Hello everyone! My name is Natasha Raman and I'm a freshman at Dartmouth. Although I'm undecided on my major, I am leaning towards something related to government, economics, and Asian studies. In my free time, I like to watch The Office, keep up with current events, learn new languages, and hang out with my friends. I am excited to explore my interests at Dartmouth and take advantage of the amazing opportunities offered here!
This term, many Dartmouth students, including myself, went through the rush process. For those who don't know, rush is an opportunity for students to learn more about the Greek organizations on campus. It is also an opportunity for these organizations to meet potential members and ultimately decide who will be a part of their new pledge class. Although this process sounded utterly nerve-wracking at first, I soon realized that it wasn't so bad!
Before coming to Dartmouth, my perception of Greek life was colored by stereotypical depictions of sorority sisters and fraternity "bros" in movies and TV shows. However, once I actually stepped on campus, I soon realized that Greek life at Dartmouth is very different from what I originally expected. Dartmouth has a unique rule that freshmen aren't allowed to rush. In fact, they aren't even allowed to enter frats for the first six weeks of their freshman fall term. This rule is in place to ensure that first-years broaden their horizons and get to meet new people from all walks of life rather than solely form friend groups based on their house affiliation. True to the intent of this rule, many of the friends I made during my freshman year are in different sororities now, but we are still as close as ever. Because I had the space to make new friends without feeling overwhelmed by Greek life, I was confident that I genuinely wanted to rush this year rather than felt pressured to do so.
I have to admit that the rush process was both an exhausting and rewarding experience. Although Zoom fatigue hit me really hard at times, I was able to meet so many cool women from different sororities who I had never met on campus before. Now that I am in a sorority, I have gotten to know even more amazing people. This week, I even took part in a murder mystery night with the other new members, which was so fun! Being in a sorority, especially while being remote this term, has made me feel closer to the Dartmouth community.
Greek life is only one avenue for people to become active in the Dartmouth community and carve a social space for themselves. There are a plethora of ways to be involved with campus life outside of being affiliated. In addition, both sororities and fraternities at Dartmouth aim to be welcoming to all students. You do not have to be affiliated to take part in many Greek-related activities with your friends. At its core, Greek organizations are just one of many close-knit communities on campus.
Spring has sprung in Hanover and the term feels like it's really getting off the ground with classes starting up in full swing, warmer weather, and the occasional muddy day.
There is never a dull moment at Dartmouth! One of the main reasons why the College is so special is our unique D-Plan, which operates on the quarter system.
For the students who want to start looking into colleges --- here are some resources that helped me learn more about the colleges I was interested in and wanted to continue looking into!
Dartmouth is home to 35 Division I varsity teams, 33 club sports, and a variety of intramurals, so I assure you that there is a place to get involved here for student-athletes of all levels.
