Howdy! My name is Crystal and I'm a '28 from 1899.2 miles away in Fulshear, Texas hoping to study Biology on the pre-health track. Outside of being on the grind in my classes at Dartmouth, I enjoy dancing (poorly and with dance groups on campus), cooking (microwave oatmeal), and taking Buzzfeed quizzes to find out what breakfast food I am. While I'll miss Bucc-ee's and brisket from my native state, I'm beyond excited to explore all that the woods have to offer! Hopefully I'll see y'all around!
Chem 11 is my first pre-health course (and consequently my favorite course thus far); I came into Chem 11 with a bit of apprehension over what to expect since the course takes the place of the two-course alternative Chem 5 and 6 sequence. I’ll admit, there was a bit of a learning curve, especially since I hadn’t taken chemistry since junior year of high school, but Prof. Wenlin Zhang’s office hours have become an excellent way for me to gain a better grasp of the course content and work with other students through new concepts. I’m super glad that I chose this course for my first fall!
My First-Year Seminar, a Dartmouth requirement for all first-year students, concerns poetry that has a unique focus on the visual nature of the work. From pieces that cover an actual description of a work of art, to pieces that form a unique shape, we discuss how form can have a meaningful impact on the interpretation of the poem itself. I originally wasn’t too sure if I would enjoy this class since my experience with poetry is pretty sparse, but I found myself really enjoying the analytical discussions that we have. Features of the class include trips to the Hood Museum of Art and the Book Arts Workshop!
So You Want to Join the Woods: Diving into the Art Portfolio (Part Five)
If I had to choose any one element of my college application that was a primary focus for the kind of applicant I was, it would be my dance background as I was heavily involved in my school's dance team and a pre-professional classical ballet group.
Growing up, I danced competitively in a wide range of styles that included ballet, jazz, and contemporary, so I knew I wanted to include dance in my application. However, something I struggled with was the ability to fully present myself through the traditional college application until I learned more about Dartmouth's option to include an art portfolio along with your application submission. Through my portfolio, I was able to directly showcase a side of my identity that I found to make my application as complete as it could have been. While I don't believe that including an art portfolio is necessary, I personally enjoyed the opportunity to share with the Dartmouth admissions committee an important aspect of myself!
A backstage shot from YAGP Dallas! #throwback
Football season on my high school dance team!
So what is the art portfolio exactly? To summarize, the art portfolio, when indicated that you'd like to submit one, is a collection of a few pieces of your creative work that you'd like to share with a Dartmouth faculty member to review. For me, as I submitted my application, I was also able to curate two short videos of previous dance performances that I felt encapsulated my work most authentically. However, Dartmouth offers many different mediums that applicants can select when creating their portfolios. Let's dive in!
Dartmouth offers portfolio submissions for four programs: Dance, Theater, Studio Art, and Music, with each department requesting specific elements. Below is a short recap of each program's instructions:
Dance: While there's no formal dance department at Dartmouth, the admissions committee still welcomes dance portfolios. If interested, applicants can submit two videos, each with a maximum of two minutes. There is no requirement for the style of dance that is submitted and applicants are encouraged to also submit video(s) of choreography. The flexibility of styles was an element that I really appreciated as I ended up submitting both a classical ballet and contemporary piece.
Theater: The Department of Theater currently offers applicants an opportunity to submit short answer responses regarding their involvement in the theater arts and how theater has impacted them. While deviating from the traditional video submission of performance segments, the opportunity to submit short essay answers offers more options for applicants who may not have videos to submit.
Studio Art: Studio art portfolio submissions can be submitted in four mediums: painting/drawing/printmaking, sculpture, photography, and video/digital media/electronic art. For painting/drawing/printmaking, sculpture, and photography, applicants may submit up to five images of their work in any of the applicable following categories: mixed media, still life, portrait, metal, wood, clay, figure, landscape, self-portrait, deliberate abstraction, installation, or found objects. For those interested in submitting a video/digital media/electronic art portfolio, up to three videos may be submitted with each lasting up to five minutes.
Music: Applicants can submit up to two portfolios, each containing two to three selections of no longer than five minutes each. Applicants are also encouraged, but not required, to submit a music resume and a narrative on how they plan to engage with the music community at Dartmouth. Areas of submission include classical instrumental, jazz instrumental, vocal performance, and composition.
For more detailed information about the art portfolio submission process, please visit the portfolio submission page on the Dartmouth Admissions website.
The Lunar New Year festivities continue! Here's a photo gallery of Korean Student Association, Malaysian Student Association, and Vietnamese Student Association's celebrations!
A weekend of embracing the cold and finding fun activities to do! From winning money at a game show to the Annual Snowball Fight, this weekend is a core memory of my experience with Dartmouth winters!
"Only three classes?!" The typical response I get from someone outside of Dartmouth. Come and join as I describe how those three classes actually feel in a ten week term!
