Hey there! My name is Pau and I am a '25 from Nicaragua! At Dartmouth, I am a Government major modified with Economics and I also plan to minor in International Studies. A little more about me is that I have an undying passion for eating fruit, watching sunrises/sunsets, petting dogs, and finding myself in warm, cozy places. Feel free to ask me any questions on anything and everything that piques your interest about Dartmouth! I love to share :) Go Big Green!
It feels like ages ago that I got my housing survey from Dartmouth. In it were many questions about living preferences and my vision for what life at Dartmouth would look like. At what time would I plan to wake up? Would I consider my dorm to be a place to socialize or to rest? Or a happy medium? How tolerant am I of noise? In the survey, there was also one of the most important questions: how many people would I like to share my room with?
This question got me thinking. Growing up as the youngest of three siblings by more than 11 years, I had practically been raised as an only child. I was completely unaccustomed to living with other people, and the thought of changing that with complete strangers scared me. However, something inside of me urged me to select the most daunting option: living with three other people. Dartmouth assigns roommates for first years completely at random so I knew I was taking a huge chance, yet I really wanted to live with other people.
When I got my room assignment back I was ecstatic! I was placed in a two-room triple in the Fayerweather buildings. We decided to move all of our beds to the same room and have a common room outside where we put a couch and some chairs to hang out in. The Fayerweathers are all-freshmen buildings that are located right behind Dartmouth Hall and are therefore really central to the rest of campus. Being all freshmen and mostly consisting of two-room triples the Fayerweathers are also really sociable. My roommates also seemed really fun and nice. It felt like a match made in heaven!
Flash forward to week 4 of my first term here, I don't know how I've ever lived without them. They are a huge support system and some of my best friends on campus. We each have different friend groups but we get along really well together and hang out a lot. There's nothing I enjoy more than coming home after a long day and knowing there's someone there I can talk to or just be with in comfortable silence. Even though it might be difficult getting work done in my dorm while living with two other girls, it sure is a lot of fun to get ready in the morning, and cleaning is never a lone task!
So, if you are thinking about housing and roommates at Dartmouth, I would highly recommend that you think long and hard about your own needs and living preferences. But so far, I've found that living with other people is pretty great!
I applied through Questbridge's National College Match, but did not match. To others who also did not match, this is not the end of your application process! Here's what I did following match decision day.
Unlimited buffets, flavorful drinks, an assortment of breakfast pastries—Dartmouth has so many great food and drink options to choose from! Join me as I rank my favorite ones.
Walking around the Wellelsey campus, it's clear that it was built with intentional incorporation of the surrounding nature. The architecture of many buildings were also mindfully crafted to support Wellesley's unique principles.
