Welcome back. It's time to start one more trip around the seasons, Fall, Winter, and Mud. I thought I'd chip in a few thought, ideas, and greetings concerning yet another year at Dartmouth.
Seniors: Wow, I haven't seen most of you in at least three terms. Can you believe that we're literally nine months away from the end? Better savor these last minutes until we get thrown into the brutal concept of real life. That is unless you're taking the coward's route like myself, and going to more school. Either way, this is going to be our last year together. What happened to all that time....
Juniors: How's your off-term going? Look forward to seeing you the next random term that you are on. Then we can spend all term talking about how we're never going to see each other again. Good-bye.
Fresh ... No, Sophomores: Forgive me, its going to take a little while until my brain registers that you '00's are now legitimate Dartmouth students. Enjoying life in the Lodge, Choates, and Rip/Wood/Smith? I realize that right now only about 10% of you are planning on joining a house. The question is, who is going to be among the 40% of you who do join houses. And trust me, being a freshman is a lot easier than being a pledge. It's also time for you guys to suck-it-up and start dealing with real classes, fulfilling major requirements, and actually studying what you want to. Don't forget to change your major at least twice this year.
And to First Year Students: Welcome Shmen. I hope that you guys realize that everyone doesn't have to meet in huge schmobs at 6 pm at Food Court to have dinner. Also, please don't follow the trying to get into fraternities through the window tradition. But if you guys are brave enough to restart the rushing the field at half-time of Homecoming tradition, you might get a break from the upperclass men and women. Either way, expect about 20 letters in your Hinman boxes concerning those issues.
Before I get stuck into my usual rut, bitching about all the evils that our foisted upon we innocent students by the administration, I want to take this opportunity to say give a little advice about how to make your time here better.
Smile. That's all you have to do to make this campus a bit better. I pass way to many people every day who have the nastiest expressions on their faces. Is everyone's life always that bad, or could we all just be infected with e-coli-unfriendless?
Take advantage of prof's office hours. The faculty are, by far, the best people that Dartmouth College has to offer. You are paying big bucks to come here, so you might as well get off your lazy butt at least once a term and meet the person who is supposedly infusing your mind with brilliant ideas.
No welcome back column of mine would be complete with mention NRO's. Since I discovered the beauty of the Non-Recording-Option, my sophomore fall, I have used one every term that I have been on. Set an NRO on a course that seems interesting to you, perhaps even in a possible major or minor, and just let it ride. You have the entire term to play with your lowest acceptable grade, and in-case the professor and you get off to a bad start, you bomb the first test, or you start macking the class, you won't have to stress. Perhaps I'm just a weirdo, but NRO's seem to motivate me in a class.
Yeah, I am a weirdo, but that's ok. Use this term to try to find yourself. And if you know yourself, let it shine through. One of the few beauties of the D-Plan is that each term is so different socially, that you can experiment with yourself. It really disturbs me how many fellow students here seem to keep their true selves bottled in, under an old white baseball hat and a flannel tied around their waist.
And don't forget to kick back every once in awhile. I know that tooling has never killed anyone, and that partying at Dartmouth can come close to death (detox at Dick's House is definitely worse than death), but living on the edge sure beats re-reading your govy textbook. Besides, everyone here always talks about how much work they have to do, and then goes out and parties. Perhaps, I've found one good thing about Dartmouth's social life. This really could be a different year.
