As an '09 who's only been at Dartmouth for a mere three and a half weeks, I'm definitely still in my "take one step forward and two steps back" phase. There's still so much to learn as I fumble and bumble my way around trying to get into the groove of things. Yet despite my best efforts, I have not shed the characteristics and mannerisms that so effectively indicate my '09 status. I'm still the kid who has trouble finding his classes in the morning; the kid who walks in late everyday to his 7:45 drill; I'm the kid who once forgot to pay for his food at Thayer and had to endure the admonishment of the cashier (not to mention the snickers of many an upperclassman); and, last but not least, I'm the kid who stumbles anxiously into the frats only to get absolutely demolished at pong by guys who are infinitely more woozy and intoxicated. And yet, despite all this, and despite the fact that I still bear the status of a faceless, anonymous 'shman who doesn't have a clue in the grand scheme of things here, there is one thing that I can say absolutely and unequivocally: this place is fantastic and I love it here. More than anything else, Dartmouth and the people who comprise it inspire me to be better, and I for one am very excited for the next four years.
I must say that I really lucked out on Dartmouth. Looking back, I started to become conscious of the fact that I applied here for all the wrong reasons. College was a huge deal during my senior year of high school, and there was enormous pressure to apply only to the "best" schools. I wanted the prestige, the name and the bragging rights. I wanted my parents to be able to tell their friends at their little get-togethers that their son was going to an Ivy League school. I wanted the diploma and the cash-producing careers that were sure to follow. In fact, Dartmouth wasn't even my first-choice school. I chose my first choice school based on magazine rankings or something stupid like that. And in the end, when I didn't get in, I was actually disappointed that I had to "settle" for another school, although I can't really imagine now how I could have ever used the word settle to describe my choice to come to Dartmouth. In fact, I can now honestly say that I'm glad that I got rejected from my first choice school because it allowed me to open my eyes to what a great place Dartmouth is -- and prestige is the least of all the reasons for why this is so. And even though I told myself numerous times in the past that there were more important things to a college than how high it is ranked by U.S. News, it wasn't until I got here that I truly understood what that meant.
Although it has been said million times, there is one thing that holds true year after year: the people here are awesome and make this amazing place what it is.
Being from NYC, I'm used to looking at my feet when I walk down the street. I try to avoid eye contact at all costs and usually make a mad dash for the opposite sidewalk whenever I cross the street for fear of getting a dirty look, the finger, or run over. But now, I can actually pick my head up and see smiles, and to my great surprise, cars yield for me before I'm even close to being in their vicinity. The people are friendlier, the environment more amiable, and the air less pollutant-heavy. People here, students, townspeople, and professors alike, go out of their way to make you feel welcome-even if you're a lowly '09. Just the other day, my biology professor, a molecular biologist who does research when she's not teaching, actually took time outside of class to help me review the parts of a standard light microscope-something that I would've thought was beneath her. And when all my friends at other schools tell me how they have to shell out money before they can even step foot inside a fraternity, I realize how lucky I am. The atmosphere of compassion here makes me want to reciprocate people's friendliness and emulate their warmth. And I think I'm going to turn out a better person because of it.
Perhaps I'm being a bit nave. After all, there are bound to be many trials and tribulations ahead. It's a bit premature, you might say, for me to be so sure about the College, so hastily optimistic. "You haven't even experienced a New Hampshire winter yet!" an upperclassman told me. But these few short weeks have been enough to convince me that Dartmouth is indeed unique in its ability to inspire and change. And while each student's experience is different, I am sure that in the end, we will have turned out all the better for having been here in Hanover.
