Hi, and welcome to my corner of the woods! I'm Lauren, a '27 from Munger, Michigan. Outside of academics, I'm a member of the Ledyard Canoe Club, the Dartmouth Organization of Rural Students, and Dartmouth Sports Analytics. I can't wait to share stories from my final year at Dartmouth with all of you!
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’m absolutely loving this hands-on introduction to paleography, and the fact that my class meets at Rauner every day! I can’t wait to hear from our guest lecturers, too, and I’ll be sure to share those experiences on the blog. All in all, Latin 10 was a great way to get back into the language after a term away in Rome.
I signed up for this Latin class after the FDOC (first day of class), and I'm so glad I added it to my sophomore summer schedule! Our class is combined with GRK 30.08 History and Structure of the Greek Language, and it has been incredibly interesting to compare the ancient languages and learn a bit of Greek.
FallIvrea, Italy
This term, I'm interning with the Olivetti Leadership Institute in Ivrea, a small town in northern Italy.
WinterHanover, NH
For my second off-term, I'm back on campus! I'm keeping myself busy by working, spending time with friends, and working on my to-be-read list.
I signed up for this course to complete my final distributive requirement for graduation, and it has turned out to be one of my most rewarding classes! It’s been fascinating to explore a region of the world I hadn’t formally studied before. As a bonus, the lectures are incredibly engaging and I always leave class feeling like my perspective has been broadened.
SummerMunger, Michigan
This summer, I'm spending time at home working on post-graduate applications and hanging out with my family. I'm also working remotely for the Hood Museum and spending a lot of time traveling to visit Dartmouth friends across the country!
For most Dartmouth students, junior summer is the last term away from campus before graduation. To mark this pivotal movement, I caught up with three of my friends—Lily, Nico, and Aubrey—to compare notes. From craters to consulting to curating, their experiences represent some of the different paths a Dartmouth student can take on an off-term.
So, what are you doing this summer?
Lily: I'm a full-time researcher for the Planetary Systems and Surfaces lab at Purdue. I'm working on two projects—one looking at the ejecta material on the rim of a Martian crater, and the other analyzing reduction spots on Mars as a potential biosignature.
Lily '27 checking in from her lab in Indiana!
Nico: I'm an associate consultant intern at Mastercard in Arlington, Virginia, within the business experimentation track. I help companies design, implement, and draw results from business tests. We take the data and figure out the business impact of the change they made.
Aubrey: I'm a curatorial intern for European Arts and Collections History at the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) in Raleigh. Most days, I format information for works from the Italian Renaissance and complete provenance research.
How did you find the opportunity—and did Dartmouth help?
Lily: I reached out to my professor and asked if she knew anyone I could work with in my niche, planetary geomorphology. That connection led to two Zoom interviews and a match with two PhD students! All of my funding for the term is from the Center for Career Design.
Nico '27, sitting on the left, consulting with his fellow interns on how to put together a desk!
Aubrey: I was researching major museums in each state and came across the NCMA. Since I'm from Tennessee, I really wanted to work in the South. The application was a resume, cover letter, and two recommendation letters. I applied to the Center for Career Design's unpaid internship funding, which covered most of my expenses, and used my Presidential Scholar award for the rest.
Has anything surprised you, or changed your plans?
Lily: If anything, it solidified my plans. The research is amazing, and I love working with such brilliant people. What did surprise me was the summer culture at a huge institution. Here, there aren't many people my age who stay for the summer, so it's been hard to make friends and branch out.
The door sign for Lily's lab this summer—it seems like a really cool place!
Nico: It hasn't changed my academic plans—my job is a big combination of econ and stats, so my major turned out to be ideal preparation. Career-wise, consulting appeals to me because it gives you exposure to a lot of industries. Something that pleasantly surprised me was how tight-knit the intern class is—it makes the experience feel like more than just a job.
Aubrey: Although I still hope to be a professor, this internship has shown me how much I'd also enjoy working as a museum curator. It surprised me just how much research goes into every single work of art. Even when it seems like a museum has everything figured out, they're constantly updating the date, provenance, and even the title based on the newest research.
Any advice for someone considering something similar?
Lily: Don't be afraid to cold email. I researched professors at schools I'd want to work with, and almost all of them responded—I ended up with five job offers! Don't wait too long, though—a full term before you want to leave is a good time to start reaching out.
Nico: Know that a lot of internships expect you not to know everything going in, because you're a student. Don't let uncertainty stop you from applying!
Aubrey: Keep your options open and look beyond just NYC, Boston, and D.C.! There are incredible museums and cultural institutions everywhere, and you'll have better luck applying to a variety of places. Also, don't stress if you get rejected—it's not a reflection of your abilities.
This summer, Aubrey '27 has a great desk view!
What's one thing you'll take away from this experience?
Lily: There are niches to the niches when it comes to scientific study. Research experiences really help you find the sub-niche you're interested in.
Nico: The people you work with really do matter. I underestimated going into the internship how much that matters. It's cliché, but it's true—and it'll shape how I make decisions going forward.
Interns, including Nico '27, standing in front of a brick wall while holding paintings of a lake at sunset.
Aubrey: This has been my first experience living as an adult, alone, in a city I'd never been to. It's taught me to be flexible, adventurous, and to embrace everything with positivity.
As we head into senior year, I feel lucky to be surrounded by friends who inspire me. Whether it's taking a leap with a cold email, making the most of your Dartmouth connections, or reaching out to the Center for Career Design for support, their stories are a good reminder that there's no single path forward.
This fall, I'm interning at AGBO, an independent entertainment studio in Los Angeles. Here's what a typical day in my life looks like, told through photos!
Welcome back to Open Doors—your inside look at life in the Woods! This week, Greta Richardson '26, an engineering major, showed me around her room in her off-campus apartment, where we discussed Dartmouth residence halls, classes, and campus life.
