Love Tsai
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Love's D-Plan
What's a D-Plan?-
FallOn Campus
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!
WinterOn Campus
Favorite Class: MES 7.03: Jerusalem: Vision and RealityMES 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!
SpringRemote Learning, At Home
Favorite Class: COSC 10: Problem Solving with Object-Oriented ProgrammingCOSC 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!
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FallRemote Learning, At Home
Favorite Class: ENGS 13: Virtual Medicine and CybercareThis 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.
WinterRemote Learning, At Home
Favorite Class: BIOL 13: Gene Expression and InheritanceThough 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.
SpringRemote Learning, At Home
Favorite Class: CHEM 51: Organic Chemistry IThe 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.
SummerOn-campus
Favorite Class: AAAS 31.10: Dance Theatre of Harlem Workshop: Collaborative Storytelling Through MovementI 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!
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FallOn-campus
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.
SpringOn-campus
Favorite Class: CHEM 41: Biological Chemistry IMuch 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!
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FallOn-campus
Favorite Class: SOCY 75: Neighborhoods and HealthAs 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.
WinterOn-campus
Favorite Class: BIOL 78: Molecular Mysteries of Human BiologyThroughout 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.
A Week of Dinners at Dartmouth
What does a freshman student eat for dinner every day of the week at Dartmouth?
- No. 1
Monday
For Monday's dinner, I went to FoCo! FoCo stands for Class of 1953 Commons and is the center of all-you-can-eat food. Freshmen are automatically put on the most generous meal plan for their first quarter, which includes 4 meal swipes per day, so you will frequently find fellow friends eating at FoCo. On this particular day, I had some cornbread, a variety of salads from the salad bar, some chili, and for dessert, some yogurt with Butterfingers on top!
- No. 2
Tuesday
On Tuesday, I had catered food from a Thai restaurant in town called Tuk Tuk! The dinner was hosted by the Tucker Center and was an annual event that brings together a panel of students from various faith backgrounds to speak about their experiences and provide a platform for discussion amongst the greater Dartmouth population. We also had gelato from Morano Gelato afterwards, which was a real treat!
- No. 3
Wednesday
Pizza galore! A lot of student clubs or lectures have food during their meetings. On this particular day, we had glorious pizza from Domino's (one of the only franchise stores in the area, one of the others being CVS). Food is definitely a great motivator to get students to go to meetings, and is a fun perk in addition to going and hearing amazing lectures from Dartmouth faculty.
Course Selection and Academic Advising at Dartmouth
Dartmouth course selection is a flurry of excitement and stress, and resources around campus have been most helpful in giving me perspective and advice. Interested in who these helpful people are? Read on!
What's a Thought Project?
What's a house vs. a dorm? For those of you who may be unaware, you can split Dartmouth housing into three categories: house, physical location, and community.
Homecoming: Traditions of Dartmouth
Going into fall quarter's biggest weekend, I had no idea what to expect, especially because I had been homeschooled throughout high school and never really had the chance to attend school-wide events or even football games.
Navigating Grades at Dartmouth
I've spent a little bit of time thinking about how I can approach grades and *judgment* with a more positive mindset, and have found great encouragement from the producers of said stress — my professors!
Curiosity in Action!
Happy week two, everyone! Here at Dartmouth, everyone counts time by the weeks, something made extremely convenient by the fact that we only have ten weeks in one quarter instead of the traditional 16 in a semester.
Love is at Dartmouth!
I am the "Love" on Dartmouth's campus and hope to spread a little cheer wherever I go. I am a freshman hailing from lovely Michigan, about an hour away from both Detroit and Ann Arbor.