After considering similar schools, I decided on Dartmouth for its outing club, study abroad program, psychology and brain sciences department, and—let’s face it—the dining hall’s infamous chocolate chip cookies. While my exact major plans are still a work in progress, I am currently thinking history with minors in anthropology and creative writing with a focus (much to my parents’ chagrin) on the pre-modern era.
After years of focusing on the modern age, I am thrilled to learn about time periods and places missing from my mental map. I am also loving the fun facts (did you know Dholavira, a city in the Indus Valley civilization, had flush toilets in 2000 BC?).
WinterLondon, England
Interning at a London academic publishing house specialized in history and international relations -- I found it through another Dartmouth student who had previously interned there!
Wedding cake, yogurt parfaits, Super Bowl dip — all kinds of delicacies come in layers. Why shouldn’t decisions? My senior year of high school, I knew I wanted a small liberal arts school with strong academics and curious students.
No. 1
FoCo chocolate chunk cookies
Podcast journalist Laura Sim ‘16 told me last summer that, fifteen months after graduation, these cookies still called to her heart. Always warm, always gooey, and always delectable, these dining hall staples provide a melt-in-your-mouth conclusion to many a memorable conversation.
No. 2
Dartmouth Outing Club
You can’t beat the oldest and largest outing club in the country. The DOC’s renown means that many a student arrives with outdoor exploration in mind—and that its ethos of adventure, reflection, independence, and collaboration pervades entire swathes of campus life.
No. 3
Study Abroad
Dartmouth off-campus programs dive into study across the country and the world. Led by Dartmouth professors and filled with Dartmouth students, these programs study everything from Arabic in Morocco to geology in the Rockies.
A few weekends ago, Dartmouth’s campus was embroiled in cold war. No, it had nothing to do with Putin, nothing to do with Russia; nothing, in fact, to do with diplomacy (that is, unless you count negotiating due dates).
Dartmouth offered a different model for how to think about community. The verdict was clear: at Dartmouth, you didn’t have to play a sport to meet people or have a fun night...
Spending four years in the woods (hyperbolically speaking) produces a connection between students and alma mater unparalleled at larger or more porous institutions where students are lost in the masses...
My favourite place to eat on campus is at the ’53 Commons or Foco. I like to eat here because they have a good selection of gluten-free options (I have celiac) and it’s so fun to eat with all your friends.
If you’re tired now of getting asked by family and friends what schools you’re considering, just wait: decide on college, and the next well-intentioned but oh-so-repetitive question begins.
Yesterday, having dinner with Sarishka, a fellow Dartmouth ’20 and one of my best friends since middle school, I mentioned having felt sad that afternoon.
