Saturday morning. You keep your laptop closed, you ignore your planner, and you schedule no meetings. Instead, you sleep in, relax, and do what's necessary for you to recharge after a tough week.
Last Saturday, my roommate and I enjoyed the fall sunshine and took a walk through Pine Park and around Occum pond, chatting and enjoying some quality time. The foliage season is starting to end (sad!), so we wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather while we could.
The view from Occom Pond!
Today, my friend Mia and I walked into downtown Hanover to Umpleby's bakery and split a chocolate-almond croissant. Then, we sat outside on the patio and chatted for almost two hours, just grateful for the opportunity to catch up and eat breakfast outside of the dining hall.
Mia and I at Umpleby's!
On our way back through Hanover, we poked our heads into a few different boutiques in town — the shops here are so adorable. One of the nice things about shopping in Hanover is that most stores offer a discount, especially for Dartmouth students! For example, at J.Crew, you get 15% off every purchase just by showing your Dartmouth ID.
So take it from me — Saturday mornings are sacred, whether you're in college, high school, or the workforce. So put away your homework, take a walk, get a yummy breakfast, read a book just for fun, do some shopping, or whatever will make your heart happy. The work will be there when you get back. And you'll be in a better headspace to tackle it.
As the end of my first term arrives, a retrospective, reflective kind of mood has got to me. One year ago, as I clicked submit on my Common App, I would never have imagined my freshman fall would have been like this.
One thing that many people contemplate before coming to college is whether they will perform to their expected standards, and in this blog post, I am going to share with you what helped me navigate my classes.
Have you wondered what Dartmouth being a small school means? How about extra circulars and a sense of the social dynamic at Dartmouth? Come along, and I'll give you my take!
