Freshmen Frenzy: Making Friends in a Pandemic

Freshman fall is a strange time socially. Everything about high school was structured — you followed a rigid class schedule and knew who to sit with at lunch every day. But college throws you out into the world on your own. No one is there to wake you up in the morning, to double check your outfit before you head out the door or to remind you that you should probably eat something before 6 p.m. The transition can be overwhelming.

Editors' Note

In the age of COVID-19, we have often looked for comfort in generalizations. For instance, take the sentence you just read. Since March, our society has defined the current moment as a distinct “age” — novel and different from everything we knew before the pandemic. And to understand this bizarre time, we’ve relied on the most mundane of phrases. These are “unprecedented times.” We struggle through “an era of uncertainty.” We adjust to “the new normal.”

I’m Here, But Not Really: Reflecting on Living Locally

My home this fall is in Enfield, New Hampshire, about 20 minutes from campus. I’m part of the significant portion of students living locally off campus, a community that spans several towns scattered within a roughly 45-minute radius of campus.

Raising the Barre with Dartmouth Classical Ballet Theater

Now seems like an odd time for a dance club to be having a renaissance. However, the Dartmouth Classical Ballet Theater, a student group dedicated to offering free, inclusive dance classes, has emerged from this unusual year leaping higher than ever. Having extended its reach across the student body (with beautiful port de bras), DCBT is starting this year en pointe.

Mirror Asks

What’s your favorite aspect of fall in Hanover? Caris White '23: THE FOLIAGE. Anne Johnakin '23: All of the fall-flavored foods from Foco (pumpkin, apple cider, maple syrup, etc.). Jaymie Wei '22: Petting the dogs of Dartmouth alumni at Homecoming.

Editors' Note

Week four is always hectic with midterms, club tryouts, realizing it’s definitely time to wash your sheets and other timely reminders that we’re almost halfway through the term. Although this fall is obviously different, Dartmouth students — whether on or off campus — tend to find themselves in a similar state of overcommitment, teetering on the brink of having too few hours in the day to complete everything they have on their plates. And yet we manage to push through, albeit with fewer hours of sleep under our belts.  

‘A Taste of Normalcy’: Farmers’ Markets Reinvent Themselves

A staple of the Dartmouth student experience during warmer months, the Hanover farmers’ market used to liven up Wednesday afternoons, transforming the Green into a hub to congregate, converse and of course, consume. I remember the festive feeling I would get upon hearing guitar strings and seeing white tents (which undoubtedly signal something different nowadays).

Community Building, Six Feet Apart

With Zoom classes and a slew of confusing COVID-19 guidelines, the freshman adjustment period is even harder. But members of the Class of 2024 are finding creative ways to connect with their peers, despite the unusual circumstances.

Haphazard Memorabilia: '20s Open Their College-Packed Boxes

For members of the Class of 2020, nothing about their departure from Dartmouth was ordered, especially with regard to their belongings. 

'Video Games and the Meaning of Life': A Look into One of Dartmouth’s Most Popular Classes

Though the College prides itself on its small class sizes, there are certain courses that are in such great demand that they fill even the largest lecture halls. While Zoom has made such classes a bit more acceptable to the claustrophobic, courses like COSC 1, “Introduction to Programming and Computation” and ECON 1, “The Price System: Analysis, Problems and Policies” still feature well over one hundred students each. Another one of these giant courses is one that may come as a surprise: MUS 46/FILM 50.04/COLT 40.07, “Video Games and the Meaning of Life.” Although music professor William Cheng, who teaches the class, initially intended to hold the course as a seminar capped at 12 students, demand was so high that he ultimately admitted 223 students — and had to turn away a few dozen more.

Editors' Note

For our generation, technology is second nature. We’re at least as comfortable gripping a laptop as a book, and thanks to auto-correct and iPhone calculators, our spelling and mental math skills have fallen by the wayside. The internet is where we seek information, entertainment and even connection. While older generations might not understand how we make friends or find love online, for many of us, virtual spaces form a real and robust world. 

Windows, Walks and The Power of One Sunny Day

One of the few positive sides of the pandemic is that it’s helped us relearn to love the outdoors. The strict distancing guidelines in place to reduce COVID-19 transmission force us to plan any sizable gatherings outside. At Dartmouth, we’re blessed with beautiful natural surroundings, lots of green space and an institutional bent toward nature. However, we’re also blessed with somewhat tumultuous weather.

How to Spice Up Your Life in Quarantine

Is your quarantine routine starting to feel drab? Are you looking for fresh ways to bond with your new floormates? These 10 activities, which you can do no matter where in the world you’re quarantined, are both socially distanced and sure to jazz up your day.

A Walking Tour of a COVID-Changed Campus

In the six months since campus closed, I have craved a long walk around Hanover. So, when I returned this term, I headed out to enjoy the fall weather. Along the way, I discovered all the ways in which COVID-19 has altered the College’s physical spaces, transforming how freshmen will experience life at Dartmouth.

Things in My Dartmouth Quarantine Meal that Just Make Sense

If you’ve seen any college food review TikToks, you’ll recognize the title of this article. NYU went viral near the end of August for its particularly egregious meal options for students in quarantine, including a whole lemon as a side dish and the infamous watermelon chicken salads served to vegetarians.

Editors' Note

As students get into the swing of a new academic term, this week marks the end of quarantine for many living on campus. For some, this may provide the excitement of increased freedom and flexibility. But for others, these additional privileges may incite feelings of uncertainty. With the pandemic standing at odds with the desire for human contact — especially for freshmen seeking to make friends — will we be able to conduct social interaction in a safe and responsible manner? 

Mind the Gap: Reimagining a Year Away

Unpacking For The Fall

The ritual of packing and unpacking has always marked the beginning of college. Students pack up their lives at home — at least mostly — and arrive on campus to start a new life for the next nine months. Their dorms, which were stark, undecorated bedrooms just days prior, are given a new life and personality by the things these students bring.

Just Inside Boston

I don’t say I’m from “just outside Boston,” but since Dartmouth students come from around the world, I’m sure many people would classify me that way.