NEW Question of the Week!

What is your favorite study spot on campus and why? Picture must be included...













Picture credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/smiling-gardener/3840101430/

Question fo the week: What is one thing you are looking forward to this term?

The posts below answer this past week's question of the week: What is one thing you are looking forward to this term?

Foliage and Freshmen

Alright, I know it makes me sound like a member of the older generation, but Hanover is gorgeous in fall. The trees are just about at peak for colors and the "leaf-peepers" (bus loads of tourists to New England just to witness the Fall foliage) are everywhere. On almost a daily basis, I can see crowds of people, armed with digital cameras and pack lunches, all milling about the Green. Its a gorgeous, festive season to experience.

On top of the trees and tourists, I am looking forward to continuing to meet the new first-year students ('13s) via my different activities. The newest members of our a cappella group are amazingly talented and the freshmen always seem to bring a new enthusiasm to clubs, meetings, classes, the gym; everywhere.

So that's what I am looking forward to. The continued bursting of the fall foliage here in New England and the enthusiasm that new students always seem to bring with them.

Picture credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/20724871@N00/269846140/

Performance Groups

Every fall term, each performance group on campus (meaning, acapella, dance, and improv comedy groups) hosts auditions and selects new members from the incoming Freshman class. Most of the groups have a first show of the term where they feature their new members in various ways. I am a member of the Dartmouth Dodecaphonics, Dartmouth College's oldest co-ed acapella group. We took four new members and during their first show of the term they have to put on a skit explaining who they are and how they ended up singing with the Dodecs. The skit is usually hilarious and showcases the talents of the new members. I am looking forward to seeing the new talent in all of the groups in their respective first shows of the term.

*CONCERTS*

When prospective students visit Dartmouth's campus, the one question they always ask is "What is there do to in Hanover?" Well just last weekend, one of our student organizations called Programming Board planned a concert with incredible acts such as Gym Class Heroes and Wale! This weekend, a fraternity on campus is bringing up an artist called Maino! In terms of planning social activities, Dartmouth students are really lucky because we have tons of resources available to support ideas we may have or events we want to coordinate. I'm so excited to see what else Dartmouth students have planned for the term!

First Basketball Game!!

Since I am the manager of the women's basketball team, I am looking forward to seeing our women play in their first game. For those of you who might not know this, Dartmouth's women's basketball team has won the Ivy League Title for the past two years in a row AND we made it to the NCAA tournament last season! So, you can see why I am really looking forward to seeing them play this season. Our first game isn't until November 14th so I will have to find something else to occupy my time with :-). However, if you are interested in coming and supporting the women's team, the game on November 14th is at home and we are playing Bryant University.

If you want to follow the team, feel free by clicking on this link: Dartmouth Women's Basketball Team .

First Snow!

Usually before the end of Fall term it will snow at least once in Hanover. The first snowfall of the year is always an exciting event because the whole school partakes in a huge snowball fight. On the evening of the first snowfall, a student will blitz (e-mail) out to the entire student population and announce that there will be a snowball fight on the green at midnight. Regardless of whether people were studying in the library, getting food at food court or just hanging out in their dorms, at midnight, a bunch of people will make their way to the green for at least half an hour of fun. While chasing friends across the green and getting hit with snow from behind, the snowball fight always ends up being a great way to let loose, meet new people and just relax for a bit.

Homecoming!!

The one thing that I am looking forward to this term is Homecoming! It's so exciting to see all the freshmen get their first taste of Dartmouth traditions. It all begins with the freshman sweep, which involves going around to each freshmen cluster (residential dorms) and picking up the freshman to join the crowd. After all the clusters are visited, the freshman march to the green (huge lawn area, which is the center point of campus) where the bonfire is. As tradition goes, the 20-30 foot bonfire (which the freshman class help build) is lit on fire and the freshmen are supposed to run around it as many times as their class year. For example, my class (2010) had to run around 110 times, the class of 2011 had to run 111 times, the class of 2012 had to run 112 times, and so on. A lot of alumni and community members come out to support the freshmen class in their efforts to complete this task. Not that many people complete the entire journey, including me, but it is definitely a fun experience that cannot be missed.

A member of Dartmouth's newest class, the '13s, tells about his first week at Dartmouth.

The posts below answer last week's topic.

Orientation Nearing an End

So Orientation has drawn to a close and classes have begun. Over the past couple days, I picked my classes and bought my books. I'm able to take classes that I never thought I would have. I'm taking History of Medieval Europe, Introduction to Anthropology, and Calculus of One and Several variables. Now that classes have started, I continue to meet new people and hang out with the ones I met through groups like Club Ultimate Frisbee. I couldn’t really have asked for a greater orientation. I now feel home.

So, to all the prospective students looking at my posts, come to Dartmouth! It may just be the best decision you ever make.

So Many Orientation Activities!

So Orientation has continued for a few days now and it is still very awesome. Not only am I making so many new friends, but also a ton of activities are being thrown in our direction. Just yesterday, I went to an ultimate Frisbee tournament, an a cappella showcase, and even a hypnotist (very funny!). Our floor even threw a mini dance party to do the dances that we learned on our DOC trips. While there may only be three days left of Orientation, I’m looking forward to every minute of that and the rest of the school year.

First Year Summer Reading Lecture

As Orientation continues there are so many things to attend it is nearly unbelievable. And last night, we enjoyed a very special treat. Our summer reading this year was Mountains beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder, a book describing the work of Dr. Paul Farmer, Ophelia Dahl and our new president, Jim Yong Kim. Last night, they met exclusively with our class to discuss the book and the work they do. It was remarkable to hear them speak. We were able to ask them questions and hear them discuss their experiences. It was as if we were all engaging in a conversation with over 1,000 people. At the end, we gave each of them one of our class shirts; they seemed to have enjoyed it.

I’m very much looking forward to the rest of this week’s activities!

(Photo by Joseph Mehling '69)

Orientation!

Hey prospies! My name is Steve Tebbe and I’m a ’13. I thought that it would be helpful to hear the thoughts of somebody who just went through the process that you’re about to go through.

Well, this is only my third day on campus, but so much has happened. After I got back from my DOC trip (which I must add was pretty awesome), I’m all moved in and now meeting the rest of my floor. Today, my class and I matriculated and officially became members of the Dartmouth community.

It was pretty interesting the way some things were run. For instance, due to the recent outbreak of H1N1 across the country, spreading germs was a concern with all thousand plus members of the 2013 class. So rather than doing the traditional handshake when receiving our class pin, we did a fist bump. It was actually rather fun doing a fist bump with a member of the Class of 1963, the class that supports the '13s.

I will be posting more as the start of my freshman year unfolds. Just let me know if you have any questions.

(Photo by Joseph Mehling '69)

In the meantime...

While our awesome upper-class students are on vacation, orientation for the Class of 2013 is well underway. In the coming few days you'll hear from a freshly minted '13, Steve Tebbe, about his first days on campus.

Vacation

We are enjoying the break between summer term & fall term, so our blog posts will be minimal until classes resume on Sept. 23rd. In the meantime, join "Discover Dartmouth" on Facebook to stay connected!