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 cool new web and mobile apps for Dartmouth's DALI 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!
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 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.
I had such a fun winter! I went skiing with friends, spent a couple weekends eating Chinese food in Boston, and to top it all off, I took my very first government class (which inspired me to minor in the field).
SpringVirtual!
I'm still at Dartmouth, even if I'm physically camped out at home in Salt Lake City, Utah. So far, I've been catching up with my parents and my dog, and I'm taking some really cool classes like Business Management & Strategy, Central & Eastern Europe Authoritarianism, and Biological Anthropology!
As an economics major, I've had so many chances to do research at Dartmouth! In fact, my coursework itself has given me the opportunity to write two research papers of my own: I conducted empirical research relating market size with innovation, as well as research predicting the effect of patent laws on pharmaceutical development in my culminating experience classes, ECON 48 (Topics in Public Economics) and ECON 82 (Advanced Topics in Macroeconomics). Currently, I'm helping other econ students write their papers as a teaching assistant for culminating experiences in economics.
Research in the social sciences doesn't just happen when you're an upperclassman. Dartmouth hands out research opportunities like candy: beginning my sophomore year, I got to collect and analyze SEC data on mergers and acquisitions as Professor Eckbo's research assistant at Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business -- I also got paid to do so under the Presidential Scholars program!
It truthfully feels like I just arrived for First-Year Trips, walking around campus with a sense of disorientation at all the people and things around me.
Every so often a class comes around that totally rocks your world. These are classes help you determine your major, your career path, or just how you think about the world.
I've been reflecting on the lovely past four years of my life, and I came up with this list of seven things to help you succeed and thrive at Dartmouth.
I wasn't planning on taking any COSC courses once I got to college, but with coronavirus happening my freshman spring term and all grading being moved to P/F, I decided to give it a go!
The fact that our professor gave us a free textbook of his own design is amazing. With Dartmouth having a ton of free resources, I figured I might as well use some on my younger siblings!
A lot of people are curious about how Dartmouth's location affects social life, but something else that I've come to realize is that because of Dartmouth's location, we have some really cool academic perks.
When I started my internship in January, I certainly did not expect to stay here for eight months. Here's an update on how my life has changed and in what ways Dartmouth has supported me throughout it.
