Hi! My name is Jack and I am a first-year at Dartmouth. Academically, I'm exploring different disciplines inside the social sciences without a major in mind. Outside of class, I enjoy performing and I hope to participate in theater productions, a cappella and dance groups on campus. 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!
One aspect of academic life here at Dartmouth is the broader focus on a liberal arts education. I'm sure you've heard that term thrown around quite a bit from multiple colleges, but I think that a lot of people have different ideas of what a "liberal arts education" truly is in a college setting. I have heard various definitions and perspectives on it, and developed my own as well. To me, a liberal arts education involves a curriculum that encourages students to study a broad range of disciplines and topics, picking up certain skills that can benefit them in multiple career paths.
This liberal arts layout can be clearly reflected in the Dartmouth curriculum. For graduation, every student has numerous requirements in different academic distributions to fulfill over their time here. Ranging from technological and applied sciences to world cultures, these requirements allow us to truly expand our knowledge and create an interdisciplinary and multifaceted experience.
I personally enjoy this well-rounded curriculum. During my own college application and search process, I was torn about what to pursue. Half of me wanted to go to a theater program that allowed me to focus exclusively on the arts, while the other half wanted to study social sciences, working more traditionally academically. I ended up pursuing a small few of schools that excelled in one of those two areas, but the majority of schools I applied to were well-rounded enough that I would be able to focus on both of my passions simultaneously. Dartmouth's liberal arts education allows me to do just this, which is one of the most significant reasons for why I sit here writing to you all now. I dreaded having to choose my sole passion to pursue for years, and because of well-rounded education systems like Dartmouth's, I genuinely don't have to decide.
My current desk layout- working on some Latin homework!
I enjoy having a broad curriculum because it allows me to study and pursue everything I want. I think college is a time of discovery, and while some people may already know what career path they want to pursue, I (and many, MANY others) definitely don't. I don't have my future mapped out, and I like that the liberal arts model allows me to explore many subjects and disciplines, exposing me to classes and topics I would have never thought to study otherwise. I'm currently not taking a class in either of the disciplines I've said I would major in, and I have already discovered more subjects and topics that spark my interest. There is so much knowledge to pursue in the world, and I want to learn as much as I can over the course of my four years here. Dartmouth's education system is perfectly suited for me because of this, and I am excited to continue discovering much more to learn in future terms.
Until now, I've attended all my classes at Dartmouth via Zoom. Today marked a milestone for me as I ventured to a socially-distanced classroom for the very first time to attend Global Health & Society (a relevant class given current events!)
In case you didn't know, Dartmouth operates on a quarter system, which means that in each term, students typically take three classes. However, they can also elect to add an additional course!
Have you ever wondered what a Dartmouth freshman's course of study may look like? The beauty of the D-Plan is everyone can customize their own schedules, so this term I'm taking International Politics, Global Health & Society, and Expository Writing.
Professors at Dartmouth really love their discipline and want to share their knowledge with as many students as possible through a variety of resources. I'll walk you through some of the ways they do this while telling you about my classes this term.
This winter is my first term really focusing on classes in the government and economics departments, so I thought I'd walk you all through my class schedule and experiences so far!
Dartmouth's Center for Social Impact has several opportunities for students to be involved with the Upper Valley. This year, I have the privilege to be involved in Foundations, a first-year program, and can't wait for other opportunities!
I enjoy having a broad curriculum because it allows me to study and pursue everything I want. I think college is a time of discovery, and while some people may already know what career path they want to pursue, I (and many, MANY others) definitely don't. I don't have my future mapped out, and I like that the liberal arts model allows me to explore many subjects and disciplines, exposing me to classes and topics I would have never thought to study otherwise. I'm currently not taking a class in either of the disciplines I've said I would major in, and I have already discovered more subjects and topics that spark my interest. There is so much knowledge to pursue in the world, and I want to learn as much as I can over the course of my four years here. Dartmouth's education system is perfectly suited for me because of this, and I am excited to continue discovering much more to learn in future terms.
