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.
I'm no longer taking classes over the summer, and since I've been doing remote research over this summer. So here's the weird part about this whole online schtick. Usually, since I'd be doing research, I'd be conducting said research in a, you know, lab. And I haven't yet stepped foot in a Dartmouth research lab, I've been doing all the work from home. And it's really been a give-and-take type situation.
Now, again, I can only imagine what a research lab at Dartmouth would look like. I'll definitely see for myself once I'm back on campus in the winter, but for now, given that Dartmouth has given me, an unaccredited undergraduate student, access to their multimillion dollar supercomputer for said research, I can definitely say I have high hopes.
But the present is the present, so I'm stuck at home where I can only wonder what it actually looks like. Though I'll admit, the tradeoff isn't too bad right now, given that I'm dog sitting now!
Research is undoubtedly taking a large portion of my time right now, but so is dog sitting. Now, it would admittedly be difficult to spend my whole days doing both, seven days a week. Lucky for me, I've found a way to do both. At the same time.
The second dog! Also a goldendoodle, this time named Didi
My days now look pretty much like this. Wake up, breakfast, take care of siblings, do a bit of research, go to "work" dog sitting, research while dog sitting, and go home and kinda see what happens next. My favorite part is especially the dog sitting. I mean, c'mon. Look at them. Tell me there's nothing you wouldn't give to spend a day with these puppies.
It's a strange way to stay productive, honestly. Though I really can't complain. A word of advice? If there's ever an opportunity to further your academic career, get paid, and play with puppies, it's in your best interest to do what you can to make that happen. But with this pandemic going with no signs of stopping (at least in California where I'm at right now) it seems that strange is the name of the game. All that's left to do is to adapt.
It's partly why I'm enjoying doing research at Dartmouth. Whenever you hear of people doing research, even at the collegiate level, it's always the same image. Nerdy, reclusive kid in a lab coat mixing chemicals and bending over microscopes. And in my experience that's not the case, really. My research right now is coding based, just helping out whenever I can. And it's not just the STEM fields that do research either. I have friends doing research in the Classics, Latin, really anything and everything. At Dartmouth, research is really for everyone, and is flexible for all commitment levels. To the point where you can dogsit while furthering the academic frontier. Wild.
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.
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.
Witnessing an eclipse was one of the most exciting days in my life to date, and a solid reminder of our place in this universe. Read on to hear about it!
As I approach the halfway mark of my Dartmouth journey this spring, I find myself reflecting on the significance of distributive and world culture requirements in shaping my academic experience.
This is my final term before senior year, which is both exciting and terrifying at the same time. One thing I am excited about is the classes I am taking this term, so let me tell you more!
