Welcome! I'm Olivia Koo '26, hailing from Los Alamos, New Mexico. I am studying biological chemistry on the pre-med track, and I'm excited to be supplementing it with music, as a classical pianist and singer-songwriter! Some of my favorite things to do are watching YouTube videos about video games, singing and playing my guitar, and reading New York Times op-eds. Look through my page for information about Dartmouth's pre-med track, STEM research, acapella/music, and study abroad opportunities!
Unsure whether I would enjoy the biology-heavy pre-health track, I took an intro biology class. I surprisingly found myself so invested each class—I didn’t think I’d ever be excited trying to determine if the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) had DNA or RNA, but here we are! I found it a great introduction to thinking processes at Dartmouth.
I loved coming to this class with its supportive environment! The professor's feedback really helped me improve in my writing. This course guided us through personal narratives and organizational writing while discussing what it really means to be authentic. It also introduced me to the library’s resources for writing and research!
This class was definitely not easy! The accelerated version of general chemistry, it was my first class at Dartmouth that used a textbook, and I had to adapt and learn how to use a textbook for a class properly. But that didn't mean I didn't have a good time! The classes were full of physical demonstrations, and I felt very supported in the lab and beyond.
This was the first group music class I took, and I loved it! Each class we'd move a little forward in time; one day we'd talk about medieval chants, and by the next couple weeks, we talked about Baroque music. We even got to observe original medieval music scores from the Rauner Library, and attend a performance of Baroque music by the Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra!
Songwriting 1 was the first time I was able to work on something creative/in the arts at Dartmouth, and I really loved it! I got to learn how to improve my songwriting and get to know a community of fellow songwriters on campus. The class was both supportive and constructive, and I pushed myself to my creative limit with the assignment of writing one new song a week. This class inspired me to continue writing and being expressive, whether in an academic setting or not.
For one of my classes on the London Music FSP, I got to attend a myriad of musical performances in London and discuss them with my class! It was a once-in-a-life-time experience–getting to watch multiple operas, ballets, jazz sets, and a musical, as well as seeing beautiful performances from the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, and more, helped me grow my ear so much and my inspirations as a musician.
I took this class to learn a little more about the social landscape around medicine, and this class delivered that by a mile. From environmental exposure to racial inequities in medicine/health to the discussion of medicine itself as a manipulative tool in colonialist social structures, this class helped me rethink medicine and my role within it.
Maintaining your physical fitness as a college student is a crucial part of staying healthy at school. Without a consistent school sports schedule (for most students), many have to find other avenues of exercise. Dartmouth has no shortage of resources for exercise; the Alumni Gym, the main gymnasium on campus, has a swimming pool, indoor track, basketball courts, several multi-fitness rooms, and a floor dedicated to weight training. It's a wonderful facility that students can use for free. There are intramural sports, non-cut club sports, and even physical education classes that you can sign up for! As of the Class of 2026, students have to earn three physical education credits over the course of their time at Dartmouth. These can be achieved through physical education classes, joining sports teams, and even being part of a dance group.
As an enthusiastic tennis player since middle school, I was excited to see hard and clay courts on the Dartmouth campus. I planned to try out for the club team and to play as often as I could, as it was my favorite sport. The campus has three hard courts and four clay courts, which students can use for free. Further down the street is the Alexis Boss Center, which has six indoor courts in its facilities; students can use these courts for $5/hour. Additionally, we also have some pickleball courts (for free as well)!
Here are the clay courts!
In my first-year fall term, I tried out for the club tennis team. Club sports at Dartmouth are numerous, but they range in competitiveness; the tennis club was higher on the competitive side, competing nationally against different schools. Therefore, as a cut team, they were more selective in who they took from club tryouts. Although I got close (I hope!), I didn't make the team. It was for the best, however. With everything else I wanted to do on campus, I doubted I'd be able to commit the amount of time expected out of being on the club team. And at tryouts, I got to meet a bunch of other tennis players; one of them continues to be my hitting buddy! Whenever we had time on the weekends, we'd play some tennis—sometimes, the courts get so popular that we'd have to wait for an open spot.
Me and my hitting buddy!
Even with the great facilities surrounding tennis here, New Hampshire weather makes it hard to play tennis in the late fall/winter; there's been many times where we'd be snowed out of the courts. The Boss Tennis Center is a great option and place to hit, but the center also gets quite busy, especially in the winter. After all, that's where all the players in the Hanover area, the club, and the college tennis players practice, too! The finite number of courts may also be a likely reason why there is no tennis intramural team (as of June 2024).
Playing tennis at Dartmouth, for me, has been a special treat at the end of a busy week. On days when I can't play, I try to sneak in a jog outside or in the Alumni Gym. Thus, this summer, I'm excited to have the opportunity to play more often! That is if my tennis racquet strings don't break first…
