A Cappella

As an early decision admit, I've been stalking the a cappella scene at Dartmouth since December 2009. Before I even stepped foot on campus, I'd watched all the youtube videos and exhausted all the information available online. A cappella was the only thing I was sure I wanted to do on campus, and through all of orientation, I awaited the auditions with bated breath.

At Dartmouth, a cappella auditions are a big deal. And they take a long time. For the guys, they start the last day of orientation, the day before classes start. My first round began at 1 PM. We sang for a couple hours and then had a break until around 9, when each different group posted a callbacks list. After the second round ended at around 3 in the morning, the groups deliberated once again. Two floormates and I sat in my room together, vowing to make sure none of us fell asleep. The third round started at around 4:30 and didn't end until 6:30. It's hard to focus, let alone sing, at 5 in the morning, but I somehow finished the audition and sleepily headed home, picking up a giant cup of coffee on the way back.

For me, the lengthy process paid off. As I arrived home, members of my new group (the Dodecs!) appeared outside my dorm, surrounded me, and sang a traditional Dartmouth number before piling into a car to surprise the other new members. Their energy was infectious, and I found I wasn't even tired during my first college class that morning.

The next night, they broke into my dorm room at 2 in the morning and told me to wear socks on my hands and boxers on top of my pants. They blindfolded me and forced me to belt Lady Gaga to a random stranger we encountered outside my dorm (I still don't know who that was?). I met the other new '14s in the group, ate a great meal at a gas station (don't ask), and came back to my dorm feeling so welcomed.

Situations like that are the norm at Dartmouth. Every group on campus is SO excited to welcome new freshman to campus. We had enough late-night surprises to wake up the hall every night during the first week of classes. I had heard so much about the "Dartmouth community" before starting school here, but my experiences during orientation showed me it's not a myth. People here love being part of their communities on campus, and they can't wait to welcome new members.