Hello friends! My name is Diana D'Souza, and I'm pursuing a double major in Government modified with Economics and Chinese. On campus, I'm the Co-President of Women in Business and a Chinese language research assistant. I'm also involved in the Dartmouth Outing Club and recently led a fishing first-year trip at the Boston Lot Lake. In my free time, I enjoy cooking, reading, and spending time outdoors.
I ended up taking this class for two reasons. First, I needed to fulfill my CI requirement; second, my friend was also taking it. Regardless, it ended up being my favorite class fall term. Professor Washburn is an engaging, spontaneous professor and we studied everything from memes to The Tale of Genji. By the end of the term, I found myself to be a more confident and humbled writer.
This was my second time taking a 9 am class with Chen Laoshi. She is understanding, funny, and always eager to help. Even though this was a fast-paced class with daily quizzes, weekly tests, and new vocabulary sets every other day, I became extremely close with my classmates and more excited about learning the language. We ended the term over a feast of dumplings Laoshi prepared!
Because this term was online, I used my extra time to study a subject that has always fascinated me. Professor Ayubi was incredibly accommodating by allowing us to complete work at our own pace. The most memorable parts of the class were examining anti-Muslim materials during a virtual tour to Rauner Library and exploring Muslim punk rock through the movie Taqwacores.
SummerEdison, NJ - Remote Internship
My summer plans were derailed due to the pandemic, but Mr. Forbes, a Dartmouth alum, graciously allowed me to intern at his consulting firm. Over the course of two months, I became a master at navigating Microsoft Visio and writing grant narratives. I also lifeguarded the 5am shift (pain) at my local community pool.
Students at Dartmouth say ENGS 12 will change your life, and I'm one to agree. Professor Robbie helped me rethink and redefine my approach to creativity and radical collaboration. After the class, I became involved in the design community, participating in the Designation, 3 Day Start Up, and Tuck's entrepreneurship program, TuckLAB. I'm even a TA for the class now—oh, how the tables have turned!
WinterEdison, NJ - Remote Internship
In hopes of studying abroad, I declared a five-year D-Plan. I'm still a '23 at heart, but I'll be graduating with the '24's. I ended up working at my local newspaper, TAPinto News, and continuing my linguistics research with Professor Donahue.
SpringEdison, NJ - Remote Internship
With the help of the Magnuson Center, I landed an internship at Q30 Innovations, a medical device company. As a law development intern for Mr. Greene, a Dartmouth alum, I compiled a 20-page patent portfolio and provided recommendations for FDA clearance. I also took part in two Rocky programs, RGLP and MLDP.
Professor Dorsey is by far my favorite Dartmouth professor. He hosted in-person office hours every Friday, where we talked about anything from Japanese healthcare to craft beer to our personal lives. The class was an absolute blast, in which we dissected comics and listened to Japanese folklore. Class highlights included a field trip to a nearby Japanese Zen garden and a zoom call with Japanese folklorist Nakagawa Goro.
This was my hardest academic term to date, but I’m extremely proud of my work in this class.
Over ten weeks, Professor Samwick challenged us to design a financially viable social
enterprise. My team ended up creating BayStay, a one-stop service for homeless individuals in
the Bay area to locate a new roommate and temporary communal housing. The best part of the
experience was getting to interview leading experts on homelessness and pitching our business
model to an angel investor!
Given my areas of study at Dartmouth, it’s no surprise that I loved my introductory international
relations course with Professor Powers. She did a great job helping the class transition to in-
person learning by providing us with reading guides and laying out clear expectations in her
memos. We used high-level theory to explain the motivations of terrorists and the likelihood of
nuclear war. In my final paper, I presented my own analysis of why the United Nations was
powerless to prevent Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In this upper-level government seminar, my classmates and I met once a week for three hours.
Although it was sometimes tough to focus, I appreciated having the rest of the week to prepare
and complete readings. During the term, we debated a range of topics, including whether the
government should regulate marriage or whether having a nanny was inherently anti-feminist.
Another cool aspect of the course was that the class was entirely driven by student discussion
and debate. Professor Rose pushed each student to flesh out her thoughts through open office
hours and writing workshops. Looking back at my final paper, I’m really proud of my newfound
ability to argue complex philosophical topics in a clear manner.
SummerHanover, NH - On Campus
While most of the ‘23s are off campus, I’m spending my junior summer in Hanover because I
took a gap year! I’m spending most of my time this term as a Paganucci Fellow at the Tuck
School of Business. I’m also working for Dartmouth Admissions and serving as Co-President of
Dartmouth Women in Business. Even though I’m not taking classes, I’m definitely keeping
myself busy!
FallWashington, D.C. - Internship
I spent my off-term interning on the China desk at the U.S. Department of State (DOS). I loved
being able to apply what I learned in class in a professional setting and getting to see diplomacy
and foreign policy in action. Some of my internship highlights included volunteering for the first,
historic Indo-Pacific Summit and meeting North Korean defectors. Still, I’m excited to be back
at Dartmouth, taking classes again, after six months off!
I took this class because it was the final culminating experience for my Chinese language major. Professor Ericson gave really engaging lectures that made it feel like he was reading us a story. As a capstone project, I wrote a 20-page paper about imperial Japan's use of visual propaganda in Manchukuo, analyzing primary texts in Chinese and Japanese.
This class explored the economics behind the gender gap, child penalty, and labor market discrimination. My favorite part was the MBA-style class study, which focused on the rationale behind Patagonia’s generous parental leave policies. Professor Olivetti was so helpful and held frequent office hours. Definitely take this class, even if you aren’t an economics major.
Dartmouth runs on a quarter academic system, which means we take three classes in ten weeks. This term, I stacked my schedule, so all my classes meet on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. On Tuesday and Thursday, I attend club meetings and the occasional x-hour, where a professor may decide to hold a study session or an additional class. In this blog post, I will take you through a typical day of classes for me at Dartmouth.
8:45AM: In true Diana-fashion, I wake up 20 minutes before class starts (sorry, Mom and Dad). After brushing my teeth and throwing on some clothes, I dash out my dorm for my first class. (On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have Chinese drill at 8:05AM, which makes waking up even more difficult.
9:05AM: My first class of the day is Chinese 22 with Chen Laoshi. Every day, we take a brief five-minute vocabulary quiz, read the textbook lesson, discuss grammar, and hold class discussions—all in Chinese! I took Chinese 4 with Chen Laoshi last term and enjoyed the class so much that I am now a prospective Chinese major.
9:55AM: I head back to the McLaughlin Cluster to clean my dorm, check emails, and get started on Chinese homework.
11:30AM: My Economics class is held in the Rockefeller Center. This is a lecture-style class with about forty students, but Professor Patricia Anderson makes it interactive with in-class multiple choice questions, problem sets, and open office hours.
12:45PM: I am usually starving by this point of the day, so I go to FoCo to eat a buffet-style meal. My go-to staples are the stir-fry, scampi, and clam chowder soup.
Eating pho, a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup, at FoCo
1:30PM: FoCo is conveniently located near Berry-Baker Library, so I walk to the third floor of the library to catch up on some readings.
2:10PM: My Writing 5 class, which is called Disability and Rhetoric, is held in Berry 370 with Professor Annika Konrad. I am currently writing a research paper on how Chinese culture and policy shapes attitudes toward children with disabilities.
5:00PM: I serve on the Women in Business Executive Board as the Co-Alumni Relations Chair. Today, we discussed our Local Internship Program, which allows WIB members to work at local businesses.
Brainstorming future goals for Women in Business during a weekly Executive Board meeting.
6:30PM: I use this time to recharge after a long day of classes. My floormates and I usually go to Collis, the Hop, or FoCo for dinner.
7:30PM: This is my last major study block before I start getting sleepy.
9PM: I wind down from my day by eating a snack, taking a shower, brushing my teeth, and hanging out in the common room.
11PM: Many of my classes and clubs revolve around writing, so I set aside about two hours a night to pen blogs, newsletters, essays, emails, and applications. Strangely, some of my best writing happens when I am typing away on my bed.
1AM: Sleep!
Although I laid out a fairly standard day for me, I want you to know that Dartmouth students have different schedules. You should also know that not every day here will be exactly the same. One of my favorite parts of being a Dartmouth student is the immense flexibility I have to plan my day. You can bet that I will be sleeping in until noon on Saturdays.
At Dartmouth, there is an undergraduate requirement for language; after all, it is the liberal arts! Fulfilling this requirement looks different for various people and I will focus on my experience.
On Monday, April 8, 2024, a phenomenal total solar eclipse occurred — and we happened to be within the path of totality. As a result, Dartmouth hosted a variety of eclipse-related events on- and off-campus. Find out how I spent the eclipse!
Traditionally, Dartmouth students take three courses during a term, but I decided to take four courses this term! Learn about course load and the academic system at Dartmouth.
