Despite the completion of their undergraduate degrees, many members of the Class of 2012 continue to populate the Green, Dartmouth's graduate school campuses and fraternity basements as they explore academic and employment opportunities in Hanover.
Marietta Smith '12, who returned to Hanover in the middle of Summer term, will spend a gap year serving as a teaching and research assistant to engineering professor Joseph Rosen and applying to medical schools. Smith said she plans to continue to work in Hanover until June.
Smith did not initially plan to remain in Hanover post-graduation and debated returning home or applying for jobs in Boston, where many fellow members of the Class of 2012 are currently employed.
Although she has many friends who are still on campus, Smith said she is currently enjoying her newfound independence, as she is learning to balance her budget and experiment with new cooking recipes. Smith separated herself from the Class of 2014 upon returning to enable the sophomores to enjoy their sophomore summer experience, she said.
Like Smith, Jenna Hobeika '12 also opted to remain in the area as she applies to medical schools.
"If that works out, I will hopefully be going to medical school next year, and if not, I will try to find an engineering job somewhere," Hobeika said.
Hobeika said she plans to remain in Hanover to complete her bachelor of engineering degree through the Thayer School of Engineering and to play for the women's ice hockey team.
"I have an extra year of eligibility because I tore my ACL freshmen year, so being here this year worked out nicely," she said.
While Hobeika will complete her B.E. degree in March, she plans to remain in Hanover until June while serving as a teacher's assistant and working at the Thayer machine shop. Hobeika said she plans to spend time with former teammates from the women's hockey team, members of Sigma Delta sorority and fellow B.E. candidates.
"Everyone will be taking the same classes and be in Thayer a lot of the time, so people get really close," she said.
Socializing at night is "a little strange," however, Hobeika said.
"I'm used to seeing a group of people I know, but now I'll go to a frat and not know any guys there," she said. "I can't get on table anywhere."
Ian Engler '12 Med '16, a first-year student at the Geisel School of Medicine, said he has found it easy to adjust to life as a graduate student.
"It's different to have another community and another world apart from undergraduates, but they overlap a lot," he said. "It doesn't feel weird because I have my own thing going on."
Although he is eager to spend time with close friends currently completing their undergraduate degrees, he does not consistently see them, he said.
"I'm not driven to keep distance from those I care about, but I will keep distance from the undergraduate community," he said.
Engler, one of the five members of the Class of 2012 to matriculate at the Geisel School directly after graduation, returned to Hanover four weeks ago for the beginning of classes. He said he plans to graduate in June 2016 with his class of 87 medical students.
"I lived off campus the majority of my college career, so I'm used to more real life than dorm life," Engler said. "But dealing with the increased workload and overall overwhelming priority that is academics is the biggest adjustment. Now I'm immersing myself in medical school, and it's definitely a different lifestyle."
Engler said he did not notice a surprisingly high number of members of the Class of 2012 on campus, instead seeing only "a few here and there."
"I think grad students keep to themselves because of the priority of academics above all else, whereas undergrads have extracurricular activities and other focuses," he said. "That's a good thing because we need to move on with life after graduation."
Robert Moss '12, like Hobeika, is working to complete his B.E. degree at Thayer after deciding two years ago to remain in Hanover for two additional terms.
"It's a really good program, and they get this idea into your head that they want you to stay for the fifth year and that you want to stay for the fifth year," he said.
Despite his continued friendship with current juniors and seniors and his relationship with a member of the Class of 2015, Moss said lacking a small group of close friends has required adjustment.
Moss also continues to participate in activities that he enjoyed as an undergraduate, including club soccer and spending time in the basement of Kappa Kappa Kappa fraternity, he said. One of his fellow Tri-Kap members initially inspired him to remain in Hanover.
"It's kind of funny because my older brother at Tri-Kap did the same thing and his older brother did the same," Moss said. "I guess you could say staying at Dartmouth is a generational trend."
Smith is a member of The Dartmouth Staff.
