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.
Starting classes at Dartmouth can be both exciting and nerve-racking! It's exciting to explore and discover new passions and academic interests, but it can also be challenging making the jump from high school to college curricula and learning styles. At the beginning of my freshman year, I was especially anxious about adjusting to a new learning style in a new country, but over time, I developed a few tips and methods to ace classes at Dartmouth and have a fun learning experience!
Go to Class!
I know this sounds incredibly obvious, but in college, when you're in control of your daily activities and class schedule, it can be tempting to skip classes to sleep in, or to do some other activity that you think is more fun. But skipping classes will be detrimental to you in several ways. Apart from the fact that you're paying for classes and should be attending them, skipping classes robs you of the opportunity of connecting with Dartmouth professors who are so dedicated to teaching and connecting with undergraduate students. Additionally, classes allow professors to give insights that lecture slides and textbooks can't provide.
A slide from an economics class at Dartmouth
Practice, Practice, Practice!
Practice really makes perfect! Repeatedly engaging with class material makes you so much more comfortable and familiar with it. In classes that I've found difficult, I've discovered that it's really helpful to carve out time each day to do a few practice problems and review material. This also helps in non-STEM writing-heavy classes. A lot of humanities and social science classes at Dartmouth require you to write argumentative essays and papers where you have to make a claim and back it up with clear evidence and reasoning. This took me a while to get used to, but I eventually realized that much like mastering any other thing, it takes practice. I would practice writing short argumentative essays on random topics that I found interesting, and I gradually became more comfortable and at ease with writing essays in my classes.
Dartmouth students on the Collis Porch
Take Advantage of Available Resources.
Dartmouth is known for having an incredibly supportive and collaborative learning community, and taking advantage of this community is important to acing even the most difficult classes. Aside from the immense support you'll receive from your professors during office hours, you'll also have access to additional office hours and tutorials from teaching assistants and peer tutoring groups. One of the resources I valued the most was the other intelligent and intellectually curious Dartmouth students in my classes; forming study groups is not only a great way to meet new people and make new friends, but it also gives you the opportunity to engage with class material in new ways that may make it easier to understand.
Through Dartmouth's Guarini Institute for International Study, I am getting to take classes and experience life at Wellesley College, an all-women's school!
Academics can be challenging at Dartmouth. But there are lots of groups across campus here to support you through your academic journey. Read on for my experience asking for help and a few organizations that might be helpful to you!
