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!
If you are interested in going to a professional health school—whether it be medical school, dental school, physician assistant school, among others—clinical hours are important because they give you insight into the field that you hope to go into and ensure that is the path you want to take before committing to years of graduate school. Clinical hours can look like a lot of different things, including shadowing a health provider, working as an EMT, working as a medical assistant, volunteering as an interpreter, and many other pathways.
Before this term, I had clinical hours from various experiences including shadowing doctors to working for Dartmouth EMS. I wanted to build on these experiences and work for a doctor near my hometown. My previous fall internship connected me to Dr. Jordan Stanley, who is the founder and ophthalmologist at PureSight Surgical in Marietta, GA. Working with PureSight Surgical has been one of my most impactful experiences during my college career. Shadowing, working with, and learning from Dr. Stanley has confirmed my dream to go to medical school. Dr. Stanley and I crafted the internship to be multifaceted—I work with him at PureSight Surgical, and I also shadow him at the Veterans Affairs Hospital that he helps at.
Dr. Stanley is on the cutting-edge of ophthalmologic technology as he one of the first ophthalmologists in Atlanta to use AI-generated technology to do eye ultrasounds. Seeing and working with this new technology made me wish I had taken ENGS 16: Biomedical Engineering for Global Health, a Dartmouth class focused on the intersection between technology and medicine.
Dr. Stanley works with the AI-powered technology that I had the opportunity to also use!
I take the MCAT in late March, so this internship has helped me with the anatomy section in that I am seeing real images of eyes that the test covers!
The header picture was from a Career Day at a local elementary school that I had the pleasure of attending with Dr. Stanley! From my internship, I was able to articulate ophthalmologic concepts in a simple way to the students.
This internship was made possible by the Center for Professional Development (CPD) SELF Fund. The CPD recently received a $15 million grant from alumni to fund 300 additional internships every year. Dartmouth students who find low-paying or non-paid internships can apply for funding any off-term—Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall—and if they are selected, the CPD will provide up to $5,000 for living expenses during the off-term. This is very unique and hard to find at other schools, so I am so grateful for Dartmouth's funding resources!
Overall, this internship has been incredibly helpful in learning the intricacies in healthcare. For Dartmouth students, internship funding allows us to pursue internships regardless of whether they are paid. This can open the doors to many internships and opportunities, and I am so glad I had this experience
