When we think of blueprints, a lot of things come to mind: planning, designing, rearranging. We use blueprints and their corresponding process of design thinking to construct the soundest building, to create the best D-Plan and even to solve our problem sets. As students, we like having steps to follow in order to ultimately be successful. Having things planned out provides us with a sense of reassurance, with the comfort of knowing that it will all make sense in the end. But sometimes, we hit a block in the road, and things don’t go exactly as planned. Even so, things have a funny way of working out.
In this week’s issue of the Mirror, we’re exploring designing and planning at Dartmouth. We take a closer look into the studio art major and the prettiest buildings on campus (looking at you, Sanborn). We also explore how first-years’ expectations of their Dartmouth experiences have differed from reality — how having no foolproof “blueprint for success” may even be a good thing.
So readers, as you peruse through this issue, we advise the following: Don’t try to have your life here too planned out. Approach Dartmouth day by day, building by building and experience by experience. Have a blueprint in mind, but don’t set it in stone — at the end of the day, it’s just one step in the process. Happiness might come when you least expect it — when you have totally diverged from your blueprint.
