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.
Every freshman takes writing prerequisites at Dartmouth. This may come in the form of Writing 5, a class covering the basics of academic writing, research and voice, or Writing 2 and 3, which covers the same topics in a slower pace. I am taking the former. Writing 5 is taught in many sessions, each with its own professor and theme. After attending an open house, I fell in love with Professor Deanne Harper and her topic of Choice, 'Pursuing Happiness.' And I could not have made a better choice.
Class starts at 11:30 A.M., with Professor Harper asking us 'What do you guys wanna talk about today?' We naturally start by talking about some interesting things that happened to us. This is a class on happiness, after all. Then, we talk about what we thought about our assigned reading, which comes from this amazing compilation of essays called Pursuing Happiness by Parfiti and Skorczewski. Last week's Monday reading, Stepping off the Hedonic Treadmill by Mochon et al, was a treat. Reading about how routine events such as exercising or going to church can raise our well-being got me thinking. Exercise, religion... you guys see where I'm going.
You can count on the Dalai Lama for a good read :)
I got out of class and went straight into the... library. See, I exercise plenty, and I practice my faith peacefully. What I required now was a good read. Not one I mindlessly read for an assignment. One I actually fancied, one that got my brain running on new ways. The first one I picked up was a discussion on Buddhism by the Dalai Lama. This proved to be the right choice: he talks a lot of happiness, so I accidentaly stumbled upon the source for my first Writing 5 essay.
My second book, which I am currently reading, is Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho (in English, Rabbit Paul) {word play with his portuguese name}. Even though he is from my country I had never read any of his works, and I must say this one caught me by surprise. The story, full of twists, got me in its grasp. I cannot stop reading, and the pages just keep flowing. Meeting my self-assigned quota of 50 pages a day is so easy. I will not go in depth with the book's story, just know that it talks about feelings and a reality many Brazilians face. You should definitely give it a good read.
Paulo Coelho, Eleven Minutes. Catch it in one of 140 languages!!!
Learning not only for academics, but for life, is the reason I wake up every day excited for my first class. I hope you guys get the same feeling when you come join me!
Being in DC this summer and participating in the Rockefeller Center's First Year Fellows program, I've been able to really see just how special the Dartmouth alumni network is.
I got out of class and went straight into the... library. See, I exercise plenty, and I practice my faith peacefully. What I required now was a good read. Not one I mindlessly read for an assignment. One I actually fancied, one that got my brain running on new ways. The first one I picked up was a discussion on Buddhism by the Dalai Lama. This proved to be the right choice: he talks a lot of happiness, so I accidentaly stumbled upon the source for my first Writing 5 essay.
