Hey y'all! I'm Caroline York, and I'm a '25 from Georgia! My hope is to share my Dartmouth experience with potential '29s, '30s, '31s and beyond! On campus, I write sports for The Dartmouth, am a Center for Social Impact SIBS mentor, am in Christian life, a Tour Guide, a Dartmouth Emergency Medical Services (EMS) member, and do medical research! Otherwise, you'll find me at the Norwich Farmers' Market, studying in the Tower Room, and running along the Appalachian Trail. Welcome to my world!
I got into Dartmouth! I'm going to Dartmouth! I'm graduating high school, leaving home, and moving away from everything familiar to me, oh no!
When I was first accepted to Dartmouth, I was ecstatic to be going to my dream school, but then I started to worry about what college life would entail. High school students (and parents who worry about your kids like mine do), let me explain the main differences between high school and college life.
I have so much free time! In high school, I had school from 7 am to 3 pm with sports and extracurricular activities until 6 pm each day. Now, I have three 3 hour credit classes per term, meaning I have nine total hours of class each week. It's easy to let the free time slip by (Netflix always seems to be calling my name) with less structure than high school. I try to stay on top of my work with a planner that tells me due dates and activities.
My 1,200 person class!
My freshman class of 1,200 students is six times bigger than my high school graduating class. My school was fairly small, and I knew everyone's full name and their full involvement at school. Here at Dartmouth, I usually walk across campus seeing at least one person I know, but I also see unfamiliar faces.
Dartmouth students are all unique. The students at my high school were all very similar as we all came from the same area and backgrounds. Here, I have friends from Nicaragua (fellow blogger Paulina!), England (I'm obsessed with her accent), and a Native American reservation in Oklahoma.
My high school boasted lots of activities and sports for students to stay active, but Dartmouth has ten times the number of organizations students can join. Practice your throwing skills with Ultimate Frisbee. Express your political opinion with the Dartmouth Republicans, Democrats, or Libertarians. Channel your inner "Pitch Perfect" with one of the many acapella groups. Enjoy coffee with the Dartmouth Coffee Club. Get your groove on with the Swing Dance Club. The options are endless!
Occum Pond, my favorite!
No uniform (well kind of)! For those of you from schools with uniforms like me, this is huge. I can not tell you how happy I am to ditch my plaid skirts and saddle oxford shoes. Clothes let me articulate my style and personality, so you will usually find me in hues of pink or workout clothes. A minor Dartmouth uniform item is the coat- let's face it, we're in New Hampshire and it's cold. You will find everyone wearing something to bundle up!
So there you have it. If you bring a coat and an open mind, the transition from high school to college will be the best that you make it!
Welcome back to Open Doors—your inside look at life in the Woods! This week, Sarah Getraer '26, a studio art major, showed me around her dorm room, where we discussed Dartmouth residence halls, classes, and campus life.
