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.
When I applied to Dartmouth's African and African American Studies study abroad program in Accra, Ghana, I did not expect the program to be such a life-changing experience. I had a mild interest in African history, economics, and sociology, mostly because I had grown up in Nigeria. Moreover, Accra is a short one-hour flight from my hometown of Lagos, Nigeria. Applying seemed like an easy choice. Upon acceptance to the program, I was excited mostly to return, albeit briefly, to the comfort and familiarity of West African food, accents, culture, and weather. After all, as an international student, my entire time at Dartmouth had essentially been a study abroad, so I was not expecting anything unprecedented. However, I could not have been more wrong! My study abroad last fall was honestly one of my most formative academic and personal experiences since I started at Dartmouth.
My favourite part of my study abroad was the amazing group of people that I was privileged to spend ten weeks living, exploring, and learning in a new city with. From study sessions in cafes and weekend brunches to birthday dinners and afternoons at the beach, each minute spent together was incredibly memorable. Going into my study abroad, I was honestly initially nervous about how I would fit in with the seven other students in the program. I had only met one of them a few times in the fall of my freshman year. Moreover, they all seemed to know each other since they had a few African and African American Studies classes together. However, taking classes together in Accra, going on field trips as a group, and generally hanging out together during our free time made us fast friends.
The classes I took during my study abroad made for an incredible academic experience. Dartmouth partnered with the University of Ghana in Legon for our study abroad program. Although we did not take classes with other students in the university, we took two classes taught by University of Ghana professors. Taking classes about the African continent, at an African university, taught by African professors creates an incredibly cohesive and holistic academic experience. I learnt so much about the history, sociology and economics of the African continent and my classes truly shaped the way I think of so many global issues. It also inspired me to take on an African and African American Studies minor.
The overarching lesson that I learnt from my study abroad is to try out new things and experiences, even when they seem like they seem simple and uninteresting to you, because more than half of the time, they are the exact opposite of that!
At Dartmouth, there is an undergraduate requirement for language; after all, it is the liberal arts! Fulfilling this requirement looks different for various people and I will focus on my experience.
I have written about being a student worker plenty of times in the past, but I have yet to talk about one of my favorite jobs ever: ticket selling at the Hopkins Center for the Arts.
Traditionally, Dartmouth students take three courses during a term, but I decided to take four courses this term! Learn about course load and the academic system at Dartmouth.
As I approach the halfway mark of my Dartmouth journey this spring, I find myself reflecting on the significance of distributive and world culture requirements in shaping my academic experience.
