If you've signed up for First-Year Trips, they're just around the corner. For many of you, this will be your first time on campus since Dimensions or formal college visits.
As the deadline for applying to my trip approached, I was skeptical about the experience. I was unsure if it was something I wanted to do, but since about 96 percent of first-year students in the Class of 2014 had participated, I signed up for a hiking trip and examined my packing list. I had a frame pack, hiking boots and small compass as well as a book bag, three-ring binders and lined paper. Packing up my car, my friends weren't sure if I was really going off to college or summer camp. I found arriving on campus to be stressful. If your experience turns out to be anything like mine, there's a lot to do in a very short time. If you drive to campus, you have to figure out where you can and can't park. You need to get your room key, unload all your regular dorm supplies into your room, meet your new roommate and make sure you're sufficiently packed for the five-day trip ahead of you, all before dashing off to Robinson Hall (where is that?) and a lawn filled with strangers. Even if you live in the Northeast and will return home before you move into your dorm, I imagine the first day can be just as stressful. So a word to the wise if there is anything you can do ahead of time that you might otherwise be doing on your first day, then do it ahead of time. Once you're on the lawn of Robinson Hall, affectionately referred to as "Robo" by most students, you might think to yourself that you've made a terrible mistake. Who are these quirky people with green hair, "flair" and tutus running about, and why are they cajoling you into dancing? As more and more of your classmates arrive, you'll end up with about 120 people all sandwiched together, dancing to various trips-related adaptations of popular songs. You may feel awkward at first, but remember, there are 119 other new students right alongside you. After you've learned a few songs and dances, and relentlessly trampled the defenseless, innocent blades of grass with the bad luck of residing on Robo lawn, you'll have the perfunctory duty of taking a swim test. It's part of a graduation requirement, and let me give you another word of advice: there is not an easier or less intrusive time to take it. If you feel comfortable swimming two or three laps in a pool, then just jump in and do it. You're already on your way to graduating. The group will be divided and you'll meet your trip leaders and all your fellow trippees, who will most likely be the first classmates you meet. If you're shy and have not said much to anyone, don't worry your trip leaders are experts at breaking the ice and facilitating conversation. You'll play lots of ridiculous schoolyard games and end up with at least five or six people you can chat with before dinner.
Toward the end of the evening, there will be a presentation on such hackneyed topics as being responsible and safe on trips your trip leaders will quiz you afterwards on the material, so don't make my mistake and forget a pen and paper to jot down notes. Then it's off to Leverone Field House, where you'll spend the night with your trip section before striking off.
Whether you are hiking to a mountain peak, navigating whitewater rapids or mountain biking down hidden trails, you may be challenged physically or mentally to do something you've never done before. Step outside the usual and challenge yourself. Don't worry you can always recuperate during orientation.
Trips are unique in that they're the first time you really meet your classmates. They allow you to bond with complete strangers who may end up in some of your classes for the next four years and who you will most certainly see around campus. I would urge you to try to talk to lots of people, even if you tend to be somewhat shy and are not particularly outgoing. For many of you, this will be the first time you'll find yourself with such an eclectic group. You'll meet peers from all over the world and from every corner of the United States. The geographic diversity of students in your class will astound you. You might not end up being friends with or even liking everyone in your group, but more likely than not, you'll end up coming away from the experience with a holistic view of your classmates and two or three people who you can call your friends for your remaining time at Dartmouth.
