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Category: Pro-Tips

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This is the last part of the Freshman FAQ, and it focuses on wellness.

Q: I’m from a warmer, sunnier climate, and I think I’m experiencing seasonal affective disorder (SAD). What should I do?

A: Light therapy with a sunlamp is an effective treatment for SAD. Contact the Wellness Center or the Counseling Center to learn where you can access a sun lamp on campus, or make an appointment to learn other methods of coping with SAD. 

 

Q: How can I get more sleep?

A: The reason for lost sleep is different for everyone, but if you’re losing sleep due to schedule-overload, please make an appointment with an Academic Coach, who will help you with your time-management skills and managing academic-related stress. If there’s something else going on, and you want to talk about it or learn how to manage the stress it causes you, please make an appointment with our Wellness Center or Counseling Center.

 

Q: My family is putting a lot of pressure on me to succeed here. How can I manage the stress that this causes?

A: Your Undergraduate Dean is a great resource to help you overcome personal and family hardships. Talking to someone at the Wellness Center would be great as well, and for long-term stress management, you should make an appointment with the Counseling Center.

""Q: I am struggling with substance abuse, and I want to stop. Who can I go to for help?

A: For counseling, make an appointment with the Counseling Center. The Wellness Center also offers a program called BASICS, a confidential, evidence-based program to reduce high-risk drinking. Email BASICS@Dartmouth.edu to schedule a one-on-one session.

 

Q: Who can I talk to for support in dealing with sexual assault? 

A: I am sorry that you have to go through this, but please know that you don’t have to go through it alone. The Title IX Office provides a list of emergency resources. If you are in a crisis, please call 911 for medical attention or WISE, a 24-hour hotline at (866) 348-9473. WISE is a confidential resource, which means they cannot share the information you disclose unless required by law. 

For long-term help, you can contact the Counseling Center, or if you prefer pastoral counseling, contact any of the ordained clergy affiliated with the Tucker Center. They are also a confidential resource, and they are familiar with resources and processes available to address sexual assault, gender-based harassment, and other forms of sexual misconduct. You can also reach out to an active SAPA, a peer who has undergone 34 hours of support-training. While SAPAs are neither a confidential nor private resource, they will report the subject matter of your discussion to their supervisor without disclosing your name and otherwise keep the conversation private. Dartmouth College Health Service has created a gender-based violence resource page that can help you find long-term support. 

 

Q: What should I do if I think I have an eating disorder?

A: Please contact the Primary Care department at 603-646-9401 or the Counseling Center at 603-646-9442. Dartmouth College Health Service has an FAQ and resources for students with eating disorders.

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PART 2

 

Q: There’s so much to do here that I feel overwhelmed. How do I decide which opportunities are the best for me?

A: Consult with an Academic Coach! They can help you develop your goals, which will help you see opportunities that relate to what you want to do, and your Undergraduate Dean can guide you in maximizing your Dartmouth experience.

 

Q: How do I figure out what the heck I want to do with my life?

A: For help deciding what you want to study, consult with your Undergraduate Dean. For help figuring out what you want to do after college, make an appointment with the Center for Professional Development by clicking “Dartboard Student Login” and clicking “Coaching Appointments” on the left side of the screen.

Q: I don’t have any friends while everyone else already has established friend groups. Is there any hope for me?

A: You’re going to college in the middle of a pandemic. It is completely normal to feel lonely right now. Plenty of Dartmouth students don’t find close friends until their sophomore year. Until then, I would join clubs, reach out to people in class using the zoom chat, join a tutoring group, or sign up for the Mental Health Union pen-pal program. Don’t forget to call your friends and family from back home, and if you need additional support, please contact the Wellness Center or the Counseling Center. Just know that it gets better. 

 

Q: I just made friends, and now I’m not going to see them for another four months. How can I keep up with these friendships?

A: Text them, FaceTime them, study together over Zoom, send each other updates or pictures of your hometown, send emails, or become penpals! The possibilities are endless. If you’re looking for a new friend, Mental Health Union has created a penpal sign-up that’ll match you with another Dartmouth student, and you can choose how to communicate with each other! 

 

Q: My roommate goes out every weekend even though we are in a pandemic, and I’m worried about my health and safety. What should I do?

A: Talk to your UGA! They will help you approach or settle any roommate conflicts that you have, and if it’s more serious they can refer you to another resource. 

 

Q: How can I cope with homesickness?

A: Talk about it with a friend, your UGA, a sibling who’s already left home, or a professional at the Wellness Center or the Counseling Center. You should also keep in touch with your family and friends, and bring reminders of home to campus. Give yourself time to explore Dartmouth and make it your home away from home!

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This part focuses on struggles pertaining to academics and your future career.

Q: I knew classes at Dartmouth would be challenging, but I didn’t realize how hard they would be until I got here! I’m struggling to keep up. What should I do? 

A: You should make an appointment with an Academic Coach at the Academic Skills Center! Visit the ASC website for more information. They’ll help you figure out the study strategies that will best help you adjust to the rigor of college academics. You should also go to your professors’ and TAs’ office hours with prepared questions. Plan ahead for the winter, and consider joining a Tutoring Group at the beginning of the term!  

 

Q: I feel that I’m constantly behind while everyone else has their stuff together. Is this normal? 

A: Yes, this is normal! Many students at Dartmouth experience Imposter Syndrome, which is the idea that you aren’t good enough or don’t belong here because it seems like everyone else is on a level that you feel you can’t reach. Many students also experience Floating Duck Syndrome: when you wear a cool, collected exterior, but under the surface, you’re frantically paddling to keep yourself from sinking. If you’re here, it’s because you belong here (everyone else is not as put-together as you think). If you want help sorting through the reasons you’re struggling and finding healthy coping strategies, you should book an appointment with the Wellness Center professionals.


Q: I feel like I’ll be behind my peers if I don’t do an internship during winterim or my freshman summer. What should I do? 

A: You’re still a first year student! You have plenty of time to pad your resume. I recommend enjoying your youth while you can, but if you’re really worried about it, please make an appointment with the Center for Professional Development by clicking “Dartboard Student Login” and clicking “Coaching Appointments” on the left side of the screen. 

 

Q: My professor seems to think that the 24 hours in my day are only for their class. What should I do?

A: If your professor is assigning 2000 pages of reading, and 27 lectures in a week, you should make an appointment with an Academic Coach. They’ll help you with reading strategies, time management, and figuring out what material is necessary. 

 

Q: What can I do when I’m so lost that I don’t know what questions to ask?

A: Check that you did the correct reading for the class period, review the professor’s notes to figure out where you are, ask a friend, or talk to your professor to clarify. If you’re lost because you’ve fallen behind on your work, and I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: make an appointment with an Academic Coach at the Academic Skills Center!

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The Course’s Weekly Structure

  • 3-6 recorded lectures
  • 0-1 podcasts
  • A lot of readings 
  • 1 discussion board
  • 1 500-1000 word essay 

I attempted to tackle this course a few different ways.

Approach 1

I watched all of the videos, did all of the readings more or less start-to-finish, then I did the assignments. This worked when there were only 3 recorded lectures, but in the next few weeks, it became unfeasible.

Approach 2

I watched all of the videos on 1.5x speed, took notes on them as if they were all equally important, and I skimmed the readings. Still super time-consuming. 

Approach 3

After a few weeks, I realized that only two or three of the videos and readings were relevant to each assignment. So, I used the assignments to figure out what my professor wanted me to take away from the module, and I approached the module in a 5-step process.

  1. Skim the assignments for the week (with the goal of understanding what your professor wants you to take away from this week’s material). 
  2. Watch every recorded lecture on your preferred speed, paying more attention to ones relevant to the assignment and taking notes. 
  3. Skim the introductions, conclusions, and headings of each reading to see if they are necessary for the assignments.
  4. Open relevant readings in Adobe Acrobat and take notes on them, spending more time on sections that will help with the assignments
  5. Do the assignments.

This was my favorite approach because it wasn’t time-consuming and I was able to gain a decent understanding of the material. However, for courses in a similar format, you probably don’t need to do even that much work to be successful in the class... On super busy weeks, I could have only watched two recorded lectures, done zero readings, and still completed the assignment, receiving the same grade I would have if I had used the approach outlined above. 

The main takeaway? Learn with a goal in mind. If you don't have one of your own, figure out what your professor's learning goal for you is and remember it while you're watching lectures and doing readings.

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To form a habit, it’s important to chunk your habits into a series of smaller tasks. For example, a morning routine can be considered a habit broken up into the following series of tasks:

  1. Get up at the same time every day
  2. Go to the same bathroom
  3. Brush my teeth
  4. Wash my face
  5. Moisturize

My habit begins with getting up and ends with moisturizing. Because I am used to completing the three steps in between those, it is hard to skip them as they are part of the habit. 

So, if you want to change a habit to wake up earlier, you should chunk your habit with a series of other actions. For instance, you can wake up at the desired time every day, drink a glass of water, and read the news for five or ten minutes. If you want to study every day at a certain time, start your habit with an action-step, like heading to your favorite study spot, check your to do list, get out your study materials, start studying, and end the habit with a quick review of your study session.

In short, a new habit sticks best when you incorporate it into a series of other habits.  This is because the part of your brain that is activated when you carry out a habit is excited at the beginning and end of a habit, so if you begin a habit it, it will be very hard for you to not finish it. 

If you’re interested in reading the neuroscience behind why, here is the article I used as a reference: https://www.inverse.com/mind-body/how-to-change-bad-habits-in-the-brain-psychology?utm_source=Dartmouth+News+Today&utm_campaign=b0b78cb2dc-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_09_25&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4ae973c30b-b0b78cb2dc-292818778