Hey everyone! I'm Cooper from Wayne, Pennsylvania, which is right outside of Philadelphia. I am a '28 here at Dartmouth, and plan on studying Quantitative Social Science and Psychology. In my free time, I love getting food with friends, playing pickleball, watching sitcoms (personal favorite is Modern Family), and going on walks. I am super excited to be here and cannot wait to take you along my journey at Dartmouth!
I took this class with Professor Binkoski, and I absolutely loved it! We explored numerous theories regarding time travel and the existence of time, and it just completely blew my mind. Professor Binkoski is such an engaging lecturer and explains everything so thoroughly, which makes the class so incredible! After taking this class, I have become more interested in philosophy and cannot wait to take more classes in this department.
I took this class with Professor Horiuchi and learned more than I could have possibly imagined! This course is incredibly challenging and has a good amount of work, but I learned so much about the programing language R as well as how to wrangle and visualize data. By taking this class, I have confirmed that I want to major in QSS because of how interesting the material was. If you want to enhance your skills in R, this is the class to take!
In order to fulfill my language requirement, I took Spanish 9 with Professor Rieumont. This class was simply incredible. Not only was the content interesting and engaging, but my actual class itself (both the professor and fellow students) made this class so memorable. We learned so much about Spanish-speaking cultures all while having so much fun doing it, and I am so grateful that I took this class with such an amazing group!
SummerWayne, PA
I was home for the summer! I was able to catch up with family and friends, work at a local ice-cream shop, and relax for a few months. It was amazing to be back in my hometown!!
I took this class with Professor Emily Finn, and I absolutely adored it! Because it is an introductory class, you learn about various topics within the neuroscience field, but mainly at the surface level. It was incredibly interesting, and it is a perfect introduction to the major overall!
I took this class with Professor Pulju (who I also took LING 1 with), and I was blown away. Not only is the content in this class just so incredibly interesting, but Professor Pulju teaches it in such a way that makes studying for any assignment actually enjoyable. If you like puzzles and deductive sciences, this class is perfect for you!
I took this with Professor Wray, and I was in awe of how much I learned in this class. Although the name sounds a bit confusing, this is essentially an introductory statistics class with a focus on psychological research. We learned how to form hypotheses, run statistical tests, and reach conclusions, and I know that this will be incredibly useful for future courses in both Psychology and Quantitative Social Science!
One of the best parts about Sophomore Summer is the opportunity to join groups that you would not normally join throughout the rest of the year. One prime example of this are the many dance and a capella groups on campus. During the summer term, they open auditions for all of campus, and take a large number of people for each group! You are not expected to know how to dance or sing that well, which makes it very accessible for each and every student during this term. Let me tell you about what group I am in, and what I think of it so far!
When I decided to audition, my number one choice was Ujima Dance Troupe, mainly because one of my best friends is in it! Ujima is a hip-hop dance group and actually the oldest dance organization on campus! The audition process consisted of two rounds in which we learned a dance and performed it for them. It was definitely a bit hard to keep up, but nonetheless an incredibly rewarding experience! After that, I was officially part of the group which is called Ujimelt (just for the summer).
Team huddle after practice!
Since then, we have been preparing for a big event called StreetFest, where all of the dance and a capella groups perform for the first time. We have learned five dances, which has been tough but so rewarding! It is an incredible way to get out and be active a few days a week as well.
The best part about joining a dance group is, without a doubt, meeting new people. I have gotten to know so many people I do not think I would have met if I had not joined this group. It is incredible to see us all coming together to create such incredible dances. It truly has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have had since coming to Dartmouth.
Last September, a friend and I crafted a ten-item bucket list for our final year as undergraduates. It's the end of our senior spring now. These are some of the boxes I've checked.
Starting college is an exciting transition, but it can also come with its share of challenges. Luckily, students have access to a wide range of free mental health resources at Dartmouth, one of which is the Counseling Center.
Welcome back to Open Doors—your inside look at life in the Woods! This week, Greta Richardson '26, an engineering major, showed me around her room in her off-campus apartment, where we discussed Dartmouth residence halls, classes, and campus life.
I wrote my "Why Dartmouth?" essay a little under two years ago, and I've had a year in-between to fully experience Dartmouth: how I've grown, changed, and how Dartmouth has been a part of all of it.
