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.
Is it possible and/or feasible to pursue Latin and the Pre-Health track? Is the Pre-Health a major itself or would I have to choose a second major to pursue this track?
A:
Now, I'll be up front and honest. I have no idea what it's like majoring in Latin at Dartmouth. I have not taken a class, and I have absolutely no interest in the subject. Not that I hate it or have anything particular against it, it's just not for me.
I say that because, despite knowing absolutely nothing about the Latin major, I have full confidence that it's feasible to study Latin while also being pre-med. I don't know how it works for other schools, but I know that for Dartmouth pre-health isn't really its own major at Dartmouth. It's really more of an end goal than anything.
For example, I'm not actually "pre-med," at least in Dartmouth's eyes. My official major is Biomedical Engineering, with a minor in Computer Science and English. This basically means that I'm free to take whatever engineering classes I want, so long as I take the "traditional" premed courses like organic chemistry, genetics, and stuff like that to prepare me for the MCAT (and med school admissions).
As confusing as it may sound, trust me when I say that there's people here more qualified than me who will guide you through the process. We have a program called the HPP (Health Professions Program) who staff two amazing advisors whose job it is to help prepare your med school applications. These same advisors also run a student mentorship program called pre-health advisors to help incoming freshman (which I'm a part of!)
And because it's not an actual "major" and more a set of courses you just have to take, I've seen a lot of really "weird" degrees from people on the pre-health track here at Dartmouth. I've seen history majors, Russian minors, and more. I mean at one point I myself was considering a full blown English major. In short? You'll be fine.
Every Dartmouth student is required to demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English. Here's my experience navigating the language requirement!
