Dartmouth College Top Questions

I would tell myself to rest assured that I made the perfect choice - my school is my home and the means by which I can explore and accomplish my dreams. When you pick your school, make sure that you fall in love with some aspect of it. But no matter where you go, if you have true a passion to direct towards something, you will love your college experience. When I was a senior, I knew that I wanted to study medicine and eventually work for a global health nonprofit. There was so much to explore and so many opportunities that I had never dreamed of to discover - I could not have asked for a better fit or a better first two years. I'm now completing a medical anthropology major and international health policy minor on the way to training to be an infectious disease physician. Had I never taken the time to explore the infinite opportunities found at every school or connect with like-minded students and faculty, I would not be able to say that I am the luckiest student I know.

Only to loosen up and enjoy college life.

Enjoy yourself

Engage the entire college experience with your heart and soul. Throw yourself into it. Don't be afraid to try new things--No, TRY NEW THINGS!!! Because you never discover a secret love of boxing, or mentoring a child, or climbing mountains until you put on the gloves, drive to the local elementary school, or strap on those hiking boots. If you think of all your regrets, 99 percent of them are things you didn't do that you wish you had done. College is the opportunity of a lifetime. Some say "Carpe Diem!". Well I say, "Carpe College!"

First off, understand that high school is over, you're no longer liked by everyone. In fact, most of the people that you'll meet will judge you by your appearance and take you to be a bad person. Look presentable at all times until you form a solid reputation as a good person. Once you've done that, show Dartmouth that good people don't have to be upper class, clean-shaven, white men with military cuts. A poor, black guy with tattoos, dreadlocks and facial hair can change the world too. Also Kyle, know that where you've been and where you've come from in life is just as important as where you're going and where you want to be. Don't forget who you are. Don't forget whose you are. Don't let the people of Dartmouth change you. Be open to new things, they'll definitely be thrown at you. But maintain your sense of self, and if anything impose that on other people. Afterall, there aren't many people at Dartmouth who grew up the poor children of a crackhead single mother.

Let go and find yourself. Maybe you were typecasted as that shy girl or that meathead guy in highschool, but college is your chance to find your true identity and display your innerself the rest of the world. In college, you will find people who many seem average on the outside, but have accomplished incredible and unique things. But don't be intimidated; you too have done some incredible things, but you just don't realize it. To get into your school, you had to do something special, so don't sell yourself short. At the same time, don't become complacent. College is not a utopia. At it's heart, life's still a rat race, and you still have to fight to get good internships, to learn more challenging material, etc. So work hard, but try to balance work with your social life. Finally, college is all about new experiences and self-cultivation. It's not all about drinking and building up your social life. It's about learning new things that will prepare you for the rest of life. Don't miss out on opportunities to learn more.

I would tell myself that it is okay to go into college without knowing your major. It's even okay to change your major in the middle of college. Don't be afraid to try something new even if everyone else has more experience than you. Pick classes based on the professor, not the title of the class. Don't be afraid to be home sick. Everyone else is too, they just try to hide it. The winter is awful and cold. Just make sure to bring a big coat. Boys were annoying and hard to deal with in high school. They haven't changed that much, don't let them affect your college studies. You'll be doing things you never thought were possible in high school, be thankful that you have been given these opportunities. Oh, and get a passport. You'll be leaving the country for your studies multiple times.

Take a year off. I love Dartmouth and everything I've accomplished and learned here, but I feel like I've spent a lot of my time here finding out who I am, and in that sense, wasting many of the opportunities I have been given to develop that further. Coming into college straight out of highschool, I thought I wanted to go into medecine. I packed up my life and moved it to the east coast, arriving with almost no ideas about what I wanted to major in, and no idea how to take responsibility for myself and my life in college. While many of the decisions I made my freshmen year have shaped the person I've become today, I do regret having to go through so much of that discovery process my freshman year. Now, in my junior year, I am just beginning to develop a sense of my future, just beginning to follow my academic and social interests, and just beginning to realize how much more I could have accomplished if I had known more about myself coming in. Many people come out of highschool ready to jump into college life. I needed more time.

Be open to possibilites and choose a school with both strong academics and a good social dynamic. Basically, look for well-taught classes, knowledgeable professors, and friendly people.

Be open to making any friends - you never know who could turn o ut to be your best friend!