My roommate is taking two classes, the stereotypical and completely acceptable sophomore summer workload. While studying for an exam, I received an e-mail from her that contained the following information in the following style (randomly capitalized letters and all):
"today i went shopping at bella AND juliAna but neither one had any good/cheap stuff. bummmerrrrrrrrrrrrrr
also: your mom did accept my friend req."
It's a little frightening that our e-mails this term have sunken to the level of reporting friend acceptances by parents on Facebook. What's even more disconcerting is that my friend had enough free time to go into Hanover's "fashion boutiques" and enough mental energy to delude herself into believing the clothing contained therein would be stylish and reasonably priced.
But this is not an illness unique to her. It is a campus-wide affliction brought about by the essence of sophomore summer free time.
The strange abundance of untouched planners and unused iCals is partly due to the sheer inability to schedule things, even if you wanted to. Dartmouth students, who have a tendency to over-schedule to the point of double-booking lunch dates (unfortunately without the flight upgrades and refunds that airlines provide), can't do that at what has been affectionately termed "Camp Dartmouth." There just aren't enough events in our forest "oasis" or enough folks still on campus after corporate recruiting ends to actively make you feel busy, let alone stressed out unless you consider schmoozing with the exchange kids from AUK, Oxford or Williams a stressful activity.
"But wait," one might say, "Our sage Greek organizations anticipated the excessive free time that comes with easier' or fewer summer courses and have compensated for it by adding more activities. We are, in fact, busier now. I have to decide between sorority tails and going to Montreal this weekend? And I thought Sophie's choice was trying..."
Social activities, however, are not valid reason for complaints of overbooking. Because we live in a relatively compressed, centralized area, it is not hard to run into your friends. Actually, it's inevitable and that goes for people you don't want to see as well. If you don't see them on frat row, bump into them at an off-campus party or almost run them over with your bicycle, you are bound to see them in FoCo at some point. As a result, scheduling time to hang out with your friends has become superfluous. It's like high school or, more accurately, camp. Why schedule time to eat lunch when you're all going to see each other in the dining hall anyway?
While this is less true for people living off campus, you're probably living with your friends so you will run into them in your own kitchen.
If you're in a frat, you might be reluctant to leave the house for all but the most necessary of instances, as the magnetism of your house has already pulled you and your friends together under one roof (and if they're not your friends, at least they're your brothers, and blood is thicker than water, right?).
Regardless of how anyone might try to argue it, any type of schedule-related stress that might afflict you at Camp Dartmouth cannot be blamed on the inherent nature of sophomore summer, which fosters a relaxed, unplanned existence. You decided to take that many classes. You decided to use Summer term as a way to graduate early. You're not even an '11 and you're here working on your thesis.
Relax, the last day to withdraw from a bad course hasn't passed yet. You've still got five days. In the meantime, stop complaining at least you don't have to don full winter regalia every time you want to leave your room.
