Hey! I'm excited to welcome you to my blog page! I'm Andrea Agola, a '26 born in Kenya and raised just outside of D.C. As the eldest child of three, I'm the first to go off to college! I'm glad Dartmouth will enable me to explore both the sciences and humanities. Don't even get me started on the numerous extracurriculars that pique my interest, like the Dartmouth Center for Social Impact, research projects and dance groups. Follow along as I navigate this unique college experience!
Academic Program
Sociology major, International Studies Minor, Pre-Med
Favorite Thing Right Now
Studying abroad on the French LSA+ in Toulouse, France!
When I began my first term at Dartmouth, I knew I wanted to explore the French language and culture more after having been a French music and film fan for as long as I can remember. This was an accelerated course that covered French 1 and 2 in one term and offered an exciting and fast-paced atmosphere. The small nature of our class allowed us all to have more speaking time in class from partner activities to performing creative skits. One of the best assignments was a scavenger hunt! I was also able to learn and make a presentation about francophone countries. This class really prompted me to apply for the ‘24 Winter–Toulouse, France Study Abroad which I got accepted into!
This course considers the discipline and political happenings of Black Feminist Thought by highlighting interlocking issues related to gender, sexuality, race, and economics. The professor was amazing! I was always genuinely excited to do her assigned readings/viewings and remember being sad when she canceled class one day (imagine!). I reveled in the thought-provoking, warm, restorative (the list goes on & on) ambience that she fostered. I even took advantage of a cool opportunity that Dartmouth offers, the “Take a Faculty Member out To Lunch” program at Pine Restaurant across from campus. I enjoyed the lovely conversation we had over delicious food. Her class was such a great source of empowerment!
This course examines the epidemiology and social impact of past and present infectious disease epidemics. It was a great and insightful class to take for the Global Health Minor! I had the chance of hearing from many influential guest lecturers like the Former Minister of Health of Rwanda and a key member of the U.S Covid Task Force.
This course explores causes and patterns of global poverty and links this with the urgent need for care and care ethics in our lives and in society broadly. Not only did the class feel like such a caring environment but it was especially interesting because it had a Social Impact Practicum (SIP) component. A SIP is a project-based experiential learning opportunity connecting undergraduate courses at Dartmouth with community needs identified by nonprofit organizations. In other words, a SIP is a real-world project with real-world impact. My SIP was my care work as a UGA within Dartmouth's Residential Life.
If you've watched Pitch Perfect, you probably have a good idea of what college acapella is. During New Student Orientation in first year I was so shocked to learn that acapella is a BIG thing at Dartmouth. There are 11 acapella groups at Dartmouth; three female, three male, and two co-ed groups. Acapella is essentially singing without backup music in a group so everyone splits into different vocal groups (Soprano, Mezzo-soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, Bass) and fills in the "music" and ad libs while a soloist sings the lyrics... Ooh and there are also people who beat-box (I'll try to learn how to)! Acapella is pretty well supported and loved by the student body. Friends will come to shows that are usually in collaboration with the dance and comedy improv groups on-campus.
For our first meeting, we all wore flair (loud, silly, brightly-colored clothing) and met in the BEMA (a little clearing in the woods next to the Shattuck Observatory that is great for stargazing and also where first-year students hold their candlelight ceremony during Orientation week). I can't say give me more details without spoiling the surprise so I'll leave it there. Just know we had a fun time and got to bond as new members of the Sings for the Summer. We now have rehearsals twice a week on Monday and Thursday evenings from 7-9 PM. Our first show was on a Saturday afternoon during StreetFest. Other Summer acapella and dance groups performed so it was so fun to see all my friends that decided to try something new this Summer.
I found it really fun and a tad nerve-wracking since we didn't have many rehearsals before it. We sang two great songs that the crowd loved, "Work Song" by Hozier and "Stacy's Mom" by Fountains of Wayne. Yet again, we wore flair during the performance and all stood in an arc around the soloists for each song. We got to incorporate cool choreography for each song. During "Work Song", we all dramatically stepped out to the side when the chorus began so that we were singing directly facing the crowd. Then in Stacy's Mom, we had little dances and hand motions for parts of the song. We mimicked putting on a backpack during "Stacy, can I come over after school?" Then we mimicked pushing lawn mowers after "Stacy, do you remember when I mowed your lawn?" and we pointed out during "And the way she said, "You missed a spot over there." It was also great that many parents and families were in town so we dedicated the song to "all the mom's out there!"
How do Dartmouth students balance their classes and social life in a reasonable way? Somehow, we manage to get good grades and prioritize our academics while also making life-long friendships and memories.
What to bring to Dartmouth and what to buy when you are here? A stress inducing decision making process for most incoming students, here is my perspective on some truly important things to bring to Dartmouth and what to leave behind!
Dartmouth has a multitude of sports and amenities for division I athletes, club athletes, intramural athletes, and others who are looking to remain active in their free time.
As much as I love studying abroad on Dartmouth's Full Immersion in Rome Italian program, I also really miss campus! Here's a look back at some of the places I can't wait to get back to soon.
