Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Lest The Relationship With Hanover Be Over

By Julia Plevin '09

For most of us, our relationship with Hanover is a four-year, heart-wrenching love affair. On those icy winter days when my only salvation is my sunlamp, I hate her so hard I could leave her forever. However, on those magically sunny spring days when plans form with spontaneous perfection, my anger melts like the snow sculpture and I forget that I ever felt embittered towards her. Maybe not all Dartmouth students have the same mercurial matrimony with Hanover as I do but most would agree that the relationship ends after graduation. As Dartmouth grads take off all around the world, the four years they spent with Hanover become a quaint memory.

However, this year many graduating seniors are not departing Hanover merely because they are graduating. In this year of economic uncertainty, Dartmouth College and surrounding Hanover businesses are right alongside Teach For America as the largest employers for Dartmouth graduates.

The decision to stay in Hanover after graduation makes a lot of sense for many seniors. Whether they are staying to do research, a self-search, or supplement an art portfolio, staying in Hanover is a popular decision for many in the Class of 2009.

I asked around and found out why many seniors are willing to endure Hanover’s harsh winters for her promise of spring and abounding opportunities. Here are some of the responses I received:

I'm staying in Hanover as an intern for the Studio Art department. Being an intern offers a lot of information and practical experience regarding the daily procedures of studio and gallery maintenance and how teaching works. Also, we are given studio space and expected to make art which is actually the ideal next-year-out job for me. – Gabriela Collins-Fernandez

I am working as a teaching/research assistant in the Geography Department. It is a post-baccalaureate program which basically lets me learn more about research and the faculty side of an undergraduate department.
– Minal Caron

I'm working as a Pediatric Research Assistant at the DHMC next year. I'm going to apply to Medical School this summer and hopefully enter in the fall of 2010. I was looking for a medical research position for one year and ended up choosing a position I've held during my undergrad years. Working at the DHMC is ideal because it is a great hospital with much funding for research. As opposed to living in Boston or New York, I think I will be able to save more money for med school. Staying in Hanover another year will also be very fun and I'm looking forward to having more time to explore the area than I did in the past four years. – Danielle Murray

I'm going to be the Shipping & Receiving Manager for Wheelock Books and studying for the LSAT. I decided to stay for one more year because it's a familiar environment and a good place to gain some work experience while preparing for the LSAT. – Josh Curcio

I have a gap year before medical school and I found a really great research opportunity at DHMC. – Shannon Hextrum

Dartmouth and its surrounding institutions are a great source for jobs. Members of the Class of 2009 will also stay in Hanover to work at admissions, participate in a fellowship with Doctor Kim, and partake in an acting internship at the New London Barn Playhouse. Compared to most cities, rent in Hanover is cheap and being in a college town with familiar faces is probably more fun than returning home to live with parents. While I am worn out after four years of Hanover’s temperament and am ready to end my relationship with her, I do think there are some persuasive reasons to stay around for another year or so.