你好! or hi! My name is Yutong, but feel free to call me Taylor. I'm a '27 from Beijing, China. This will be my first time living ten thousand miles away from home and my first time embracing the New England winter, which makes everything more exciting! I'm also a big fan of Dartmouth Outing Club, and you can find me canoeing in the Connecticut River or taking a walk at Pine Park. I can't wait to show you my college life with my blogs!
Coming to Dartmouth with a solid background in French (Delf B2), I find French 3 a perfect fit for me -- it helps me to consolidate a lot of key grammar and vocabs, and fun weekly cultural activities like coffee hours and french lunch table offers me chances to relax in busy times. While the class is very rigorous and requires a lot of hard work, my professor is so nice and makes the class very fun! I also look forward to going to Dartmouth's Toulouse LSA program after completion of this class!
This course explores how Buddhist concepts of embodiment affect daily life and society in Southeast Asian contexts, and how the intersection of religion, sexuality, and gender impact broader understandings of authority, wisdom, beauty, death, and loyalty. The class takes on many forms beyond mere lectures -- a visit to the Hood Museum of Art, mindfulness practices, and small Buddha-crafting projects. Our professor (the sweetest Prof. MK Long) also invites many of her colleagues at other institutes as guest lecturers to our class so that we can learn from real experts specializing in different countries in Southeast Asia. I have learned a lot from the class and decided to become a religion major after this course!
Having never enjoyed math classes before college, I'm surprised (again) by how I'm becoming a math major and falling in love with math here! My professor (Prof. Shu Longmei, who graduated from the best university in my hometown) is incredibly good at teaching the concepts -- not just explaining things clearly but also showing us the beauty and elegance of calculus. I really look forward to taking more math classes in the future!
If you have a passion for arts and crafts like me, Dartmouth is the perfect fit for you! There are numerous (free) opportunities waiting to be explored!
In the first few weeks of every term, amidst the less hectic schedule, I immerse myself in arts and crafts. In this post, I'm going to share with you some of my favorite places to make arts and crafts on campus.
1. The Donald Claflin Jewelry Studio
Dartmouth's jewelry studio has always been my "sanctuary"—a cute little space in the visual arts center that welcomes me, allows me to escape the hustle and bustle, and turns my creative ideas into reality. The studio has everything you need to bring your jewelry visions to life, from rings and pendants to bracelets and necklaces. Some students even recreate famous jewelry designs; graduate students have sought help crafting engagement rings. Whatever your imagination holds, the jewelry studio can help you manifest it!
Some rings and bracelet that I've made at the Jewelry studio
2. Woodworking Workshop
The Woodworking shop is a "makerspace" mentored by professional woodworkers. It's a very well-equipped open studio for all Dartmouth students and includes a wide range of materials for sale. While I signed up for a woodworking session this term, I got sick and didn't make it there. However, my friend went there and recounted her fun experience of learning how to use various woodworking tools.
3. Collis After Dark
Offering late-night social and entertainment events every Friday and Saturday, Collis After Dark is a hub for creativity. From concerts and comedy to late-night food, it hosts diverse events throughout the year. One memorable event was the snowglobe-making session that kicked off the term—it was incredibly fun to meet new friends, chat, and bond while we painted our own snowglobes!
Snowglobe making with friends (mine's on the right)
I have written about being a student worker plenty of times in the past, but I have yet to talk about one of my favorite jobs ever: ticket selling at the Hopkins Center for the Arts.
On Monday, April 8, 2024, a phenomenal total solar eclipse occurred — and we happened to be within the path of totality. As a result, Dartmouth hosted a variety of eclipse-related events on- and off-campus. Find out how I spent the eclipse!
