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.
In your time at Dartmouth, you'll take a lot of classes. Some you'll need for our distributive requirements. Others you'll need for your major or minor. And still others you might need for graduate or professional school. However, with 35 classes to complete, there is still a large amount of leeway for you to explore and take extra courses to your heart's content! So, what classes should you take with this golden opportunity?
I've listed some of the most popular courses below, and some I just personally like, all of which are just a small sampling of all the classes offered. While not a definitive list of the best or most popular classes on-campus, I hope that they show what a great range of amazing classes are offered at Dartmouth and get you excited about the next four years of your liberal arts journey.
ENGS 12: Design Thinking
A class meant for both engineering majors and non-majors alike, Design Thinking teaches principles of human-centered design and product development. I've heard a lot of good things about this class and would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to broaden their horizons and create tangible things during class.
COSC 25.01, 25.02: Intro to UI/UX Design I, II
This is a two-term class offered only to first- and second-years at Dartmouth. Much like ENGS 12, the courses allow for students with no previous experience to learn how to create platforms and have a final product instead of only learning theory. Check out this Youtube video for more!
MUS 46: Video Games and the Meaning of Life
A cult classic by this point, MUS 46 is a fully comprehensive class that looks at how various aspects of video games demonstrate what people believe about life and our place in it. The Dartmouth recently did a fantastic profile on the class and I've also personally heard amazing things about not only the content of the course but also the professor.
THEA 30: Acting I
Though some may believe that everyone taking this class would be theater majors, this class is so popular that students have to talk with the professors before getting approved to register! Many people also find a great group of friends in THEA 30 because of all the partner and group work. Though I haven't taken this class, I really hope to do so before I graduate.
PBPL 5: Introduction to Public Policy
This class is a mandatory part of the minor in Public Policy and the First-Year Fellows internship program through the Rockefeller Center, meaning that a lot of freshmen take the class their freshman winter. I took PBPL 5 with Professor Wheelan and absolutely loved the class! You'll learn about what public policy is, what our current situation is like, how to conduct your own research and write your own memos, and present a final project to the class, complete with emotional ad campaigns and a fancy memo.
COSC 1, 10: Introduction to Programming and Computation, Problem-Solving via Object-Oriented Programming
A lot of people have worries about taking computer science in college, but I still highly recommend everyone to take a couple classes just to try it out. The emotional, academic, and professional pay-off is so amazing after working through all the problem sets and creating something that you thought only other people could do.
So there you have it! These are some classes that I've heard great things about, or would highly recommend myself. Other departments that, in general, have great courses for non-majors to take are sociology, economics, and government, particularly because each of these disciplines may have classes that pertain more directly to your interests while applying their own lens to it, such as the sociology of health disparities in the United States. Should you want to venture into languages, professors in Latin and Chinese have particularly great reputations (and teach languages that many people haven't learned before). The Dartmouth Office of the Registrar has the whole list of classes with course descriptions should you want to read more, and many departmental websites also have syllabi online.
With all that said and done, what are some of your dream courses?
Applying early to a university can be overwhelming and confusing. As someone who did not apply to Dartmouth through early decision, here are a couple tips that I could have used when thinking about applying early to a school!
