Hello there! My name is Shuyi and I'm a '23, which means it's my sophomore year here at Dartmouth! I'm currently taking classes at Dartmouth remotely from China, so it's definitely been an interesting experience. At Dartmouth, I enjoy playing squash, eating at late night, and of course, blogging. You can ask me about studying social sciences, coming to Dartmouth as an international student, and anything else really. I hope you enjoy the blog!
Hi 24's! I've had the pleasure to get to know some of you through virtual hosting, and I'm so excited to welcome you all to campus! Although there's so much to look forward too, I was sorry to hear that you guys won't have a Dimensions to be excited about. For those of you who don't know, Dimensions is Dartmouth's revisit day for accepted students, which unfortunately has been canceled this year. Therefore, to compensate, I thought I would revisit my Dimensions experience from last year!
My Dimensions started with waking up early in the morning to catch a flight to Boston from Philadelphia. After arriving, I went to the bus stop where the Dartmouth Coach would be picking us up. There, I met some other kids who were also going to Dimensions, and we quickly struck up conversation. Immediately, I recognized that everyone was very open and warm, and it was on that three-hour bus ride that I made some of my first friends at Dartmouth!
After arriving at Dartmouth, we were introduced to our hosts. My host was a sophomore from Canada, who I still talk to today! The rest of the day was filled with introductory speeches, museum visits at the Hood, and performances by wonderful dance and acapella groups. Although all of these events were entertaining, what stood out to me was how passionate and friendly all my fellow '23s and other Dartmouth students were. In fact, one of my favorite memories from Dimensions was hanging out on the Green with another '23 I had just met, when some students asked us to play spikeball with them. It was such an unexpected kind gesture, and it ended up having a lasting impression, although we did lose the game.
One of my favorite Dimensions memories, pictured!
If you ask most students what their favorite aspect of Dartmouth is, they will say it's how kind, supportive and fun people here are. I was shown this throughout my Dimensions experience, which culminated in a show hosted by students. The show consisted of a lot of silly dancing and parodies of hit songs we all know, as they changed the lyrics to try to convince us all to come again next fall. As I laughed at the choreographed dances and wacky outfits, I couldn't help being blown away by the effort all the students had put in to memorize their lines and dances just to welcome us to Dartmouth. I left Dimensions excited for my four years of college, and so far, it's been a blast.
To all the '24s, I'm sorry you guys won't get a Dimensions experience like mine, but I can't wait to see you guys run around the bonfire, enjoy your first winter carnival, and experience all the great things that Dartmouth has to offer you. If you see me around in the fall, say hi! We can even play some spikeball.
I was attracted by the opportunity to engage with first-year residents and shape their Dartmouth experiences, in addition to working with other UGAs and staff who shared my interest in helping others.
We so very wish you could step onto Dartmouth's campus yourself to witness the beauty of our winters live, but COVID-19 has made visiting campuses extremely difficult. I would love to share some of my favorite photos from this past snowy week!
With lots of things (understandably) still closed on campus, it's nice to know that study spaces are beginning to open up again in a safe and responsible way.
In previous winters, I was able to skate on Occom Pond, usually at events with my Living Learning Community, and I'm glad to see that we're still able to take part in such winter festivities even with COVID-19 restrictions.
International students like me are no strangers to choosing their College without being able to physically visit. Now, I believe everyone is in that situation, and I decided to gather some thoughts on my choice!
One of my favorite Dimensions memories, pictured! 
