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.
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.).
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.
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.
One thing you'll learn about Dartmouth is that it's a campus that's always changing. And I don't just mean the students or professors, but also the physical buildings themselves. Whether it be renovations or constructing new buildings, Dartmouth is a campus that is constantly moving into the future. Dalnouth's latest and flashiest buildings are the new Engineering and Computer Science Center and the Irving Energy Center.
I ended up hitting the local J. Crew to try and find a suit. As you can tell, I'm not quite used to them yet
Honestly, I'm not going to try to describe it because I don't think that'll do it any justice. I'll tell you this much though. Every time I step into that building, it makes me regret that I only have 1 more year here. And judging by the amount of non-computer science and engineering people who hang around the building, I'd say they feel the same too.
I thought that would be the extent of my interaction with that building: just taking classes, working as a TA there, maybe getting a meal with friends. I never thought though that I would be invited to speak to the actual people who made it possible.
I didn't expect the email at all, but out of the blue I was invited to speak at the Dartmouth Innovations and Technology Festival. Essentially, they wanted me to speak on stage to the donors about my story, and what the new computer science center meant to me. I told them that I'd love to do it, but I didn't have a suit. To that, they just responded that I should just go to J. Crew and pick out a suit, any suit, send the receipt and that they'd pay for it. No questions asked. I was getting a free suit out of it, so I wasn't going to complain.
The day of the event came, and my speech went really well, in fact. Though that was not at all the memorable part of that event. It was more than just the fancy food (fancier than I've ever had before), but rather meeting all the alumni and donors who made this building possible. It was an insanely fancy event, and as someone who up to that point didn't own a suit, I was definitely feeling out of my element. But, every alumni there was so kind and welcoming to the point that it confused me. Each one of those donors was people at the top of their field, doing really cool things that I would try to explain but it was honestly all above my head. And yet, they wanted to ask about me? And how I was doing?
Me with some of the donors and trustees that I met. Huge shoutout to Steven Tseng (second to right) who was so kind and welcoming, and really showed me what it meant to be a Dartmouth community member even past graduation
Things like this are what I loved about Dartmouth. I've said it before, and in my speech, but what I love about this campus is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. Even aside from the fact that the college was willing to pay for a nice suit for me to wear to make an event like this possible for me, the fact that all those donors took the time out of their day to just chat and laugh about our times at Dartmouth, and how the school has changed throughout the years remind me why I love this school so much in the first place. And why I made the right choice three years ago, and why I'm looking forward to my last
At Dartmouth, there is an undergraduate requirement for language; after all, it is the liberal arts! Fulfilling this requirement looks different for various people and I will focus on my experience.
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!
Traditionally, Dartmouth students take three courses during a term, but I decided to take four courses this term! Learn about course load and the academic system at Dartmouth.
