Hi guys! I'm Chidera and I'm a '25 from Lagos, Nigeria. I've lived in a big city for nearly half of my life, so it's great to experience the scenic outdoor spaces surrounding Dartmouth. Outside of the classroom, I conduct research with the economics department, I'm a peer tutor for the Academic Skills Center and I'm also involved with the Dartmouth Energy Alliance.
Taking this class was a random and unexpected decision that I am so happy I made. This class was about the intersection between human and primate evolution and our social behaviors. It really opened my eyes to how unique and beautifully diverse different societies are, and how this uniqueness influences our biology in interesting ways.
Taught by Professor Doyle, this has been my favorite class at Dartmouth so far. It was a calculus integrated with economic applications of the concepts we learned. It was the first time this class was offered at Dartmouth, and Professor Doyle made sure we all had a thorough understanding of the material. The fact that we were also able to see the real-world applications of the calculus concepts also made the class uniquely interesting.
I took this class to fulfill Dartmouth's first-year seminar requirement. In selecting a first-year seminar class, I sought out a department that I would not have taken a class in otherwise. It was an incredibly fulfilling experience and I learnt so much about Parisian Impressionist painters in the late 19th century like Monet, Manet, Degas, Morisot and Renoir. It also taught me about the political, social and economic conditions that typically inspire pivotal art movements.
SummerWashington D.C.
This summer, I interned at the International Finance Corporation in DC, through the Rockefeller Center's First-Year Fellows program which gives first-year students the opportunity to engage in public policy early in their Dartmouth careers. I lived with about twenty other members of Dartmouth's Class of 2025 and got to experience life in a vibrant city while gaining professional work experience.
I spent this term in Accra, Ghana for the African and African American Studies department's Foreign Study Program (FSP). I'm so glad I was able to take advantage of one of Dartmouth's study-abroad programs. During this FSP, I got to explore a new country and city while taking classes taught by the amazing professors at the University of Ghana.
After being away from campus for six months, I decided to start working towards fulfilling my distributive requirements. To fulfill my ART distrib, I took a Russian film class with a friend. It was an amazing experience and a testament to the ways a liberal arts education encourages you to approach each class through an interdisciplinary lens. For my final essay in this class, I explored the ways that government and political culture affect the nature of the film industry in different countries.
This class is one of the prerequisites for the international economics track's culminating experience. Dartmouth's economics major allows you to focus on a specific field that you're interested in, while also having the opportunity to take a couple of classes in other fields. Before taking this class, I had always been interested in international economics and this class definitely cemented my interests in the field.
I used my sophomore summer off term to conduct research with the economics department through the Dartmouth Economics Research Scholars and with the funding of the James O. Freedman Presidential Scholarship. My research project, which was mentored and advised by a faculty member, focused on the effects of European Union climate policy on the economy of my home country, Nigeria. It gave me the opportunity to apply and better understand several concepts I learnt in economics classes at Dartmouth.
This was the most enjoyable and impactful class I have ever taken at Dartmouth! Each assigned reading and class discussion was more enthralling and thought-provoking than the last. This class taught me how to think outside the box, write academic articles in the field of the humanities and how to intellectualise and synthesise my own lived experiences in a way that contributes meaningfully to existing literature in African Studies. Lastly, it taught me to think critically about pressing social issues within the African continent.
Congratulations to all the amazing, intelligent, passionate, and outstanding members of Dartmouth's Class of 2028. The entire Dartmouth community is so excited to have a new group of students join our campus community this fall. For people who are deciding between various colleges at this time, knowing what to expect from the Dartmouth experience is incredibly useful information to have. And for newly accepted students who are already certain they will attend Dartmouth, reading about this information is very exciting! Therefore, I decided to put together a list of the parts of Dartmouth that I think newly accepted students should be excited about.
Firstly, Dartmouth has such a seamless and exciting welcoming experience for new students. As an international student from a very different culture and background, I was very apprehensive about how I would adjust to Dartmouth's social environment during my first few days on campus.
When I first arrived at Dartmouth, I was welcomed by the Dartmouth International Student Pre-Orientation Program (ISPOP). Some ISPOP mentors even welcomed new Dartmouth students traveling to campus alone at the Boston airport before their bus ride to Hanover. ISPOP was an amazing opportunity to not only meet other international students who shared similar experiences and fears about the new environment with me, but also learn more about the specific immigration rules that applied to us. ISPOP was followed by the beloved First-Year Trips program which provides an engaging and fun space for new students to develop a sense of belonging at Dartmouth and its surrounding areas through an exciting outdoor experience. Many of my friends have signed up to be Trips leaders this year and are enthusiastically awaiting the arrival of their 'Trippees,' first-year students who will be on their Trip.
Another aspect of Dartmouth that seems daunting but is an integral and fulfilling part of the nature of this campus is how novel every experience is for most Dartmouth students. Dartmouth is unique in almost every regard, from its location in a small New England town, its small class sizes, its dedication to undergraduate teaching and its beloved campus traditions. Regardless of the background and experiences of the people you meet, everyone is experiencing Dartmouth for the first time, which makes the memories formed in such moments truly special and profound.
From being officially welcomed to the Dartmouth community during the Homecoming bonfire and the snowball fight after the first snowfall to the fun Winter Carnival activities and the spring music festival that rounds out the year, the novelty of these experiences bonds you with the people you share them with and gives you a unique sense of belonging.
Lastly, Dartmouth gives you the opportunity to explore the interests you have honed throughout your high school years through real-world experiences. One way Dartmouth has changed the way I approach intellectual ideas is by giving me the opportunity to constantly engage with these ideas in a tangible way. This allows me to have a deeper understanding of and dedication to these ideas. Through Dartmouth's extracurricular activities, student organizations, research, and internship opportunities, various student interests such as politics, scientific research, policy making, community service, and entrepreneurship can be explored in practical ways. At Dartmouth, I have been able to explore my interests in climate change and economic policymaking through various research and internship programs.
It's easy to forget how easy it is to access walking trails during the hustle of a Dartmouth term. As graduation nears, I am reminded of how special it is to step off campus and enjoy quiet moments in nature.
With a solar eclipse sweeping across North America for the first time in nearly seven years on April 8th came a road-trip with hundreds of other Dartmouth students to a zone of totality near campus: St. Johnsbury, Vermont!
