If Cooper Puckett ’25 were like most students, he’d probably be getting ready to graduate. After all, he’s been here for four years. He’s a senior. He’s experienced nearly everything Dartmouth has to offer.
That is, except winter.
Puckett, an elite alpine skier at Dartmouth and U.S. National Team racer, has been utilizing Dartmouth’s extended D-Plan since arriving on campus. The flexibility of the D-Plan has a habit of attracting highly skilled alpine and Nordic skiers, according to Puckett. Dartmouth allows them to create personalized, extended schedules that best fit their athletic goals, which works especially well for students who are on both the Dartmouth Ski Team and their national ski teams.
This has allowed Puckett and other skiers to choose on and off-terms depending on their skiing, training and racing schedules. Based on his current trajectory, Puckett still has another five years left at Dartmouth before he earns his degree.
“Right now, I’m [done with] seven out of 12 terms, so it’s at least another five years from now that I will graduate, which will be eight years [in total] for me,” he said.
Puckett is not the only ‘super senior’ skier on campus. Mary Bocock ’27 also falls into this unique category.
“A huge reason why I chose Dartmouth is because it’s on the quarter system and because of how flexible it is with athletes,” Bocock, who skis for the U.S. National Alpine C team, said. “We do all the same graduation requirements as any non-athlete student would. We just have to extend it by doing one term at a time.”
The extended D-Plan can also aid a skier’s career, according to Puckett.
“Say you have a bad year, and maybe get cut from the national team — you still can continue to ski at a [high level] and potentially keep your career going without support from the national team,” Puckett explained.
Some skiers on an extended plan can choose whether to ski for the College depending on their seasons, remarked Bocock.
They can, for instance, ski competitively for Dartmouth one year but take the next off to train with a national team, Puckett said.
“I haven’t actually skied for the Dartmouth alpine team since I have been here,” Bocock said. “I do think skiing for college is an awesome opportunity and experience. … I’m trying to decide which year will be the best for me to ski for Dartmouth because I do really want to have that experience.”
Then there are the most extreme cases. In some instances, Dartmouth skiers will create a 12-year extended plan: off-campus training in the fall, skiing in the winter and classes in the spring, Nordic skier Luke Allan ’25 said.
Bocock, who hopes to graduate within six to eight years, is trying to avoid the 12-year plan because she “like[s] being around people [her] age and having somewhat of a more normal experience.”
Other skiers avoid an extended plan entirely. While he takes weeks off to ski with the Canadian team, Allan will remain on a traditional D-Plan and graduate from the College this spring after four years. Allan said he never considered the extended plan, wanting, instead, to participate in the Dartmouth Ski Team and connect with the greater College community by being on campus.
“I think you definitely feel more removed if you’re missing the fall and winter and just coming back for the spring,” Allan said.
Puckett added that feeling more removed from school was one of the more challenging aspects of the extended D-Plan.
“It’s definitely tough at times when you’re away from all your friends, but that’s kind of part of the sacrifices you have to make in order to ski World Cup and ski professionally,” Puckett said.
Despite these drawbacks, skiers on more drawn-out D-Plans said they are still able to form long-term connections with their peers on campus. Puckett explained that he does not regret his choice or feel that the plan has hindered his relationships at Dartmouth.
“I’ve taken one term off here and there, but I [spent] my freshman summer [on campus], and I’m [here] during all of the springs,” he said. “I feel like the relationships I’ve made at Dartmouth have been for life, and I feel really good about that.”
