Hi there! I'm May and I'm sooo excited to share my Dartmouth experience with you! I love basically all types of food, binge watching Asian shows, and cozy movie nights! Find me in gym playing badminton, with my friends in the common rooms, getting coffee at Collis (my favorite), or volunteering at local service projects!
Academic Program
Quantitative Social Science
Favorite Thing Right Now
Finally having Stir-fry from Collis after a looong year...
This class was my introduction to quantitative social sciences but it definitely won't be my last QSS class at Dartmouth! We worked with datasets, from global wealth distribution to most popular ramen chains in Japan, and learned how to make graphs/visuals through the programming software R.
Do we really live in the best of all possible worlds? This course explores pessimism and the values of human existence from Greek literature. I've never had much interest in the classics but Prof. Lurie's passion and enthusiasm in his lectures had me up reading Plato at 2am. This is a class which will surely stimulate your intellectual curiosity and push you to ask questions about even the most mundane of things.
As the name suggests, BIO12 explores the nature and function of cells and the class covers a lot of material through lectures and assignments. Through Zoom break-out groups, we discussed and solved practice problems together, an approach I wasn't very familiar with, especially virtually. We also used online databases and findings to compile our own data to analyze for labs, which I found extremely insightful!
My first geography class at Dartmouth and first introduction to GIS technology, something that I've always been intrigued by. Prof. Xun Shi takes the time to go over each conceptl to make sure his students have a solid understanding of the fundamentals. We also had lab sessions where we used ArcGIS to work with spatial data, geographic information, and maps in group projects.
Arguably one of the best classes at Dartmouth! Whether you are a computer science major or not, this class is a "must-take". Beyond coding, I felt as though I gained a whole new outlook on problem solving and creative thinking. Some of the problem sets Professor Vasanta gives the class are really fun and interesting and she herself is a phenomenal teacher. You won't regret taking this class!
Is the Greek life overpowering? Can you make friends through clubs or other ways?
A:
As someone who have never heard of Greek life before coming to Dartmouth, I was in for a bit of a cultural shock. From the first day of Orientation as a freshman, I came to learn how much of a presence the Greek scene has on campus and how many questions incoming students had regarding Greek life. Through talking to upperclassmen, going to Greek events in-person and online during the pandemic, I've learned to unravel this once unfamiliar world and make informed decisions about Greek events, recruitment, and the overall Greek scene at Dartmouth.
If I can give my two cents as a rising junior, Greek life is not for everyone. And that is perfectly fine! You should not feel the pressure to get involved in Greek Life or the recruitment process unless you're able to make informed, actualized decisions. Your advisors, upperclassmen mentors, and Greek life members will also never push you into doing so. After deciding to join a sorority, I have come to know several women who have inspired and supported me and this way, Greek life has been an opportunity for me to meet people who I find meaning from. At the same time, my closest friends to this day are those whom I met as freshmen hall mates and from extracurricular events. Many of the friendships you make during your freshmen year will probably be from your First-Year trips, orientation activities, freshmen dorm, and classes. In fact, Dartmouth students are only allowed to join Greek houses as sophomores, giving you plenty of time and opportunities to meet people outside the Greek system.
I have written about being a student worker plenty of times in the past, but I have yet to talk about one of my favorite jobs ever: ticket selling at the Hopkins Center for the Arts.
On Monday, April 8, 2024, a phenomenal total solar eclipse occurred — and we happened to be within the path of totality. As a result, Dartmouth hosted a variety of eclipse-related events on- and off-campus. Find out how I spent the eclipse!
