I’m wondering if this is exaggerated or if y’all are genuinely as close knit as I’ve heard

Hey all,

I'm a super recent alumni ('22) who just wanted to drop some advice for all you incoming '26s. Feel free to take it or not. I just kind of wanted to do a brain dump/reflection of my past four years as a Dartmouth undergrad and it ended up turning into this! Each one of these tips has a personal backstory to attach based on my own experience that I didn't include, but am happy to elaborate on via DM or in the comments.

Again, this is based on my own ups and downs at Dartmouth so don't feel like you have to do these things. Just sharing some of the lessons I learned the hard way in the hopes that maybe you'll be able to avoid some of these pitfalls.

Best of luck this upcoming fall and welcome to the woods! :)

How to survive a 10-week term

Take it easy academically your freshman fall. There’s so much to experience in your first term at Dartmouth, from clubs, new friends and activities to the New England woods itself. Think of your year-long AP class or semester duel-enrollment and compress it into 10 weeks (sometimes more like 8 given the first week is chill and last week wraps things up), and you’ve got a Dartmouth term! You’ll (hopefully) get used to it within the year or figure out what works best for you, but don’t feel pressured to go super hardcore academically in your first term. You have plenty of time for that. Generally, I’d recommend taking a layup, and an intro course to balance out the Writing 2/3/5.

If you’re feeling antsy about having a heavier course load, then do it in the winter lol

Do your research about professors and classes!! Professors can really make or break a subject or class for you and in most cases unlike high school, you actually have options! You can look up every class on LayupList and search them by professor if they haven’t taught the course before. There are also class reviews on the Course Assessment page over on Darthub. ALSO everyone who’s not a ’26, be sure to submit LayupList reviews!!! If you see a class is being taught by a bad/hard professor and there are better options (say, a different professor teaches in the Winter), then nothing wrong with waiting until then!

After you’ve found clubs and other interests for the term, put them all in a ranked priority list. If/when things start picking up in the term, it helps to know which commitments you can cut early on, whether that’s dropping altogether or taking a break from attending. People won’t take it personally and it helps as you navigate the school/life balance.

How to pick your major

First off, don’t compare to peers and their supposed major declarations; they are just as clueless as you are on what that workload actually entails. At the end of the day, you only need one major and that’s it. Instead, consider what sort of career path you may actually want to take and whether a double major or minor might help you reach that. Some people do it to give themselves options, while others may take a major that secures them a job and a “fun” major that they’re passionate about, but doesn’t bring in the salary they need to provide for their family. If you’re really uncertain about major, ask upperclassmen what got them into their major and internship experiences that kept them on that path.

Reach out to the major advisor for the department if you are uncertain about the plan. The faculty advisor they give you early on may not be useful depending on your interests and you’re more likely to get the answers you’re looking for from multiple professors in various departments. You can find the major advisor if you google department [insert department name here] dartmouth.

While you do need to “declare” a major and major plan by sophomore year, you can technically change that declaration and plan entirely up until your senior spring. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THEN TO MAKE A PLAN, but also don’t panic if you end up pivoting towards the end of junior year and early senior year.

How to get a summer internship

Start applying for summer internships now, even if you feel under-qualified. If you have even an inkling of what you may want to pursue, then send in applications soon before you get bombarded by the Fall term. Dartmouth starting so late in September puts them at a bit of a disadvantage for freshmen recruiting and recruiting has gotten even more competitive. More than ever, this is a great time for that fancy Dartmouth brand name on your resume to carry you along with whatever crazy high school accomplishments got you into Dartmouth in the first place.

If you want a referral, try looking up companies on LinkedIn and searching which ones are Dartmouth alumni, and set up a time to chat. Do not ask for a referral until you have a conversation over the phone since that phone conversation is a good time to actually learn about the company and more specifically if you actually would be interested in working there. If the conversation goes well, then ask them for a referral afterwards.

Companies want to see your experience outside of classes. GPA is a tiny number on your resume and never comes up in interviews. We’re talking research, work experiences, clubs and personal projects. Take the time that you aren’t agonizing over midterms and put it into organizations that actually interest you!

How to take care of yourself

This may be a bit dangerous to suggest early on, but I’ll throw it out anyways: Figure out how much you actually need to stress about your GPA. If you’re on the track for law school, med school or any grad school really or your dream company explicitly states in the requirements that you need a 3.75 GPA, then yeah GPA is important. For everyone else…. it depends. I say this as a CS major who’s gotten almost all my CS grades at below or at median and living a comfy job that grades aren’t everything depending on your field. Most jobs look for a 3.0 GPA, which is a B average and for some of you high school 4.0 peoples, that might seem unthinkable. Yes you shouldn’t fail your classes, but don’t beat yourself up for a B+ or stress out because you failed a midterm. Basically, cut yourself some slack when it comes to GPA, it means a lot less than it did back in high school.

Also, take layups and enjoy your life. No shame in having an easy course load and making the most out of your college years actually having a life. GPA padding is a bonus and getting rid of distribs early on gives you flexibility if you end up pivoting interests midway through and need to take other major classes.

Take care of your mental health.

Look at any article by The D about Dartmouth’s mental health resources and you’ll see that they’re greatly lacking. It was a huge issue in the pandemic, and even know, it’s very much still an underinvested in resource, despite the numerous students who need help. Do not wait for yourself to reach breaking point, it’s never worth it.

How to combat imposter syndrome

Dartmouth is a bubble. Not to sound arrogant, but outside people who know what Dartmouth is think you’re hot shit, whether it’s an employer, coworkers, the general public. Dartmouth being one of the lesser known Ivys means that if the person you’re talking to knows that it is an Ivy, they also know you’re incredibly smart. Why else would people be paying thousands for activities, standardized tests, or even bribes (not this school but at others), to get in! If you’ve made it this far, then pat yourself on the back because you done good.

Ask for help!! If questions feel too “dumb” to ask a professor (or expose you aren’t paying attention lol), then ask a floormate or someone who you somehow end up sitting next to every class. You never know if they’ll end up being your best friend or future roommate after college.

How to meet some of the smartest people at Dartmouth

Unsure of how to start a conversation to your professors? Try chatting with them Week 1 wayyyy before much serious work is assigned to your class! Some good conversation starters can include what got them interested in teaching the class (or the subject itself), and what are some tips to succeed in the class. The key is establishing a relationship outside of just course material and questions and helps distinguish you outside of one of the many students who will be at office hours.

Reach out to professors who interest you, even if you aren’t taking their class (yet). Despite Dartmouth’s small size, sometimes it can be challenging to get into smaller seminar courses without junior/senior priority, so reaching out early on can help you get to the top of the waitlist if add-drop screws you over. Just search up a topic you’re interested in on LayupList or ORC and they usually show who teaches the classes.

Take your professor out to lunch! There’s a voucher you get can to take your professor out to PINE for $50 completely covered by the college and you can get it every single term!!! Totally recommend for the free food and the good conversation; you never know who’ll be writing your letter of recommendation or have an opening to conduct research later on.

Want to get to know an upperclassmen better? Ask them out for a meal! It’s a completely normal thing given Dartmouth’s limited dining options and a good way to branch out from FOCO. Upperclassmen need to eat too and it’s a good first outing to have for them to get to know you better on an individual level.