Hi everyone! I'm Tess, and I live 30 minutes outside of London. I love everything Dartmouth, including the sunsets, the traditions, the classes, and the merch. I'm super excited to experience everything I read about in this blog over the next four years. Come along with me as I explore the ins and outs of life in the woods.
I love the worldle. No, not the NYT wordle. WorLdle. It's just like the wordle, except instead of guessing the word, you guess the country. It's about as easy as it sounds—not very. Anyway, every morning, I sit at my kitchen table in Sevenoaks, England, and connect to countries across the world. I come across countries I have never been to, and others that have a special place in my heart. I grew up in China and the UK, but my parents are American— from Kansas and Missouri. I am excited to finally say I live in the US, and am attending Dartmouth College! In making the switch from Microsoft Word to Google Sheets, I am leaving behind my parents, two siblings, and two dogs… more on them to come.
A large part of me is my love for music. I play the cello and piano, and listening to live music is something I love to do. I will listen to all genres—for reference, my last couple of concerts have included Metro Boomin', Elton John and ABBA Voyage. My hobby is collecting vinyl for my record player (unfortunately it didn't make the journey with me all the way to New Hampshire).
So, that is part of my story up to being a first-year student at Dartmouth. Now, onto my future. I definitely want to incorporate East Asian Studies into something I do, but I have also been perusing the course catalog. From 'God and Money' to 'Public Speaking,' I literally want to do it all. I also want to learn how to ski. What better place to do that than Dartmouth? My first and last experience skiing ended abruptly—ask me and I will reluctantly explain how I single handedly broke a ski lift. Humbling, to say the least… I look forward to getting involved with the Dickey Center for International Understanding, the Dartmouth Chamber Orchestra, and the club field hockey team. Dartmouth has so much to offer, and my aim over the four years here is to experience something from every facet of life.
From Hidden Hanover Hangouts to interviews with my athlete friends to traditions and festivals, I hope to show Dartmouth from not only my angle, but every angle. I can't wait to discover Dartmouth with you!
Dartmouth is not just a college. With world-renowned graduate schools, why would we choose to call ourselves a college instead of a university? The story behind that decision dates back to a significant Supreme Court ruling.
On a quiet spring Saturday in Hanover, I traded the usual campus buzz for Monet in the morning and archery in the afternoon—a reminder that Dartmouth weekends can be just as meaningful when they're slow, reflective, and a little unexpected.
During my sophomore spring quarter, I took on the challenge of four STEM courses, and while it has been intense, the unexpected connections across subjects and the joy of learning have made it one of my most rewarding academic experiences yet.
Read about the Sophomore Summer Soiree and how I got to witness the beginning of something that hopefully grows into a long-standing Dartmouth tradition!
Here is my list of the restaurants in Hanover within walking distance of Dartmouth. Whether you're touring campus for the first time or are a Dartmouth student in need of a new place to eat, feel free to reference this list!
As I approach the end of my first year at Dartmouth, I would like to reflect on some of the experiences and lessons I've learned throughout this school year.
