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!
Dartmouth has a business school known as the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth; however, there is no undergraduate business program as in having a major or minor. Therefore, many Dartmouth students tend to major in economics in substitution. However, not having a business major offered does not mean Dartmouth doesn't offer any business-related courses! In collaboration with the Tuck School, there are three courses offered: TUCK 1 (Financial Accounting), TUCK 2 (Marketing), and TUCK 3 (Business Management & Strategy). Personally, I started off with TUCK 2, and now taking TUCK 3 this term; I've also heard lots of good things about TUCK 1, so here's my take on business at Dartmouth!
To preface, I am a biomedical engineering and anthropology major; yet, I hoped to pursue a business-related career post-grad, so I was excited to see these courses offered. I always saw myself merging my interests in life sciences and business, and although they seemed disparate, completing a major program in the life sciences (biomedical engineering) and taking these courses reinforced the significance of the crossroads.
TUCK 2 felt like a very straightforward course. You learn lots about how different firms utilize a wide array of marketing tactics to promote a product or service. I'd say this course is saturated with students of immensely diverse interests, not restricted solely to those interested in marketing. What I enjoyed most about TUCK 2 was that it was very project-based. We would analyze real-life cases published by business schools and view it as a class from different angles. The final project entailed coming together as a group to do a deep dive into two products of comparative value.
TUCK 1, after talking with some of my peers, is about learning the basic accounting/Excel skill sets. Dartmouth, as a school that excels in sending students to finance and consulting industries, has many students interested in taking this course to enhance their "technical" skills for interviews. Most assignments/exams are take-home, focusing on the learning rather than strict rote memorization.
TUCK 3 is also very project-based. Holding the title of "Business Management & Strategy", it's pretty much a consulting-centric course. Tuck professors invite different consulting partners to speak about their experiences, and similar to TUCK 2, you do two big strategy projects with team members, honing in on skills like slide-making, making recommendations, etc.
What I want to emphasize from these business classes is that at Dartmouth, you don't need to be a "business major" to jump into a business-related field. Students hold diverse interests, and I think that's what makes this school so special—you can be of any major yet take the related courses to display your interest and passion. If you believe economics fits your interests, that's great; on the other hand, if sociology or anthropology is your passion, go ahead and major in it, modify it (or whatever makes you happy). And of course, there are business courses in-hand to leverage whenever you want.
Green Key is one of Dartmouth's major spring festivities, bringing two popular music artists to our Gold Coast Lawn. My weekend was filled with friends and fun!
What an incredible spring! This term was undoubtedly my favorite that I've experienced thus far, and as I wait to board a flight back to campus for a highly anticipated Sophomore Summer, I reflect on everything that allowed this spring term to bloom.
I lived on the same dorm floor as the GIS LLC (Living Learning Community) this year. I asked some of my floormates about their experience with it so that you can hopefully get a holistic sense of what GIS is like!
