Hi guys! I'm Chidera and I'm a '25 from Lagos, Nigeria. I've lived in a big city for nearly half of my life, so it's great to experience the scenic outdoor spaces surrounding Dartmouth. Outside of the classroom, I conduct research with the economics department, I'm a peer tutor for the Academic Skills Center and I'm also involved with the Dartmouth Energy Alliance.
Taking this class was a random and unexpected decision that I am so happy I made. This class was about the intersection between human and primate evolution and our social behaviors. It really opened my eyes to how unique and beautifully diverse different societies are, and how this uniqueness influences our biology in interesting ways.
Taught by Professor Doyle, this has been my favorite class at Dartmouth so far. It was a calculus integrated with economic applications of the concepts we learned. It was the first time this class was offered at Dartmouth, and Professor Doyle made sure we all had a thorough understanding of the material. The fact that we were also able to see the real-world applications of the calculus concepts also made the class uniquely interesting.
I took this class to fulfill Dartmouth's first-year seminar requirement. In selecting a first-year seminar class, I sought out a department that I would not have taken a class in otherwise. It was an incredibly fulfilling experience and I learnt so much about Parisian Impressionist painters in the late 19th century like Monet, Manet, Degas, Morisot and Renoir. It also taught me about the political, social and economic conditions that typically inspire pivotal art movements.
SummerWashington D.C.
This summer, I interned at the International Finance Corporation in DC, through the Rockefeller Center's First-Year Fellows program which gives first-year students the opportunity to engage in public policy early in their Dartmouth careers. I lived with about twenty other members of Dartmouth's Class of 2025 and got to experience life in a vibrant city while gaining professional work experience.
I spent this term in Accra, Ghana for the African and African American Studies department's Foreign Study Program (FSP). I'm so glad I was able to take advantage of one of Dartmouth's study-abroad programs. During this FSP, I got to explore a new country and city while taking classes taught by the amazing professors at the University of Ghana.
After being away from campus for six months, I decided to start working towards fulfilling my distributive requirements. To fulfill my ART distrib, I took a Russian film class with a friend. It was an amazing experience and a testament to the ways a liberal arts education encourages you to approach each class through an interdisciplinary lens. For my final essay in this class, I explored the ways that government and political culture affect the nature of the film industry in different countries.
This class is one of the prerequisites for the international economics track's culminating experience. Dartmouth's economics major allows you to focus on a specific field that you're interested in, while also having the opportunity to take a couple of classes in other fields. Before taking this class, I had always been interested in international economics and this class definitely cemented my interests in the field.
I used my sophomore summer off term to conduct research with the economics department through the Dartmouth Economics Research Scholars and with the funding of the James O. Freedman Presidential Scholarship. My research project, which was mentored and advised by a faculty member, focused on the effects of European Union climate policy on the economy of my home country, Nigeria. It gave me the opportunity to apply and better understand several concepts I learnt in economics classes at Dartmouth.
This was the most enjoyable and impactful class I have ever taken at Dartmouth! Each assigned reading and class discussion was more enthralling and thought-provoking than the last. This class taught me how to think outside the box, write academic articles in the field of the humanities and how to intellectualise and synthesise my own lived experiences in a way that contributes meaningfully to existing literature in African Studies. Lastly, it taught me to think critically about pressing social issues within the African continent.
Last week, I hosted a member of Dartmouth's Class of 2026 as part of the Discover Dartmouth program that the admissions department had created for the incoming class. I felt so honored to be able to show what life at Dartmouth is like to an incoming student. So, I decided to do my own virtual version of "Discover Dartmouth" through a blog post to show what a day in the life of a Dartmouth student is like!
My day usually starts with a quick breakfast at Novack Café in Baker-Berry Library. Novack has a great selection of breakfast sandwiches, pastries, coffee, and other drinks. After breakfast, I try to get some work done before class in the afternoon. Dartmouth has a pretty flexible class timetable, so you can pick morning, afternoon or evening classes, depending on what works for you. This term, I decided to schedule all my classes to be in the afternoon and evening after having mostly morning classes in the fall and winter term. This allows me to have some time to do my readings and complete assignments in the morning before class.
At 12:50pm, I have my first and only class for the day, my first-year seminar in art history. This class is about Parisian art in the 19th century, and I look forward to it each time! Our teacher assigns the most interesting readings, and we have such captivating discussions about fashion, architecture, painting and photography in 19th century Paris. I'm especially looking forward to our class visit to the Hood Museum in town coming up this week.
After my class, I usually get lunch with some of my friends. On this day, the weather was amazing, so we decided to grab lunch from Collis and eat on the Green. On warm spring days like this, I am reminded that the Green is really the heart of campus. There were people eating and talking in groups, playing spike ball, taking naps, studying, and exercising. It felt so good to be able to take advantage of the wonderful weather.
My friends Andre and Tess studying on the Green
I wasn't quite done enjoying the warmth of the sun, so my friend and I decided to go on a short hike to the river. One of my favorite things about Dartmouth is that there are so many short hiking trails to explore. Although I enjoy being outdoors, I try to keep my hikes short and fun! There are a lot of trails surrounding campus that only take a few minutes and can be completed during short study breaks.
In the evening, I had a meeting for my Political Economy reading group, led by a Dartmouth professor, Professor Meir Kohn. Professor picked an interesting book about political economy, and we have weekly meetings where we discuss each chapter of the book. After the meeting, I grabbed dinner from Collis and studied with some of my friends at the Black Family Visual Arts Center for the rest of the day.
