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!
Recently, I got the chance to meet a few prospective students to talk about my time at Dartmouth so far as a rising sophomore. Answering their questions, listening to their personal stories and worries, and simply sharing some of my experience at college really got me to realize one of my favorite things to do at Dartmouth: reaching out and making Dartmouth as accessible as possible to prospective students from across the world.
I remember the first time I got really excited about Dartmouth. It was late 2018, right in the midst of college application season, and I had just gotten a fresh edition of 3D, Dartmouth's undergraduate admissions magazine, in the mail. I'd forgotten that I had signed myself up in the mailing list, so imagine my surprise when I learned there was a package for me addressed from Hanover, New Hampshire, approximately 8,000 miles from my hometown! As an international student, especially from a small country like Myanmar, it was exciting to receive college mail and I think my personal connection with Dartmouth blossomed from that moment. I knew that if I ever did get into Dartmouth, I wanted to help other students like myself—students who live half way across the world, are unable to visit campus, and lack access to alumni or college representatives in the area—learn more about Dartmouth and feel the same excitement I did!
At Dartmouth, there are several opportunities to get involved with working with admissions if you're someone who's interested in talking with prospective students and sharing your story. Whether it is through assisting at the Office of Admissions, being a tour guide (yes, there are virtual tours too!), blogging for People Places Pines, or a writer for The Dartmouth (America's oldest college newspaper!), there are many ways you're encouraged to and can take advantage of to have your voice heard. Dartmouth students also regularly speak at admission panels and college visits or participate in Take Dartmouth Home, a program where we visit our old high school or others in the local area and talk about our college experience to prospective applicants.
Blogging for People Places Pines has definitely been one of the biggest ways I have been able to share my story and perspective as an international student at Dartmouth. Whenever I meet other bloggers in the team or read their blog posts, I'm inspired by how excited we are to brainstorm topics for prospective applicants, give some tips and tricks, and provide insight on college life. It gives me a great sense of purpose and joy to think that hopefully, I'm able to relate to a prospective student even in the most remote of places. There's still a long way to go until graduation and despite the inevitable changes I will face, being able to reach out and help other students access Dartmouth will always be one of my most treasured college experiences.
Over half of Dartmouth students study abroad at least once during their undergraduate journeys—quite a high percentage, right? Do you want to know how to best prepare for your own abroad experience? Come check what it was like for me.
The "Why Dartmouth" supplement was the hardest for me to write. How would I explain all the reasons I loved Dartmouth in 100 words? I chose Dartmouth because of how the people and campus made me feel. Dartmouth radiates excitement.
