Hello there! I am an avid doodler and caffeine addict who can be spotted 24/7 at KAF (the coffee shop in Baker-Berry Library). I've grown up skiing in the Rockies, so I'm a hype man for low temp activities like throwing snow at friends and carving ice sculptures (yes, I actually did that!). Aside from blogging, I am an economics teaching assistant, design mobile, web, and VR apps for Dartmouth's DALI Lab, and travel around with the fencing and debate teams for competitions.
Freshman fall flew by! While I unwittingly took some of Dartmouth's more difficult classes, I met so many amazing people and got to explore campus with a fresh set of eyes (I'd never visited before). I also got inspired (after taking my prof to lunch) to pursue a major in economics!
Winter was my favorite term freshman year, largely because I felt more settled into the campus rhythm and took awesome classes. Prof. Kalish (my Writing 5 -- a required class for all freshmen -- professor) was not only fun and insightful, but also made an active effort to connect with every student. It's one of the best classes I've ever taken.
In my opinion, Hanover is most beautiful in the spring: you see everything from fluffy snowflakes to vibrant blossoms. The weather kept me cheerful, even if spring was my most rigorous term. My favorite class was Econ 22 with Prof. Comin, who led a case-based course that helped us understand the real-world applications of what we were learning. He's also a super cool guy to chat with, and he's done fascinating research.
Most freshmen don't stay "on" their first summer, but I scheduled my D-Plan around my winter internship. Summer didn't disappoint: I love the new friends I made and the classes I took (and I also got super fit from attending two PE classes). Taking Drawing I was also one of the highlights of my summer. It's a lot of work, but I'd rather spend 10 hours on a drawing than 10 hours on a problem set.
I finally met the '22s!! (Seriously, you all are so cool.) This term, I took a class on game theory, which is basically a subject where we literally learn about games. While it was by far my most challenging class this term, I thought that what we learned was super rewarding.
WinterSalt Lake City, UT
This was my first "off" term since I arrived on campus! I interned for Cross Creek, a venture capital firm in Salt Lake City, Utah (my hometown!).
I could RAVE about public economics and Prof. Skinner for hours. While public econ wasn't easy, it challenged me to think critically about my political philosophies and about the economic theories I'd previously considered fact. Prof. Skinner was one of the most engaged professors I've ever had; he even recommended a few running routes to me!
The famous "Sophomore Summer" and my second summer on campus! I took an unconventional four-course term complete with Econometrics, Gender & Philosophy, DALI Lab Independent Research, and Independent Studies in Engineering! I had so much fun studying on a dock by the Connecticut River and having lots of gelato under the sun. :)
I had the opportunity of a lifetime to be an economic policy intern at the White House! I loved my job, met incredible people, and had plenty of time to Facetime my friends on campus.
This was such a fun winter! I went skiing with friends, spent a few weekends eating Chinese food in Boston, and to top it all off, I took my very first government class. I really loved learning about political science from a comparative perspective; specifically, how institutions can affect the way a society can vote or even organize collective action. I wish I'd taken more government classes earlier.
While I was physically camped out at home in Salt Lake City, Utah, I still spent plenty of time with friends (albeit over Zoom), and I got to know professors in office hours! I also had the rare chance to spend quality time with my parents and my dog while also learning a lot in my classes on business strategy (offered by the Tuck School of Business) and authoritarianism in Central and Eastern Europe.
SummerNew York City, Virtually
I spent the summer as an investment research intern at J.P. Morgan. My internship was completely virtual, but I still got to befriend my coworkers, and I'll be going back full-time after I graduate!
After six long months away, I finally came back just in time for the beautiful New England fall. I began writing my economics thesis in a difficult yet rewarding advanced econometrics class with Professor Staiger, attempted acting in a play, and learned about the nuances behind Adam Smith's "invisible hand" (which has become a caricatured generalization of his work). I even made a few new friends out of '24s from six-feet away!
WinterUniversity of Oxford, Magdalen College
I spent my winter term at Oxford studying economics and politics at the beautiful Magdalen College.
SpringOn Campus
I can't believe it's senior spring already! This spring, I'm finishing my thesis and taking classes on creative writing for fiction, costume design, and the economics of gender and family. Be sure to say hello if you're on campus (or Zoom)!
It's 18F (Fall 2018) and my second fall at Dartmouth!
This is my first season on campus where I'm not encountering unfamiliar weather for the first time, and it's the first season where I'm no longer one of campus' youngest.
Lovely fall leaves, lovely fall sky
And not to be too sappy, but as the leaves have turned into their vibrant hues of red, orange, and yellow, my concept of home has also followed suit.
During First-Year Trips last year, all of us '21s received shirts inscribed with "Welcome Home" as our first piece of Dartmouth memorabilia; it never occured to me that Dartmouth would actually become my "home." Without knowing it, I spent much of my first year thinking of Dartmouth as a temporary part of my life.
I know now that that isn't the case. For some, this change may come later or earlier, but I think for the most part it happens eventually to all of us: we don't just think of Dartnouth as a school because Dartmouth's purpose is to help us not only expand our way of thinking, but also define our sense of self.
Post-midterm picnics featuring my best friend
It's odd for me to write this post because I'm afraid of coming off as overly sentimental, but I was compelled to write a post like this because it's basically a neccessity in every Admissions blogger's repertoire. And honestly speaking, I truly feel at home here.
Seeing the '22s wander around campus with a bit of awe (and confusion) gives me a good comparative to see just how much of a home I've built for myself at Dartmouth. Wherever I am on campus, I can point to a specific memory I made there. At Novack, it's the overnight pre-final cram session that made me close with my best friend, Steph. In the Fahey parking lot, it's playing rock-paper-scissors with fellow debaters while waiting to head out to tournaments. On the Green, it's throwing snow at my friends, eating obscene amounts of ice cream during the Farmer's Market, and listening to that crunch of fall leaves worthy of a Snapchat "oddly satisfying" feature. No matter where I look on campus, I see friendly faces and familiar places (what a rhyme, I know).
A low quality selfie after a high quality pre-tournament debate team rock-paper-scissors match
The timing of this post is meaningful to me. Since I'm about to take my first "off" term, I keep finding myself mulling over how I've changed over my past year at Dartmouth (five straight "on" terms, whew). When I went back to my hometown for the six-week winter break last year, I said that I was "home;" this has morphed into saying that "I'm back" or "I'm visiting" whenever I return. That's because Hanover, in all its seasonal temperaments, is my home now.
And I'm already feeling sad knowing that I'm gonna be gone for the next three months.
Being in DC this summer and participating in the Rockefeller Center's First Year Fellows program, I've been able to really see just how special the Dartmouth alumni network is.
During a recent conversation with my HS friend who also goes to college in the US, we discussed what it's like experiencing culture shock especially as international students. I'd love to share the tips we developed to combat this feeling.
I can still vividly remember the combination of nervousness and excitement I felt preparing for my first year of college. After an eventful freshman year, here is some advice to '26s as you get ready for your first year:
Every time I travel, I wear one article of Dartmouth gear. Yes, I have school spirit and love the Big Green, but I wear my school's green colors for a different reason.
Being away from the Dartmouth's campus and some of my closest friends has given me an opportunity to reflect on the community I was able to find at Dartmouth during this past academic year.
And not to be too sappy, but as the leaves have turned into their vibrant hues of red, orange, and yellow, my concept of home has also followed suit.
It's odd for me to write this post because I'm afraid of coming off as overly sentimental, but I was compelled to write a post like this because it's basically a neccessity in every Admissions blogger's repertoire. And honestly speaking, I truly feel at home here.
