Welcome to my page, I am a '27 from central New Hampshire! I came to Dartmouth for the liberal arts curriculum, so I plan to explore the academic disciplines before deciding what to focus on. I am currently looking at environmental science and religion. In addition to blogging, I work as an Interfaith Trip Fellow with the Tucker Center for Spiritual and Ethical Life. I enjoy mountain biking, running, skiing, singing, and drawing.
Academic Program
Intended: pre-health, anthropology, environmental studies, and religion.
This discussion and reading-based class was incredible and relevant! Content ranged from the historical impact of the printing press to AI in the workforce and transhumanism, and all of the topics were grounded in religion and some of the frameworks religion provides. I pondered on ideas from this class all the time.
I was captivated by the first class meeting of the term reading Ovid's 'Metamorphoses' and eventually chose to focus on it for my research paper at the end of the term. All of the readings captivated my attention, however, Kafka, Han's 'The Vegetarian', and Kristeva were the authors that made the biggest impression on me. The class discussions resulted in wonderful insights relevant to humanity at a macro level. My favorite aspect was our professor instructing us to focus on the ideas before picking apart the writing style.
This class made me think about the bigger picture of health in a systems focus. Ultimately this class helped me realize that there are a lot of structural health system challenges in the U.S. and around the world. I particularly liked learning about the histories and anthropological side of things. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) were my favorite topic in the class because the frameworks are very limited, so some do not receive enough focus and funding.
My Spanish language study abroad was wonderful. In addition to improving my Spanish proficiency, I learned a lot about the culture and history of Spain- especially in the autonomous community (region) of Cantabria where Santander is located. My favorite class on this trip was literature, every class had a different theme relevant to the history and culture of Spain and this was explored with movies, videos, and readings that resulted in some great insights during class discussion. The homestay aspect and excursions bolstered the conversational and cultural aspects of the LSA.
This class sits at the center of the two interests that I have chosen for my modified major, anthropology and environmental studies. There are a few reasons I love this class. First and foremost, there is a SIP fieldwork aspect to it (I wrote a post about this!) which means I can experience local communities and have a tangible impact. Next, my professor has a wonderful design for the content and structure of the class. Also, I am genuinely excited to learn about the content and perspective this course utilizes by considering the many dimensions of disaster. I particularly like exploring the historical factors that turn a scenario into a disaster, and how that can be prevented.
Considering Study Abroad during your College Search
As you look at various colleges and explore options during your search process I urge you to incorporate study abroad and exchange program opportunities into your criteria for picking a robust college. Although I will say that considering this aspect of a college depends on what you are trying to get out of your college experience, for example not everyone decides that a liberal arts institution fits what they envision- and that is completely acceptable!! What your college search ideally achieves is figuring out what type of college will best support you moving towards your future endeavors. Determining what will best support you looks different for everyone, with considerations of fields of study, international programs, financial aid, club opportunities, student body population, geographic location, and many other finite factors.
This was a great crossover moment for me in my LSA program during our excursion in Madrid. This is the study inside of the house of Lope de Vega, a playwright at the same time as Shakespeare, which reminded me of a dual-enrolled British Literature class I took in high school with one of my favorite professors.
At Dartmouth, we have three types of programs to bolster studies beyond campus... language study abroads (LSA), foreign study program (FSP), and exchange programs (EXCH). Go check out the Guarini Institute for International Studies at Dartmouth to see all of the options and if something catches your eye click on the program and read more! FSP and LSA programs are hosted by the academic departments at Dartmouth along with the Guarini Institute, and sometimes partially use partner universities as well. Exchange programs are hosted by the partner universities in conjunction with Dartmouth. As you explore these options it is also a great opportunity to consider potential fields of study or languages that you might want to study at Dartmouth and familiarize yourself with the departments at Dartmouth.
Beyond the robust programmatic offerings for international and exchange study at Dartmouth, another major question for most people is funding. At Dartmouth, these programs are built into the typical financial aid which is quite strong and can also be considered in the context of the expansion of financial aid this past spring which expanded $0 family contribution to families with an annual income below $125,000. If you fall into that particular range, then it is likely that you will either pay nothing to Dartmouth or actually recieve a stipend from Dartmouth for an abroad term to cover travel expenses and other essentials. Money is NOT a barrier to have these experiences at Dartmouth.
This is inside of a church in Santillana del Mar. For me, it has been a blast to see all of the religious history of Spain on this trip since it is one of the things that I am studying at Dartmouth and enjoy exploring in my free time.
In the context of languange programs, currently there is a requirement to these courses at Dartmouth and it is up to each student (and their placement based on proficiency) to choose if they want to take courses on campus or go on a LSA. There is no requirement to participate in abroad or exchange programs at Dartmouth but it is something that most students consider and/or make into a reality.
Exploring Chicago with my fellow women engineers from Dartmouth! We explored the city outside of the SWE conference and got to see how exciting Chicago can be.
I applied through Questbridge's National College Match, but did not match. To others who also did not match, this is not the end of your application process! Here's what I did following match decision day.
Learn about the different programs Dartmouth offers prospective students to explore campus life, learn about Dartmouth, and enjoy an all-expenses paid trip to Hanover!
"Indigenous Peoples' Day Every Day!" A common phrase said within the Native Community at Dartmouth. Come and join me as I describe the Indigenous Fly-In Program offered by Dartmouth!
