

Love Tsai

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Love's D-Plan
What's a D-Plan?-
FallOn Campus
BIOL 11.07 (Major Events in the History of Life and the Human Genome) is a very unique class. We learn topics such as oxidative phosphorylation in conjunction with evolution and paleontology. In other words, where and when did ETC come from, and how can we support our hypothesis? Though not an easy class by far, every day the material I learn amazes me with the wonder of life, which is how biology should be!
WinterOn Campus
Favorite Class: MES 7.03: Jerusalem: Vision and RealityMES 7.03 (Jerusalem: Vision and Reality) was my First-Year Seminar and such an interesting class to take! We explored Jerusalem through three main viewpoints (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). The class had a bit of religion, literature, anthropology, sociology, and even geography—all things I love to study but don't necessarily have the space for with our three-class quarters. I often found myself going to office hours just to talk with my professor about questions I had outside of the reading!
SpringRemote Learning, At Home
Favorite Class: COSC 10: Problem Solving with Object-Oriented ProgrammingCOSC 10 (Problem Solving with Object-Oriented Programming) is a data structures course and the last pre-requisite for the computer science major. Though I added it as a fourth class on a whim because of COVID-19 and remote learning, it quickly became my favorite class this term because I loved the problem solving that CS has to offer. It is a difficult class but the emotional and academic rewards make it all worth it!
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FallRemote Learning, At Home
Favorite Class: ENGS 13: Virtual Medicine and CybercareThis was one of four classes I took during fall term and it was super interesting! We learned about healthcare systems and innovations from around 4 guest lecturers per week, and were able to do research on our own and propose a new system at the end of the term. Students came from all over campus and the course was very enlightening for me in terms of understanding how care is dispensed in the U.S. and how we can improve it.
WinterRemote Learning, At Home
Favorite Class: BIOL 13: Gene Expression and InheritanceThough this was my first "foundation" course in the Biology department and I still found it challenging, I really enjoyed learning the material and found it all super exciting! We learned about DNA replication, mRNA transcription and protein translation, genetics, and had the opportunity to do a literature review at the end of the term.
SpringRemote Learning, At Home
Favorite Class: CHEM 51: Organic Chemistry IThe dreaded Organic Chemistry sequence of my pre-med track came upon me faster than I thought it would, but it surprised me by being one of my favorite classes to date! I found it intellectually interesting (even though it was time-consuming), probably because I treated it like a STEM-and-logic puzzle instead of pure STEM or pure memorization. Am I great at it? Not necessarily. Do I remember everything I've learned? I'm not too sure! Am I mentally ready for Organic Chemistry 2 next term? Not at all! But I had a lot of fun doing this class and surprised even myself with how I tackled it.
SummerOn-campus
Favorite Class: AAAS 31.10: Dance Theatre of Harlem Workshop: Collaborative Storytelling Through MovementI love dancing, story-telling, and learning about different cultures so I knew going into this course that I would enjoy it. Cross-listed in the theater and AAAS departments, this course let students have the privilege of working with Dance Theatre of Harlem members who were in Hanover for a summer residency. As a group, we analyzed a play ("The Purple Flower" by Marita Bonner) and transformed the text into a physical movement piece. Each student also had complete ownership of a personal final project, and I opted to do a self-choreographed dance. Overall, I loved getting the chance to work creatively in my academics this term and I also was able to broaden my perspective and knowledge of the African-American story in the process!
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FallOn-campus
As a pre-med, I am constantly trying to learn more about the U.S medical system. This course was extremely engaging in all aspects, taking students through all of American history through the lens of healthcare within the span of 10 weeks. I particularly liked having a discussion session that replaced a lecture, since we were able to talk about the issues with the professor and think out loud about our readings. The course was definitely challenging and required a lot of synthesis across different time periods and topics, but I feel like I came out of it with a deeper and more profound understanding of our healthcare system and why it functions the way it does today.
WinterDetroit, MI
For my junior winter, I did an internship in clinical research! With COVID affecting so much of my college experience, this practical, in-person work internship was very important for me to not only hone my employable skills but also see what having a 8am - 5pm job looks like and how it could fit into my future.
SpringOn-campus
Favorite Class: CHEM 41: Biological Chemistry IMuch like my other pre-med courses here at Dartmouth, Biochemistry was quite rigorous and fast-paced. It was certainly challenging, but I found the work extremely rewarding and I enjoyed learning about all the different mechanisms that happen inside of our bodies. Additionally, many of my friends were also in this class as well, rounding out final prerequisites for graduate school, and this fact made it all the more fun.
SummerDresden, Germany
For my junior summer, I had a research internship in Eastern Germany, working at the intersection between math, computer science, and biology! The learning curve was very steep since my project focus changed once I arrived in Europe, but I had a lot of fun and learned a lot about the content and myself. I am extremely thankful for all the support that Dartmouth has given me throughout my time here, without which I wouldn't have been able to do a 12-week European adventure!

5 Things I'd Tell My Younger (Pre-Med) Self
Now that I'm in my senior year of college, I am looking back on my time as a pre-med student. If I were to go back in time and talk to a younger version of myself, this is what I would say.


Goodbye, 22S
Happy last week of classes! Here are some of my reflections from my junior spring.

Green Key 2022!
Last week was week 8 of spring term at Dartmouth, which means only one thing: Green Key!
Food at Dartmouth!
See what food I've had this spring through a photo tour!
- No. 1
Collis Stir-Fry
I am on the off-campus meal plan, which means that I have around $1,000 to use in Dartmouth dining halls but no meal swipes to use at the main buffet-style dining hall, which students affectionately call FoCo but is actually called Class of 1953 Commons.
Therefore, I have to be a bit more creative with my meal choices so that I make sure I get in all my vegetables and protein.
One way I do that is to get stir-fry at Collis Café! Collis serves stir-fry Subway-style during lunch; at dinner, they serve pasta instead. I like getting beef and vegetables with mine, and I usually add General Tso's as my sauce.
- No. 2
Smashburger Off-Campus!
Dartmouth students usually have a few opportunities to leave campus during the term, whether it be for sports, conferences, or fun excursions to Boston or New York City.
I ended up having the chance to go to a conference around Week 4 and we got Smashburger on the way back! Hanover doesn't have much in the way of fast food or other restaurant chains, so while I enjoy small-town living and being able to support local businesses at school, the occasional french fry or pizza has become surprisingly reminiscent of home since that is when I normally can have it!
All this to say—any time I get to eat something like Smashburger, I happily indulge.
- No. 3
Collis Sushi
This year, Collis Café started serving fresh, hand-made sushi!
It can be very pricey compared to the pre-packaged ones (one nigiri piece is almost $4!), but sometimes you just need a pick-me-up in the form of salmon nigiri and eel sushi. I shared this plate with my friend and we both thought it was quite good for being from the Upper Valley. Dining Services is always trying to improve and listen to student voices, and I greatly appreciate all that they do in making multicultural food for Dartmouth students.

Photo Diary: First Half of Junior Spring
See some parts of my life through photos!
- No. 1
Senior Year Housing!
In the first half of junior spring, all '23s went through the housing process for the 2022 - 2023 school year. Seniors are allowed some of the widest range of choices in terms of housing—you can live in regular dorms, LLCs, senior apartments, off-campus, Greek housing, etc. Seniors also get the highest priority numbers out of the entire school (1 - 1600), which means they get first dibs on room selection when the time comes.
I've wanted to live in a senior apartment for some time now. There are a number of things that drew me to this type of housing vs. getting a single in a more traditional West House dorm like Fahey. For one, I like living with friends and people I know. Coming home to a space where you can say hi to people and catch up with them is really nice to me, vs. living in a big, impersonal dorm. In fact, each term I've lived on-campus I've been able to be in a smaller residential setting. My freshman year, I lived in an LLC when they were still housed in the McLaughlin Cluster. Sophomore summer, I lived in my Greek house. Junior fall and spring, I lived in two different LLCs, both situated in actual houses on campus!
Secondly, living in a senior apartment replicates more of the independent, "non-college" living that I'd gotten used to during COVID and have grown to prefer. The apartment I am going to be in, for example, is in a stand-alone house on a quiet street, with a full kitchen, two bathrooms, and a living room alongside the four bedrooms. The apartment space is big and private enough to really make it yours. I like these types of environments and hope to do more cooking, movie nights with friends, and general "home-y" activities next year, especially since I can stay in the same room for three terms without moving out (a luxury must students don't get after freshman year at Dartmouth due to the D-plan)!
- No. 2
Living in the Chinese Language House
Speaking of dorms and LLCs, I've also greatly enjoyed my living situation this term despite my excitement for senior apartments next year!
The Chinese Language House is one of the smaller ones on campus, with only around 8 residents this term. There are a lot of places to relax, such as the kitchen, living room, or mudroom-turned-study space. People in the dorm are also very friendly and host events such as joint birthday parties and other garden parties.
If you're ever wondering about a way to make community in the chaotic world that is Dartmouth, I highly recommend trying out an LLC. There is something really special about surrounding yourself with people who share similar interests or values as you, especially when you are trying to branch out and grow in all the other parts of your life.
- No. 3
Doing Biochemistry Lab
I am taking biochemistry this term through the Chemistry department rather than the Biology department, which means that we still have weekly, four-hour labs.
Thankfully, the amount of time varies for each week and we also get some time during lab to eat and do other work while experiments are running. I've liked being able to apply both my biological and chemical knowledge in a "research" setting since I didn't get to do a lot of labs due to COVID. The work is a mix of chemistry and biological lab skills, although the first half has been mostly biology bench work (such as cloning, running gels, doing PCRs, etc.).
The lab is set up so that everyone does the same thing each week and whatever is still viable at the end of the term, we use for the final experiment. While my lab partner and I have had some mishaps, we've also had some fun successes, which has been very gratifying!






Four Pictures from my First Week of Junior Spring!
See some pictures of campus at the start of spring term!