Hi everyone! I'm Rika, a semi-international '28 from Japan, India, and Malaysia. I'm interested in studying women, gender, and sexuality studies, as well as public policy, global health, and biology while also being on the pre-health track! In my free time, I love to read books, cook and bake, play violin, spend time with animals, be sarcastic, and drink hot drinks (especially teas)! I'm so excited to share my exploration of Dartmouth with everyone :)
This weekend, the Dartmouth Programming Boardbrought inLaundry Day, a pop-rock band from New York, to perform for us on campus! Honestly, I didn't know much about the band, but my friend was a bit of a super fan, so at 8:30 sharp, we found ourselves waiting for the doors of Sarner Underground to open. We flooded through the doors and speed-walked our way into the venue, securing our front-row standing space.
Front row!
The band was so incredibly talented, and they mixed genres of pop, alternative, rock, and rap with their catchy songs and unique covers. The crowd's favorite cover was their encore, 'Party In the USA.' Some of their songs included calls and responses, and they taught us the words so we could sing along, which was really fun to do. The band was also very funny, often cracking jokes in between songs, like shouting out the big pole that was blocking a lot of people's view, as well as doing"one last scroll" on TikTok, which was scheduled to be banned from the US that night. They also cleverly changed the lyrics to their song Harvard from "Harvard on my chest as I bounce around" to "Dartmouth on my chest," which, of course, was a crowd hit.
The setlist
I haven't been to many live concerts before, so this was a really fun way to have a front-row experience with my friends. We swayed with our phone flashlights above us, jumped up and down to the rapid beat, and shouted out the lyrics when the microphone was pointed to the crowd. I discovered that I enjoy the pop-rock genre a lot more than I previously thought, and Laundry Day has already been added to my rotation of favorite artists. I had so much fun, and this is such a cool example of the fun things that are always happening on campus. For some fans, this concert was a must-see, while for others (like me), it was a happy, spontaneous event that ended up being one of the best nights I've had on campus.
Dartmouth is no stranger to a variety of student-run full-year performance groups in dance, a cappella, improv, and comedy. Sophomore summer is particularly special, as most of these groups allow sophomores to audition and join just for the summer.
In one of my previous posts, I mentioned how I joined a sorority earlier this fall by going through the recruitment process. I've come a long way since then. In fact, I am living in my sorority house for my sophomore summer!
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!
