In the Feb. 2 issue of The Dartmouth, an article was printed about the reasons why students transfer from Dartmouth College ("Students transfer for many reasons"). Upon reading the article, I did ponder for a moment the numerous people that I knew in my own class that were contemplating transferring.
Their reasons for wanting to leave varied from not feeling that they had a place in the Dartmouth community, to wanting to be closer to home, to desiring to go to a "better" school (I won't mention names). The lack of intellectual stimulation outside of the classroom, feeling pressure to conform from a predominately white, Christian, homophobic and pro-beer campus, the cold weather and the fact that we are in the Hanover metropolis were too much for them to take.
I thought about my own role as a student at this college. I will admit that my first freshman week was an eye-opening experience. I entered college, as do many freshman, hailing from a sheltered suburban background. I was shocked when a certain senior (who I now consider a friend) got in front of a large congregation of '01s in Spaulding and told us all that he was a homosexual. To be honest, back then that sort of thing bothered me, but I grew out of it. I think that the growth of my own acceptance for people that think differently and act differently than I do can be attributed to the existence of a few of those same things that people leave this college for not having: notably intellectual stimulation and diversity.
I will admit that I did not come to Dartmouth College with the intent, "to compose poetry, master the cello, solve mathematical problems or translate Cattalus," but I did come here to learn about life, myself and the people around me. I committed to this school knowing that there was a strong Greek influence but also that Dartmouth College accepted people from all over the world.
My best friends at this school hail from Minnesota, New York, back-country North Carolina, New Jersey and Singapore. Two of them are white, two of them are African-American and the other is Sri Lankan Tamil. I am not writing that Dartmouth College is perfectly diverse, please do not misunderstand. I am writing that at Dartmouth College people of diverse cultures do talk with each other and can learn about each other.
There have been many occasions where I and another have discussed politics, religion, beliefs in life after death, culture differences and tried to solve racism. When people passed us by in the hallway, they would almost always join in on the conversation, and before we knew it there were ten people waiting their turn to speak. This never happened on purpose. I didn't plan this, I planned to read Cervantes and go to bed, but as a result of having friends from diverse backgrounds, it happened.
I honestly believe that everyone who was accepted to Dartmouth has something to offer. And I honestly believe that everyone here deals with some sort of difficulty. The important thing is to find strength in the people around you that are here -- they will help you if you let them. I am not going to write that Dartmouth is a utopia, there is a lack of diversity, and there is a lack of understanding among the campus. However, the students at this college will let you broaden their minds if you give them a chance.
I will finish with a challenge ... I challenge, no I dare, anyone who is thinking of transferring from this school to put down those applications to Stanford, Harvard, Brown or wherever and stick it out with me and the rest of Dartmouth College. I am not arrogant enough to say that you will miss out on Dartmouth, but I, and Dartmouth, will miss out on you.
