Welcome to the blog of an Englishman studying at Dartmouth—do take a look around! Hopefully, my blogs will provide you with an insight on life at Dartmouth, and specifically through the eyes of an international student. Dartmouth has a ton to offer from the staggering natural beauty of its surroundings and stellar academic programs to the wonderful people you meet along the way. So stay a while, I'll make us cups of tea, and take a moment to discover life at the College on the Hill.
This class was SO interesting... We dug into the history of racial inequality in Brazil, stretching from the advent of slavery to persisting modern societal issues.
A course that I took completely impulsively turned into one of the most formative experiences I have had at Dartmouth. Through physical mediums and theatre, I rediscovered what it meant to be 'creative.'
Having always had a hatred for learning languages, I was wary of the requirement to do so here at Dartmouth. In reality, though, I needn't have worried! I absolutely loved every minute of this class, and now I can speak pretty good Italian!
This class was extremely enlightening, and it was especially interesting to study as a British person. I felt as though I brought a unique perspective to the class, but also that I was learning a side of history which was brushed past in my GCSEs!
I spent this term completing research with Professor Cascio of the Economics Department. Our work was concerned with educational investment, and it was one of my best experiences of Dartmouth so far!
This course teaches all about the economics of the development of economies, focusing on many case studies concerning education, housing, healthcare, and more!
This introductory computer science class was an amazing and immersive experience which introduced me to concepts in coding that I had no previous experience with. Definitely a must at Dartmouth!
This is the advanced finance class at Dartmouth – as part of the finance track within the economics major, I was lucky enough to take this class which gave me an incredibly deep understanding of financial markets and intermediaries, and expanded a lot on my knowledge of corporate finance.
I was fortunate enough to be able to intern at Citi over the summer – this was an incredibly enlightening experience, and well-placed me to begin a career in the industry.
I was lucky enough this term to take a class in the Tuck school of business. Here at Dartmouth, you can access these higher level business classes as an undergraduate!
If you've been researching Dartmouth, then chances are that you have heard of a thing called a "D-Plan." What is this? How does it work? How does it affect life here in Hanover, and how do we use it to our advantage? Most importantly: what do Dartmouth students do outside of term-time?
Well, to start, the D-Plan is just a fancy name for the unique term system Dartmouth uses. We run on a quarter system, but instead of all students taking the standard Fall, Winter, Spring cycle of terms, students are encouraged and offered the opportunity to pick and choose which terms they take classes! First and final year students must of course complete a standard term schedule in order to ensure some level of continuity, but for sophomores and juniors, the choice is theirs!
Many students will choose their terms around classes offered, climate, international or internship opportunities, or even just when their friends will be around, but one requirement is in place: all students must complete at least one summer on campus (except international students, due to visa requirements). I, as an international student, however, took my sophomore year summer off and just did research to fund myself staying on campus. Most students choose to take the sophomore summer as their summer term, as there is a tradition of doing so that goes back to the beginnings of the D-Plan.
Studying hard or hardly studying?
So, what do students actually do in their "off-terms?" During my Freshman Summer, I decided to go back to England to spend some time with my family and complete a virtual internship. I was also, however, able to become so deeply involved with a research project that I am now a co-author on it. I also took the time to unwind after my first year of college, as it can be an adjustment! Next summer (in my junior year) I will be interning in Sales and Trading in NYC, which is also super exciting! Students tend to reserve their Junior Summer as the summer which they will do an internship, or some other experiential learning experience.
Other extremely popular options for terms not at Dartmouth are within the extensive study-abroad offerings we have. These terms are "on-terms" as you are getting class credit; however, they occur in different locations than Dartmouth. Last term, for example, a lot of my friends studied abroad in Rome, and my girlfriend is going to Hong Kong in a few weeks on an engineering program! The best part? These programs are all covered by financial aid so you won't pay more than you would if you were on-campus.
One of the staple characteristics of the D-Plan is the off-term, a term in which you are not taking classes! Most students at Dartmouth will take at least one off-term, and this winter happens to be my turn! What will I be doing?
Are you artistically inclined? Are you not artistically inclined but still love making art? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then the Dartmouth Donald Claflin Jewelry Studio is for you!
It's hard to believe that it has been a year since I wrote my first end-of-fall-term reflection. It felt like only yesterday that I stepped into my dorm room this September, eager to reunite with my friends.
Most students have to go back to college after Thanksgiving to take their finals, but not at Dartmouth! We have a six-week winter break, known as "winterim!" Let me tell you how I spent my winterim!
