Natalie Keim

My Winter Classes

Winter classes have come and gone, so let's reflect on my classes from this past term! I absolutely adored my first term of classes at Dartmouth, but I found my winter term more challenging! I think it's important to reflect on your academic experiences so that you can select classes more intentionally in future terms.

Computer Science 1:

This class was an introduction to basic coding and computer science principles, and the coding language Python. As someone who came into this class with absolutely zero computer science experience, I was pretty nervous, and honestly, the class was relatively difficult! The class seeks to get you proficient in Python in 9 weeks, so content flies at you at a fast pace. While the assignments were interesting, we had different lecturers for every class, which made finding a consistent note-taking style for lectures difficult. This is not something that's normal for Dartmouth, but definitely something I'll know to avoid in classes in the future. I have to admit though, it was pretty cool to go from learning how to open a Python file to coding complete working games in just under one term.

System Dynamics and Policy Analysis:

This class was honestly one of the cooler classes I've taken at Dartmouth! First, the professor is an absolute expert on the subject. He actually created the software that we use to model the system dynamics in the class, which is an amazing experience. This class focuses on using the lens of system dynamics to think about levers for policymaking and change. We've talked about every topic from gang violence to ADHD diagnosis, and have always stayed connected to present issues. The prof makes us all call him Steve, is super available to all of his students, and is truly one of the nicest men I have ever met. A 10/10 class.

Paris in Literature and Film:

This class was also a more challenging one, but for very different reasons than my computer science class. This class was entirely self-directed. There were assigned readings, but all the assignments just asked us to write to analyze something we had read so far. That was it, no further instruction. While the freedom allowed us to write about what we were interested in, personally, I realized as a learner I find some more structure helpful. One thing I really appreciated about this class was that we read from the 19th century up to pieces that came out just under a year ago. I really feel like we traversed the historical patterns of Parisian literature.

All in all, it was a mixed bag of a term! Dartmouth is a super academically rigorous place and every class is going to be different! I look forward to next term and all the academic experiences to come.