Jenny Chen

In my sex, gender, and society class, our final project involved analyzing the movie Colette and applying a few of the concepts we had learned throughout the term to it. The movie tells a story centered around the 19th century French novelist Colette. After watching it a few times, I felt compelled to write about gender performativity and how it is maintained by traditional gender roles.

While learning about indigenous culture and traditions, my introduction to cultural anthropology class watched Rabbit-Proof Fence, an Australian film that tells a story about two Aboriginal girls who escape from a native settlement to return to their families. It was an incredibly moving piece that brought the impact of discriminatory laws and policies into reality.

Everyone knows that the best way to learn a language is to listen to music, watch movies, and follow TV shows in that language. Rosso come il cielo, in Italian, introduced a young blind boy and his passion for music-mixing. Although it was pretty difficult to understand what they were saying without subtitles, given that we had only started learning Italian for a few weeks, it definitely helped us get used to the face-paced nature of the language.

This just had to be on the list. Though the song is 14 years old, the First-Year Trips program keeps it a timeless classic. One of the ways that freshmen bond on Trips is through learning dances together to songs such as this one. However, the moves are kept fresh in most of our minds, given that it’s played at pretty much every single formal for sentiment’s sake.

The first Friday of every fall term features a concert, Fallapalooza. My freshman year, PUBLIC was the artist. Although this was the first time I had heard of the band and their songs, I found them so captivating that I started following their music afterwards. The uplifting rock/pop is a perfect throwback to my first term as a college student - a time of excitement and novelty.

Less connected to Dartmouth and more to my own experience, this song reminds me of my freshman winter, when I had just discovered the Dana Biomedical Library. Many afternoons and nights were spent there with a checked-out Genetics textbook, listening to this alternative rock album.

I originally thought that only those studying languages could study abroad, but boy was I wrong. There are two main types of study abroad programs sponsored through Dartmouth — foreign study programs and language study abroad programs. While you can certainly speak and read Spanish in Barcelona or French in Paris, there are also opportunities to study government in London, music in Vienna, and art history in Rome, just to name a few.

One of the most common reasons why students study abroad is because the classes help them graduate! A professor in the department usually travels with the group of students (around 15) and teaches one of the courses. The other two classes are either taught by Dartmouth faculty or the local college faculty. Oftentimes, all three classes fulfill the major or minor, and it can be a great way to knock out several requirements in one term. They can also go towards distributive requirements as well.

If you are worried that studying abroad may be too expensive, have no fear! The financial aid you receive on a typical Dartmouth term extends when you are abroad. However, study abroad programs are typically a little more expensive given that you will be traveling and exploring a new place, which can include eating the local cuisine, going to museums and shows, and food, history, and culture. Many of the meals may be covered by a host family and some group outings (including excursions elsewhere) are covered by the College.

Not to anyone's surprise, snow was a common sight most mornings of my winter term. I fully embraced the season and took skiing lessons every Saturday with my freshman year roommate. Besides a minor fiasco where I lost my phone on the mountain (a stranger kindly and miraculously returned it), I enjoyed every second! My older sister, who lives in Boston, also visited me for the Winter Carnival, which this year, was Ice Age-themed. We looked at the ice sculptures, climbed the Baker-Berry tower, and I showed her the skiing skills I had learned at the Dartmouth Skiway. 

In the spring, it became warm enough to study outside, which is something I love to do. Sitting on the patio of Haldeman, I frequently worked on my coding assignments and read my physics textbook while people walked to and fro to class. I also attended some cool events, such as a talk by Margaret Atwood, one of my favorite authors! I bought a copy of her novel Alias Grace as a companion to my worn-down The Handmaid's Tale. There was also an organic chemistry symposium held for my organic chemistry professor in honor of his retirement. A few of my classmates and I attended, and while most of the technical knowledge flew right over our heads, we did enjoy seeing a few photos of our professor as a Ph.D. student. 

Back to (summer) school! Sophomore summer finally rolled around and it did not disappoint. Weeks were full of Bachelorette viewing parties, trips off-campus to Vermont, canoeing and kayaking, Wednesday farmer's markets, and a lot of sunlight. It was also my first ever term without a class with a laboratory component, which meant an extra four hours a week of free time. As It was gearing up to be full-blown 2020 presidential campaigning season, I attempted to attend a few for a better understanding of each of the candidates' platforms. After narrowly missing being allowed into a Joe Biden event, my friends and I made sure to line up early to hear Pete Buttigieg speak. We even got a photo with him!