As you might remember, I spent my spring quarter interning in Boston. Being away from Dartmouth for 9 weeks was tough, both on a personal level as well as in regards to the learning that took place during my internship. Of the many lessons learned during my time in Boston, one of them stands out the most: the power of connections. While in college, you are joined not only by amazing classmates but also amazing people that come in the form of professors and faculty. I had to be away from Dartmouth to understand the number of resources that I had, literally, at my doorstep. The supervisor for the program I worked with over spring term made me realize that the time that I have here at Dartmouth (two years, kinda scary) is limited and that Dartmouth should be a “stepping stone” in regards to what I want to do later in life. He did not mean stepping stone in the way that it is usually used but rather, he meant it through a learning perspective. Dartmouth is simply one stone, one step in the ladder that is learning and that is a career. Given the fact that my time here is limited, he encouraged me to learn as much as I can from those around me. The knowledge experienced in the classroom will help in your planned career but the knowledge you can get from interacting with your professors has the potential to help you decide or consolidate your decision on what career to pursue. He (His name is Jay Davis) mentioned something that really stuck with me: “Your professors were young as well. Most of them did not have the slightest idea on what to do with their lives and yet, they somehow ended up at Dartmouth.” After this, he encouraged us to ask our professors and other members of the Dartmouth faculty the simple questions of “How did you get where you are today?”. From asking this question, he said, the answer will give you a better idea on what decisions to make down the road.
The reason why this particular piece of advice resonates with me is because I am halfway through my college years, meaning that the time is here to make difficult decisions. Decisions between graduate school, law school, the corporate world or the non-profit field. These decisions, being of such great magnitude, cannot be made without substantial research and information. As a result, now being back on campus, I am ready to go to my former and current professors and ask that question. I want to know what decisions they made and what they can advice me with. In college, you are surrounded by successful scholars and academics whose purpose is to teach you. Yet, as I have come to find out, the teaching is not limited to the classroom; be willing to let the learning take place outside of it.
I will keep you guys posted on what I learn from talking to my professors and what I decide to do in the near future. Enjoy summer!