I don’t know about all of you, but these first few weeks have been some of the most jam-packed and stressful of my Dartmouth career. Navigating difficult classes, handling hours worth of auditions and finally poring over my resume and cover letter as though they represented the only possible ways for me to have a successful and fulfilling future have taken pretty much over all of my time. I’ve received countless Snapchats of friends in 3FB in the wee hours, either cramming for quizzes after the multi-hour tedious rush process or researching consulting groups to add the perfect sentence to their already over-edited cover letters.
I’ve already had almost-all-nighters, and it’s only week two! As I was talking to some friends about this insane phenomenon that is the beginning of fall term — and senior year for me (wow) — we came to the realization that it’s often easy to forget about what really matters. Many of our articles and columns this week touch on a similar theme: making time for cooking, recognizing that you will eventually find your niche no matter how long it takes and even taking ourselves a little less seriously.
In these hectic days, I often find myself neglecting friendships and going back on dinner dates. Then I realized that part of the reason we come to Dartmouth is to cultivate these relationships, and I need to make more time for them. I texted one of my oldest friends at Dartmouth last night — even though I had a mountain of homework and other commitments in front of me — to come drink champagne and just chat about nothing. Sometimes it’s important to remember to take time for yourself and your relationships, because those moments are what will help you through the tough nights and make this whole college experience worth it.
