It is 1:22 AM and I am in my dorm hall eating a homemade oatmeal cookie made by my floor mate’s dad. Around me are my floor mates, chomping down a piece of EBA’s pepperoni pizza, grouching about the size of the pizza slice. Giggles ensue as everyone pokes fun at the girl who paid for the pizza. Haha…”Oh Rod.”
Call me crazy, but I think I’m in love. Two weeks after introducing myself to a bunch of similarly nervous freshmen, I think that I have found the place that I can call home.
I remember walking along the Green in April, wide-eyed and tired (after a long and rather uneventful trip from Austin, Texas), staring at the multitude of students who scurried around campus. At that moment you could say that Dartmouth caught me by surprise. I had heard that it was a small campus in the middle of nowhere, but I had not expected people to be so honest.
As I embarked on a campus tour, I was overwhelmed. Many thoughts ran endlessly through my head—each trying to convince me that Dartmouth may not be the right school for me.
To add to my confusion, I had a rather uninteresting experience during Discover Dartmouth. While my host was dripping with warmth, something didn’t quite click. We spent the entire night in her East Wheelock dorm talking about the positives and negatives of Dartmouth. And, the negatives won the night.
The conversation that ran through my head still rings clearly. “Oh my God, if this is where I end up. I’m going to be miserable.” To say the least, I was a bit apprehensive. And to make matters worse, so were my parents. And, my mother joked about the size of Hanover’s downtown.
If I have learnt anything from my experience, it is that appearances can be deceptive. Dartmouth may be small, our football team may be far from excellent, and we may be in the middle of nowhere, but never will you be miserable.
From the minute the Dartmouth Coach drops you off at the Hanover Inn, you are swept into an adventure—unlike one you have ever experienced.
Tie-dyed hair, choreographed dances, and obscenely dressed individuals introduce you to the Dartmouth family. Grouped with along with eight other unsuspecting freshmen, the DOC trips are an amazing experience. I don’t know what got me first—the choreography to “Party in the USA” or my trip leader, Francis. But regardless, I am forever changed.
Dartmouth may not be the school that one plans to attend. Looking back on the entire college application process, I can truthfully say that I hadn’t really considered Dartmouth very seriously. But I’m glad that Dartmouth considered me. I’m glad that this is where am now—surrounded by people who are very quickly becoming my friends. A place where every person welcomes and accepts others.
Right now, we’re in the midst of a philosophical discussion about America’s Next Top Model. Who would have thought that this is what a Ivy League freshman would be doing at 130 am on a Sunday morning?
It clearly wasn’t in my grand plan—but that’s perhaps what’s great about Dartmouth. What you see isn’t necessarily what you get. Dartmouth might be unexpected at first.
Learn to embrace the unexpected. Accept the fact that smaller might be better for you. Put your plan for Yale or Harvard or Princeton behind. In Dartmouth, you will find your inner self. Take it from me, the rather shy, reticent person. But at Dartmouth, I’m a different someone—bolder and louder.
So I ask you, nay, beg you to give Dartmouth a proper chance. I almost didn’t. Look twice at every person, tree, or building. Don’t rush to judgment because you may miss the opportunity of a lifetime.
Now if a freshman who has not even had her first day of class can tell you this with confidence, imagine what she’ll say in four years. Learn to take the unexpected turn.
