Whether you go home for a week after your First-Year Trip or stick around campus until orientation officially begins, your first move is obvious a shower or maybe two. Don't hug anyone, don't touch anything, and don't even think about trying to make more new friends until you've rid yourself of the stench of five days in the woods. People more outdoorsy than me might claim that it's simply a communion with nature, but when you return to Hanover, you just aren't in nature any more. I loved my trip, and you will too, but a roll of toilet paper and a stick of deodorant are no substitute for hygiene.
The vibe when you come back from trips will be one of great anticipation the entire experience is aimed at getting you hyped for the next four years. Even if your trip doesn't go smoothly or you don't commune with the wild seamlessly, chances are you'll at least be able to recognize a few familiar faces on campus. Plus we'll have you thoroughly indoctrinated into accepting the bizarreness of Dartmouth without question. Trust me when I say this will come in handy after matriculation. You might not like the idea of running around a massive fire while upperclassmen yell at you now, but you will.
Meeting the people that you'll live with for the next year is understandably stressful. Get in touch with them to figure out logistics, since you definitely don't need three fridges in a tworoom triple. When you first meet, it may be awkward, especially if no one is keen on taking the top bunk. If you arrive first, don't be discourteous about unpacking they will notice if you intentionally take the bigger closet, cleaner desk chair, and visible wall space, and it will rub them the wrong way. Once you're settled, grab a meal and get to know each other remember, they don't have anyone to sit with at FoCo yet either.
I suppose you could say that I had mixed luck with my roommates. After three terms together in Russell Sage, one of them remains among my best friends, and the other, well, she transferred. Most people's experiences aren't quite so polarized, but learning to live with someone else can end up teaching you a lot about yourself, so keep an open mind.
Over the next three terms, you will get to know the people on your floor very well, and then that will likely never happen again. By the time you move to a different dorm sophomore year, you'll be much less close with your neighbors. Take the fact that you're stuck together as a blessing: some of my best friends are the people who I met in a circle with my undergraduate advisor, or UGA, seven terms ago.
With the whirlwind of meeting people and settling in, don't forget that you're here to learn. Freshmen are randomly assigned advisors to help you if you're struggling with what classes to take. They may suggest a wild card that their department is teaching, and you may unlock a hidden passion. My advice is that it probably doesn't matter all that much what you think you want to study on your Common Application and what you graduate with on your degree seldom match up. That being said, do try to vary your courses in terms of the kind of work you'll have. Too many problem sets, too much writing and too much lab time are all bad ideas.
To use the most appropriate and clich metaphor I can think of you were probably a big fish in a small pond in high school. At Dartmouth well, you aren't. Going to school with smart and ambitious people will come to inspire and push you in ways you probably weren't expecting. But initially, your instinct might be to try to keep up and prove yourself probably an unwise move, especially in upperlevel courses with students who have been around the block a few times. Do yourself a favor and don't be that kid who busts out the SAT vocabulary when answering a simple question in class, especially if you aren't going to use "lachrymose" correctly. Thoughtful participation is the stuff of a successful liberal arts education, but speaking just to be heard is not.
When it comes to oneonone interactions with professors, the sea of 20 people that will race to introduce themselves at the end of the first lecture will not be remembered. Go to office hours, where insightful comments and thoughtprovoking questions are appreciated, but not necessary. If you have a question to ask at the end of class, don't be nervous about approaching a prof. They'll appreciate that more than a compliment about how succinct their explanation of something was.
If you do chat with your advisor, select balanced courses, read your syllabi and then show up and change your mind that's fine too. You have a week or so to get your schedule settled, but in all honesty, you're going to want to get it done as soon as possible. With 10-week terms and only three classes going on at once, time is of the essence, and you're going to really hate making up those extra readings when midterms roll around. Go to more than three classes your first few days, then narrow it down based off of what appeals to you. Talk to the professors about what the work will be like, what you'll cover and see if it feels right. If two classes you are considering are at the same time, it's okay to leave halfway through one professors are aware that the first week can be crazy.
While all of the academic and logistical preparation are going on, it's pretty likely that you'll simultaneously be trying to develop some semblance of a social life. After all, this is college. Your freshman fall experience will be fairly different from your predecessors, given new regulations on freshmen entering Greek houses before Homecoming. But don't despair. You'll have plenty of time to hang out in basements if that's what you're into, and until then, I can guarantee you'll find ways to entertain yourselves.
