Ask Questions!

If I could go back in time and give myself advice as to how to navigate the Dartmouth experience I would tell myself to not be afraid to question everyone and everything? Being a fairly shy student when I first started college, it took me some time to realize that it’s okay to speak up; that’s the only way you ever find out everything you want to know! In order to make the most out of the Dartmouth experience, sometimes you have to be proactive. There are so many opportunities available to students on this campus but you will not find out about even half of them if you don’t take some initiative to seek things out on your own.

With that in mind, I encourage all incoming students to get to know upperclassmen as well as freshman. Upperclassmen love talking to younger students about what they’ve done with their D-plans and can be a great source of advice when trying to find out about campus opportunities. Take the first term to just get acquainted with school, don’t really commit to anything, and go to as many open houses as possible. If you gather as much information as possible your freshmen fall, you can begin making smart decisions about what to do with the rest of your time at Dartmouth beginning your freshmen winter. Lastly don’t be afraid to ask students and administrators about what classes to take and where the best jobs are at? You want to start your college career off with a nice balanced list of classes so that you don’t burn out too fast. Find out how to get jobs that are not too stressful and may even allow you to do homework as you work.

Again, the key to success at Dartmouth or any school is to ask questions! The worst thing anyone can ever say to you is no.