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.
As you may know, Dartmouth divides all its students into one of several housing communities. Different professors head different housing communities and throw various events for their members using school funding. As a member of West House, I get to enter lotteries to go on weekend trips to Boston or New York City. Each trip happens once per year. This year, the annual Boston trip happened in the winter term and the New York City trip happened in the spring. Students sign up using a lottery system, with around 60 seats available for West House members and their guests.
Since there are limited spots and limited trips, this was my first time getting to go on any West House trip (even as a senior). I had visited NYC once before, actually just last winter, and was super excited to go back. Even though I grew up in the suburbs, I love city living and being surrounded by lots of people. It makes me feel really alive, optimistic, and driven in a unique way. Therefore, I was super grateful to be able to go!
On the West House trip, most group expenses are covered by the school including the transportation, hotels, arts and culture tickets, and a few meals like breakfast and dinner on the way back. As a low-income student, I was also given a stipend to cover a couple other expenses, such as dinner and lunch in town.
We left campus around 8AM on Saturday morning. This year, West House bought orchestra seats for everyone on the trip to see Hadestown during the Saturday matinee, as well as tickets for the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Sunday. I've known of Hadestown since 2018/2019 and love Eva Noblezada, so I was extremely excited to see the show. I also had never been to the Met and I love learning about art, so I was also super grateful to be able to go to the museum! Outside of these two activities, I got some Korean BBQ at a restaurant called Jongro with my roommate Saturday night and explored Times Square and the theater district on my own, picking up a Hadestown postcard for my twin sister (who might actually beat me in my adoration for musical theater).
Sunday morning before the museum, I walked over to Chelsea and explored the neighborhood for a bit. Though Chelsea Market was theoretically open by the time I got there, none of the individual shops were accepting customers yet. I guess I'll just have to go another time! I left the hotel around 7:45AM and came back around 9:45AM to put my luggage in the correct location and have some Dartmouth-sponsored donuts before heading back out, this time to Central Park. There was actually a half-marathon happening that Sunday, which made it super fun to walk around the park. It was heart-warming to see all the supporters cheering on the runners. I then met everyone else at the Met around 11AM, where I stayed until we had to leave at 3PM. I think I was able to walk through most of the exhibits, but that museum is way too big to adequately see in one trip. While waiting for the chartered bus back to Hanover—which was having an extremely hard time navigating NYC the day before the Met Gala—, I also walked along Madison Avenue, stopping in several places to window shop.
The trip ended with some pizza on the road back and lots of great memories. It is really fun to escape Hanover for a bit during the term, as great as Dartmouth is. I am very grateful to the school for providing such opportunities like this, and for our faculty and staff who lead students on these adventures, trust us to roam the city, and manage to keep us all safe.
If you ever have the chance to go on a school trip, I highly encourage it! What do you think would be your favorite part?
In addition to blogging, I work as a Fellow for the Tucker Center, which focuses on promoting spiritual and ethical life on campus. As part of this role, I'm leading the Interfaith Alternative Spring Break Trip. Read on to learn more about my work!
