Hey y'all! I'm Caroline York, and I'm a '25 from Georgia! My hope is to share my Dartmouth experience with potential '29s, '30s, '31s and beyond! On campus, I write sports for The Dartmouth, am a Center for Social Impact SIBS mentor, am in Christian life, a Tour Guide, a Dartmouth Emergency Medical Services (EMS) member, and do medical research! Otherwise, you'll find me at the Norwich Farmers' Market, studying in the Tower Room, and running along the Appalachian Trail. Welcome to my world!
I initially took this class because I wanted to know more about Dartmouth’s history with Native Americans. It ended up being my favorite class because Professor Duthu was so enthusiastic about Native American affairs. He related the lectures to his own experiences growing up on a reservation, which made the class come to life.
As a potential Classics major on the pre-health track, this class was perfect for me! We learned about different medical practices from Rome and Greece and how medicine had changed in the past 2,000 years. We had a class in the Geisel School of Medicine and got to hold human organs!
I took this class because I wanted to learn more about the economy. Econ 2 focuses on the current economic climate in the US, so we would follow the DOW Jones on a daily basis to establish trends. In an economy impacted by a pandemic, inflation, and a war, this class was so helpful in my understanding of the financial climate of the country.
Physics with Professor Blencowe was delightful. His enthusiasm for the subject matter created excitement for students. The labs were hands-on and interactive to learn about the mechanics of the world.
This class fulfilled the Interdisciplinary Approach to my Global Health minor, and I enjoyed every minute of it. With Professor McCabe, we discussed gender and how its structure impacts our daily lives. My final research project studied gender within "Grey's Anatomy," which was created by Shonda Rhimes '91.
I used my "off-term" to travel to Hanoi, Vietnam for a Dartmouth Dickey Center Global Health Internship. I worked for the Institute of Population, Health, and Development, and studied health disparities in Vietnam.
This class was taught by a visiting professor, and she did an excellent job of engaging the class and making the material exciting. We learned about the historical Jesus figure in a Jewish context, and we connected the class content to modern day movies about Jesus.
I did a transfer term at Trinity College, Dublin, which means I took three courses at Trinity. My favorite was "Roman Archaeology" because I had never taken an archaeology course yet for my Classical Studies major.
Math 3 with Professor Erp was such a delight! He made math so understandable and accessible. I can honestly say I enjoy doing integrals after this class!
This class was fantastic! Professor Kramer is very knowledgeable about this field. Although I don't have an engineering background, this class was a great introduction. I learned how everything from medical tools to the Colosseum were made and built.
SummerAtlanta, GA
This was my first off-term (meaning I wasn't taking any Dartmouth classes) since my sophomore spring! I did a wonderful internship that was completely funded by Dartmouth; I'll write blog posts to share more!
FallAtlanta, GA
This was another great off-term internship that was funded by Dartmouth!
WinterAtlanta, GA
For winter term, I decided to do an internship with an Atlanta-based ophthalmologist that was completely funded by the Center for Professional Development (CPD). I worked for Dr. Jordan Stanley, who specializes in glaucoma and cataract surgeries, and I had the opportunity to shadow him and gain hands-on clinical experience that is invaluable to a future career in medicine. Thank you, CPD and Dr. Stanley for this incredible term!
SpringAthens, Greece
Favorite Class: Ancient Literature and History
I finished my time at Dartmouth on the Classics Foreign Study Program (FSP) in Athens, Greece. For seven weeks, we took classes at a partner institution, College Year Athens, and for the remaining four weeks we travelled to Sicily, the Greek Peloponnese, the Cycladic Islands, and a week on an archaeological dig on Despotiko Island. This was an incredible experience and a great way to finish my Classical Studies major.
Though I may be biased as a Classics major myself, I believe that the Dartmouth Classics department is extraordinary, offering a wide variety of classes from professors with ranging research backgrounds. Because of this, the Classics department offers four distinct majors that allow students to focus on what they really enjoy.
Classical Studies
This is the most popular major within the department, and it is the broadest as it emphasizes study in all areas of Classics (History, Archaeology, Ancient Languages, Literature/Philosophy/Religion). I am a Classical Studies major, and I love the flexibility it offers. I've taken classes fromCLST 10.10: Ancient Medicineto ARTH 11.02: Alexander to Cleopatra: Art in an Unsettled World, and each class always offers new knowledge.
Classical Archaeology
Classical Archaeology is popular amongst students who intend to do fieldwork either on their off-terms or as a career. This major highly encourages students to go on either the Rome or Greece Foreign Study Program (FSP) as both emphasize fieldwork. In fact, I will soon be digging at an ancient site, Despotiko, with my Greece FSP!
As a note, the Anthropology department offers its own Archaeologyconcentration separate from the Classics department. The Anthropology route applies to more civilizations outside of the Greco-Roman world. As someone who has a minor in the Anthropology department (Global Health), I love the Anthropology department too, and I appreciate that Dartmouth students can choose which route they want for archaeology!
A Spartan statue from my Greece Foreign Study Program!
Ancient History
If you love Classical history, this is the major for you! Five of the major courses emphasize history, and the remaining four courses are in languages or archaeology, which are essential to the study of history. The 10th course is an elective that can be taken in departments such as Anthropology, Comparative Literature, and History, meaning that students can get a taste of history from another academic discipline.
Classical Languages and Literatures
For those of you who love Latin or Greek (as I did in high school), you will love this major. Six of the classes for this major are in Greek and Latin, and you can either specialize in Greek or Latin or you can do a combination of the two languages. If you receive a 4 or 5 in AP Latin or get a certain score on the Latin placement test, you will be placed intoLatin 10, the intermediate section. If you are a novice, you will doLatin 1, 2, and 3, and then start the major with Latin 10.
I should note that all of these majors (which consist of ten classes) are available as minors (which have six classes).
If you want to major in the Classics but are unsure which specific major you want to do, I'd recommend starting by taking classes that fulfill 3-4 of the majors and see which area sticks out to you. The department has an overview of the majors with required classes that can be helpful when mapping out yourD-Plan! You really can't go wrong with any of the Classics majors; it's all about finding the right fit.
This term, I competed in the annual Speech at Dartmouth competition, but would never have had this opportunity without the support of Dartmouth faculty. Read on as I share how I got here!
