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.
At Dartmouth, students typically take three classes a term. This seems a lot easier than the six or seven classes you may have taken in high school. There are a lot of activities in college though that can take up a lot of time, from eating dinner with friends to getting in a quick workout in at the gym. Not to forget that freshman fall comes with adjusting to a new environment and trying to find new social spaces.
One piece of advice that I got when I was selecting courses was to take one introductory class and two courses that interested me. I also placed a priority on taking classes that didn't use the same skills; for example, choosing not to take two time-intensive lab classes or all reading-heavy classes. My freshman fall course load ended up being a reading-heavy introductory government class, a memorization-based Chinese language class, and a project-based comparative literature class. Most importantly, I relied on resources like my Undergraduate Advisor (UGA), Academic Dean, First-Year Academic Advisor, upperclassmen, and department info-sessions to finalize my selection.
2. Ask for help
Some people get to college and automatically hit their academic groove. However, not everyone comes from the same academic background and some may struggle initially. This is definitely normal. I personally struggled a lot on the introductory economics class I took my freshman winter. What's great about Dartmouth is that there are many places to turn to if you need some extra support. Making a visit to the Academic Skills Center, signing up for peer tutoring, editing a paper at RWIT, or attending your professor's office hours are all great places to start.
3. Explore the NRO as an option
Dartmouth knows that some students want to take a class that's out of their comfort zone, but they may be worried about getting a bad grade. These students can elect the Non-Recording Option (NRO). A student decides the lowest grade she is willing to get in a course, say a B+. If she gets a B+, the grade will be recorded on her transcript. But if she gets a B or lower, the grade will not factor into her GPA. There are some conditions about what courses you can use the NRO for and how often it can be used, but it's something I wish I knew about my freshman fall.
4. Join clubs, but branch out and don't worry about being too committed
When I came to Dartmouth, I was tied to my high school identity. I spent four years writing for my high school newspaper and swimming for the varsity team. I decided that I needed to write for The Dartmouth newspaper and join Club Swim, but quickly realized that I didn't like doing any of these things anymore. Instead, I joined Women in Business and started writing as a student blogger. I decided to focus on hitting my academic stride, knowing that I could join clubs later. Because of the unique structure of the D-plan, students are always new recruiting club members. In fact, I'm still joining new extracurriculars as a senior!
5. Get outside, especially at the beginning of the term
You will never have more time to explore Dartmouth's beautiful campus than during your freshman fall. The Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC) and House communities run trips, such as apple picking at Riverview Farm and hiking Gile Mountain. Definitely take advantage of these free opportunities — many of which are posted on Trailhead, a website students use to register for activities with the DOC.
6. It's okay if everything doesn't go according to plan
This is cheesy, but I strongly believe that rejection is redirection. You are going to get rejected from a club, study abroad, internship, or job. It will feel devastating in the moment, but it is also a chance for you to find an opportunity that will make you happier or to push yourself to reapply next cycle. College is a time of change and discovery. You're not going to experience that immense growth if you succeed all the time. You got this!
In addition to blogging, I work as a Fellow for the Tucker Center, which focuses on promoting spiritual and ethical life on campus. As part of this role, I'm leading the Interfaith Alternative Spring Break Trip. Read on to learn more about my work!
