![Portrait of Simon Lamontagne](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x420_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/lamontagne_simon-photo_1_-_simon_lamontagne.png?itok=TXCRWRxV×tamp=1691589892)
![On the Connecticut River](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x236_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/bg/img_8053_-_simon_lamontagne.jpeg?itok=yJqhB5FP×tamp=1691589939)
Simon Lamontagne
![Portrait of Simon Lamontagne](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x420_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/lamontagne_simon-photo_1_-_simon_lamontagne.png?itok=TXCRWRxV×tamp=1691589892)
You are here
![Baker Tower in front of a vivid sunset](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x274_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-post/photos/unnamed_1_1.jpeg?itok=bujtLbvq×tamp=1691604422)
[hɛloʊ]!
Greetings from McNutt Hall in Hanover, where I'm writing this inside the Dartmouth Office of Admissions itself! My name is Simon, and I'm a '24 here at Dartmouth. Originally from Lakewood, CO, I drove 35 hours up to New Hampshire with my dad in the fall of 2020 to start my time at Dartmouth amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, I've had so many experiences I never could've seen coming—I always end my tours by saying my time at Dartmouth has been transformative in ways I never could have conceived of in high school, and as saccharine as it sounds, I really do find that to be true. I've traveled to New Zealand and the Cook Islands, started playing the cymbals, written 45-page linguistics research papers, roamed campus in an Eeyore onesie, worked as a barista, teaching assistant, and tour guide at the same time, pulled Lou's challenges in Blobby, gotten involved in Greek life as someone who never thought I'd do so—the list goes on and on. Every day at Dartmouth, I find something new to do or to learn about myself, others, or the world around me, and I can't wait to share that with you through this blog!
A bit more about me: I'm a linguistics major (hope you liked my IPA title), and I'm also minoring in English and anthropology. I'm the house manager (and summer webmaster—I get to run the website and Instagram) for my gender-inclusive Greek house, Alpha Theta, and I'm a member of the Dartmouth College Marching Band despite not having played a musical instrument since the sixth grade when I came to college. In my free time, I love walking in Pine Park more than anything—it's such a good place to get some quiet time and clear my head. You might also find me journaling, hanging out with my two gorgeous (yes, I promise) pet rats, Calico Jack and Lactose-Free Vanilla Greek Yogurt, of whom I share custody with a friend, or napping in the Tower Room.
Of course, I wouldn't be done introducing myself without talking about my work with the Admissions Office! During my freshman spring, I got a job as a tour guide, and now, three years later, I'm writing my first blog as an Admissions Senior Fellow. I've been working full-time in the office this summer on all sorts of projects, from coordinating tour scheduling to delivering info sessions to visitors, and I've loved every second of it so far! Working in the Admissions Office means that I get to meet new people every day, many of whom are in the same position I was just a few years ago (that's probably you, reader), and hear their stories! As much as I love hearing other people's stories, I'm also working for Admissions in the first place because I want to share mine, and I hope to do just that through this blog!
Speaking of stories, I'll leave you with one about the day I visited Dartmouth (with a group of friends from the National Spelling Bee, though that's another story for another time). It was the summer after my sophomore year of high school, during the interim between Dartmouth's spring and summer terms. Because it was between terms, the Admissions office wasn't running tours on the day we visited, so we explored the campus on our own. I already knew I wanted to study linguistics, so we headed to Reed Hall, where fate brought me to run into Professor James Stanford, the linguistics department chair. I was just some high schooler, but he dropped everything he was doing to talk to me about his research for an hour. Simply put, this wasn't something that happened to me at any other school I visited whatsoever, and I think he even would've given me another hour or two if I hadn't had to go. He was so excited to talk to me, and of course, I was excited to talk to him. From that conversation alone, I could sense that the genuine enthusiasm for intellectual curiosity and learning on Dartmouth's campus was contagious, collaborative, and uniquely welcoming. I ended up applying Early Decision because, as we drove out of the woods that afternoon, I found myself thinking very clearly what I'd later write in my Why Dartmouth essay: "That's where I want to be."
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I want to share how the major declaration process works, and how it's very easy to change majors as well!
![pic](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/60x60_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/img_1827.jpg?itok=BAuyur99×tamp=1665456638)
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After three years of conducting research with professors in different fields and applying for different types of funding, I wanted to share what kinds of opportunities are present at Dartmouth!
![pic](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/60x60_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/img_1827.jpg?itok=BAuyur99×tamp=1665456638)
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As my time in London nears an end, here are some major takeaways that I want to share about the Foreign Study Programs at Dartmouth!
![Olivia Koo - blogger](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/60x60_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/4b596702-2c48-4037-8b1f-db79eeb3e7b0_1_201_a_0.jpg?itok=9S9os9ML×tamp=1663532063)
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Sweets you can't resist. really. can't.
![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)
![Hannah, Elise, and Reagan at GIS Hoco Alumni event Hannah, Elise, and Reagan sitting next to each other in the Dickey Center at GIS Hoco Alumni event](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x274_blog/public/admissions/wysiwyg/53298494155_9f1b67a3bb_c.jpg?itok=5NxwG85W×tamp=1715974445)
I lived on the same dorm floor as the GIS LLC (Living Learning Community) this year. I asked some of my floormates about their experience with it so that you can hopefully get a holistic sense of what GIS is like!
![Portrait of Lily sitting in the woods](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/60x60_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/lily_10-12_-_lily_johnson.jpg?itok=kREBBEd0×tamp=1694612886)
![Sanborn Library, where I do most of my studying! A brick building with blue skies and trees](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x274_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-post/photos/screenshot_2024-04-27_at_1.14.03_pm.png?itok=rAhwHbM5×tamp=1714238107)
This past spring term, I took four different classes in four different departments!
![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)
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As my first year at Dartmouth comes to an end, I am looking back at my experience with Great Issues Scholars, a first-year program with the Dickey Center for International Understanding.
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