Welcome to the transition diary from a big, cold Brazilian city to a small, very cold American town! I fell in love with Dartmouth soon as I got to know the College, and the last three years have expanded my love, as there is a lot to enjoy here in the woods: majors and minors, extracurriculars and clubs, many new open doors to a curious mind like mine! Hope you all like the content!
Introduction to the amazing language of Chinese, taken with Mao Lao Shi. Really got my mornings going! I think all Dartmouth students should make the most out of their language classes, as they offer unique cultural opportunities and stick with you for life. I'm grateful for all who shared that classroom with me, and I am very happy to realize how much I have progressed in a subject so new to me.
My writing seminar, themed on Asian Conflict and Cooperation. I got to discuss a topic beyond my comfort zone, and had a blast! My classmates were really giving their best, and professor Rezvani gave us an incredible learning experience and an organized debate environment. This class opened my horizons , and I am really happy I took it, having looked forward for each class! My writing style improved greatly due to this class, which makes it all the better!
The class that first got me into CS, and eventually led to me choosing my major! I believe this class should be a requirement to graduate. Most students at Dartmouth take it already, and it figures. Great class, provides you tools you can use in whatever field you choose!
I took three Chinese classes this term, so I chose the last one to show off. This was the term I had my LSA+ experience in China! Got to travel all over, and improved my Chinese a ton. I encourage every Dartmouth student to take a language, even if you start at intermediate level, so you can go on an LSA+ or FSP experience!
A blast of a class! Discussion, great readings and a lot of amazing topics to learn. Also, Professor Joe Vignone was a bright spot on my term. A perfectly quirky man, I loved being one of two people to laugh at his jokes and his novelty t-shirts. He is also superbly smart and got me interested on a class I thought I was just taking to fulfill a graduation requirement!
Great Professor, great TAs, great class. I didn't think I'd like this class: it is infamous for being a lot of work. Don't get me wrong, it is, but it is work you do with a smile on your face. The teaching team is great, there is a lot of awesome material to cover and it's great to have some smartphone programming ability. Greatly recommend to CS majors!
Professor XD Yang is one of the faculty teaching this incredible course. Generally, CS classes focus on programming and Math; it was great to spend some time just designing, and thinking about the why, not the how. I recommend this class to all curious minds who are willing to come up with some creative ideas!
Full disclosure: I picked this course for the distributive requirement, SCI. And yet, I fell in love with it! Professor Osterberg gave us not only an incredible overview of the world we inhabit and of the life upon it, but also perspectives on the future of humanity.
I will just go and say it: Professor Tine is my favorite. She is so nice, and has such a strong didactic structure, that I would trust her to teach me anything, and so should you if you ever come across one of her courses. I know a lot more about humanity, development, and even about myself now.
Have you ever seen this much snow? We got a big snowstorm this winter break!
The first email I got from Dartmouth was to confirm they had received my application. Then, I got an interview-scheduling email. Next, I got my much-anticipated acceptance letter, about three years ago (wow). But the email I remember the most from that time came from Marcia Calloway, at the the time undergraduate advisor at OVIS – the Office of Visa and Immigration Services. For some reason, the first line of that message stuck with me, and with many other international students I have spoken to. It read:
"When I send you an email, I expect you to read it promptly"
I can't lie: that spooked me a little. Marcia told me about getting an I-20 mailed to me, about applying for an F-1 visa, and about all these other tasks she expected me to complete so that I could arrive safe and sound at Hanover just in time for my Trips. Everything went according to plan: I listened and did as OVIS advised, and had a great time hiking in the Upper Valley some six months later.
That was my first encounter with OVIS, and perhaps it will be yours, too. But it definitely wouldn't be my last. Since then, OVIS has helped me do such diverse tasks as filing my taxes, applying for CPT so I can have a tech internship next summer, and dispelling any doubts I had along the way about off-terms, student work and so on. OVIS is extremely accessible, as students can schedule meetings with their advisors online. It is safe to say they are the lifeline that keeps international life at Dartmouth running.
However, if they worked alone, they would not be able to accomplish as much as they do. Another important factor is that all different departments at Dartmouth are aware of how difficult it can be for international students to accomplish tasks here, both due to our visa status and to the limitations posed from moving from one culture, and often one language, to another.
Snow reached over a meter, up to 110cm later in the morning.
Take the writing requirement for example. Dartmouth could simply make all internationals take Writing 5, and just make us scramble to keep pace with peers who have been writing essays in English and in the Unites States' education system for much longer. Instead, international students write a sample essay before ever coming to Hanover. This essay is then evaluated, and students are allocated either to Writing 5, Writing 2 and 3 (Writing 5, but over 2 terms to make it less hectic) or to a special section of Writing 2/3 taught specifically to internationals, aimed at teaching the basics of English essay etiquette which you cannot demand of someone who grew up elsewhere in the world.
This respect extends beyond academics: I have noticed staff of offices such as the Undergraduate Advising and Research (UGAR) and Magnusson Center for Entrepreneurship take note of the fact I am an international, and hence might have peculiarities linked to my visa status or culture that may need to be considered. They always refer me back to OVIS, which serves as a helper in settling these concerns.
I feel Dartmouth truly embraces its international community when it changes itself to adapt to our needs. I hope I gave you a taste of the ways this is accomplished, even beyond OVIS!
Now, as I'm wrapping up the last days of my freshman year in college (UNBELIEVABLE), I want to share some things that I learned throughout my first year here as well.
Dartmouth is a fantastic place that can be nearly impossible to explain to those who haven't stepped foot on its campus. This was the case with my parents, until this week!
Have you ever seen this much snow? We got a big snowstorm this winter break!
Snow reached over a meter, up to 110cm later in the morning.
