Rose: Something positive about the past year.
“Last December, I set the goal of running my first marathon in April. My mom had run 13 marathons at the time, so we decided we should do her 14th and my first together. I had never run more than seven miles at that point, so I was unsure if I could really do it. Not only did I finish the race, but now I’m running my second one in December! This time in 2014 I never would have imagined doing this.” -— Mary Liza Hartong ’16
“I’m happy that the term is over! The 10 weeks really flew by in the blink of an eye, and even though it is a lot of fun, college is really hard. Like, really hard. I studied hard, played hard and made a lot of new friends. So now I’m just ready to go home and relax for the upcoming weeks. Dartmouth really became my home away from home, and I’m so grateful for this beautiful campus, the East Coast vibes and FoCo cookies.” — Karen Hsueh ’19
“My first term at Dartmouth has gone pretty well, and I’ve become friends with some really amazing people! FoCo was a big contributor to this rose because food always makes things better and eating meals always brings people closer together. I love FoCo!” — Leina McDermott ’19
“I was incredibly pleased with the results of the Canadian election. Both from a personal and psephological standpoint, it was fascinating to see the sudden swing back to Justin Trudeau’s Liberals from the Conservatives. It will be fascinating to see how Justin ‘Because It’s 2015’ Trudeau does as prime minister.” — Parker Richards ’18
“I was lookin’ like hell tryna make it to my 10A today and got paparazzi’d by a mysterious fashionable man. He said ‘I like your style,’ but offered no other explanation. Later I saw him in Collis and it turns out he’s a photographer for Popeye Magazine, a fashion magazine in Japan. They’re doing a story on ‘contemporary Ivy League style’ so I think that it makes me an authority on the subject.” — Sam Van Wetter ’16
“Fall. A lot of my activities this term had me driving around New Hampshire, so I had so much fun getting to soak it all up and argue with my friends about which days were pre-peak, peak and post-peak foliage! It blows my mind every day how beautiful this place is.” — Lindsay Keare ’16
“My rose has been coming to Dartmouth and starting college. I’ve met so many nice people and been able to take such interesting classes. Overall, it has been a really great experience.” -— Sarah Kovan ’19
“KAF sandwiches on point this year.” — Mark Anderson ’18
“I have seen myself become more assertive in a variety of ways. I have made a more conscious effort to surround myself with people and places that support and inspire me. I have spent much of the year reflecting on what I want for myself and my future, and I think this year has been a big one for me in terms of personal growth.” -— Joe Kind ’16
“This year has brought me so much. I found a passion this year, and I feel like I really figured out what I want to be doing. I also met some of the most incredible people ever this year, and I’m surrounded by fantastic people.” — Maggie Baird ’18
Bud: Something you are looking forward to.
“I’m excited for all of my friends who are off campus to come back. If I’m having a bad day, I’ll cheer myself up by thinking about them being here in the winter and all of us going ice skating together or doing improv or eating pizza late at night. I’ve missed the energy they bring to my days, and I’m excited to have that back.”— Mary Liza Hartong ’16
“I’m looking forward to playing around in the snow and wearing a lot of warm layers. My first real winter away from L.A. will be the biggest struggle, but it’ll be a good experience! Snow looks really beautiful in pictures, and I can’t wait to see how it’ll be in real life. Sure, it’ll be tough, but I’m so, so excited for it to come.” — Karen Hsueh ’19
“I’m really excited to go home and see my family, friends and pets and have lots of good food on Thanksgiving. I can’t imagine being home for over a month, but I love the holidays and I can’t wait for all kinds of festive activities. But I will really miss Dartmouth and FoCo!!” — Leina McDermott ’19
“It will be interesting to see what economically troubled Spain does in its vote next month. The four-way race between the People’s Party, the Spanish Socialist Workers Party, Podemos and Citizens will be hotly contested and truly fascinating from an electoral perspective. The mathematics that drive the Spanish electoral system will also be in play and could decide the winner.” — Parker Richards ’18
“I get to go home to where the mountains are steep, the beer is cold and the snow is always falling. Skiing is a kind of dream state that I’m so lucky I get to daily depart to for the entirety of Winterim.” — Sam Van Wetter ’16
“Being on campus for my first winter since freshman year — I’m so excited to do lots of wintery things like skiing, ice skating and snowshoeing!” — Lindsay Keare ’16
“My bud is going home at the end of the term and seeing my family and catching up with all of my friends back home after we’ve completed our first few months of college. I’m also looking forward to coming back to Dartmouth in January. It’ll be nice to start my new set of classes with a full term under my belt.” — Sarah Kovan ’19
“Winter break!” — Mark Anderson ’18
“I am looking forward to graduating, to be honest, and starting my own life outside of the Dartmouth bubble. At the same time, there is so much I want to do at Dartmouth before I leave, and I am eager to challenge myself more frequently to get outside of my comfort zone.” — Joe Kind ’16
“I’m excited to go abroad in the winter and explore more parts of the world that I haven’t been to yet. Even though I don’t know if I’ll be on campus for the summer, I’m really excited for whatever that will bring whether I’m jetting off somewhere in the world or staying here in Hanover.” — Maggie Baird ’18
Thorn: Something negative about the past year.
“My high school class lost one of its kindest and brightest women to a brain aneurism this fall. She was the kind of classmate who, no matter how well she knew you, would go out of her way to say hi or pass on some encouragement if you looked upset. Her nickname was Sunshine. It was a pleasure knowing her and a tragedy to lose her so young.” — Mary Liza Hartong ’16
“I didn’t end up joining as many activities as I would have liked or going more in-depth with the activities that I committed to, so I hope that’s something that can be changed for next term! Dartmouth is such an amazing place for interests to thrive, so I definitely want to give more of my time and efforts to old and new activities.”
— Karen Hsueh ’19
“I found out today that if you stay at FoCo from lunch all the way until dinner they will kick you out and you will not be able to get a free dinner. This is sad because I stayed at FoCo for five hours for no reason, but on the bright side I’m pretty sure the strategy does work for the breakfast/lunch transition.” — Leina McDermott ’19
“The British election result was disappointing. After everything Nick Clegg had done for the country, seeing the Liberal Democrats so thoroughly crushed was heartbreaking. People like David Laws, the late, great Charles Kennedy, Michael Moore and Steve Webb should not have been so unceremoniously ejected from Parliament.” — Parker Richards ’18
“I will never again have a fall at Dartmouth.” — Sam Van Wetter ’16
“There really hasn’t been anything major, but if I had to say one thing, it’d be realizing this summer how expensive and hard it can be to visit friends in different cites, especially once we’re all in the real world.” — Lindsay Keare ’16
“While I’ve really enjoyed fall term, I’d have to say my thorn has been the initial adjustment to the academic rigor of Dartmouth. As I should have expected, the classes are much more difficult than high school classes.” — Sarah Kovan ’19
“Donald Trump’s political presidential campaign had been detracting from his work as a television actor recently.” — Mark Anderson ’18
“This year I felt the effects or becoming really close to someone and having to say goodbye, which was really difficult. I also haven’t really had a breather in between terms, especially summer and fall, so I’m ready for a break.”
— Maggie Baird ’18
