Greetings! Let us be among the first to welcome you to Dartmouth College!
We would like to extend a warm welcome to you, the Class of 2001, as you prepare to begin one of the most exciting times of your lives.
It was not long ago that we, too, stood on the brink of this adventure into the unknown called college. As we grow a bit nostalgic about the College during this, our Sophomore Summer, we think back on the things we did and should have done our freshman year.
We hope that in this issue, we can share with you a little about what makes freshman year -- and Dartmouth -- so memorable.
Your first year at Dartmouth is an almost magical one, filled with the excitement of making the same discoveries about yourself, the College and the world that thousands have made before you and countless more will make after you have left.
You will be faced with more choices than you have probably ever encountered before. There will be more ways to express yourself, to challenge yourself and to surprise yourself with just how much you can accomplish. This can often be as frightening a prospect as it is exciting.
The articles in this special issue of The Dartmouth have been written, in part, to help you settle into college life and to serve as a guide to some of the opportunities that will present themselves to you in your first year at the College.
In our pages, you will find stories about the residence halls that will become your home away from home, what to expect on your freshman trip and the Dartmouth traditions you have to look forward to (and ones you'll be glad no longer exist).
You will find out how to get involved with various extracurricular activities and what resources are available to help you make the transition from high school to college.
Most of all, we hope that the stories in this Freshman Issue will introduce you to the multitudes of opportunities for finding your own niche at Dartmouth. We hope that in discovering your place at the College, you will be inspired to try something new or explore more deeply a long-standing interest.
Dartmouth is an amazing place that allows students to take full responsibility for the success of whatever activities in which they choose to participate. Students run The Dartmouth, manage two campus radio stations, write, direct and star in countless theatrical performances, form musical groups and lead student organizations and athletic teams to personal and group victories.
Take an active approach to finding those things that will make your Dartmouth experience most fulfilling.
You worked long and hard in high school to get where you are today. Let Dartmouth be your reward -- allow yourself to enjoy the benefits of being at this amazing institution.
For most of you, this is the first time in your lives that you have been almost entirly independent. We encourage you to seize this opportunity to discover what is important to you.
Begin to make the decisions that will enable you to make your own way, to leave your mark on the world around you. Take advantage of all this college has to offer you in preparation for what lies ahead.
Work hard and live your college days fully. Enjoy your time at the College on the Hill.
