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 conduct research at Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business, do UI/UX design for DALI (Dartmouth Applied Learning & Innovation Lab), and travel a ton with the fencing and debate teams.
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!
SummerOn Campus
The famous "Sophomore Summer" and my second summer on campus! I'm taking an unconventional four-course term complete with Econometrics, Gender & Philosophy, DALI Lab Independent Research, and Independent Studies in Engineering!
I've now completed four out of my twelve "on" terms on campus. (I've finished 1/3 of my time at Dartmouth, and I had never even been to Hanover this time last year!) And while I've still got more than halfway to go, I've taken some pretty amazing classes here already. Here are my favorites (not necessarily in order):
No. 1
Writing 5: The Supreme Court
Every freshman is required to take both a Writing 5 and a First-Year Seminar; that, or take Humanities I and II. I chose to go the Writing 5 route because there's a wide variety of course options (you can take a Writing 5 about anything from food to sports medicine). I took The Supreme Court (taught by Professor Kalish) because it seemed like an interesting subject, and I was (obviously) not disappointed.
I cannot express how phenomenal this course was (it is definitively the best class I've ever taken), but I'll try my best: Professor Kalish somehow guided discussions in a productive direction without dominating them (in fact, she usually just asked really insightful questions and let us take the wheel from there). Professor Kalish also held weekly office hours with everyone. Through these individual office sessions, she not only helped me become a better writer (and change the way I approached essay-writing), she also connected with me on a personal level. (One of my good friends and I also took her out for lunch.) I always looked forward to going to class, and I felt proud of all the work I submitted in this class.
Who knew that you could love a required course so much?
No. 2
Micro, Macro, and Introductory Economics
Call me a #snek, but I've loved every single economics course I've taken here. I've taken two of my three profs out to lunch because I loved their classes so much. I find the subject really interesting and just the right amount of challenging. If you're at all interested, I'd suggest at least taking one econ course to see if you like it!
Photo: Celebrating the snowfall after our econ final!
No. 3
Drawing I
As a dedicated doodler, taking my first formal art class was definitely something I wanted to do in college. So I had high expectations going in. While the class required many late nights in the studio (sometimes just drawing still objects), they paid off! I think many people expect to improve in technical skill from an art class (and yes, Drawing 1 delivers in that department), but I found the most interesting part of the class to be the section on composition (i.e. what to leave out, what to emphasize, etc.). I'd never really thought of every line in a drawing as a deliberate part of it, so learning about composition helped me generate my own style. I went into this class thinking that it would be the only art class I'd ever take, but I'm now actually considering a studio art minor because I loved it so much!
Photo: Taken in the process of completing one of my final drawings.
No. 4
Public Speaking
Public Speaking with Professor Compton is one of those famed classes at Dartmouth that almost everyone wants to take at some point. Better yet, it lives up to the hype! As someone who only started debating or doing any sort of public speaking in college, I really looked forward to taking this class because it had the potential added benefit of helping my debating skills. And yes, spoiler alert: this class did indeed make me a better debater! Not only that, Public Speaking helped me become generally more composed and thoughtful in regular conversation. Seriously, take it!
No. 5
Physics 3: General Physics
Most people I know are automatically apprehensive when it's time to take a physics class. And personally, I wasn't too excited to take this class either. Physics 3 is mandatory for pre-med students (which composed most of my class) and a pretty common core class for a variety of majors. Obviously (since I've listed it here) it turned out to be one of my favorite classes! Professor Ouellette (Jeremy, if you're homies with him) made a concerted effort to make the class interesting. He frequently did live demonstrations to show what we learned in real life. One such demo was for the law of conservation of energy. He made a pendulum out of a giant metal ball and used it to shatter a cinder block as a way of showing the "legitness" of this "death-defying experiment." He then put the ball to his chin, released it, and stayed in the same spot until the ball swung back and just grazed his chin. Needless to say, this class was great.
Here at Dartmouth, students have access to the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC), a state-of-the-art hospital and medical facility located a fifteen-minute bus ride away from campus.
As part of the promise of that liberal arts, Dartmouth has a distributive requirement that requires us to take courses out of our comfort zone (dubbed "distribs").
Whether it's supporting each other in intramural sports games or attending a fellow student's thesis presentation, Dartmouth provides many different opportunities that foster community growth.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I'M GOING ABROAD!! WHAT SHOULD I DO? WHAT SHOULD I RESEARCH! Do not worry! Dartmouth has an amazing pre-departure platform that will leave you as safe as can be!
Both because I am working on a big midterm assignment, and I am taking one of the most amazing classes I have ever taken at Dartmouth, my mind can’t seem to wander from “Borderlands Art and Theory” this week.
