On August 30, 2023, I entered my freshman dorm room for the first time, accompanied by my suitcases and parents. The next day, I attempted my first walk around Occom Pond. I got lost at some point. The day after that, I made my first visit to the poster store in town with someone I met during lunch. A small poster of a 1912 oil painting called “The Bicycle Race” caught my eye, and I bought it for my dorm.
On September 13, 2025, I arrived at my new dorm. After helping me with my suitcases and controlled storage, my parents left to catch their flight home. The term “Woccom” now rolls off the tongue, just as “FFB” and “sunrike” do. The poster store has watched me buy gifts for friends’ birthdays and play tour guide for friends from home. “The Bicycle Race” has found a place on my wall in every dorm room since.
My freshman fall was filled with firsts. Every day felt like a breakthrough of sorts — a new Foco station visited, a new piece of Dartmouth slang acquired. It was exciting and overwhelming.
Two years later, I’m mostly out of firsts — at least, college and Dartmouth-related firsts. And in most ways, that is a good thing. It’s nice to feel settled, to know a place and my role in it.
This past summer, however, I found myself starting to feel a little stuck, a little too settled. I had learned the ideal speed at which to swipe my hand through the Foco scanners, and I went to Still North so often I had basically memorized their hours. I had gotten to know this place — at least, my sliver of it — a little too well.
To any ’29s who might be reading this, I know the constant novelty is a lot right now. But before you know it, these firsts will become habits, and the new will become the norm. You will learn that your ears need more warmth than you expect in the winter, and you will make friendships that change you for the better. Without you realizing, your Weather app will have set Hanover to “Home.”
But, there is a difference between feeling settled and feeling stuck. Hopefully, you never experience the latter and can gladly ignore my advice. But if you do someday find yourself feeling a little too comfortable, remind yourself of where you are now. Remember that feeling of discomfort that comes with each of your college firsts. Because as overwhelming as it can be, the unknown carries with it an inherent sense of possibility. The faces you don’t yet recognize are future friends, collaborators, maybe even co-founders. The group you didn’t originally plan on joining could become the most important community during your time here. What you don’t know might surprise you in the best way, but you won’t know until you let it. So even once you’ve settled in, don’t forget to unsettle yourself once in a while. Say yes to new opportunities when they are presented, and look for ways to create them for yourself when they aren’t.
Thankfully, the start of this term has erased any feelings of stagnation I may have had. I’m looking forward to taking my first marketing class, serving as the Music Director for a fully staged musical for the first time and meeting new people — especially ’29s! — among other things. I now know that novelty is necessary for growth, and I can’t wait to be challenged and changed by it.
This week at Mirror, we explore connection on campus in the form of friendship, romance and beyond. One writer reflects on finding her place on campus as she begins her sophomore year, while another writer dives into Foco’s role in helping her create community. Finally, two editors kick off the term with a new “Freak of the Week,” detailing their thoughts on characterizing yourself and others as either a “knight” or “gnome.”
Happy Week 1, Mirror, and welcome, ’29s. I’m inspired by where you are. You got this.
Vivian Wang ’27 is a Mirror editor and writer from the California Bay Area pursuing majors in Psychology and Music. In addition to journalism, she enjoys experimenting with storytelling in its many other forms, from arranging music to playwriting.
