Hi everyone! My name's Daniel, and I'm a 25! I'm from Orange County, California and Seoul, South Korea. I'm hoping to major in Biomedical Engineering and Anthropology Modified with Global Health. If I'm not under my sheets watching a new Netflix series, you'll find me spending time at Still North Café or at the engineering building. I hope you learn something new about Dartmouth today!
Academic Program
Biomedical Engineering and Anthropology Modified with Global Health
This class had an emphasis on really learning the material, rather than mindless regurgitation. Every class lecture truly excited and interested me, and readings were thought-provoking, The final was also a project instead of an exam, which was very fun to complete. I could tell Prof. DeSilva was also very passionate about the class materials as well!
As a "seminar" course, we focused on enjoyable discussion-based lectures. Each and every one of Prof. Kangas' lecture topics were engaging and intriguing, constantly pushing me to think. While we had reading assignments, they weren't necessarily linked to graded discussions/quizzes, which allowed me to feel more relaxed and stress-free (I didn't need to go crazy and write notes in-class). All in all, I loved learning about Pompeii!
A classic pre-med requirement course. This class has a basic structure of problem sets, two midterms, labs, and a final. I thought the points were well-distributed and the exams were fair. I personally enjoy problem-solving, which allowed this class to be more exciting personally. I'd suggest you pick the right professor for you as each professor has a different way of teaching!
This class is taught by Prof. Shipley, a professor who teaches mainly during summer terms. It was very different from the previous anthropology courses I've taken –– we had a filmmaking component as well as a collaborative project. I enjoyed this class because the assignments had a very broad, overarching outline and allowed you to explore your interests very freely. For example, for my final project, I created a podcast that delved into the educational inequity in South Korea.
My first sociology course at Dartmouth. It goes very in-depth about the macro immigration policies in-place in America and how it relates to different immigrants' experiences. I found it intriguing because I'm an immigrant myself, and I also was able to analyze and develop a different outlook on my family's experiences as well. We had interesting projects such as immigrant interview assignment, immigration policy brief, and in-class discussions.
Another first - my first Asian Societies, Culture, and Language (ASCL) course here at Dartmouth. Essentially, through a 3-hour class block each week, you watch a Korean film that provide insights into the different aspects of South Korean culture –– from Korean independence of Japan to modern economic disparities. Very interesting discussions and minimal work: the course focuses a lot more on student learning than testing!
I know what you're thinking: no way this guy liked MATH 13 the best out of his classes. I was thinking the same going into the class, but I enjoyed the problem-solving aspects. Math was one of my favorite subjects in high school, but I didn't get a chance to take any courses here at Dartmouth until I changed to an engineering major which made MATH 13 a prerequisite. All you do is solve problems, practice, grasp concepts, and take exams. But, after a bit, you get the hang of it.
One of my favorite, favorite courses throughout my whole time at Dartmouth. If you thought you know medicine and health, think again –– evolutionary perspectives open up a completely new spectrum of thinking. Have you thought about institutionalized racism in BMI indexes? How about adolescent growth differences between women who give birth in birth centers versus hospitals? Conversations you've never thought of within the medical realm happens in this class. Highly recommend it!
This term, I am taking BIOL 12: Cell Structure and Function as well as CHEM 6: General Chemistry II, and both classes have a laboratory component. Having a lab means needing to complete a 4- to 5-hour lab session each week, pre-lab calculations and preparation before the lab session, and data analysis following the lab. So, "doubling up" means completing 8 hours of lab on top of the additional work outside of class.
In short, I'd say it's doable. Don't be fooled though: doable doesn't equate to easy or undemanding. My weekends are packed with work; I have to rewatch lectures and reorganize notes constantly, and attend a handful of review sessions every week. But, in a way, I enjoy this challenge. Chemistry and biology have been my favorite subjects in high school, so these classes were definitely something I wanted to take coming to Dartmouth—although I didn't expect to take them both simultaneously. They require different types of work ethic and studying habits. For chemistry, you are forced to be immersed in problem-solving, constantly attacking new sets of problems that have huge mathematical aspects to them. For biology, you need to think conceptually: how one function relates to another, how different things are interconnected. Essentially, I'm developing different types of skills at once through this experience.
Now, why did I do this?
For me, winter term was a bit dreadful, as I personally felt like the classes I took were not as enjoyable. All three of my classes' difficulty was lower than expected, making me feel a bit bored throughout the term. So, entering spring term, I knew I wanted to take on a challenge, similar to my fall term; however, at the same time, I wanted to only take the classes that truly interest me. Also, being pre-health influenced my decision as well. I want to be a "straight through" applicant. This means that I will have to apply in the spring of my junior year, completing all prerequisite courses prior to the application period. Since I knew I wanted to take some terms off junior year to study for the MCAT, I decided to be a bit more stressed my first year—better in the long run! Lastly, I want to be a biology major. Becoming a biology major at Dartmouth demands quite a bit of courses, which mostly have a prerequisite of BIOL 12. Therefore, by taking it now, I'm opening up myself to a wider range of upper level courses in the future!
I certainly know this type of a challenge is not for everybody, but if you are interested in attempting it, I say you should go for it!
As I approach the halfway mark of my Dartmouth journey this spring, I find myself reflecting on the significance of distributive and world culture requirements in shaping my academic experience.
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