Chidera Duru

Dartmouth requires that all freshmen complete a first year-writing requirement which includes one or two writing courses and a first-year seminar in one of Dartmouth’s academic departments. In my first-year seminar, I took a class in the Art History department called “Paris in the 19th Century. In this class, we discuss Impressionist artists and their paintings, as well as the political, social and economic situations that inspired their art. This class has been a great opportunity to apply the writing skills I learned in my previous writing classes to analyzing art and art history. I’m also really excited for our final project where we select an Impressionist art and a particular theme in their artwork to discuss in a paper and a class presentation.

This term, I’m also taking an introductory statistics class. I needed to take a statistics class as a prerequisite for my internship this summer. Several Dartmouth departments each offer statistics classes, so I decided to take one in the economics department that would simultaneously fulfill a major prerequisite. Although this class has been a bit challenging, it has given me a unique and essential insight into the field of economic research. There has also been a lot of support in this class through the help of our professor and teaching assistants, who both offer office hours at least once a week, and a peer tutor from Dartmouth’s Peer Tutoring Program. My favorite thing about this class has been the group presentations we do, in which we are assigned a research paper that employs some of the statistical methods we learn in class to discuss and present during class periods. These presentations have been a great opportunity to understand the nuances of economics research in real-world situations.

Lastly, I took an introductory economics class, which is a prerequisite for almost every economics class at Dartmouth. As an aspiring economics major, I felt it would be helpful to take this class in my freshman year to be able to explore the economics major further in my second year. In this class, we learn the concepts and ideas that form the basis of economic theory and analysis. I especially love this class because of how small it is, and how much we’re all able to interact with and learn from our professor. At the end of the term, we each get to put together a final project where we apply the concepts we have learned to any topic of our interest.

Dartmouth has one of the most unique and special communities in several ways. Because of how small the college is, it’s really easy to get to know people and make new friends. Moreover, Dartmouth students are friendly in every social setting. The friends you’ll make won’t be limited to your dorms and extracurriculars. You’ll meet people through classes, during fun school events and in so many random circumstances. The entire Dartmouth community is also collaborative and supportive of each other. Everyone from your closest friends and acquaintances to your professors and TAs genuinely wants to see you succeed and will do everything within their power to help you.

I think taking classes at Dartmouth is a remarkable experience quite like no other. Not only are classes super interesting, but you’ll also be surrounded by fellow students who are genuinely excited to learn and contribute to intellectual conversations. You will also learn from professors who are passionate about what they teach and are widely recognized experts in their field. Dartmouth professors are always enthusiastic to get to know their students either through working with them on research projects or just fun, casual conversations. If classes get stressful, you will always have the support of amazing teaching assistants and peer tutors who are more than excited to help their fellow students.

Dartmouth’s location offers an unrivalled college experience. Its rural location was something I was worried about before I got here, especially since I had never visited campus before I enrolled in the fall. But I’ve come to love and appreciate it because it has given me opportunities to explore and enjoy nature. Since I got to Dartmouth, I’ve learnt to ski, watched the sun rise from Gile Mountain, gone sledding in the snow and gone on spontaneous midday hikes with my friends. The small-town charm of Hanover has also made me feel deeply connected to the Dartmouth community.

I hope this post answers some of your questions about Dartmouth and makes you anticipate enrolling at Dartmouth in the fall!