It is written in the unofficial Dartmouth Bible that this term has the potential to be “the best term ever,” the sophomore summer that students hear legends of before they even matriculate. For the first time since the close of spring 2013, most of the members of the Class of 2016 have returned to Hanover — a long-awaited reunion after the D-Plan scattered us quite literally across the globe. Not only are we all back at Dartmouth, but it also seems as if our class has been given the run of the place. We have the beautiful buildings, the classrooms and the Collis stir-fry line all to ourselves.
Yet a key element is missing from sophomore summer, and its absence leads to our class being unable to take full advantage of our academic time here. Because fewer people are on campus this summer, the College offers fewer classes. In fall 2014, Dartmouth will offer 835 classes, excluding classes in graduate arts and sciences and Thayer graduate courses. The average enrollment cap of these classes is 12 students, pointing to the availability of small seminars. More than 900 classes were offered in both winter and spring 2014, again excluding those two categories, and the average limit was 29 for the former and 31 for the latter. Dartmouth offers just 308 classes this summer, and the average class limit is 35. There are fewer summer classes, and the ones that are offered are large lecture classes.
The reduction in course offerings is not surprising (a simple case of cause and effect), but it results in class registration being both more difficult and more frustrating. Many students I know could barely find three classes that truly engaged and interested them. When I eventually finalized my schedule, I had switched classes four times; in the end, I could not find a new major class that fit my schedule. My class registration is normally not that complicated. While I am happy with the classes I finally registered for, greater variety in course offerings would have allowed greater flexibility in course selection.
The lack of both breadth and depth in summer class offerings stems from the school’s philosophy towards the term. The Office of the Registrar’s website states that the College takes advantage of the fact that most sophomores are on in the summer by “offering special courses introductory to the major.” Offering mostly introductory courses does not make sense. Sophomore summer falls when many students have finally figured out what they want to do academically with their time here. Consequently, many sophomores no longer want to take large, introductory classes. They either have already taken many of these larger classes during earlier terms or they want to dive deeper into their area of academic focus.
To design a sophomore summer curriculum that better fills the wants and needs of Dartmouth students, the College should provide more classes that are smaller in size and narrower in topic. Having the majority of one class on campus should drive the faculty to offer more seminar-style classes, similar those offered freshman and senior years. These classes would allow sophomores to academically engage with each other as a class. By offering compelling seminar classes, the College could transform what is typically seen as a less stimulating academic term into one that intellectually engages its students.
The fact is, sophomore summer is a real Dartmouth term. Fittingly, the College bills each student the same amount of money as it does every other term. This is all well and good as long as Dartmouth students can glean the same academic rewards from this term as they can from any other term. As long as sophomore summer remains a requirement, the College should provide the basic amenities of another term, class selection included.
I am not arguing that having fewer course offerings keeps sophomore summer from being one of the best Dartmouth terms. Yet sophomore summer could be even better if the College capitalized on the term’s academic potential. After just a week and a half back in Hanover, I already realize why my trip leaders could not stop talking about their sophomore summers. However, I would enjoy the term even more if the College considered it an opportunity to foster academic bonds between members of the sophomore class.
