Luke Grayson
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Luke's D-Plan
What's a D-Plan?-
FallHanover
Favorite Class: History of the English LanguageThis course delved deep into the linguistic development of the English language! It was super interesting, especially given my own unique accent!
WinterHanover
Favorite Class: Coloring BrazilThis 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.
SpringHanover
Favorite Class: Creativity and CollaborationA 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.'
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FallHanover
Favorite Class: Introduction to ItalianHaving 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!
WinterHanover
Favorite Class: History of the British EmpireThis 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!
SpringHanover
Favorite Class: MacroeconomicsI LOVED this class. Macroeconomics is the reason I chose to study the subject, and this class reinforced how happy I am with that decision!
SummerHanover
Favorite Class: Research!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!
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FallHanover
Favorite Class: Economics 24: Development EconomicsThis course teaches all about the economics of the development of economies, focusing on many case studies concerning education, housing, healthcare, and more!
WinterHanover
Favorite Class: CS 1: Introduction to Computer ScienceThis 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!
SpringHanover
Favorite Class: Econ 36: Theory of FinanceThis 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.
SummerNew York City, NY
Favorite Class: Sales and Trading Internship!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.
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FallHanover
Favorite Class: TUCK 2: MarketingI 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!
WinterHanover
Favorite Class: Public Speaking – SPEE 20I have literally not got enough space on the entire disk drive of my laptop to store all of my feelings about how amazing this class is, but you HAVE to take it here. Every aspect of learning how to speak publicly has been amazing – from Professor Drummond to my amazingly supportive classmates!
Why Dartmouth?
With a max word count of 100, my cursor blinked mockingly at me. I already knew I wanted to attend Dartmouth, and I knew why—I wanted the small tight-knit community, the beautiful campus, and most importantly, the vibe that campus radiated to me.
An International Perspective of On Campus Jobs
Living at Dartmouth isn't all about the academics, students have a range of extracurricular interests - one of which is on campus jobs! Here is my perspective as an international student.
Rating all the places I've eaten so far in New Hampshire
In this blog post, I'll be rating all of the places I've eaten in NH and the Upper Valley in my first 5 weeks here, enjoy!
- No. 1
FoCo (‘53 Commons)
FoCo is the main dining hall at Dartmouth, and receives a large amount of foot traffic on a daily basis due to its varied options and the fact you can grab as much as you can eat in any given sitting. I generally go there for breakfast and lunch, as they usually have something I’ll like and the breakfast is fairly consistent in the choices available (they have nutella and bagels, what can I say). In all honesty? The food there is pretty okay. There are certainly other options within the Dartmouth Dining umbrella that provide nicer quality (getting to restaurant or takeaway level) food, but the real perk in my and many other people’s opinions is the fact you can eat as much as you want. The food tastes nice and when it hits, it HITS. Sometimes they even have themed dinners such as harvest or Canadian Thanksgiving (cranberry on pizza??) where the food is truly a sight to behold. The gem here is the deserts, every day they have a brand new assortment of sweet and savoury delights that make my mouth water, and they’re the best desserts on campus in my opinion! Overall I’ll give FoCo: a solid 7/10
- No. 2
The Courtyard Cafe (the Hop)
If there is one place to go for awesome food on campus, this is definitely it. What can I say about the Hop? Amazing food, good vibes, freshly made, and they have another section with snacks and sweets where you can buy extras to go with your meal! The food here is generally grilled or fried, and so the lack of healthier regular meals does stack against all of the positives, but there is also an amazing (or so I am told) salad bar where you can have a salad personally made for you! This is where I usually go with friends for a good meal, and the burgers and quesos are honestly restaurant level. I would come here even if it wasn’t a Dartmouth Dining location. It’s that good. (P.S. try a bob if you get the chance). The Hop? 8.5/10
- No. 3
The Collis Cafe
This is generally voted by the student population to be the best place to eat on campus, and with good reason. It’s not my favourite place (the Hop rules supreme here), but I certainly can see where the hype comes from. Hungry at breakfast?? They have freshly made breakfast bagels and English muffins, not to mention smoothies. Lunch? Come get a sandwich and some Boba. Dinner time? Sushi, stir fry, and pasta, all made to order freshly. This all goes without saying you can buy an assortment of branded snacks with your DBA (Dining Dollars) here, and it’s situated right on the green so you have a beautiful place to eat. My only gripe is the amount of choice, but the quality here is head and shoulders above the rest. I’ll give it a 8.25/10
Hiking the Fifty in My Freshman Fall: A Tale of Pride, Elation, and Severe Leg Pain
Hiking the fifty is a badge of honour at Dartmouth, and is its most challenging traditions. I just did it in my freshman fall; here is my recount. Enjoy!
My First Homecoming as an International Student!
Homecoming 2021 was in a word: awesome. We all made amazing memories — here is the experience I had!
The Work-Life Balance at Dartmouth (And Things I've Found Helpful in the Pursuit of Not Spiraling)
I've been at Dartmouth for 3 weeks and can confirm: college isn't easy. Life at Dartmouth, however, doesn't have to be hard - here are my top tips for being successful at Dartmouth (and college in general).
Life as part of the BEST first year trips group on campus
Life at Dartmouth is an exciting experience full of adventure, but the most important part is community. This post explores my first-year trips experience - a yearly tradition that fosters friendships and integrates you into the Dartmouth community!
My First Post!
I'm Luke, an international member of the class of '25. In this blog, I introduce myself as a brand new member of the People Places Pines blogging team and talk about my first few weeks since hitting campus!