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.
Growing up, I never had any pets. I mean, I've always been a dog person and I have dogsat before, but I never really had a pet myself.
I never thought that junior year of college would be when I had my first pet.
I don't know how exactly this idea came into my mind, but at the end of sophomore summer I decided that I wanted a hedgehog. Something to keep me company during long nights of organic chemistry. I didn't want a hamster, because I wanted something that I could hold and hang out with. But, at the same time, I didn't want to raise a dog because, as nice as Dartmouth dorms are, it's not exactly the most enriching environment for an outdoor creature. So, somehow I ended up settling for Porkbun.
That's her name, by the way.
Study buddy!
I got her when she was about 6 weeks old in September, and ever since then she's been living with me in my dorm. Her hobbies include running on her wheel, accompanying me on my UGA walkthroughs, and walking over my keyboard as I'm studying for my classes.
At this point she and I are inseparable. I'm a junior now taking upper level pre-med classes, which means a lot of my time nowadays is spent studying my course material as I gear up for the MCAT. Whenever I'm too lazy to make the trek over to Baker-Berry I'll just plop Porkbun in my lap, and she'll take a nap as I scribble away at organic chemistry practice problems or type out whatever coding project I'm working on.
I had a lot of plans coming into college. Admittedly, none of them included a hedgehog.
Porkbun and her aforementioned godmother
But that's what you learn being at Dartmouth for as long as I have is that plans often change, usually for the better. The only reason I was able to bring Porkbun was because of how oddly accommodating Dartmouth's housing policy is. The process for getting her was almost suspiciously easy. Yes, there were forms involved, but I was connected with someone working for the college who guided me through each step of the process. Rather than trying to hinder me, all they were concerned about was that the animal was well taken care of, and that someone was around to take care of her when I was on break or off campus. And yes, in case you're wondering, she is. Porkbun has two very loving godparents who bought her little hedgehog treats for Christmas. They didn't get me anything though. Whatever. It's not like I'm bitter or anything.
From orientation week to your classes, you can easily find community at Dartmouth! Read on to know how I met my Dartmouth family and where you might also find yours.
Through Dartmouth's Guarini Institute for International Study, I am getting to take classes and experience life at Wellesley College, an all-women's school!
