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.
Everything I Wish I Knew About Being Pre-Health at Dartmouth, Two (And 3/10) Terms In
Dartmouth College wasn't on my radar as a school for pre-health students, but I've found that being pre-health, at least for my first two terms, has been full of moments of discovery and connection; I get to find a bit of community when hearing the "oh, yeah, I'm pre-med too!" from people I meet.
When entering the school as a prospective pre-health student, there wasn't much that I knew about the school's pre-health system. I am not very far down the track, and I have a lot to learn—I've only done one out of the many courses needed for the pre-health track as of writing this post. However, being so fresh on the track does mean that I remember a lot of the questions I had when I was scouting the pre-health track. Here's a little bit of what I now know about being pre-health at Dartmouth!
Planning Classes
Planning the pre-health track has something extra in Dartmouth: The D-Plan. The D-Plan is a system unique to Dartmouth, in which students can choose when to be on campus or off campus (like choosing when your 'summer' break is), with a strong recommendation to stay on campus for their second summer (known as Sophomore Summer). Essentially, it leads to some flexibility in crafting one's experience at Dartmouth. You can learn a little more about it here!
With the flexibility, however, comes extra planning for when I will take certain pre-medical classes, since classes are not offered every term.
The pre-medical track at Dartmouth consists of 10-12 classes:
1 math class (calculus)
1 statistics class
2 biology foundation courses
1 or 2 intro chemistry courses
2 organic chemistry courses
1 biochemistry course
1 or 2 physics courses
You can learn more about the requirements here: Some classes can be settled with AP/IB credit, which can be seen here.
Coming in, I found this list of classes alluring. I thought that it would be fun to take these classes especially if I wasn't going to be a science major—and it's been true! Of the two pre-medical courses I've taken (Bio 13: Genetics; Chem 11: Intro Chemistry), both have been pretty enjoyable so far. Determining when I will take classes while fitting in a music minor and another major has been a puzzle. Like a puzzle, I have a bunch of pieces to fit, and like a puzzle, it won't come super easy!
Here's a screenshot of some of my potential D-Plans!
Resources
However, there are resources available for me to figure out what classes and what majors may be right for me; for example, I have my faculty advisor and Undergraduate Dean, who are both dedicated to helping students organize their D-Plans and classes. Additionally, for pre-health students, there is a pre-health advisor, Sarah Berger, who can help organize D-Plans specifically for pre-health courses. At my first meeting with her, she ran down many class organization possibilities that make sure all my requirements would get in on time.
There are also different opportunities for pre-medical enrichment! Many of them exist through the Nathan Smith Society, a group for premedical students that offers opportunities, articles, and talks surrounding medicine. Also, with the nearby Geisel School of Medicine and the Dartmouth-affiliated Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, which is just a short bus ride away, the distance from medical exposure and opportunities is small!
For your future search
I was a little reluctant about the pre-health track—and I still require a lot of self-reflection about it—but I've found that it's easier to step off the track than to get on late. I'm only two terms in! Who knows what'll happen in my future years at Dartmouth. Talking to upperclassmen who have both stayed on the track to the end and to those who decided to take on a different path, I realized that no choice is wrong, as long as it's one's personal choice.
But for those who are considering going on the track, here are a couple of questions to get started!
What are the premedical requirements of the school, and what fraction of the classes will it be throughout one's whole time at a school?
What is the school's method in choosing one's classes?
What are some other graduation requirements of the school? Could some pre-med and graduation requirement schools overlap?
What resources of support are there/opportunities? Advisors? Schools? Hospitals?
I hope that's helpful! I find that Dartmouth's rigorous classes and schedule make the classes more engaging, and the availability of professors, teaching assistants, and other academic help makes the journey worth it (so far). In fact, the plethora of opportunities available for pre-medical students give me some FOMO when not attending them!
Every Dartmouth student is required to demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English. Here's my experience navigating the language requirement!
Unlike some other universities, many of the STEM lecture classes at Dartmouth require concurrent enrollment in a laboratory section. What is it like navigating that time as a student?
