Hi, and welcome to my corner of the woods! I'm Lauren, a '27 from Munger, Michigan. My favorite places on campus include Sanborn (for writing), the river (for paddling), and the Green (for everything else). I'm excited to share a bit about my favorite place with all of you!
I took this class as part of Dartmouth's first year writing requirement. We read a pro cyclist's life narrative, discussed research papers on controversial topics in sports, and wrote our own papers on a contentious sports technology of our choice. I really enjoyed this course's emphasis on discussion, and the small class size!
This was my first class in the classics department, which was super exciting as a classical studies major! We learned about the ancient Olympics and the connections between athletics and other aspects of ancient Greek society. I loved the final project in this class, which involved creating an argument about how the ancient pentathlon was scored!
To conclude my language requirement, I took Latin 3! This class was super exciting because we began to read ancient texts and poetry. We also took a class trip to the Rauner Special Collections library so we could physically handle and read some manuscripts. And as an added bonus, Latin counts as a prerequisite for my classical studies major!
As a part of my language study abroad in Italy, I also took a class on Italian history and culture! We went on field trips to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, participated in walking tours of Rome, and watched a lot of great cinema in this class! I loved it so much that I decided to minor in Italian.
This class, in addition to being a pre-requisite for my major, was super interesting! I loved learning about archaeology through hands-on projects and lectures that felt like TED Talks.
My favorite course on my Italian LSA+ in Rome is focused on Italian literature, which we are studying in a reverse-chronological order! It has been incredibly fun to see different topics and styles evolve over time and to learn from the works of the best writers.
I’m absolutely loving this hands-on introduction to paleography, and the fact that my class meets at Rauner every day! I can’t wait to hear from our guest lecturers, too, and I’ll be sure to share those experiences on the blog. All in all, Latin 10 was a great way to get back into the language after a term away in Rome.
I signed up for this Latin class after the FDOC (first day of class), and I'm so glad I added it to my sophomore summer schedule! Our class is combined with GRK 30.08 History and Structure of the Greek Language, and it has been incredibly interesting to compare the ancient languages and learn a bit of Greek.
This interim, I'm staying on campus for the entire interim period between spring and summer. Why? Because I'm working! I have a job with Dartmouth Conferences and Events to support reunions, where I help ensure everything runs smoothly for our alumni and student workers.
I've enjoyed working in this position, mostly because it has allowed me to connect and interact with so many people from the Dartmouth community. In our temporary office in Blunt Alumni Center, there's a near-constant stream of alumni, Dartmouth employees, and fellow students stopping by to pick up supplies or ask questions.
At first, I was a little nervous that being on campus during the interim would be boring. Most of my friends traveled home for the break, so I've had a lot of time for myself. I've used this extra time to finally check some books off my "To Be Read" list, go on beautiful walks in Pine Park, and even do some exploration of downtown Hanover.
I love going on walks in the evening after work!
I've discovered some new favorite spots, like Umpleby's Bakery Cafe and Left Bank Books, and spent a lot of time at old favorites like Lou's and Still North, too.
I highly recommend staying on campus over the interim, especially between spring and summer terms. Campus is beautiful, there are a ton of fun events related to Commencement during "Senior Week," and it's a rare opportunity to spend some solo time in Hanover. It can be difficult to carve out time during the term for little things like reading on the Green (for fun, not for class!) or getting dinner in town with friends, but the past two weeks have been full of that for me.
My favorite thing about Dartmouth is the sense of community. The people really make the place special, and it has been incredible to meet alumni who graduated over 50 years ago who feel the same way. It's interesting to compare and contrast our Dartmouth experiences; some things—like hiking Mt. Moosilauke and writing for The Dartmouth—have remained almost the same. Other aspects of college life have modernized, and the alumni have been interested in hearing from me about living in new dorms and taking classes in new buildings.
There are tons of different ways to gain work experience on campus, which some of my fellow bloggers have written about more extensively. Make sure to check out Cal's post, or read what Dezstany has to say about blogging!
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!
I've just finished my first four weeks as a Concord Monitor news intern, having delved into journalism in ways I couldn't have without the help I received from Dartmouth's Center for Professional Development.
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.
