Olá! I'm Luana from Brasília, the capital of Brazil. I hope to be an environmental engineering major, but, surprisingly, my favorite class right now is Humanities 1. You can find me studying in the Tower Room or at AQ, our Catholic Student Center. One year ago I was looking through this blog hoping to get to know Dartmouth. Now, I get to tell you why I love this place so much while I learn what it means to be a Dartmouth student. Consider this an invitation to accompany me.
As a bookworm who loved dissecting and analyzing novels or philosophical works, a writing class focused on classical literature with weekly discussions was the right fit for me. Between reading Sophocles, Nietzsche, and Rawls, I had the opportunity to reassess my approach to reading, deepen my interpretations, and improve my public speaking skills while broadening my recognition of the significance of critical thinking.
With week 9 of fall term approaching and the transition toward winter term starting to make itself known, I decided to reflect on my first term at Dartmouth. I remember who I was less than a year ago: a very worried high school student unsure whether I would make the right choice for my college career. I can very happily say that I did, and it is so much better than I could have ever imagined. The academic opportunities Dartmouth offers were a huge motivator for my choice and I had the opportunity to explore some of them throughout my classes this first term. Since we only have to declare our majors by the end of our Sophomore winter, even though I feel very confident I will study Environmental Engineering, I got to challenge that notion and explore diverse interests. Therefore, this term I chose to take MATH 3, Psychology 1, and Humanities 1.
I chose this class for a very simple reason: it's a prerequisite. For most STEM classes you will need calculus, so, considering I want to be an engineer, this was a pretty clear choice for me. However, what I expected to be a simple class on calculus I was already familiar with, turned out to be a great demonstration of community at Dartmouth. Because of this class, I was able to engage with some of the support resources we have, from Teacher Assistant Tutorials to Office Hours with our professor, while also adjusting to the fast pace of the quarter system. Overall, it was challenging but very rewarding!
This class is one I would recommend to anyone, no matter your major or interests. Between learning about Social Psychology and understanding personality, I was able to explore so much of the human psyche and truthfully, it was just mind-blowing. I absolutely loved it and the professors! I was taught by two world-renowned researchers whose research is literally a part of the class's textbook. Throughout their careers, they had hands-on experience with the topics discussed and used their expert perspectives to aid us in understanding the concepts of the class. I felt like I was being taught by two celebrities of the scientific world—a common experience as part of the Dartmouth community. Because of Dartmouth's focus on undergraduates, the professors love to teach and are readily available to help you. It was amazing!
As a Dartmouth student, you are required to take a writing course. We have three options: a sequence of Writing 2 and 3, where you can spend two terms working through the transition toward writing in a scholar setting; Writing 5, which is only one term; and Humanities 1, a class you have to apply for that is similar to Writing 5 but has a focus on classical literature. I have always loved classical literature and closely analyzing texts of philosophical importance, so I chose to apply for Humanities 1 and, thankfully, was accepted. The course is built by 7 professors, each an expert on a type of literary work. Every week we have a reading to go through and an expert on the work will give us a lecture, then we go into separate and smaller sections to discuss the readings. This course was simply enlightening for me! I loved diving so deeply into interesting and significant works, such as Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy or The Mirror Stage by Jacque Lacan.
This term was certainly amazing and very rewarding. My first quarter has left me excited for what is yet to come in my Dartmouth journey!
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.
