

Taoheng (Tao) Chen

You are here

Nurtured by Nature
It's Fall; leaves are falling, and so are the piles of assignments and mid-terms descending upon you! In Hanover, however, I've been taking advantage of the nature that has given me moments of peace—study breaks, if you will!
The Green (see cover photo)
Okay, this one will be brief, because it is too iconic, so much so that it is our sport mascot (Go Big Green!) to need much of an explanation. There are days where I just grab a laptop, food, and some friends to do work by The Green. This is an opportunity to soak in some sunlight as well!

The Beloved Woccom
Woccom is a term coined at Dartmouth, another one of the numerous Dartmouth lingo! It is a lap around the Occom pond, which is located at the Northwest corner of the campus, next to the Geisel School of Medicine and the Life Sciences Center. Occom pond path is shaped like a long rectangle (where the length is the longer side), and you start at the Southwest corner—this means that you can take a left or right! As you venture, you'll notice that it's quiet. In summer nights, you can hear crickets chirping, and during the fall, surges of crispy air. Smell the earthiness; this is a wonderful place to take a good breather from study. As you venture forward, you'll see reflections of the sky on the surface of Occom pond.
And it gets even better.
At the midway point is the golf course, where this becomes my second favorite spot!

Woccom Part 2: The Golf Course
At exactly the midway point (picture the spot in between the northwest and northeast of the rectangle) you'll see fences before a gigantic (unused) golf course! Though, it is not really abandoned, because Dartmouth students make active use of the plains as picnic spots for stargazing at night

Lazy Weekends at the River
Dartmouth sits along the Connecticut River. And as students, we get free access to renting tandems, kayaks, paddleboards, and most importantly, life jackets! All year round (except the blizzarding Winter), you'll catch Dartmouth students either sunbathing by the docks or rowing along the Connecticut river.

As a student of The Woods, Dartmouth is home to so much nature. You'll have to just come to experience this—I hope these are on your bucket list as you imagine life in Hanover
Posts You Might Like

Why my Montana "break trip" made me excited to go home to New Hampshire.


Follow along for a list of different resources I've explored at the Student Wellness Center!


A highlight of all the fun activities I did with friends during my first two weeks at Dartmouth: First-Year Trips, Karaoke, Bingo Night, and picnics at the Dock


The housing community is integral to Dartmouth. From my unbiased point of view, School House is definitely the best house. Come with me to see why!


This year, I led a Dartmouth First-Year Trip. It was one of the most rewarding things I've been a part of at Dartmouth so far. Read about it here!


Here is the tale of my First-Year Trip in the Second College Grant!!


This year, I moved to Triangle House, one of Dartmouth's Living Learning Communities (LLCs), a welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ students and allies that fosters learning, community engagement, and personal connections.


Four weeks into my junior fall and the classes and clubs I'm involved in this term are some of my favorites that I've done thus far. Here's an overview of what I've been up to so far during my third consecutive Hanover fall!


Summary: What is The Fifty? Come find out! I was able to support The Fifty last weekend.
