The great sophomore migration is in progress. The destination: Unknown. I gradually became aware of our dwindling numbers upon my return from a spring semester FSP in Washington D.C. Every time I went into Food Court, for every one person I recognized, there were at least four more people that I didn't know. While some of this can be attributed to the fact that there are summer programs going on and I don't know every member of the '04 class, I still found it slightly disconcerting not to see many familiar faces.
Once classes started, it really became apparent that something wasn't right. It didn't dawn on me until after talking with friends that some of the people who matriculated with us are no longer Dartmouth students, which reminded me of my first roommate at Dartmouth.
The summer before freshman year, I received the customary letter with my housing assignment, the name of my roommate and her phone number. As I scanned the letter, I paused at the sentence suggesting that roommates contact each other prior to the start of the fall term to discuss what appliances and things they would bring. Even though I was a little apprehensive at the thought of sharing my belongings with someone I didn't know -- something I still have trouble with -- I thought I'd be a good person and give my new roommate a call. We worked out the details and said we'd look forward to meeting each other during Orientation.
When I finally reached 411 French and met my roommate, my first impression was that she appeared to be nice and that we would get along well. I thought my Dartmouth experience would be great if all my roommates were like her. She went to bed before I did, woke up after me and rarely watched television or listened to music.
Well, she left after the first week of classes. One day I came back from class and all of her belongings were gone except for the refrigerator. A week later I received a blitz from her saying that she'd sell me the refrigerator and she was sorry that she had to leave campus. To this day, I still don't know what happened to her.
While I felt badly about her leaving, at the same time, I got a good refrigerator at a cheap price and now had a two-room double all to myself. So I did what any intelligent person would do, I spread out my stuff into both rooms and made myself at home. What I didn't know was that my roommates departure was the beginning of the "Great Sophomore Migration."
As of right now, I can count at least ten people who do not attend this school anymore. How many do you know who have left? Personally, it's none of our business why students leave. However, I'd like to know where they went and what they are doing. Are they working? Do they plan to stay on campus for their junior summer? I have to wonder if Dartmouth needs to do more to retain its students? Do we need to make more of an effort to reach out to our friends and peers who are considering leaving?
Hopefully, during our summer term, we will take the time to smile at a new face, make new friends and develop a strong bond among the entire '04 class. After all, this is our summer. We're running the campus. Why not have some fun and make the most of this experience?
