Hello there, friend! My name is Love and I am a '23. Aside from being on the pre-med track, I'm currently interested in studying math and public policy. I have a penchant for old things, learning languages, and the arts. I also love personality tests, irrespective of their actual validity—in case you're curious, I'm an INFJ, Scorpio, dragon, and type 2w1.
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!
MES 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!
COSC 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!
This 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.
Though 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.
The 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.
I 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!
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.
Much 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!
As a pre-med student interested in health disparities, SOCY 75 was an amazing class to take! We covered numerous topics concerning how where one lives can impact their health outcomes. At the end of the course, students were also able to complete a final project of their choosing and I loved being able to tie my personal experiences into an academic course.
Throughout college, most of my science courses have been at the introductory level: one term of genetics, one term of cell structure, etc. Rarely have I had the chance to engage with something on a deeper level or connect the pre-med courses to human biology. This course was super interesting because I could finally connect everything I've learned throughout college into one cohesive course that connects to something I want to do post-Dartmouth.
Hello everyone and welcome to 21X, sophomore summer for the '23s!
What a sight to behold! This is a gate / entrance I pass every time I arrive at Boston airport and start making my way to the Dartmouth Coach pick-up location.
The past few days have been a whirlwind for me. I arrived on campus Tuesday, June 22nd and immediately went to get tested for COVID-19 before heading to my room for the term, which is in my Greek house. The rest of the day was spent unpacking and catching up with some friends before turning in for the night because I had ten (!) boxes to move the next day. Thankfully, I had some wonderful help from sisters in my sorority and was able to get through Wednesday unscathed, albeit extremely tired!
In general, coming back onto campus was really surreal for me. Perhaps most surprising to me was that, on stepping out onto the Green for the very first time on Tuesday, it really felt like nothing had changed.
It has been more than a year since I've been at Dartmouth; I've spent every term at home during the pandemic. In some ways, I expected to feel more restless and anxious when I got to campus because of how long I'd been away. And yet, as soon as I got off the Coach, I felt like I was back in a home-away-from-home—I felt comfortable and like I was back where I belonged. This week, I crossed the Green like I had done a hundred times over freshman year, said hello to familiar faces every thirty steps at FoCo, and lugged myself over to the gym for dance auditions just like I had done my first few weeks here as a new student.
Things aren't going to be all easy-going this term, of course. For one, my courses seem to be a little more hands-on this time around, with multiple midterms in Organic Chemistry 2 and Abstract Algebra. Last term, all three of my classes only had one midterm and one final, which helped me a lot personally since I sometimes struggle with test anxiety and would rather have fewer, larger assignments instead of more, smaller ones. Additionally, there is no getting around the fact that I now need to take care of myself once more, remembering to feed myself regularly and fit other "adulting" things into my schedule, like doing my laundry, washing my dishes, and making sure that I am safeguarding my mental and spiritual health during these next ten weeks. And lastly, being at college will always mean that you're getting tested on your boundaries and your principles because you're surrounded by so many different people and so many different ideas. It can be easy to lose yourself in the process, or somehow get frustrated with your own personality when it feels like you're not fitting in. This can all sound a little scary, but what's growth without a little bit of pressure?
This was the weather that greeted us when we landed in Hanover on Tuesday: rain! Thankfully, it has brightened up considerably since then and we should expect more sunny skies in the future.
And so those are my opening thoughts for 21X! This term, my three largest goals are to
1) be engaged in my courses, attending office hours and getting to know my professors and classmates
2) develop and maintain my own hobbies, such as music, dance, and literature
3) be spontaneous! Go swimming in the river with friends, head over to Norwich for brunch, or go hiking on a Saturday afternoon—summer in the Upper Valley is one of the best times to be a Dartmouth student and I'm so excited for what this term has to offer.
If you're interested in seeing how the rest of 21X unfolds, stay tuned! For now, I hope you are having a wonderful day and a wonderful summer!
In addition to blogging, I work as a Fellow for the Tucker Center, which focuses on promoting spiritual and ethical life on campus. As part of this role, I'm leading the Interfaith Alternative Spring Break Trip. Read on to learn more about my work!
