What do '16s think of Dartmouth?
It was just a few short months ago that members of the Class of 2016 arrived eagerly at Dartmouth, each with different expectations of what the campus culture, academics and infamous Greek scene would be like. Now, having survived freshman fall, ’16s spoke to Dartbeat about how their lives at Dartmouth compare to their first impressions.
“Academically, I expected that it would be hard, but it was definitely a challenge finding enough time to do all my work and not be so disorganized. Socially, it’s been awesome. There are so many people from different parts of the world and different lifestyles and experiences.” —Emily Kong
“Some parts lived up to my expectations, some exceeded my expectations, some did not reach my expectations, and then there’s a whole grey area of expectations that I don’t know if I had and therefore cannot say if they were reached, exceeded or not reached.” —Drew Zwetchkenbaum
“I hated Orientation because in high school I was busy all the time, and then I got here and was like — wait, what do I do? But then once classes started, I loved it, because I had lots of interesting and fun things to keep myself busy.” —Susanna Kalaris
“It surprised me more than anything. I had no idea I’d be having such a great time with such great people.” —Angel Saavedra
“I think my experiences exceeded my expectations in almost every way. My classes, even the ones I wasn't initially interested in, proved to be very engaging and intellectually stimulating. I was able to quickly find friends I had a lot in common with, so I was very happy with my social experiences. Also, it wasn't as cold as people made it out to be.” —Ethan Yu
“Before coming to Dartmouth I didn't have any expectations about my experience. I don't think I had the quintessential ‘Dartmouth Experience,’ but I definitely enjoyed my three months in Hanover. If I could choose the peak of my experience it would be my participation in Homecoming and being the Bonfire Co-chair.” —Jose Rodarte-Canales
“Freshman Fall really exceeded my expectations. I had the opportunity to get involved with some really cool things I had never considered before, and I also met some amazing people.” —Akash Kar