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.
I will officially be a Dartmouth alumna soon, so this is officially my last blog post! In the past four years, I feel like I have grown so much not only as a student but also as a person. My experiences inside and outside of the classroom have helped shape me into the person I am today. Here, I wanted to recap some of my most formative experiences while at Dartmouth. If you are applying to Dartmouth, I encourage you to look into these if they sound appealing to you and to explore Dartmouth more broadly. It will help you not only choose whether to apply to Dartmouth as well as writing your Why Dartmouth essay!
1. Studying Abroad
I've spent three terms abroad during my four years in Vietnam, Ireland, and Greece. I truly don't think I would have had the ability to do that at any other school! While some schools limit your study abroad experiences to one term, Dartmouth actively encourages its students to study abroad multiple times. I know it's cliche to say that "study abroad changed me", but I will say that leaving the US did have an enormous impact on the way I approach the world. By doing global health research in Hanoi, Vietnam (which was funded by the Dartmouth Dickey Center), I understood how different healthcare systems look across the globe. During my transfer term at Trinity College Dublin, I experienced how education differs in other countries. My Dartmouth Classics Foreign Study Program (FSP) in Athens, Greece allowed me to do an archaeological dig and engage with my Classics major in a hands-on way. If you want to study abroad or do an internship abroad, Dartmouth is the place for you. In my opinion, our D-Plan (our unique quarter system) allows students to go abroad more than most other schools.
2. Admissions Office
While at Dartmouth, I had the chance to work for the Admissions Office in several capacities: as a tour guide, blogger, Admissions Communications Intern, and front desk worker. Growing up, I had a speech impediment that made it difficult at times to communicate with others. However, I feel like working as a tour guide allowed me to connect with others and blossom as a public speaker, and for that role, I will forever be grateful. For those of you who are nervous about the application process (trust me, I was too!), know that the Dartmouth admissions officers are incredible people who are eager to get to know you. They want to hear your story as they shape the future classes of Dartmouth, so don't be afraid to be yourself as you write your application.
3. Friends/Community
It's the people that make the place, and that's certainly true for Dartmouth. Here, I have formed incredible relationships with friends, professors, townspeople, alumni, and staff. Through the Take Your Professor to Lunch Program, in which Dartmouth will pay for you and a professor to eat lunch at the Pine restaurant, I have gotten to know many of my professors outside the classroom. Funny enough, I will soon be going on a senior trip with my first Dartmouth friend ever, Elena, showing the testament of friendship at Dartmouth!
Elena and I as first-years!
4. Path to Medicine
During my time at Dartmouth, I feel like my path to medicine was made possible. The Nathan Smith Society, our pre-health society, connected me with pre-health peers as well as physicians so that I had mentors and people to rely on during my journey. Being a member of Dartmouth Emergency Medical Services allowed me to gain hands-on clinical experience while helping my peers. I also feel like my pre-health courses prepared me for the MCAT and future medical school classes. One of my most impactful experiences towards medicine was actually volunteering as a SIBS mentor through the Dartmouth Center for Social Impact; this cemented my goal to one day become a pediatrician serving in underserved areas. After graduating, I plan to take a gap year as I work in a clinical setting back home in Atlanta before hopefully enrolling in medical school.
Thank you to everyone who's followed along on my journey for the past four years (mom and dad, thanks for always being faithful readers!). As I trade in my notebooks for a cap and gown, I'm filled with so much gratitude (and a few happy tears) for the school that has been my home away from home.
After a long winter term where everything was overlaid in snow and serenity, the weekly Norwich farmer's market is finally back—and I could not be more excited.
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!
Dartmouth has so many academic resources, including free newspaper subscriptions! Although this may not seem like a big deal, it's a great accessible way to learn about local and national news!
