Welcome to my page, I am a '27 from central New Hampshire! I came to Dartmouth for the liberal arts curriculum, so I plan to explore the academic disciplines before deciding what to focus on. I am currently looking at environmental science and religion. In addition to blogging, I am part of the Interfaith LLC (Living Learning Community) and Great Issues Scholars. I enjoy mountain biking, running, skiing, singing, and drawing.
Academic Program
Intended: pre-health, environmental science or biology, and religion.
This discussion and reading-based class was incredible and relevant! Content ranged from the historical impact of the printing press to AI in the workforce and transhumanism, and all of the topics were grounded in religion and some of the frameworks religion provides. I pondered on ideas from this class all the time.
I was captivated by the first class meeting of the term reading Ovid's 'Metamorphoses' and eventually chose to focus on it for my research paper at the end of the term. All of the readings captivated my attention, however, Kafka, Han's 'The Vegetarian', and Kristeva were the authors that made the biggest impression on me. The class discussions resulted in wonderful insights relevant to humanity at a macro level. My favorite aspect was our professor instructing us to focus on the ideas before picking apart the writing style.
My language journey at Dartmouth started the summer before matriculating (starting courses) and at that time I took a written Spanish placement exam. During orientation week I also took an oral placement exam to try to get the most accurate placement for my abilities and background with Spanish. I landed right around the end of the introductory sequence, so a quick conversation at the end of my oral exam determined that it was best if I took Spanish 3. I recognized that I come from a background with several different Spanish teachers over many years who had a variety of styles and that this would not necessarily lead to a smooth transition into the Spanish courses at Dartmouth. Be kind to yourself and try to be open minded when realizing that you might have some knowledge gaps in some areas, as in try not to compare yourself to your peers—everyone brings something to the Dartmouth experience and that varies widely.
I was also aware of some study-abroad options before coming to Dartmouth, so during my placement process I had my eye on the Santander, Spain LSA (language study abroad). The thing about a LSA as compared to a LSA+ is that if you are overqualified, you cannot go on the trip, so that is part of why I was okay with being realistic about my abilities and accepting that even though I had prior experience with Spanish, I still had room for growth. LSA options are for when you are still in the beginning of a language at Dartmouth, whereas LSA+ is if you are more advanced in your proficiency of a language, which can come from taking more courses at Dartmouth! An interesting exception to look at is the FIRE study abroad with the Italian department—it does not require prior courses in Italian.
I was accepted into the Santander LSA program, so that worked out well! Currently, in my spring term, I am taking a drill to prepare for the LSA this summer even though I am not taking a Spanish course. Drill is basically a time to work on the grammar and vocabulary skills in a conversational context outside of class time multiple times a week. In my case drill is three 50-minute blocks on set times and days each week.
*For an overview of all of the pathways based off of your language background check out this page from the registrar.
As a side note, the photo I used for this post is from a trip I took with my high school to Costa Rica last summer for Spanish immersion.
What kind of classes do you take in a subject-based Foreign Study Program? Here's a rundown of my classes in the Music FSP in London to give you an idea of what academic life is like in the program!
After returning from an enriching study abroad program, I'm diving into a bustling spring semester here at Dartmouth. Here are my four courses I'm taking this term!
Dartmouth's liberal arts curriculum pushes students to explore new departments and draw connections between seemingly disparate disciplines. Come explore my Economics, Physics, and Asian, Societies, Cultures, and Languages classes!
