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.
Since coming home, I've missed a lot about Dartmouth: my friends, activities I was a part of, and even just the physical campus itself. One thing I didn't expect to miss was the Upper Valley.
A lot of students I know head to Main Street on the weekends to eat at the various restaurants or go to Lebanon to get out of the Dartmouth bubble. I didn't do much of that my freshman year and usually spent my weekends on campus—I went to the CVS at the end of Main Street for the first time in the winter term! And because I wasn't super integrated with Hanover and the Upper Valley, I didn't expect to miss it when I left. Since coming home, however, I've remembered the smaller things about being in the Upper Valley that often go unnoticed. While you may think of Hanover as simply being defined by its restaurants (and there are some pretty good ones), there is actually a lot more to the area! Below, I'll list some of my favorite parts about Dartmouth's location.
Eating: Yes, I still have to point this out! In Hanover alone (actually within 5 minutes of the Green), we have Thai food, traditional American eats, two restaurants serving fusions of Asian cuisine (Chinese, Japanese, and Korean), pizza places (including a Domino's, a favorite for every movie night or study session), Mexican food, brunch places, and even Himalayan food! These restaurants become staples of the Dartmouth student experience, and because of the proximity of these places, you'll find yourself getting attached to the restaurant itself as much as for its food. Many students go to Molly's for their first legal cocktail, order Tuk Tuk Thai for school events, and use Dartmouth's Take Your Professor to Lunch program to get free Pine. Molly's bread has a personal mark of approval from my parents, so you know that it's good.
This is a picture from TripAdvisor because I realized that I never took pictures of Molly's bread when I was there. But look at the bread! Look at the honey butter!
Shopping: One thing I love about small downtown areas such as Hanover's is the presence of locally-owned shops. Back home in Michigan, many of the downtowns I frequented growing up were also like this, and I love going in to see the different things that they sell. Supporting local businesses over chains is really important to keep money in the immediate economy as well, and these stores are great ways to do that. There'll always be unique things that you can't find elsewhere, which makes shopping in Hanover fun when you're getting gifts for family and friends back home.
One of the many small stores on Main Street that are so homey and lovely!
Visiting other towns/areas: for some places that are just a bit too far to walk to, you can take Advance Transit (the free UV bus system). I went to Lebanon for the first time with Dartmouth Center for Social Impact and was surprised at how much I didn't know about this area. There are tons of ways to get involved with the society outside of Dartmouth as well, whether it be going to town hall meetings, volunteering with various non-profits in the area, or getting a job off-campus. The uniqueness of living in a rural place is something that many of us won't get to experience after graduation, so I'm constantly reminding myself to remember the importance of taking full advantage of it.
Seeing the mountains: Walking just fifteen minutes outside of campus will greet you with the beautiful mountains of New Hampshire! I personally love mountains (think they might be my favorite geographical feature) and am so happy that I'm surrounded by them during the school year. In the fall, the trees turn golden and if you can get a high vantage point (the LSC is great!) facing the mountains, you'll be awestruck by how beautiful it is. Lots of students take a trip to Gile Mountain, a place around 20 minutes away by car, that has a tower that you can climb to skip the harder hikes and still get an amazing view. Mountains during the winter are also beautiful, and snow falls in big, large snowflakes that you can catch on your way to class. They definitely make the harsh winters more bearable.
Some beautiful NH mountains in the fall.
Community: I've sort of touched on this above but thought I would really drive the point home. My sister attends another small LAC just a couple hours away that is situated in a bustling college town right next to a huge state school. Whenever she talks about her weekend excursions, it feels like she's going into a different world as soon as she takes the bus and gets off-campus. For me, I don't have that same feeling at Dartmouth. Everything seems to be integrated into a cohesive community and the Upper Valley is as much a part of Dartmouth as we are of it. When I look back on my time at the Big Green, I'll remember eating at Lou's, getting to know the staff who run Advance Transit, and even feeling bizarrely invigorated after visiting CVS (because CVS feels the same wherever you are in the country and I thought I was back in suburbia/urban life for a second). These little things make up a lot of my memories from this past year, even though at first I didn't think they did. Hanover is charming, is the simplest way to put it for any prospective students or concerned family members. There truly is something special about the "Still North" and I love that this is my home-away-from-home for the next four years.
As a Digital Media Student Director for Dartmouth's First-Generation Office, it is my role on campus to amplify first-gen voices, foster community, and create meaningful connections through creative outreach.
This fall, Dartmouth provided me with incredible opportunities to get involved in politics. I registered as a New Hampshire voter, joined civic organizations, canvassed, and more! Read on to follow my journey leading up to Election Day!
