About two weeks have passed since my arrival to Dartmouth. In those two weeks, I have been busy training as a UGA (Undergraduate Advisor), participating in Orientation activities for the newly arrived Freshman, and of course, unpacking my own luggage. It has been a strange sensation to be one of the few upperclassmen to be on campus during Freshmen Orientation week. It was not too long ago that I, myself, was attending Orientation activities as a member of the incoming class of 2019.
Orientation week is slowly coming to an end, and soon, Fall term classes will start on Monday. Once Fall term classes start, the rush that is Dartmouth’s schedule will begin. Students will stream across the Green with their backpacks and bikes, and emails will begin to flood inboxes. The Baker Berry Library will be packed, and long lines to KAF will extend into the entrance way of the library.
It feels interesting to be doing this again for my second year at Dartmouth. Buildings and dining areas have become familiar, and I recognize many former classmates, friends, and acquaintances as I walk through campus on my way to Foco. As a second-year student, I feel more assured in many aspects, but at the same time slightly nostalgic for my Freshman year.
Freshman year for me had a lot of “firsts”. I bought rain boots online from Amazon for the first time. I made a Stir-fry in Foco for the first time. I camped outside in the woods, and slept under the stars during Trips for the first time. I made so many new friends from so many different parts of the world, and had interesting and in-depth conversations in the hallways of my dorm residence.
Of course, Freshman year was not all sunshine and roses. I remember having to deal with awkward encounters, feeling overwhelmed by so much information, and being stressed about doing things “right”. I remember, wondering whether or not I should contact someone to have a meal with me for every lunch and dinner and getting used to having to continuously reach out to people. By that same token, eating alone in my room wasn’t particularly fun or satisfying as well.
As a sophomore now, the one piece of advice that I would like to give the 20s is to relax. Give yourself time to adjust to Dartmouth and be yourselves! Give yourself room to do things one step at a time, and remember, that everyone around you is in a similar boat, or was once in your boat.
Just like it did the first time around, Orientation week has once more passed in a blur. I am excited to see what the new school year has in store for all of us, and I am happy to welcome to Dartmouth, the new class of 2020.
