Mucho gusto! Let's get to the fun stuff first. I love journaling, dancing in the gym, and being outside in some sunshine. I am from Tucson, Arizona and a '28. I am a proud first generation and low-income student who comes from a loving Mexican and Native American family. Aspiring law student, an early riser, and bubbly personality are all some ways to describe me. So before you leave, welcome to Dartmouth! I am Dezstany and I hope you join me on this journey into the woods!
Academic Program
Government or Native American and Indigenous Studies
This course was one of the reasons I chose to apply early decision to Dartmouth! I know, how could one course even influence such a big decision? Hearing Professor Duthu describe cases regarding the dispossession of Native tribes, the cultural tensions that many Native youth experience because of the effects of the Doctrine of Discovery, and economic development issues amongst many Native reservations made me edge out of my seat with excitement. The description did not disappoint because although it is one of my earliest classes, I always find myself running to class to learn something new. Professor Duthu presents in a way that wakes you up, makes you laugh, and encourages you to ask some pretty tough questions about tribal regulations. It has been extremely interesting how "bullets of the past are hitting present targets", meaning that many federal policies that happened decades ago still have very noticeable impacts in Indian Country (land in which tribal members own or previously occupied). I love being able to schedule office hours for any leftover questions. Would definitely recommend it!!
"Wait what?" My first response when students began to describe their class periods as set numbers. At Dartmouth, classes have an associated time block that usually covers a fifty minute period. Certain classes only meet on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays while others meet longer yet solely on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The introductory language courses often gather more consistently throughout the week to give students the time to practice their language skills to the maximum extent. STEM courses include labs, lecture, and office hours to balance out the workload.
So it may seem that the time spent with your professor is short, but the learning is pretty constant!
This term, I am taking three courses that fall into the 10, 11, and 12 blocks meaning that my mornings are filled with lessons, while my afternoons are free. As someone who has always been more of an early bird, I really enjoy this schedule as it allows me to take my classes during the periods of the day I have the most energy. But do not worry, Dartmouth offers a wide arrange of times to meet so you do not have to start your day too early.
Yup, this is the Dartmouth Timetable! Which time blocks would you most like to have during your term?
My first course is an amazing class titled "Maid in America", a class cross listed between the Women and Gender Studies Department and Latin American and Caribbean Studies Department. It discusses the politics of domestic labor, we analyze how caregivers and elderly care are treated. This class implements movies, plays, and other pieces of film to help facilitate our learning as it obtains an art disbursement. This class consists of twenty students. A typical day has included us discussing the articles or films we read previously.
After that class is done, I walk across the street to my economics class. This class is an introductory course, about 40 students are taking the class this term. Professor Gracic is teaching her second term at Dartmouth and is super informative; we bonded over experiencing our first winter and coming up with different ways to try and find the fun with it. Something I really appreciate in this class is all the office hours that are available outside of the scheduled class time, allowing students to ask questions from previous lectures or problem sets. Once we are done learning about supply and demand, I usually walk past the beautiful Dartmouth Green to Dartmouth Hall.
However, today my writing class is meeting somewhere a little different today! The Orozco Mural Rooms located in the basement of the Baker Berry Library will be our classroom for today. This writing class focuses on the history of Dartmouth's establishment. The Orozco murals highlight the attention that Dartmouth gives to Mexican American and Native culture. We are currently studying the negative feedback that they originally received from the Dartmouth alumni and how this response fueled the creation of the Hovey murals. Writing classes tend to be much smaller, with approximately 16 students each—forming a close community in these types of classes comes pretty naturally.
Shoutout to some of my classmates who are also taking the Foundations of Dartmouth. They really are what make the class even more enjoyable.
As a student, I enjoy the faster pace environment that forces us to specialize our skills into certain time periods. The 10 week Dartmouth term converts into almost a 9 week term during the winter. If you are someone who is able to adjust and can quickly pick up on new lessons, then the term is perfect for you. However, if you are not someone who can not really handle the fast pace schedule, know that there is support on campus. The Academic Skills Center offers some helpful study advice. The STEM courses offer many times to meet to review the material as well. Overall, I have learned it is extremely important to have a game plan for each term as what works one term may not work the next.
Although these courses may only meet for three hours total, the additional preparation to be successful within them may take some more attention of your day. So yes, at Dartmouth we only take three courses each term, but I can assure you that you are not missing out on any learning opportunities!
I sat down with Aarushi Jain '25, a coxswain on the women's rowing team, to learn more about the opportunities to study abroad as an athlete at Dartmouth!
