Hi! My name is Jack and I am a Sophomore at Dartmouth. I currently plan to major in sociology with a double minor in public policy and global health. Outside of class, I enjoy performing and I'm currently involved in both a student dance group and acapella. I love hiking and running outdoors and have already explored a lot of Dartmouth's surrounding trails. I still have so much to discover about this school and I'll keep you all updated here with what I find. Enjoy!
Dartmouth's unique calendar and quarter system leads to an academic lifestyle different from most. Semester-focused schools normally have four to five classes per semester, with months to cover the material in each class. At Dartmouth, however, students take three classes for each ten-week term. This means that while we are only taking three classes at a time, we have a little over two months to learn and work with all of the content in the class.
This quarter, since I am remote and have more time on my hands, I'm adding a fourth course to my schedule. It was a tough decision, but I thought that it could be a good idea. Taking an extra class allows me to finish more prerequisites and explore more content that I'm interested in. I realized that having an off-campus term won't always be an option, and the idea of four classes on campus is simply exhausting. All of these reasons convinced me to undertake this endeavor, and now, almost halfway through the term, I'm reflecting on how things have been.
Four classes is no joke. With the baseline three, Dartmouth already feels extremely intense. Because we have ten weeks to master entire courses, life moves quickly in Hanover. With exams sometimes occurring in the second full week of classes and consistent large assignments and essays, there isn't time to flounder. With an additional fourth class, the intensity is only heightened. I spend hours on end working away at different assignments, only getting up from my desk for essential reasons.
While my description of this lifestyle sounds bleak, I can guarantee it isn't, and I'm glad I made the decision to take four classes. This is because I enjoy the work that I'm doing. The content I'm learning in my classes is extremely fulfilling, and I appreciate the amount of effort I'm putting into academics because I feel aptly challenged and simultaneously rewarded. Dartmouth's academic schedule is intense and challenging, but also extremely fruitful and gratifying.
During Winterim, I have had the chance to become a Research Assistant (RA) for the first time ever with the Dartmouth Energy Justice Clinic. Come learn about my experiences so far!
Dartmouth operates a quarter system which allows you to focus your energy on just three classes while also not getting bored of them because the term tends to fly by in just ten weeks.
In Earth Science, we took the classroom into the field as we identified the rocks that made up different buildings on campus, as well as delving into the geological foundation of the school!
As is tradition for every term, I like to introduce the classes I'll be taking so that you can get a better idea of what courses are available at Dartmouth!
