Hello, and welcome to my corner of the woods! I'm Lauren, a '27 from Munger, Michigan. On campus, I enjoy writing sports for The Dartmouth, going on as many DOC trips as I can, and hanging out with my friends. I also love Woccoming, doing the daily NYT mini crossword, and paddling!
I took this class as part of Dartmouth's first year writing requirement. We read a pro cyclist's life narrative, discussed research papers on controversial topics in sports, and wrote our own papers on a contentious sports technology of our choice. I really enjoyed this course's emphasis on discussion, and the small class size!
This was my first class in the classics department, which was super exciting as a classical studies major! We learned about the ancient Olympics and the connections between athletics and other aspects of ancient Greek society. I loved the final project in this class, which involved creating an argument about how the ancient pentathlon was scored!
To conclude my language requirement, I took Latin 3! This class was super exciting because we began to read ancient texts and poetry. We also took a class trip to the Rauner Special Collections library so we could physically handle and read some manuscripts. And as an added bonus, Latin counts as a prerequisite for my classical studies major!
As a part of my language study abroad in Italy, I also took a class on Italian history and culture! We went on field trips to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, participated in walking tours of Rome, and watched a lot of great cinema in this class! I loved it so much that I decided to minor in Italian.
This class, in addition to being a pre-requisite for my major, was super interesting! I loved learning about archaeology through hands-on projects and lectures that felt like TED Talks.
My favorite course on my Italian LSA+ in Rome is focused on Italian literature, which we are studying in a reverse-chronological order! It has been incredibly fun to see different topics and styles evolve over time and to learn from the works of the best writers.
"I lived in a homestay with a lovely German woman!"
Why did you apply to your study abroad program?
"I heard great things from friends who'd done the program in years past, and I wanted to learn more about German-Jewish history, so it was a natural choice."
What was the most surprising thing about your program?
"I was most surprised about how easily we were able to navigate Berlin in English (this was not a German language program)...That said, I definitely want to learn German now, because it's such an interesting language!"
How do you feel studying abroad impacted your Dartmouth experience?
"It was a great way to meet lots of people I wouldn't have otherwise met! I got to know a lot of Dartmouth students from other class years, majors, and areas of campus, and I met lots of Berliners as well."
"We're studying Spanish language, Spanish literature, and Argentine culture/history."
What is your living situation like abroad?
"We are all living with homestays! Going into the trip, I expected to have a full family hosting me, but almost all of us on the trip have a single older woman as our host. We've been calling them our 'abuelas'.
I've enjoyed the homestay experience so far—I think it's ideal for a language-focused program. Our hosts also cook for us and provide things like laundry, which is super convenient."
Why did you apply to your study abroad program?
"My mom is originally Puerto Rican, but spent most of her childhood in the US, and never really taught me Spanish. I grew up knowing some very basic phrases, but whenever we'd visit my mom's side of the family, I wouldn't really be able to understand them or communicate well with them, cutting me off from a whole chunk of my family.
I've always wanted to learn Spanish to be able to connect with my family, and I figured that a study abroad would be the best possible way to learn.
I also just think it would be cool to be bilingual and maybe will prove useful in a job or on my resume someday. Finally, study abroad programs are just really fun. Yes, Hanover is great, but every single day here provides something completely new and exciting."
What has been the most surprising thing about your experience so far?
"Everyone told me before leaving that I would learn differently through immersion, but it still has been surprising to experience it…There hasn't been any magical snap of the fingers, but every day I start conjugating more automatically and speaking better without thinking ahead of what to say.
Also, I've had so much time to explore the city. It already feels like home, and I think just going around and hearing Spanish might be the biggest contributor to my passive learning."
How do you feel studying abroad will impact your Dartmouth experience?
"I honestly think that I will have different habits and live differently once I return to Hanover, and probably even after I graduate college. Through that, I think my whole Dartmouth experience will change.
Sure, life in Buenos Aires is just by default incredibly different from life in Hanover, but life here has taught me how to make the most of every single day in a way that I think I can extend back to life in the US."
Dartmouth's "Dear Old Dartmouth" Alma Mater says it best: "Though 'round the girdled Earth they roam, Her spell on them remains." I hope that this overview has inspired you to look into studying abroad at Dartmouth—which you can do on the Guarini Website!
A key part of my Dartmouth experience so far has been my time on Sheba, one of many dance groups on campus! Read on to learn more about dance on campus!
