By the time you actually receive this newspaper and sit down to read it, I imagine that you are pretty darn excited to be coming to Dartmouth -- and with good reason. This is a fantastic place, and you are about to meet some incredibly amazing people. Traditions are being made here just as quickly as they are being changed, while all the while the Hanover plain is preparing itself for your arrival.
It wouldn't be fair to you if I rambled on for another 700 words about how perfect Dartmouth is (especially during Sophomore Summer, which I am in the middle of right now), without some attempt to articulate my honest thoughts. So, here goes ...
Dartmouth is wonderful. There are so many things to try, so many places to explore. What you've read about the College's emphasis on its undergraduates is true: you are about to be spoiled. In many ways, this is deserved. But I nonetheless caution you not to become too lazy ... either spiritually, mentally, or physically. Inactivity will catch up with you quickly here. Dartmouth can be overwhelming in all that it has to offer to and show you. I cannot stress enough how important it is that you take advantage of the resources which are at your finger tips for the next four years.
Dartmouth is also tough. It will challenge you as you've never been challenged.I'm not talking just about academic challenges: all that you believe, think, say, and do will be contested and evaluated in some way. One of the best attributes of my friends here is that, as a collective group, they never stop challenging me. They make me think and rethink my assumptions -- but they are also very supportive in helping to keep my mind open and to actively question Dartmouth life.
The only guarantee about this place is that you will change while you are here. Whether that change is voluntary or not; whether you see or admit it or not, it is undeniably true. You will not be the same person you are now when it comes time for you to leave Dartmouth.
So what is my sage advice? I advise you to be open and aware. Question what you see and hear. Try new activities. Go on an adventure. Let go of high school. Be thoughtful and respectful. Be sensitive. Keep your eyes open. Get plenty of sleep this summer, because there is no time for it while you're here. Don't get over-involved during your freshman year: explore your options. Respect yourself, and make time for yourself. Think about the privileges you have, and why you are coming to Dartmouth. Cherish and the nurture the friendships which you are about to make, for it is here that you will meet the people who will likely be your forever friends. I urge you also to seek perspective: isolate yourself every once in awhile and think about how you've changed.
I know that much of what you read here will be forgotten by the time your start your DOC trip. That's completely fine. Enjoy being out in the beautiful New Hampshire wilderness, and meeting tons and tons of new people. If you ever want to talk about anything once you're settled, give me a blitz (this will make sense to you soon, I promise), and we'll have lunch and chat.
If I could, though, leave you with something, it would be this: Dartmouth's Principle of Community. In every residence hall and College owned building hangs a plaque inscribed with these words: "The life and work of a Dartmouth student should be based on integrity, responsibility, and consideration. In all activities each student is expected to be sensitive and respectful of the rights an interests of others and to be personally honest. He or she should be appreciative of the diversity of the community as providing and opportunity for learning and moral growth."
Dartmouth is a very close, tight-knit community. We need to recognize, as individuals, that together we are learning, loving, leading, faltering, trying and growing ... together we live in liminality. You are about to embark on a fantastic voyage -- open yourself to it and sample every aspect of Dartmouth that makes it so wonderfully unique.
For me, Dartmouth is much more than book learning. It's about my friends and extra-curricular pursuits. It's about sharing and dreaming and achieving and struggling and always searching for balance. It is my life and my home for these four years.
I am proud to welcome you to my home.
