"Camp Dartmouth" brings students a variety of new opportunities that do not exist during the rest of the school year. The Ledges, Copper Mines and other exclusive summertime activities offer exciting weekend activities in the Upper Valley. Unlike during other terms, swimming in the Connecticut River now will not induce hypothermia. But most notably, with just sophomores on campus, an already small school becomes even smaller. Summer is hailed as the pristine time to make new friends among fellow sophomores. Interestingly though, last year, the Office of Undergraduate Evaluation and Research, using data collected from students over three summers, found that only 53 percent of sophomores felt closer with their class at the end of the term, 28 percent less than student expectations. What explains the divide?
The widespread happiness among sophomores with their long-standing social niches accounts for the gap between these lofty expectations and reality. With the short 10-week term and the constant social shuffle of the D-Plan, students are unwilling or unable to put forth the time and effort necessary to foster new, strong relationships -- that may often be at the expense of existing friends.
While it is overly idealistic to imagine all sophomores becoming "best friends forever" with one another, students should actively take advantage of the unique summer social setting to make the community even tighter. Dartmouth is small enough to ensure that there is a strong community, yet, at the same time, large enough to prevent social claustrophobia. There is always someone new to meet, which helps keep the social life in this small town from becoming stale over four years.
With sophomores running the College, we naturally see the same faces around campus even more often. The fact that there are fewer students in Food Court, not to mention that one-third of the sophomore class takes "engines 3," helps create an environment that is conducive to meeting others. There are numerous chances to finally meet "that kid" who has been in all your science classes or trades smiles with you while walking across the Green. The summer offers the right time for students to rekindle the outgoing nature that characterizes "green" first-year students.
The contrast between student participation in DOC Trips and Sophomore Trips is representative of the changed social mindset within students over their first two years in Hanover. More than 90 percent of the class of 2008 braved the woods (and organic farms) of New Hampshire on a DOC Trip freshman fall while only about 10 percent chose to partake in Sophomore Trips. With students holding such fond memories of their DOC Trips, why would so relatively few sophomores participate in Strips?
Students from all backgrounds ultimately chose to participate in DOC Trips not for the outdoor adventure, but to make new friends at the onset of college. In contrast, sophomores do not flock to Strips in similar numbers to DOC Trips because sophomores do not have the same intense urge to find new friends. Nonetheless, capitalizing on the summer social setting does not require replacing your closest friends made from DOC Trips or the Choates, but simply becoming more susceptible to meeting others.
Thrown into the mix of the summer are the swarms of campers that descend upon Dartmouth, which can prove a minor obstacle to getting to know fellow sophomores. Fortunately, egregious blitz terminal abuse is the surefire way to sort campers from simply unrecognizable sophomores. BlitzMail terminals are not for instant messaging or paying online credit card bills. Field hockey campers, British missionaries, and Dartmouth Debate Institute participants can also be distinguished through the tools of their trade -- field hockey sticks, Bibles and pocket protectors, respectively.
With the second half of college in front of us, peeking outside our social shells and making an effort to get to know even more sophomores beyond our social circle will be worthwhile. Plus, you may actually get to know that Facebook friend who "friended" you the summer before freshman year.
