Hi there! I'm Nathan, from Lynn, MA (basically Boston). At the moment, I'm studying Engineering and Biology, though I hope to explore courses across the Humanities and Social Sciences. I'm an aspiring naturalist who loves writing, drawing, and photography. My time outside the classroom is spent running trails, reading random wikipedia articles, or speaking French with Francophone friends. Explore my posts for an inside perspective of everything Dartmouth has to offer!
I took this class to explore the Biology Department and it ended up defining my freshman Fall. I grew close with other biology-minded students and together we delved deep into cellular mechanisms and processes in a fast-paced environment. The labs were long but rewarding and everything about this class made me a better scientist—Professor Bezanilla is an amazing teacher! I would recommend this class to anyone with a passion for biology and research.
To give a brief overview of Dartmouth's academic system, students need 35 credits to graduate, usually take 3 courses per term, and typically take three terms a year. The unique quarter system we have also has its own name: the "D-Plan" (which provides flexibility for when you'd like to be on and off campus, this post provides a more nuanced description of the system!).
Now, to graduate, one must fulfill a diverse set of class requirements in addition to their major(s). Namely, a language requirement, a first-year writing requirement, a first-year seminar requirement, and various requirements we call "distribs" (distributive acronyms can be initially confusing: ART, LIT, TMW, INT, SOC, QDS, SCI, etc.). However, if this seems like a lot, but don't worry! This system is meant to help you explore the liberal arts curriculum, and the vast majority of students love it!
BIOL 16: Ecology
I'm taking yet another lab course this term—this time it is ecology in the biology department, which will be my third course in the natural sciences at Dartmouth (first cellular biology, earth science, and now ecology). My reasoning for taking this course was to explore the "ecology scene" on-campus and see if it's something I'd like to continue pursuing, as I did a lot of ecology-related coursework and extracurriculars in high school. While not completely outside of my comfort zone, it's nice to revisit a subject I'm familiar with and see it with a new light! I'd recommend doing this for any departments you're thinking about majoring in. So far, the professor has been fantastic (the one and only Professor Ayres) and the class feels like a collective exploration/investigation into the world around us.
ENGS 21: Introduction to Engineering
Engineering! Yes, I'm back to engineering. After completing the TuckLab Entrepreneurship Program last term (See Part 1 and Part 2), I've realized I really like innovating new ideas in a team—and when it comes down to whether or not I will pursue a career in research, I can still do so with an engineering degree! Thus, I'm back on the engineering path and here I am.
Introduction to engineering is different from most Engs classes, however, as it teaches you how to bring an idea from concept to reality in a 10-week term. In order to accomplish this, the course contains extra weekly sessions that provide training on how to navigate the machine shop, use computer-aided-design, and create basic circuits (and more!).
ENGS 11, The Way Things Work: A Visual Introduction to Engineering
Another ENGS course? Well, yes—but it's a non-major course and fulfills the ART distributive requirement (which just so happens to be an added plus). In this class, I'm being taught by a childhood hero of mine: David Macaulay. If you've heard of the illustrated books "The Way Things Work" or "Castle," or "Cathedral," Macaulay is the author. He brings his drawing expertise to class and, together, we sketch common objects in the attempt to understand their inner workings. In his words, it's really a class about learning to "look harder and see more." So far, it's been surreal and I would recommend the course to anyone with a curiosity for the engineered world (whether you're artistically inclined or not).
COSC 1 Introduction to Programming and Computation
Lastly, I decided to hop into an introductory computer science class last minute. Since I have no prior CS experience, and it's a prerequisite for engineering, I thought now would be a great time to see what the world of computing is all about! Thus far, the class has consisted of very enthusiastic lectures from Professor Campbell (10/10) and short coding assignments (we're learning python). I couldn't believe how extensive the support system for this class was—there are a dozen TAs and office hours offered pretty much all week!
Why four courses?
None of my classes are flipped, which means I learn most of the content in class (and is also time-saving); I'm genuinely enjoying all of them! The best part about college is loving to learn and being in a position to do so much as you want—the number of courses and difficulty is really only constrained by your personal enjoyment.
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!
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!
