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.
One of the cornerstones of a Dartmouth education is our foreign language requirement, which specifies that all students must either 1) take the equivalent of (usually) 3 foreign language classes or 2) test out of the requirement by demonstrating proficiency in a language other than their native one. This requirement is just one of several distributive requirements that the college has, which you can find here.
Dartmouth offers a number of languages, some of which include Spanish, French, Italian, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese. The sequences are designed to get you relatively comfortable with the language once completing the requirement. If you've taken language classes in high school, you also have the option to test out of certain levels and start in a more advanced class. These placement tests will occur online the summer before your freshman year. I am currently completing my French sequence. I've only ever taken the classes in the virtual "Zoom" setting, but I hope I can still offer some bit of insight into how the classes work!
All of my French classes are conducted in French, not English. I expect that certain other languages (such as Italian and Spanish) operate the same way because there are so many cognates between English and those languages. Units are centered around specific cultural themes, such as environmental issues or overseas French territories, and within each unit we learn a number of grammatical constructs. During the remote format, my French class is operating as a flipped classroom, meaning that we learn material on our own and come together during the week to converse and practice what we learned. There are two classes per week and one individual check-in with the professor. We also have two drill sections per week.
All languages, except for Latin and Greek, require something called "drill," which is based off of the Rassias Method. The Rassias Method is a language learning method formulated by Professor John Rassias in the 1970s. Depending on the language and level, you may meet anywhere from four times a week to two times a week for fifty minutes. During drill, your drill instructor (who is usually another Dartmouth student who speaks the language natively), will lead you through grammar exercises and transformations. It is meant to supplement whatever you're learning in class so that you develop the ability to think on-the-spot instead of relying on pen-and-paper.
There are usually two categories: substitutions or transformations, with transformations being the more difficult version. Your drill instructor will say a phrase and then give the thing that you will substitute into the sentence (or transform). The instructor will then snap their fingers and then point at someone to complete the exercise.
Examples:
TA: "I am happy. Tired," *snaps and points to student*
STUDENT: "I am tired."
TA: "The students are young. The students watch the movie." *snaps and points to student*
STUDENT: "The students who watch the movie are young."
Drill is definitely a huge part of the Dartmouth experience and has made my French accent in particular improve so quickly, not to mention my comfort and personal confidence in speaking the language. If you have the ability to, I definitely recommend taking a language while in college even if you've already fulfilled the requirement because languages are gateways to a bigger world in which you can talk to and learn about so many other cultures!
My first time in Chicago at the Society of Women Engineers Conference in Chicago, Illinois! Fully funded by Dartmouth, I had a great time meeting amazing companies and getting to know fellow women engineers.
Through Dartmouth's Guarini Institute for International Study, I am getting to take classes and experience life at Wellesley College, an all-women's school!
Academics can be challenging at Dartmouth. But there are lots of groups across campus here to support you through your academic journey. Read on for my experience asking for help and a few organizations that might be helpful to you!
Every Dartmouth student is required to demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English. Here's my experience navigating the language requirement!
