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Nicholas Sugiarto

Class of 2023
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About 

First, I'll explain who I am. I'm Nicholas Sugiarto, a '23 from San Diego, California. Second, a quick disclaimer. I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. Prior to Dartmouth, I've never hiked, skied, or seen snow. So yeah, you could say that Dartmouth is quite a bit different from what I'm used to. You'll probably find me on campus lost. I have no sense of direction. Please help.

Academic Program 

Biomedical Engineering and English

Favorite Thing Right Now 

88Rising and Stress Cleaning

Hometown 

San Diego, California

Pronouns 

He/him/his

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Nicholas' D-Plan

What's a D-Plan?

    • FallOn Campus

      Favorite Class: Religion 11.01: God and Money

      A class studying how Christian language has permeated into how we as a society talk about economics. I have virtually no interest in either field as a major, nor am I really religious, but the class is super fun! It challenges you to think in ways that aren't outstandingly obvious, but get more and more interesting if you're willing to put the time in to thinking about them. It's by no means your traditional class. At least in the high school I came from, the idea of dedicating an entire term to a topic as niche as this is unheard of. But honestly? That just makes it so much more fulfilling. Like most Dartmouth classes, there's a ton of freedom to explore topics that interest you. For my final term paper, since I'm a huge hip hop fan, I wrote about the religious and economic underpinnings of Kendrick Lamar's "How Much a Dollar Cost." Without diving too deep into the jargon, I argued that money according to Kendrick Lamar, is defined by Western capitalism heavily intertwined with American Prosperity Gospel; its true nature, on the other hand, is a form of spiritual exchange. I loved this class so much that I was able to take my professor out to breakfast (on Dartmouth's dime, of course. Quick college lesson, never, ever pay for food. Live life Aladdin style.).

    • WinterOn Campus

      Favorite Class: Writing 5: Pursuit of Happiness

      For those that don't know, Writing 5 is a class that's mandated for all Freshman. It helps you adjust to college writing, research, all that good stuff. There's a ton of topics to choose from, ranging from the criminal justice system to how food affects your mind. I personally chose "Pursuit of Happiness" because, well, who doesn't want to be happy? This class was my first intro to what the Dartmouth academic experience is really about. It was a small class of only 16 strong where classes were discussion-based and the professor's door is always open. It goes without saying that the course was immensely interesting (is there really a way to make happiness boring?), and we studied a vast majority of topics from Aristotle to Voltaire to Biochemical research studies. I tell incoming students all the time that if you want to make the most of your Dartmouth experience, take classes that interest you and make what you do with those classes interesting too. There's nothing more painful than having to write a paper on a topic you find absolutely mind-numbingly dull. Given my fascination with stand up comedy, I focused on viewing comedy as a form of happiness, starting from comedy in relation to Camus's absurd, the higher prevalence of mental illness in comedians, and what kind of comedians deserve happiness. Honestly? Even though this class was technically "mandatory," I would have taken it regardless.

    • SpringOff Campus (Online Classes)

      Favorite Class: Computer Science 1: Introduction to Programming and Computation

      This is the class I'm currently taking, and it's by far my favorite. You couldn't tell by my posts, or my favorite classes I listed earlier, but I'm actually a huge STEM guy. I'm a biomedical engineering major for a reason, and Dartmouth classes really make STEM fun. They're also so easy a child could follow them. Literally. I'm using the computer science 1 curriculum to teach my little sister coding. At a slower pace of course. She's not THAT smart (yet). I've never tried coding before, but the task-based approach of the CS department really makes things interesting. So far, we've drawn a children's book/ logo, a chalkboard drawing (I drew the Kanye bear), and a retro pong game. There's something fun about solving puzzles for a grade, and even though the course is admittedly pretty challenging at times, it's so worth it.

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5 College Essentials That I Swear Actually Make Sense

All Nick's Essential Items

We've all seen those lists. "My top 10 college essentials" or "25 things to bring with you to University." They always list obvious things like "backpack" or "pencil." Not that there's anything wrong with that, but here I try to list items that, if you take my word on it, will actually be useful to your study experience. Now, they may seem a bit unorthodox, but they've been really useful to me, I swear. Again, just take my word on it. 

  1. No. 1

    Extension Cord

    Extension Cord

    An extension cord will save your life. Often times people complain that there are too few outlets. Or whatever outlets that are available are too far away. Then they start complaining that the chargers are too short...Well, why not just buy something literally designed to make your charger longer? This is a charger from the Hanover CVS that's a five-minute walk away from campus, tops. Pick one up. This is easily my favorite item. I have very few regrets since coming to Dartmouth, one of them being that I bought the 6-foot version when the 12 -foot version would have been even more useful. Learn from my mistakes. 

  2. No. 2

    Airpods

    Airpods

    Perfect for keeping yourself entertained while you're walking to said Hanover CVS. Now, these are also self-explanatory. Workouts... studying... the uses for Airpods really speak for themselves. But they also serve a slightly nefarious double purpose. Now, I'll admit. I'm not the most social of butterflies, but people at Dartmouth are very, very friendly. Sometimes to a fault. Like they'll come up and say hi, maybe strike up a conversation. Now, I get drained easily from long social interactions so often times I'll just put them in and not play any music just so I'll look preoccupied. Seriously. It's a lifesaver. There are times where I've put them in, even though I've left my phone at my dorm. 

  3. No. 3

    Lipbalm and Hand Cream

    Lip balm and Hand cream

    Moisturizing in the dry winters are really, really important. As someone who was formerly on Accutane, moisturizing is just habitual to me. And there's nothing more annoying than focusing on your chapped lips and dry hands while you really should be studying. The hand cream was something I found at an Asian market that was too cute to pass up, and the lip balm is from, again, the Hanover CVS. 

  4. No. 4

    Tide Pen

    Tide Pen

    More often than not, you're going to spill something for yourself. Don't try and pretend you won't. You will. Buy a Tide Pen. 

    *Note: A Tide Pen is NOT a substitute for actually doing your laundry. I shouldn't have to explain this, but based on the stories I've heard from people who go to other colleges, evidently this is something some people need to hear.  

  5. No. 5

    USB Mouse

    USB Mouse

    A USB Mouse. A definite must, especially if you use Photoshop. I absolutely hate trackpads because they're clunky and imprecise, so having a USB mouse just makes life so much easier. Usually Logitech has some cheap options, and they're available at the Dartmouth computer store, which is right near FoCo (the main dining hall).

Posted 09/9/2020 at 9:00 AMAll List Posts

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