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.
Hey everyone! Welcome to a whole new term of Dartmouth craziness, brought to you via Zoom, copious amounts of stress, and a healthy stash of quarantine snacks. While this certainly isn't the spring I had in mind—there was actually no possible scenario in my mind where I had to do college at home because of a pandemic— I am learning to make the best of our circumstances.
Can you believe that there was a time when we could just come and go as we pleased, and all grocery stores were well-stocked and (relatively) free of disease?
Where am I? For the foreseeable future, I am back home in Metro-Detroit, Michigan. This house, on account of it being an open-floor plan and being run by Taiwanese parents, has no personal space whatsoever. I am quarantined right now with my parents, my twin sister, and my dog. Every single day, everyone wakes up at the same time and then spends the entire day in the same area of the house. If I wake up earlier, so does everyone else. Via parental design, my room has no desk and so I work at a table facing my sister with my back to my dad and my mom (who sit behind me). While my dog is extremely happy to see everyone at home, sometimes I just would like some space to myself, but I think personal space is going to be in short supply for a while.
Since all courses are pass/fail this term, I ended up adding a fourth class just to spice things up. So now, I am taking:
CHEM 6: General Chemistry II
COSC 10: Problem-Solving via Object-Oriented Programming
FREN 2: Introductory French II
MATH 24: Linear Algebra
I was already planning on taking CHEM 6 (for medical school requirements), FREN 2 (for Dartmouth's language requirement), and MATH 24 (prerequisite for the math major). I added the computer science class last minute, and stayed up until midnight the day of add-drop so that I could sneak into the class before all the other students stormed in. The portal ended up crashing because nearly every single student wanted to add a fourth class, so I wound up waking up at 5:30AM later that day to add it because I was worried about it being over capacity. Some of my other friends just emailed the professor to get in after it had filled up. Ah, the joys of being a worrier.
Many of my extracurricular involvements are meeting via Zoom. I did lose out on three jobs that I was planning on starting, but other than that, I am still finding myself to be pretty busy here at home. I've also taken up some other activities that I didn't have time for in the winter because I'm a chronic over-scheduler. Dartmouth students have navigated this virtual term quite readily and many clubs are still trying to communicate with students about how to get involved. Other than that, I now spend lots of time with my sister, make time for hobbies such as art or cooking, and generally lead a "slower" lifestyle than I would at Dartmouth. I still have a weird amount of stress connected to my academic work considering the fact that it's mandatory pass/fail. And now that there is no social outlet for my stress, I'm really needing to dig deep and figure out how to live without a constant sense of doom.
One thing that has helped me a lot during this time has been connecting with all the '24s! As a student employee at the admissions office, I can say that we are working really hard to make sure that you have all the information you need to make your decisions come May 1st. Please feel free to reach out, view all the programming coming your way, and sign up for things such as virtual hosting and calls. Though it can be difficult right now, all things will pass and we will get through this together. Make sure to wash your hands, respect the rules of your locale, and be kind during all of this. I'll see you on the flip side!
I took this picture last spring when I visited Dartmouth for the first time during Dimensions. It's really unfortunate that everything has been cancelled because this trip was what actually introduced me to Dartmouth and made me love the school. However, Admissions is working super hard to make things more accessible for admitted students, so do keep checking your email. We hope to see you soon!
On Monday, April 8, 2024, a phenomenal total solar eclipse occurred — and we happened to be within the path of totality. As a result, Dartmouth hosted a variety of eclipse-related events on- and off-campus. Find out how I spent the eclipse!
Traditionally, Dartmouth students take three courses during a term, but I decided to take four courses this term! Learn about course load and the academic system at Dartmouth.
