![Student smiling](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x420_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/blog-850x850-nicholasprofilepicture.jpg?itok=d_BzVpMe×tamp=1569705634)
![background](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x236_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/bg/background_4.png?itok=46ZR93Mk×tamp=1568043355)
Nicholas Sugiarto
![Student smiling](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x420_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/blog-850x850-nicholasprofilepicture.jpg?itok=d_BzVpMe×tamp=1569705634)
How I'm Staying Sane This Winterim
Winterim (the six weeks of break following the end of fall term) is a great rest from the fast-paced grind of the academic term. But, as someone who likes to be productive, mulching at home for that long can be mind-numbingly painful. So here are the ways I'm (somehow) surviving being away from Dartmouth for so long.
- No. 1
Seeing Friends
Now c'mon. This is a given. Just cause I've found amazing friends at Dartmouth doesn't mean that I've completely forgotten my old friends. And honestly? All my friends, with the exception of two people, decided to stay in-state for college, and if anything, being so far away from home and everything I know has actually strengthened my bond with them. Just getting to get together and swap stories about our now drastically different lives just reminds us that even as our lives are moving apart, we can still share our independent moments with each other. Was that too mushy? I'll move on.
- No. 2
Shamelessly Advertising the School
Dartmouth has a program called "TDH," or "Take Dartmouth Home." Coming back, I figured I might as well stop by my school and shamelessly promote Dartmouth by talking about my experiences there. The school gave me a little name placard, so you know that this stuff is serious. Coming back, I got to see both my younger friends, as well as remind myself of the anxiety that came with college applicaitons. How do you high schoolers deal with that? Let's just say that I am abundantly grateful that I am done with all that and finally home in Hanover.
- No. 3
Seeing my Family Again
Can I be honest with you? I'm having so much fun at Dartmouth that there's not really much that I miss about home. Maybe it's because I'm a natural nerd, but just being at Dartmouth and getting able to explore whatever idea/subject I want to pursue has been immensely fulfilling. But, I do miss my siblings. They're easily the most important people in my life, and it's nice to be able to be with them again and let them know what college life is like because, if things go well, they'll go to college too. And who knows? They could end up where I am right now. To demonstrate just how close we are, here's a picture of me back in 8th grade as my little sister terrorizes my food. Ah, good times.
- No. 4
Working on Extracurriculars
I've talked about this before, but I'm a huge comedy nerd, and Dartmouth has been a great way for me to explore that. You could read more about that here. Now, self-promotion aside, just because I'm away from campus doesn't mean I can't keep working. The late-night calls and group message chats with other people in the club working on stuff says otherwise. The only difference is that in the privacy of my own room, the way I work is immensely different. Rather than working in the library, well, just let the picture speak for itself. It was only once the camera flashed that I even realized my brother was in the room.
- No. 5
Starting New Projects
Remember how I said I loved Dartmouth because it lets me explore whatever idea I have? No matter how dumb it is? So basically, a friend of mine from Harvard reached out to me and asked if I wanted to bring a dating service called Datamatch to Dartmouth, and I said "why not?" Just because I'm not on campus doesn't mean that I can't start new things. And the greatest part is that at Dartmouth I have friends that no matter how dumb my ideas are, including a random text about creating the aforementioned dating app, they'll be onboard.
Posts You Might Like
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As my first year comes to an end, I would like to invite you to explore the beauty of our campus through my photos!
![blogger_image](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/60x60_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/wechatimg3290.jpg?itok=_fEvVHFF×tamp=1695605711)
![photo of a blue and orange ombre sunset near Alumni Gym in Hanover](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x274_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-post/photos/img_1217.jpg?itok=x74Yf3JL×tamp=1713042068)
As I am now back on campus for my sophomore spring, here is a (slightly overdue) recap of how the classes I took this past winter!
![Bio Photo](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/60x60_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/img-6494-3.jpg?itok=VG4V9SlA×tamp=1663722634)
![Cornell Hillside after eating Lunch Cornell Hillside after eating Lunch](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x274_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-post/photos/blog_2016x1512_cornellhillside.jpg?itok=VPB5JIx0×tamp=1711829707)
Recently, I had the opportunity to take a trip to Cornell with the Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble (DCWE)!
![Chase Harvey Chase Harvey](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/60x60_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/blog_1672x1672_profilepicture.jpg?itok=1lX9bSpT×tamp=1632071071)
![a picture outside martin's dorm of the parking lot, mid fayerweather dorm hall, and dartmouth hall. About a foot of snow rests on the ground!](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x274_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-post/photos/img_4350.jpg?itok=rBXABty2×tamp=1711823727)
Growing up in New England and transitioning to living at Dartmouth, I'm all too familiar with the unpredictability (and beauty) of New England's weather. Let me tell you about it here!
![Martin sitting and smiling](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/60x60_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/img_0579_-_martin_skacel.jpeg?itok=nyj3P4ls×tamp=1694611967)
![My friends playing basketball with Noah Kahan! My friends playing basketball with Noah Kahan!](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x274_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-post/photos/screenshot_2024-03-27_at_10.28.36_am_0.png?itok=DTI9X1Kr×tamp=1711550365)
How Dartmouth fits into Noah Kahan's songs!
![Caroline York](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/60x60_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/screen_shot_2023-11-05_at_8.02.39_pm.png?itok=thXR9tY4×tamp=1699214588)
![Baker-Berry in the snow](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x274_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-post/photos/img_8073.jpeg?itok=0EMpGk3y×tamp=1711847630)
![Dartmouth Hall](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x274_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-post/photos/screen_shot_2024-03-15_at_11.12.28_pm.png?itok=e5wHt6AA×tamp=1710558768)
Read this blog post to learn about my winter courses: Ancient Medicine, Human Evolution, and Introduction to Archaeology!
![Portrait of Lauren](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/60x60_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/screenshot_2023-09-13_at_9.58.39_am.png?itok=6TLdj5iS×tamp=1694613541)
![Batu in Toulouse! Blogger pictures in front of an old castle](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x274_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-post/photos/blog_1200x800_batuintoulouse.jpg?itok=0RXfdO-J×tamp=1712184929)
Bonjour! It has been a while since you've heard from me, but I was indeed on a Language Study Abroad (LSA) program in southern France (Toulouse) for the winter term. Here are my reflections on being back!
![Profile picture of the blogger outside Sanborn Library](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/60x60_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/screen_shot_2022-09-18_at_6.33.44_pm.png?itok=4qv8jBTV×tamp=1688587481)
![An image of eggs](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x274_blog/public/admissions/content/blog/list-item/fae5087c-5a8d-44a8-89b8-10bc7de12b51_0.jpg?itok=lyzrJpFP×tamp=1711576455)
I decided to try many new things during this winter term, and here is an account of some of them!
![Profile Picture](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/60x60_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/img_6959_2.jpeg?itok=8Ic27ok0×tamp=1717243884)