This editors’ note is featured in the 2023 Freshman special issue.
To the Class of 2027,
Welcome to the Woods! We are beyond thrilled that you are here on campus, and we can’t wait to meet you.
You arrive during a period of transition for the College. Former College President Phil Hanlon’s tenure has come to an end, and President Sian Leah Beilock, the first woman to lead the College, has taken the reins. The Hopkins Center for the Arts remains under construction, and the arts are finding new ways to take shape on campus. In addition to these changes, within your first year, you will witness the first-in-the-nation 2024 presidential primary. It’s safe to say that a lot is changing here on campus, and we are all doing our best to adjust. This issue looks at campus as a work in progress, rather than a finished product. Our writers explore how the College’s changing physical, administrative and political landscape shapes both campus life and our writers’ personal journeys.
As you begin your next chapter at Dartmouth, your imagination may be running wild with expectations for yourself and for the next four years. However, your time at Dartmouth may not always live up to these ideals — and we hope this issue will remind you that any bumps along the road are normal. What may initially seem like setbacks could actually be opportunities in disguise, and it is up to you to find ways to grow from any obstacles you face. During the creation of this issue, the four of us — just like our writers — have also reflected on our time at Dartmouth. Each of us realized that although our time at Dartmouth has turned out differently than we may have expected, we have loved our years at the College on the Hill. We hope that you, too, will fall in love with this special place.
Welcome home ’27s!
With love,
Arizbeth, Caroline, Gretchen and Shena
