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.
Choosing which university to attend is a daunting task for anybody, much less having to do it while the entire country seems to be in quarantine. Before I say anything else, I want to reach out to our '24s and say from the bottom of my heart: I am truly so sorry for how your senior year has turned out, and really empathize with your loss. Yes, there are greater tragedies happening in the world right now, but I personally don't believe that this fact negates your experiences or emotions. Though we can't do much to change the circumstances, we here at Dartmouth are still committed to you guys as you make your decision come May 1st (and beyond!)
So how does one choose where to go to college?
When I was choosing schools this time last year, I had narrowed down my list to five schools or so. At the time, the thing that really helped me make my decision was visiting every university and seeing what life I could have at each campus. Prior to senior year, I had actually never visited any school whatsoever and when most of my last schools offered to fly me and one parent out to visit, I gladly took the opportunity. Now, though I think that one could make this decision even without having ever stepped foot on-campus.
In reality, most admitted student weekends look the same: an activities fair, mock classes, free food, and tours. What I've found is that, if you've done your research and sort of have an intuition about the school and its ~vibe~, you won't be surprised when you get there.
If you think about it, it is in each school's best interest to get their message and priorities across in their online presence. Though it won't match 100%, you can be relatively assured that your gut feeling about a school is correct. Whether you have a certain pull towards a school no one else wants you to go, or you dislike a school that is incredibly prestigious, you should take account of this sort of "premonition."
For me, I associated Dartmouth with the great outdoors, a strong student body, great student-faculty connections, and a crowd who is passionate about their studies without being inaccessible or overly pretentious. When I visited Dartmouth for Dimensions, this is exactly what I found! My host was extremely kind and introduced me to her friends and her bosses, and led me around campus. I loved seeing the DOC building and the mountains surrounding Dartmouth, and could definitely see the "outdoorsy" sector of campus when hikers sat on the Green after a long day. The various student programming was so different from the other admitted student weekends and really showed to me the strength of the community here on-campus. Before coming here, I had a certain image of Dartmouth and even wrote in my journal that if I were to discount things like prestige or ranking, this school would be my number one choice. After getting in and having to choose between schools, I strongly felt like this was the best place for me to go, and I would have made the same decision regardless of whether I could visit or not.
So while our '24s can't come visit us in person (even though we wish you could!), it's not the end of the world. How does one choose their school? By spending a lot of time researching, talking to current students, and doing some reflection. You will come out of this with an image of the school that is closer to reality than you may think. And just as our Dartmouth adcoms saw you having a place here, I believe that you will, too!
Choose the best school for you! Choose the school where people make snow ducks by dorm entrances!
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!
