Name: Caroline Grassi ’18
Major: Architecture
Hometown: San Francisco
Program: 12-College Exchange at Dartmouth College

What drew you to Dartmouth?

I hadn’t heard of the 12-College Exchange until I stumbled upon it on the Office for International Study website. I was intrigued to see what another college experience would be like.

What kinds of courses are you taking?

I’m taking a few architecture studio courses as well as architecture-focused engineering, which is new for me. I’ve also gotten to take some distribution courses in the religion, English, and economics departments, and I’ve enjoyed all of them.

Dartmouth versus Wellesley?

Hanover is pretty remote compared to Wellesley, so the Dartmouth community is really tight-knit and everything happens on campus. There’s no driving into Boston for a night out!

Obviously, going from a women’s college to a coed college is going to be a big change, but I’ve loved being able to fully experience both college types, and now I have an appreciation for both. At Wellesley, the classrooms are filled with women who push me to go beyond what I think I’m capable of. Sometimes I miss that setting and how intensely Wellesley women take their work. At Dartmouth, I’ve found that the classrooms here can be a little more relaxed but far more collaborative on assignments like homework and projects. I’m sure that once I leave Dartmouth, I’ll miss it, just as I miss Wellesley now.

Any special opportunities?

Dartmouth makes its students stay on campus for sophomore summer, which I did this past year. I’m glad that I decided to be here for the summer and fully immerse myself into the community. I was able to take advantage of all the fun outdoor activities here during that time. I’ve been hiking in the White Mountains, canoeing and swimming in the Connecticut River in the summer, and in the winter I’ve gone skiing, sledding, and been in plenty of snowball fights. One Dartmouth tradition is to have a huge snowball fight at midnight on the night of the first big snow!