Eeeek. Week 9 is here and we at Mirror are freaking out once again. This past weekend marked our Directorate Cabin Night, which happened at the house of our lovely photo editor Caroline. I woke up on Sunday morning feeling oddly rejuvenated, despite the ongoing exhaustion I felt last week. Daylight savings happened and now the sun brutally sets before our 2As are even over, ominously foreshadowing the darkness the winter is going to bring. I always find myself amazed how quickly time seems to slip between our fingers here in Hanover.
One moment I was arriving on campus early to be a First-Year Trips leader, the next I was scurrying across frat row to help with rush. Now, I sit in the warmth, laughter and friendship this term has brought me. I arrived in Hanover in late August determined to make the most of the beginning of my senior year. I planned to be out every on-night, to fill my calendar with Still North trips with friends and to be actively involved in my extracurricular commitments. Now that the term has ended, I can safely say I can count the number of times I have gone out on an on-night this term. I haven’t managed to get as many meals with friends as I had hoped And that’s okay. This term has taught me that just because it is my last Dartmouth fall, doesn’t mean that I need to live every single moment with this in mind. It is okay to forget that this is my last Homecoming, my last time watching the leaves turn from the top of the Gile fire tower and my last first day of school. It’s okay to dwell in the present and bask in the laughter shared with my friends in our living room. The excitement and newness I felt my freshman year is long gone. I don’t have to bolt out of bed each day or run to get ones on a basement table. It’s okay to take things slow and enjoy the finality of my last Dartmouth fall.
This week at Mirror, our writers explore a range of topics, from the history of student social activism to spotlighting the Gospel Choir. One writer interviews geography professor and climate scientist Justin Mankin, while another documents how student performance groups have dealt with the Hop’s reconstruction. One writer explores how students use dating apps, and another investigates how students escape the Dartmouth bubble. Finally, one writer ponders the B+ medians in the economics and government departments.
The final few weeks are a culmination of academic and social madness. During this time, many of us are scrambling to actually write those final papers, stressing over buying last minute plane tickets home, and ransacking our friends’ closets for formal dresses. Whether this is your first fall or your last, we hope that you find time amidst the business to reflect on this term. We hope you find yourself leaving this term ready for the rest and relaxation that winterim brings. After all, the most wonderful time of the year is almost here. All things must come to an end, but we will see you in the new year.
