Title: Pre Exam Banana

General Information about Item:

• Ritual

• English

• United States

Informant Data:

Alie Hunter was born on September 8th, 1999 in Toronto, Canada. Her family has lived in Toronto ever since. She is a ’21 at Dartmouth studying Psychology. Alie would love to pursue a career in Physical Therapy; she hopes to eventually open her own practice. She doesn’t consider herself to be superstitious.

Contextual Data:

• Social Context
  • The data was collected in person in the Jones Media Center in the Baker-Berry Library. Paul asked Alie if she had any pre-exam superstitions or rituals and gave her a minute to think before responding. Alie eats a banana before all exams. She heard random girls in her Psychology class talking about how bananas bolster both concentration and brain-power. She’s continued eating bananas ever since.

• Cultural Context
  • The cultural context of this folklore reflects the competitive atmosphere of Dartmouth college, where every grade impacts as student’s GPA. Students at an Ivy League do not just try to succeed in their classes, but to outperform their peers. As a result of this high stress environment, students may turn to superstitions or ritual to lessen the pressure.
• Item: 
  • Alie said she was not a superstitious person. She, however, does perform pre-exam rituals. While walking to any exam at Dartmouth, she must have a banana in hand. She eats it before the exam starts, taking her mind off of the pressure and stress. Similarly, her mom once told her bananas have excellent potassium and nutrients to help her brain during strenuous times – she took this information to heart. Alie has yet to take a Dartmouth exam without eating a banana.
• Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):
• 

Collector’s Comments: Once again, like the other two students not only is the food item an essential part of a pre exam ritual but the location is as well. It seems that whether for convenience or because of a good grade after eating at Novack, all three students continue to return to Novack for their pre exam snacks.

Collector’s Name: Magdalena Raska

Tags/Keywords: Homeopathic Magic. Ritual. Diffusion.

Title: Pre Exam Iced Coffee

General Information about Item:

• Ritual

• English

• United States

Informant Data:

Jessica Wang was born on July 16th, 1997 in Niskayuna, New York. Her family currently resides in Clifton Park, New York. She is an ’18 at Dartmouth studying Economics and Government. Jessica will be working at Bain Capital in Boston, Massachusetts post Dartmouth. Jessica does not believe in superstitions, but practices pre-exam rituals.

Contextual Data:

• Social Context
  • The data was collected in person in the Baker-Berry Library. Paul asked Jessica if she had any pre-exam superstitions or rituals and gave her a minute to think before responding. Jessica drinks an iced-coffee prior to all exams; the upperclassmen on her swim team were obsessed with coffee when she was a freshman, so she adopted and continued their rituals since.

• Cultural Context
  • The cultural context of this folklore reflects the competitive atmosphere of Dartmouth college, where every grade impacts as student’s GPA. Students at an Ivy League do not just try to succeed in their classes, but to outperform their peers. As a result of this high stress environment, students may turn to superstitions or ritual to lessen the pressure.
• Item: 
  • Similarly to Jimmy Patrick, Jessica did not have any pre-exam superstitions. She did, however, practice a ritual. Jessica always drinks a large iced coffee with a splash of milk before an exam. She likes drinking coffee to get pre-exam energy in the morning. She believes she would perform worse without her morning coffee.
• Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):
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Collector’s Comments:

Just like Jimmy, Jessica also believes in the power of ritual before her exam in addition to the caffeine boost that will help her focus. The key element to that ensures consistency in her routine is getting the coffee at Novack.

Informant’s Comments: 

I wouldn’t say I have any superstitions per se, but I would say it’s a ritual for me to drink an iced-coffee with a little bit of milk and one sugar before exams… I think that it genuinely helps to increase concentration and performance… I’ve never [not had coffee before]. 

Collector’s Name: Jamir Pleitez

Tags/Keywords: Homeopathic Magic. Ritual. Diffusion.

Title: Pre Exam Breakfast Sandwich

General Information about Item:

• Ritual

• English

• United States

Informant Data:

Jimmy Patrick was born on October 3rd, 1996 in Richmond, Virginia. His family currently resides in Warrenton, Virginia. He is a ’19 at Dartmouth studying Economics. Jimmy hopes to pursue a career in finance. He does not consider himself to be a superstitious person.

Contextual Data:

• Social Context
  • The data was collected in person in the Baker-Berry Library. Paul asked Jimmy if he had any pre-exam superstitions or rituals and gave him a minute to think before responding.  Jimmy got this pre-exam ritual from his father, who in college, would always buy a cappuccino with 2% milk before every exam. His father, like Jimmy, liked to keep this ritual consistent to reduce any anxiety before exams. Jimmy started this ritual his freshman year of college.

• Cultural Context
  • The cultural context of this folklore reflects the competitive atmosphere of Dartmouth college, where every grade impacts as student’s GPA. Students at an Ivy League do not just try to succeed in their classes, but to outperform their peers. As a result of this high stress environment, students may turn to superstitions or ritual to lessen the pressure.
• Item: 
  • Although Jimmy said he didn’t have any pre-exam superstitions, he did practice a ritual. Before taking an exam, Jimmy religiously buys a Novack sausage, egg & cheese sandwich. Although he doesn’t feel like this is a “magical” sandwich, per se, he likes keeping his pre-exam routine the same. Exams are stressful, so Jimmy likes consistency before them.
• Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):
• 

Collector’s Comments: Even though each of the students gets a difference item at Novack Cafe before an exam, they think that their consistent routines of going to Novack every time improve their changes of performing well by not only nourishing their minds with food but also by maintaining a routine that keeps them calm.

Collector’s Name: Kyle Rosen

Tags/Keywords: Homeopathic Magic. Ritual. Diffusion.

Title: Pony Tail

General Information about Item:

• Ritual

• English

• United States

Informant Data:

Summer Martin was born on February 10th, 1999 in Santa Monica, California. Her family currently resides in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. She is a ’21 at Dartmouth studying Biology. She hopes to study and practice medicine after her undergrad. Summer considers herself a fairly superstitious person.

Contextual Data:

• Social Context
  • The data was collected in person in the Baker-Berry Library. Paul asked Summer if she had any pre-exam superstitions or rituals and gave her a minute to think before responding. Summer says she started putting her hair up in high school because all the girls did that when testing at her school.

• Cultural Context
  • The cultural context of this folklore reflects the competitive atmosphere of Dartmouth college, where every grade impacts as student’s GPA. Students at an Ivy League do not just try to succeed in their classes, but to outperform their peers. As a result of this high stress environment, students may turn to superstitions or ritual to lessen the pressure.
• Item: 
  • Summer has a superstition that she will not do well on an exam unless her hair is put up in a ponytail. She thinks that if her hair is down, she will feel uncomfortable and distracted from doing well on her exam. So, Summer’s ritual is that she always puts her hair into a ponytail. She would never take an exam with her hair down. She started putting her hair up after speaking with one of her freshman fall classmates who also puts her hair up.
• Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

Informant’s Comments:

I think it’s kind of both a superstition and a ritual, but I put my hair up before every exam I that have… I just put it in a pony tail and I just do it because I’ve always done it in high school and stuff and it just turned into a superstition for me… [my hair] has to be up.

Collector’s Name: Miranda Greig

Tags/Keywords: Homeopathic Magic. Ritual. Diffusion.

Title: Braids

General Information about Item:

• Ritual

• English

• United States

Informant Data:

Julia was born in Boston, MA on February 13, 1997. Her father is a physician and her mother is a teacher. Julia is American, but her family is of German origin, making her of North American and Western European background. Julia is a junior at Dartmouth College studying biology and classics. At Dartmouth, Julia is involved in Hillel and is a TA in the classical studies department.     

Contextual Data:

• Social Context
  • This data was collected during a one-on-one conversation at Baker library at Dartmouth College on October 30, 2017. Julia described to me a superstition of hers that she practices before every exam in order to do well on each exam. Julia is a Biology and Classics double major and she is also pre-med and by wearing her hair in braids for every exam, she believes that it keeps the hair out of her face so they are not serving as a distraction and it has allowed her to perform substantially better on each exam compared to when she is not wearing her hair in braids. Julia first heard of this superstition from one of her friends in Hillel. They said that it was absolutely amazing and stopped her from playing with her hair during the test and keeping her distracted. Julia, who is easily distracted during her exams as well, decided to give it a try and was amazed at how well it worked. She scored 15 points above the median on her Biology 13 exam. She only wears her hair in braids now and has since told her other friends in Hillel about it.      

• Cultural Context
  • The cultural context of this folklore reflects the competitive atmosphere of Dartmouth College and the added pressure to do very well academically in order to receive great job offers and entrance into great graduate schools and programs, such as medical school. With Dartmouth College being on a quarter system, this adds even more pressure to students as the terms proceed rapidly and falling behind is something that every student must avoid if they want to perform well academically, so they turn to various superstitions.  
• Item: 
  • On the day of an exam, Julia wears her hair in braids. She explained to me that by wearing her hair in braids, it keeps her hair from falling in her face during the exam, serving as a distraction. Ever since she began wearing her hair in braids for exams, she said that she has performed substantially better compared to when she did not wear braids for previous exams at Dartmouth. For example, she said that on her first Biology 13 midterm, she scored the median when her hair was not in braids and that for the second exam when she was wearing her hair in braids, she scored well above the median (15 points to be exact), leading her to believe that it was having her hair in braids that allowed her to score better, so now it is a superstition of her’s to wear her hair in braids for each and every exam. Julia said to me “I was always so distracted in all of my exams because I would constantly play with my hair in hopes of easing my anxiety. My friend in Hillel told me that she wears her hair in braids and it prevents her from becoming distracted and she scores a lot higher on her exams than when she is not wearing her hair in braids. I tried it and I was amazed at how well it worked! I scored 15 points above the median on a Bio 13 exam! I have since worn my hair in braids for every exam. I cannot score well without them!”
• Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):
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Collector’s Name: Miranda Greig

Tags/Keywords: Homeopathic Magic. Ritual. Diffusion.

Title:

General Information about Item:

• Ritual

• English

• United States

Informant Data:

• Lily Clark was born in Orange County, California, on December 2, 1997.

Contextual Data:

• Social Context

• Cultural Context
  • Item:

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

• Insert Media File Here

Transcript of Associated File:

Informant’s Comments:

• Insert Informant’s Comments Here

Collector’s Comments:

• Insert Collector’s Comments Here

Collector’s Name: 

Tags/Keywords:

Title: Lucky Tracksuit & Neon Sneakers

General Information about Item:

• Ritual

• English

• United States

Informant Data:

• Stas Van Genderen was born on April 15th, 1999 in Moscow, Russia. His family currently resides in Cape Coral, Florida. He is a ’21 at Dartmouth studying Economics. Stas would love to pursue a career in finance. He is both very spiritual and superstitious.

Contextual Data:

Social Context:

• The data was collected in person in the Jones Media Center. Paul asked Stas if he had any pre-exam superstitions or rituals and gave him a minute to think before responding. Stas started wearing Adidas gear prior to all exams his first week at Dartmouth. He noticed other athletes that did that, so he wanted to mimic their behavior to create success for himself.

Cultural Context:

• The cultural context of this folklore reflects the competitive atmosphere of Dartmouth college, where every grade impacts as student’s GPA. Students at an Ivy League do not just try to succeed in their classes, but to outperform their peers. As a result of this high stress environment, students may turn to superstitions or ritual to lessen the pressure.

Item:

• Stas claimed to be a very superstitious person. He is currently ranked second in the state of Florida for the 500 freestyle for his age group. Ever since he was little, his club team wore Adidas gear at all swim competitions. So, at Dartmouth, he wanted to transfer his success in the pool to success in the classroom. He now wears an Adidas tracksuit and neon green sneakers for all exams.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

• IMG_9916

Transcript of Associated File:

Before every exam I dress in full Adidas gear — full track suit… I had [an exam] today in Russian… I think it went pretty well… I have full Adidas gear and that means it’s always going to work… it has to be the green shoes, some form of Adidas sweats, and then an Adidas jacket.

Collector’s Comments:

• Stas’s lucky Adidas gear represents a modern form of contagious magic. By wearing swim gear during exams, he attempts to transfer his success in athletics to success in academics. This item is considered folklore because he learned about this charm from other Dartmouth students on his swim team who also have lucky gear.

Collector’s Name: Jamir Pleitez

Tags/Keywords: Physical Charm. Contagious Magic. Superstition.

Title: Lucky Ring

General Information about Item:

• Ritual

• English

• United States

Informant Data:

• Megan Greig was born in St. Clair, Michigan on December 2, 1998. Her father is a carpenter and her mother is a realtor. Megan is American, but her family origin is German, making her background North American and Western European. Megan is a freshman at Dartmouth College studying econ and is hopeful for a career in law.  Megan is involved in various business clubs on campus and is in the process of joining one of the debate teams.

Contextual Data:

Social Context:

• This data was collected during an interview at Collis on October 30, 2017. Megan described to me a superstition that she practices to help her perform well on all of her exams. Megan is an econ major on a pre-law track and by wearing the ring on the day of every exam, Megan believes that it helps her perform better than when she is not wearing it. This ritual was passed onto Megan from one of her upperclassmen friends who is also an econ major. Her friend explained to her how on the day of every exam, she wears the same ring on the same finger of her writing hand as she believes that the ring affords her good luck and that she would not perform well if she was not wearing it. Megan then tried the same thing by wearing a ring that she has on the day of her exams and she performed a lot better than when she was not wearing the ring. She has since told her other friends about this superstition of hers.  

Cultural Context:

• The cultural context of this folklore reflects the competitive atmosphere of being on a pre-law track. Law school is extremely competitive and it requires one to academically well and obtain a great GPA, and this added pressure makes people turn to practicing various rituals in order to perform well academically, so one turns to various superstitions in order to perform well. The cultural context also reflects the competitive atmosphere of Dartmouth College and the added pressure to do very well academically in order to receive great job offers and entrance into great graduate schools and programs. With Dartmouth College being on a quarter system, this adds even more pressure to students as the terms proceed rapidly and falling behind is something that every student must avoid if they want to perform well academically, so they turn to performing superstitions to help them perform well.

Item:

• On the day of an exam, Megan wears a specific ring to help her perform better on her exams. Megan said that her friend who is an upperclassman and an econ major as well told her about the superstition and that by her wearing the same ring for each exam, she believes that she performs substantially better than when she does not wear the ring. Megan explained to me “On the day of each exam, I wear the same ring on the same finger on my right hand. I believe that by having the ring on my writing hand, the ring will transfer luck and help guide me towards writing the correct answers. The ring provides me with comfort in knowing that I will perform well on my exam when I have it on my finger.”

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

Collector’s Name: Miranda Greig

Tags/Keywords:Physical Charm. Contagious Magic. Superstition.

Title: Lucky Ring

General Information about Item:

• Ritual

• English

• United States

Informant Data:

• Ali Vannett was born on September 22nd, 1997 in Bismarck, North Dakota. Her family currently resides in Fargo, North Dakota. She is a ’20 at Dartmouth studying Government and Music. Ali would love to pursue a career in Politics. She considers herself a very superstitious person.

Contextual Data:

Social Context:

• The data was collected in person in the Berry Library on the first floor. Paul asked Ali if she had any pre-exam superstitions or rituals and gave her a minute to think before responding. Ali responded that she wears the same ring on her middle finger during exams that her mom used when she took exams in college. It helps her to relax and cannot take an exam without the ring on her finger.

Cultural Context;

• The cultural context of this folklore reflects the competitive atmosphere of Dartmouth college, where every grade impacts as student’s GPA. Students at an Ivy League do not just try to succeed in their classes, but to outperform their peers. As a result of this high stress environment, students may turn to superstitions or ritual to lessen the pressure.

Item:

• Ali claimed to be a very superstitious person. She wears a lucky ring on her middle finger of her left hand. She claims the ring “grounds” her and gives her good luck. Ali says that whenever she takes an exam without the ring, she is super fidgety and out of place. This is a great example of contagious magic in modern day; Ali genuinely believes by wearing the ring, she will have good luck.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

Transcript of Interview: 

Last week I took a test and I didn’t have it on and I would catch myself sitting there wanting to play with it while thinking and it wasn’t there so I thought about it and I think it messed with me a little bit. But since then I’ve had it on and I’m not going to take it off. 

Collector’s Name: Paul Cane

Tags/Keywords:Physical Charm. Contagious Magic. Superstition.

Title: Lucky Ring

General Information about Item:

• Ritual

• English

• United States

Informant Data:

• Lizzie Clark was born in Orange County, California, on December 2, 1997. Her father owns a landscaping company and mother her mom is a real estate agent. Lizzie is an American Caucasian, but her family origins are Mexican and English so her background is Central American and Western. She is sophomore at Dartmouth College, studying Biological Anthropology. Lizzie  participates in Student Council and Ledyard Canoe Club in her free time.

Contextual Data:

Social Context:

• The data was collected during a one on one interview on Fourth Floor Berry while Lizzie was preparing for an Anthropology presentation. She described a ritual she does before every exam or presentation – a high pressure context – to outperform her peers. Lizzie stated that she heard this ritual from one of her freshman floormates and decided to replicate it herself.

Cultural Context:

• The cultural context of this folklore reflects the competitive atmosphere of Dartmouth college, where every grade impacts as student’s GPA. Students at an Ivy League do not just try to succeed in their classes, but to outperform their peers. As a result of this high stress environment, students may turn to superstitions or ritual to lessen the pressure.

Item:

• Lizzie wears three rings on her right hand before every exam for good luck. She claims they help prevent her hand from cramping when she writes long answers on exams. She heard about using a lucky ring from one of her freshman floormates, Kyra, who also wears a lucky ring on her right hand the day of an exam. Lizzie used to experience hand cramps in high school whenever she would write long answers during exams. Now, every time Lizzie has worn her lucky ring, she has never experienced a hand cramp on an exam.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

Collector’s Comments:

• When wearing rings, Lizzie has never experienced hand cramps. Now she is superstitious of taking an exam without them — and wouldn’t dare to do so.

Collector’s Name: Kyle Rosen

Tags/Keywords: Physical Charm. Superstition. Contagious Magic.