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!
The world is currently in a tumultuous state because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare professionals, government officials, and other workers from around the globe are working tirelessly to keep people safe and help slow down the spread of this virus. To do its part in keeping both the staff and students as safe as possible, the Dartmouth administration has drastically minimized the number of people allowed on campus for the spring term. In addition, all classes are being held online. Although the switch to remote learning took some time to adjust to, I, along with many other Dartmouth students, have finally started to get into the groove of things. Here are some of the tips my friends and I have gathered from our first week of online classes!
1. Separate Your Work Space From Your Personal Space
Even though it is very tempting to attend classes from the comfort of your bed, doing so will worsen your work-life balance. On campus, it was easy for me to separate my "work" life from my personal life by only studying at the library and using my dorm as a place to relax. However, at home, it is a bit more challenging to do this. One tip my friend suggested was to designate one desk as your working desk and to only be on your bed when you want to sleep or catch up with friends.
2. Be Mindful of Your Mental Health
It is no doubt that people are very stressed out because of the precarious situation we are in right now. It is so crucial for any student who is feeling overwhelmed to reach out for help from people they trust, whether that be their parents, friends, relatives, or anyone else. For me, talking to my Dartmouth friends through FaceTime made me realize that we all were truly in this together and could have fun even while social distancing!
3. Learn a New Hobby
At Dartmouth, many clubs and organizations are now being run online, like improv groups, political clubs, and of course, this blog! There is no time like now to dive into that activity you have always wanted to get into.
I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy during these times!
Right now, I'm taking a Writing 5 class called Food for Thought, focusing on environmental, agricultural, culinary, and nutritional aspects of the food we choose to eat.
Read all about my course selection for freshman fall! In order to mask my panic at the idea of it already being week 7 and having to once again choose classes, I decided to reflect on the classes I chose this term.
Now that we're all champing at the bit for the end of term, it's become coy and fleeting, tiptoeing further out of sight with each new assignment. And somewhere in waiting-for-finals I've found myself growing a little weary.
