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!
ANTH 76 - Evolution of Upright Walking is a biological anthropology senior seminar. The class itself is very discussion-based, reading books/articles/literature to grasp different aspects of bipedalism. Prof. DeSilva allows you to explore areas YOU are interested in with the midterm paper and final project, and there is little emphasis on grading so you can focus on learning!
A very collaborative course –– daily discussions, guest speakers, and group data analysis assignments. I also really enjoyed the term-long ethnography project where you can choose a community to analyze. Essentially there are different frameworks and theories that can be applied to the way we talk within linguistic anthropology, and it was super interesting seeing how everything is connected to our conversations on a daily basis!
My freshman year is coming to an end, and I've taken a handful of STEM courses here to speak about my experience so far––it has been quite an interesting ride!
I'm currently on a pre-health track, hoping to either major in Biology or Anthropology, or an in between of the two. Being a pre-health comes with an immense amount of responsibility, at least in the scheduling of your four year course plan. Usually, pre-health students (regardless of your major) are expected to take two quarters of general chemistry, two quarters of biology, two quarters of physics, two quarters of organic chemistry, one quarter of biochemistry, and if you want, a sociology or psychology course. And for me, by the end of this term, I'd be completing both general chemistry, one biology, and one physics course; I know, quite a bit. I wanted to share a tidbit about how these courses were for me and how I formulated my schedule.
To begin, the difficulty: pretty difficult. Even though I came from a large, academically-rigorous Californian school, the STEM courses at Dartmouth were undoubtedly time-consuming and difficult. However, one thing still stands true: if you put in the work, you'll receive the grade you desire. My scores and overall grades were truly reflective of the amount of work I put in, both to studying, doing homework, attending labs, and such. There is no "impossible" course. I'd say, so far, the most time-consuming courses have been biology and chemistry ones. They both have weekly labs, lab analyses, lectures, and X-hours. I've been drowning in work this term, but I hope to lighten the work for myself for the upcoming terms and classes.
As for scheduling, I'd NOT double up on any of these courses, truly from the bottom of my heart. I underwent a whole phase of being overconfident, constantly telling myself two STEM lab courses a term will be doable. And yes, it is doable, but immensely time-consuming. I don't feel like I have enough time for leisure or fun really. However, at the same time, I knew I wasn't a humanities person. I dislike writing 1000, 800-word papers, reading tens of hundreds of pages of books a day, and more. So, perhaps, this term is valuable to me: I genuinely enjoy attending class and studying as it all involves more practical-thinking and problem-solving.
Personally, for prospective pre-health/STEM students, I'd recommend "not" overdoing any terms. Enjoy the warm weather in the fall, outdoor activities during the winter, and the excitement of leisure on the Green in the spring. It's truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enjoy the wide spectrum of offered classes and identify your passions, all while having fun!
My first time in Chicago at the Society of Women Engineers Conference in Chicago, Illinois! Fully funded by Dartmouth, I had a great time meeting amazing companies and getting to know fellow women engineers.
Through Dartmouth's Guarini Institute for International Study, I am getting to take classes and experience life at Wellesley College, an all-women's school!
Academics can be challenging at Dartmouth. But there are lots of groups across campus here to support you through your academic journey. Read on for my experience asking for help and a few organizations that might be helpful to you!
Every Dartmouth student is required to demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English. Here's my experience navigating the language requirement!
