This article is featured in the 2026 Freshman Special Issue.
Summitting Mount Moosilauke with my First-Year Trips group — or, as we called ourselves “A35.1 Keg Life” — was the first time that I got advice about Dartmouth.
My trip leader, Thomas “Tommy” Corrado ’25, had a list of eight essential pieces of advice that he carried in his bag. Hunched over dirt and rocks, eating tortillas and apples, Tommy would pull out the list and share pieces of advice with us.
Here, I thought, was someone who knew how to do college — and he was giving us the instructions:
1. Boredom is totally normal.
2. College is a huge biological and physical change. Create a morning routine to give your body a feeling of consistency.
3. Take things slow.
4. Be flexible with friendship. Finding your people is a much slower process than you might think.
5. Your best college experience is at your college — get off your phone.
6. Do things alone. A nice consequence is that you will be developing important independent skills.
7. You’re not stuck. Ask for help. No one will do it for you, but you don’t have to do it alone.
8. Every year is different. Future you will thank freshman year you for learning and applying these lessons.
At the time, I treated the list like something between a survival guide and a Dartmouth cheat sheet. I was on campus for only two days before I left on my trip, and everything still felt unfamiliar: the buildings, the dances, the people who seemed to know each other already. Tommy’s list made Dartmouth feel a little more decipherable.
I still remember all eight pieces of Tommy’s advice. Some have become part of the way I think about Dartmouth; others have taken on a different meaning as I’ve gotten older.
Now, nearly two years later, I find myself wondering what advice I would add to that list now.
The Dartmouth alma mater has its own category for people who love the College: “the loyal ones who love her.” But what does it mean to be one of them? What have these loyal ones learned about Dartmouth, and what would they tell someone just starting out?
If Tommy’s list was the First-Year Trips edition of Dartmouth advice, I wanted to see what the Dartmouth community would put in the next edition. So, here’s 22 more pieces of advice for the Class of 2030, from the Dartmouth community:
Sian Leah Beilock, College president: Sit across from someone who sees the world differently than you do and stay in that conversation, especially if you are feeling uncomfortable or challenged. That’s where the learning happens. You won’t always get it right, and you don’t need to. Showing up with curiosity and intellectual humility will serve you well at Dartmouth and beyond.
Phil Hanlon ’77, mathematics professor, 18th College president: Former College president John Sloan Dickey famously told every class of Dartmouth students, “You are the stuff of this institution, and what you are, it will be.” He was reminding them that the measure of Dartmouth is its people — students, alumni, faculty and staff — and how they conduct their lives. So my advice, for those who love Dartmouth, is to do whatever you can to make members of the Dartmouth faculty successful and lead in your own lives with purpose and humility.
Carla Sloan ’80, Class of 1980 co-president: Look at any imperfections and realize that Dartmouth is a unique trailblazer. In the course of leading change, the College can make mistakes. However, Dartmouth is generally willing to listen to others, examine itself and adjust its actions. Know that the College isn’t perfect. Provide feedback and support Dartmouth in a way which works for you. Be part of the change for the better.
Brandon Crosby, Dartmouth Dining general manager: Seek first to understand or to listen rather than be understood. Listen to other people talk before you start to talk about yourself because that’s where real sharing comes from.
Ethan Liu ’28: One of the things I really gained from Dartmouth was saying yes to everything, ranging from physical education classes and study abroad to different clubs and doing things I never experienced before. You really maximize your time here when you do things outside your comfort zone that scare you.
Frank Vecella ’80, Class of 1980 co-president: Never miss an opportunity to learn something new from one of your fellow students. Don’t confine yourself to going to class and studying. Immerse yourself in the beautiful natural surroundings that make Dartmouth so unique. I remember very little of my time spent in class or in the library, but I’ll never stop cherishing my memories associated with the time that I embraced in Dartmouth’s beautiful natural surroundings.
Wanna Batchelder, custodian: Listen to your Undergraduate Advisor and have respect for buildings and community spaces.
Addison Ball ’29: Invest in good winter clothes, especially a good scarf.
Santiago Schnell, Provost: The words alumnus and alma mater share a root in the Latin alere, “to nourish.” Dartmouth did not “raise” me — I only arrived a year ago — but she offered me a place at her table and, with it, arguments I couldn’t win, a winter I wasn’t prepared for and colleagues who became friends. Loyalty is what happens when those given a place at the table set one for those who come next.
Richard Olson ’68: Go see the Orozco frescos — they’re wonderful, and people come from all over the world to see them.
Ikenna Nwafor ’27, student body president: If I could go back to freshman year, I would always ask myself, ‘Am I having fun or am I doing this to look cool?’ I have found that college is a place that enforces conformity and a certain loss of individuality. You will be tested so many times, almost daily, and it will be hard but it will be worth it, and fun as well. So leave no part of yourself behind.
Brenda Cole, custodian: Enjoy the beautiful campus and get outside.
Liya Zenebe ’28: Do what you love and love what you learn.
Maggie de la Fuente ’27, student body vice president: Read the email listserv and show up to something random. You never know what fun events, free food or cool people you’ll find!
Jay Davis ’90, First-Generation Office director: As a ’90 and employee of Dartmouth for a quarter of a century, I would advise those who love Dartmouth to embrace their memories while also welcoming those changes that better support our students. And to go to the Class of ’53 Commons and make sure to get a chocolate chip cookie from under the heat lamp!
Elaisa Feliz Ciprian ’28: Don’t let societal pressures stop you from doing what you love. Pursue that major you like so much!
Chadani Timsina ’26: Be so disgustingly present in everything you do and experience, including heartbreak and struggles, because you will think “where did the time go” when you walk across the stage in four years.
Nina Pavcnik, School of Arts and Sciences dean: I have been a faculty member at Dartmouth for 27 years, and our tight-knit community continues to shape my understanding of what education can be. Loyalty does not mean agreeing. It is about being curious, open-minded and caring enough to connect, explore and grow, as an individual and as a community.
Nia Dodge ’27: Be okay with the fact that the friends you meet at first might not be your forever friends.
John Mcknight, undergraduate student affairs dean: We know that the college years are largely about exploration, experimentation and discovery. My humble advice in the midst of it all is to leave ample time to reflect on what you’re learning and experiencing. It’s in those moments of reflection that you’ll be able to see larger patterns, develop a stronger sense of self, ask better questions and find unexpected moments of joy.
Jack Stinson, Stinson’s Village store owner: Safety first and homework first.
And, after 29 pieces of advice from others, I couldn’t leave myself off the list.
Laila Ayala ’28: Be proud of who you are and where you’re from. You’re here for a reason, and you belong here, so don’t forget it.
I don’t know if this list is any more of a guide to Dartmouth than Tommy’s was, but maybe that’s the point. There is no single set of instructions for being a student here, just the pieces of advice that you pick up from the people you meet and the places you find yourself.
Good luck, Class of 2030!
