Hello! My name is Mario and I'm a Dartmouth '28. I am double majoring in government and economics with a concentration in international relations. I love to spend my free time swimming at the Connecticut River or skiing at the Dartmouth Skiway with friends!
German was absolutely one of my favorite courses Freshman Fall. German, like many other languages at Dartmouth, are taught in small, tight-knit classes that help students become comfortable practicing a language while receiving support from your fellow students. This course was incredibly interactive between students and the professor with activities ranging from role-playing buying a house to having improvised acted conversation mid-class. If you're looking for a class with a small group of people that's very interactive and fun, you should look no further than GERM 1!
ENGS 12 was an incredibly fun and fulfilling course during Freshman Winter. It consists on learning how the design process works when it's centered to address specific human needs. This course teaches you several new skills such as using photoshop, video editing, working with foamcore, sewing, and more. It's such a fun course to make new friends through group projects, learn new skills, and a adopt a new mindset for analyzing your ideas. Specially, it provides you with the tools to bring your craziest ideas to life!
Weapons of Mass Destruction was my favorite class during Spring Term. Throughout this class, I got a chance to learn the theories behind the use and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Specifically, I studied the origins and taboo surrounding nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. Ultimately, I applied my theoretical knowledge to a prospective scenario where I evaluated the likelihood of Saudi Arabia's obtaining nuclear weapons. Incredibly fun class with lots of discussions with between the professor and the students.
Growth and its Critics was my favorite class during sophomore Fall. In this course, I studied the theories and arguments behind population growth, economic growth, pollution, and technological innovation. The class was taught by Professor Henry Clark—a brilliant and incredibly dedicated professor. I enjoyed the course's center on current political-economic issues as well as the ability of students to discuss their various points of views with the professor and other students. Incredibly insightful and fun class!
I hope you guys are doing well. I want to take you guys on a short journey to explore how declaring a major, double major, minor, or modified major works at Dartmouth—not to worry if you don't understand all of these terms, I promise you will towards the end of the post. Let's get started!
Dartmouth students come into the college as 'undeclared majors' and don't declare until their fifth term on campus, or sophomore year. This allows first year students to explore multiple academic areas without feeling bound by 'major requirements' and get to experience all departments at Dartmouth.
First year students are usually encouraged to try out classes whose description they find interesting, which can be found on the Dartmouth Time Table of Classes—a time table that shows the classes offered term by term and a short description of each class. Many first year students discover that the 'major' they applied for while applying to Dartmouth is not the same major they ultimately chose to pursue and that is okay.
I personally know many of my friends, including myself, who started as history, economics, or environmental studies and switched to different areas of study because they took a class that they really enjoyed!
When will I declare a major after my first year?
Well, you are encouraged, not forced, to declare a major towards the end of your fifth term on campus Dartmouth, which is sophomore winter for most undergraduates. The main benefit of declaring a major is that declared students have priority in getting spots in the department they are majoring in during course selection. For example, if you are interested in a super popular anthropology course that tends to get filled up really quickly, you will have a greater chance of taking that course if you are a declared anthropology major!
You should not worry about feeling 'stuck' after you declare your major either. You can always decide to change your mind and go a different direction than the initial major you declared. I also know some students who decided to change their mind mid-major completion because they liked another academic discipline better and instead they decided to turn it into a minor!
How do I declare a major after I decide what I want to study?
You declare a major by creating a plan through our online student platform called 'Dartworks' which shows a summary of the classes, grades, and distributive requirements you have fulfilled at Dartmouth so far—I will write another blog about distributive requirements later on, not to worry!
This section shows your progress towards completing your degree requirements and your total credits required to graduate at Dartmouth!
This is the list that shows a summary of all the classes you have taken at Dartmouth thus far!
Once you are in Dartworks, you will create a 'Major Plan' that simply outlines the classes you plan to take to complete your major at Dartmouth. For example, I am an economics and government double major so I used both the Government Major Worksheet and the Economics Major Worksheetto create my plan. Ultimately, I found the classes that fulfilled both my requirements and that I found interesting and declared my major!
This is just a glimpse at how creating a plan works at Dartmouth—also I reiterate it is just a plan. Things change, courses change, and you can adjust accordingly!
Now, moving on, I will quickly talk about the different paths you can take at Dartmouth!
What is a 'Major' and a 'Minor'?
Quoting the Admissions Office, a major is an 'academic program that excites you intellectually. You can combine any of more than 60 majors with your pick of minors; fine-tune a major by adding studies from other departments and programs; or design a special major around your particular passion.' (Dartmouth College of undergraduate Arts and Sciences)
What all this means is that you have the opportunity to pursue a field of study that interests you to completion. This gives you the opportunity to learn more about a specific topic, research about it, and ultimately create and present a thesis about a specific topic you are passionate about within that academic discipline!
Similarly, a minor is still an opportunity to pursue a field of study that you enjoy, but requires taking fewer courses to complete. I personally know many students who decide to pursue a minor simply out of interest and personal fulfillment. They often pursue minors in languages, Government, Economics, Anthropology, etc.
What is a double major?
Well, similar to a 'major,' a double major is the opportunity to pursue two academic fields that interest you at the same time. These fields may be related, such as government and economics, or completely unrelated to one another, such as 'anthropology' and 'music composition.' This allows you to make the most out of your Dartmouth experience by pursuing the interests you enjoy the most!
What is a Modified Major?
A modified Major is the ability to create a major from two different academic disciplines. While you are not able to modify all academic disciplines, a good example of this would be a popular major called 'Politics, Philosophy, and Economics'—or commonly known as PPE. The PPE major allows students to complete a major while taking classes in the Government Department, Philosophy Department, and Economics Department. Other popular modified majors include 'Economics modified with Mathematics,' or 'Government modified with Economics.' There are countless combinations of modified majors at Dartmouth that can improve your experience tenfold if you are interested in more than one academic discipline but do not have time to complete a double major!
Winters at Dartmouth are beautiful, but if you're coming from a warmer climate, winter can also feel a little intimidating. Know that you're not alone! This guide covers how to best prepare for the season.
Classes at Dartmouth aren't always held in the classroom. Whether you go down to the river for a lab experiment or venture to The Hood, you never know what to expect. Come with me as I take you along on my journey in an unconventional classroom!
In 1956, researchers gathered at Dartmouth to lay the foundations for what we know as AI today. Nearly 70 years later, our legacy continues. Meet Fabrice, a '27 from Rwanda majoring in computer science and conducting research on AI.
This past Friday, my French program stepped beyond the classroom and into history itself with a day trip to Montauban and Moissac, where art, architecture, and place came together through hands-on learning.
