Members of the Class of 1999, many arriving in Hanover from their Dartmouth Outing Club trips unwashed, unshaven and even a little jittery, were welcomed with a week-long orientation program aimed at easing the transition from high school to college.
"The primary purpose of orientation is to get students ready to start classes," Dean of Freshmen Peter Goldsmith said. He also said orientation should be a time for freshmen to become better acquainted with one another.
This year, 920 out of about 1,050 freshmen kicked off their Dartmouth careers by going on four-day DOC trips.
Heather Halstead '96, who runs the program, said the trips are important because it is the first social situation many freshmen experience.
"There's a million stories there," she said, describing the memories the participants will take with them.
Without fail, the freshmen who went on trips described their adventures in glowing terms. "It was definitely the best part of my time here so far," Jennifer Dixon '99 said.
Students who went on DOC trips began arriving in Hanover on Sept. 9, and almost the entire first- year class was here by Sept. 13.
Orientation week started in earnest with a typically Dartmouth ritual -- computer orientation and pick- up. The next days held a bevy of placement tests, open houses and social events designed to allow the incoming class to acclimate itself to Dartmouth.
Freshman Amy Antman thought the most helpful part of orientation was the advice she got from her Undergraduate Advisor, Tom Inglesby '98. "He helped me with everything from my classes to my schedule," she said.
But a major part of orientation week is not planned by the College. Many freshmen spent the week meeting other students and releasing stress.
"After Community at Dartmouth night someone taped the season premier of the Simpsons and I watched it with like 20 people whom I've never met before," Antman said. "It was great."
Other freshmen said they would remember freshmen parties in residence halls.
"The parties were definitely the best," Hawkins said. "The school really doesn't provide us with the right sort of social options ... legally at least."
Goldsmith defended the social programming, which included everything from dances to movies, as "creative and energetic," but said he understands that at a school like Dartmouth, the social life is always "student driven."
