Welcome to the woods! My name is Natalie and I'm from California (3035 miles away from Dartmouth)! I'm a political science and crossword puzzle nerd who's excited to dive into the millions of activities we have on campus. I'm a Politics, Philosophy, and Economics major at Dartmouth, and am considering both a History and Human-Centered Design minor. I'm also the President of the Parliamentary Debate team! Go Big Green!
My name is Natalie Keim, and I'm a '25. At Dartmouth, we don't use class words (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior) to introduce ourselves. We just use our graduation year! I'll graduate in the year 2025, so I call myself a '25.
I'm from the San Francisco Bay Area, over 3000 miles away from Dartmouth! I've been shocked by how many California kids walk the streets of our Hanover campus—there are more Californians than kids from New Hampshire!
Over the past few weeks of orientation, first-year trips, and classes, I've gotten really good at introducing myself. Although lots in my life is rapidly changing, it seems like icebreaker questions stay the same, no matter which coast you're on.
So I figured I would introduce myself to you all, the blog readers, the same way I introduce myself to people here on campus.
Dartmouth's Top 5 Most Common Icebreaker Questions
What's your major?
Right now, as a freshman, I'm undecided! I'm choosing between government, creative writing, and math. I also am really fascinated by the idea of adding a Human-Centered Design minor—it's one of Dartmouth's most unique academic programs.
Favorite ice-cream flavor?
If we're at Foco (the dining hall on campus), I love the chocolate soft serve. If we're at Ice Cream Fore-U (just 10 minutes away from campus!) I love the Maine Black Bear flavor.
What do you like to do for fun?
The list is long and varied, but I'll fill you in on a couple of my favorite activities. I love staying active through playing Spikeball, skiing, running to EDM music, yoga, and hiking. Long story short, I love to be outside. To relax, I like to cook, do the New York Times crossword puzzle, read, watch cringy romance movies, write poetry, and make elaborate friendship bracelets.
What's a fun fact about yourself?
I went to elementary school with Zendaya and am a twin!
What's your dream job?
Besides Dartmouth admission blogger (kidding, not kidding), my dream job is Secretary of State. How cool would it be to travel the world, learning from international leaders, and pursuing global collaboration? I'm hoping to apply for Dartmouth's First-Year Fellows program later this year, which is a summer-long public policy internship experience in Washington, D.C. through the College.
Hopefully, these questions taught you a little about me, but I'm so excited to get to share my Dartmouth experience with all you readers: students, parents, and guidance counselors alike. Please reach out if you have any questions!
"What's it like working for admissions?" "Are you being truthful with your answers?" "Are you being scripted?" Let's dive right into all these questions.
Welcome to my blog! Here you'll find snapshots of my life and explorations at Dartmouth, ruminations on life, outdoor adventures, process of finding my major and more. I can't wait to show you around!
My time at Dartmouth has been filled with a lot of change, yet I'm struck by how similar Dartmouth is to my life back home, or rather, how Dartmouth is quickly becoming a place I call home.
