Liliana Ciraulo

Clothing is one of the most important components of being comfortable and happy during winter. Before coming to Dartmouth, I didn’t understand how to layer properly and assumed that the task would be fairly intuitive—I was wrong. Thankfully, my roommate was from the midwest and knew a thing or two about adequate layering when the weather is below freezing. 

The first layer is a base layer. I usually wear a long sleeve t-shirt, and sometimes long underwear-style pants if it’s really cold. Next, I wear a sweater, sweatshirt, hoodie, fleece, pullover, etc…you get the gist. The final layer is your coat! A good coat goes a long way. I have a shorter white coat as well as a longer black coat (pictured) for the super cold days.

After layering clothing, it’s time to add accessories. During winter term I am never without a hat or earmuffs! If your head is warm, you’re set. Gloves, mittens, and scarves are helpful if it’s really cold, but I am guilty of not wearing these as much as I should. Finally, snow boots or tennis shoes that have a good grip. You don’t want to slip on the ice during winter, so finding good footwear is crucial!

Okay, now you’re dressed for the day. Now what? Time to get some valuable daylight hours in! During winter term, the sun sets at around 4pm. This means that sometimes you’ll leave an afternoon class and it’ll be pitch black out! When I first experienced this, I was so sad—but an easy solution is to wake up earlier and spend more time in the daylight. If you’re not able to do so, then I strongly recommend investing in a sunlight lamp to get adequate vitamin D! At home, I’m used to the sun being out for much longer, and I found that turning on my sunlight lamp made me feel better during the shorter daylight hours.

It can be really difficult to get up and outside when it’s freezing. When I didn’t want to go outside, my friends were my main source of energy and encouragement—I don’t know what I would have done without them during the term!

Which leads me to my next point… having fun with friends! One of the coolest experiences I had during winter term was ice skating on Occom Pond. When the pond freezes over, students can rent ice skates for free from the DOC (Dartmouth Outing Club) house, located right on the edge of campus. I went with two friends who knew how to ice skate and were willing to teach me. Although I was nervous, I had so much fun. I still can’t skate unless I’m holding onto an upside-down trash can, but laughing with my friends about my terrible form was way more fun.

Winter weather can make some feel alone or sad, so it’s extra important to reach out to friends and participate in activities together. Even if it seems cheesy, you won’t regret it.

Dartmouth provides students with many opportunities to have fun in winter weather! Again, even if these events seem cheesy, they’re super sweet and well-planned! I personally enjoyed the Winter Carnival, a weekend where students can participate in snow sports, create ice sculptures, swim the polar plunge, and more! I also loved BEMA Lights, a gorgeous and festive light display with countless photo-ops. I appreciate events like these because they’re already planned for you… all you have to do is attend! While I loved attending with friends, it’s totally okay to attend solo, too. All the events have high turnouts from students, which is always heartwarming to see.

And finally, take advantage of new opportunities. This sounds vague, and it’s meant to! Last winter, I took a PE class on skiing. I had never even touched a pair of skis before, and let me tell you: I was just awful at skiing! However, I had so much fun learning a new skill that I wouldn’t learn anywhere else. The Dartmouth Skiway is conveniently located about 10-15 minutes away from campus, and even if you’re not in a ski class, you can take a bus from campus to the skiway and ski with some friends! I eventually want to try snowboarding, too, but I think I’ll take this one winter sport at a time.

New opportunities don’t just have to be snow related! Maybe for you, it’s exploring a new academic department, trying out for a performance-based group, joining an intramural sports team, participating in Greek Life recruitment, starting a new job, or taking a class you never thought you’d take in a million years… the time is now! Good luck, and happy winter term!