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.
I was very worried about affordability when applying for college. Students must fill out many forms when applying, indicating their family's income, assets, savings, and other such information that can help colleges figure out how much the student can reasonably pay for college without aid or loans. The Brazilian currency is not the most valuable when compared to the Dollar, and my family isn't rich by any measure. I remember my parents making plans, of which assets we could use to get loans, or which relatives could help with specific parts of my education costs. Thus, when I received my acceptance letter from Dartmouth, I opened the accompanying financial aid letter with my heart in my throat. My mom was looking over my shoulder, surely as apprehensive as I was.
We sighed in relief. It was perfect; the very value my mom had indicated she could reasonably put toward my education when we filled out the financial aid forms. Any family earning less than $125,000 gets the tuition fee waived; nowadays, families with income lower than $65,000 have no expected contribution. Financial aid also helps students with room and board, dining, books, school apparel, and travelling costs. Thus, my entire base college experience was accounted for!
Unfortunately, college has a lot of costs that are 'hidden' to the applying student. I had to pay the pricy SEVIS fee, and also the visa processing fee for my F-1. While in my case my family could cover those costs, if yours cannot, do not fret; Dartmouth will orient you on how to get aid to pay for these fees, and for any other cost directly related with attending Dartmouth that you may find.
As we say back home, however, a man cannot live on bread alone. Sometimes you need some peanut butter and jam to spice your life up. Students may find on-campus jobs, which pay quite well (the minimum wage at Dartmouth is now $11.50). With the money I make from working on the blog, and at the Collis student center, I am able to go out, buy myself some nice things, and pay for a part of my college costs, of course. Moreover, many clubs, like the DOC, will offer financial aid for their trips and activities, including first year trips! Even fraternities and sororities offer financial aid to incoming members, so that anyone who wants to participate can.
Thus, dear prospective student, go read blog posts on something that is not about financial aid. Trust me, Dartmouth has that front covered. Go check out if our academics, social life, and location are good fits for you! If so, do not hesitate to apply!
Despite the vast ocean that separates me and my dream school, I applied to Dartmouth College as an international student from Bangkok, Thailand in the early decision round. This wasn't just a leap of faith, I assure you.
Being a student-worker at Dartmouth is not an unusual thing. There are many jobs available to students interested in working on campus. Come check one of my favourites!
