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.
Now that I'm in my senior year of college, I am looking back on my time as a pre-health student. If I were to go back in time and talk to a younger version of myself, this is what I would say.
"Hard classes" are only a small fraction of being pre-health.
When you talk about being pre-health to others, chances are the first thing people mention is the hard classes like organic chemistry and physics. To be sure, your classes will be hard and varied, meaning that you will need to become proficient in many different academic subjects. However, your academics are really only one part of the journey to medical school. Along the way, Dartmouth students often engage in research, tutoring, volunteering and community service, and various types of clinical experiences like EMS. Managing your time will be a major battle, and for good reason! Building your character, work ethic, and intelligence, aside from being good for your growth, is meant to demonstrate to medical school admissions committees that you have the ability to become a good physician. Take nothing for granted!
Choose your major and extracurricular activities carefully.
Your four years at Dartmouth will pass by in a whirlwind, and it is important that you choose things carefully. When it comes to your major, choose something that is personally interesting to you, that you are good at, and that has good job prospects should you not pursue medicine in the end. If you are applying to medical school, GPA does matter a lot and is not normalized across majors—choosing an "easier" major may be more advantageous than choosing an "impressive" one. And when you are choosing extracurriculars, take note of what you truly enjoy, what clubs you could see yourself leading in the future, what types of people you hope to surround yourself with, and whether it is a good use of your time. For example, if a student-run club takes six hours a week, would you rather spend that doing research or volunteering?
Everyone has a different path to medical school; it is okay if yours is different.
The path to medical school is getting more and more diverse every year. The average age of matriculation is 24 years old and many people today are even career-changers. Gone are the days where the majority of people go "straight through," and if you find that extra time before applying will be the most beneficial for you, don't be afraid to do it!
Make friends and meet mentors both in and outside of pre-health commitments.
It is important to develop a broad support network while you're at Dartmouth. I recommend that you make friends and meet mentors within your pre-health classes. These connections are really helpful for encouragement, personal development, and emotional support since you either are all going through the same thing, or they have been through it before and can help you out. The Nathan Smith Society, for example, provides programming that connects students to M1s and M2s at Geisel School of Medicine, and often hosts programming where physicians from Dartmouth-Health come in and speak about their career trajectory. It is also important to make friends with people who are not pre-health, since their external perspectives can help you maintain your emotional health.
Reflect often.
Why do you want to go to medical school? How have the people around you impacted you? What sort of life do you want to lead? What legacy do you want to leave behind? Every person should think about these sorts of questions throughout their life, but students who think they have a calling for a lifetime of service—whether that be in medicine, government, etc.—have even more of a responsibility to reflect well and reflect often, both for yourself since this is a difficult path, but also for your future patients. I recommend keeping a journal, a video diary, or even a photobook.
Unlike some other universities, many of the STEM lecture classes at Dartmouth require concurrent enrollment in a laboratory section. What is it like navigating that time as a student?
As a senior, one of the most exciting things for me is my thesis project. In this blog, I describe how to approach making a senior honors thesis. As Dartmouth focuses on their undergraduate research, many students complete a thesis, so let's dive in!
Coming back to Dartmouth for my senior year, I have been loving pursuing my major. However, what I love about the liberal arts education is that you can take classes for interest far beyond any classes in your major.
