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.
I definitely took a lot of science classes, and really enjoyed them! But outside of the couple of experiments that we did in class (or the YouTube videos we watched of experiments during the pandemic), I did not involve myself much with science-like extracurriculars. Admittedly, I was a little scared of the idea of "labs" and "research"—those who were taking part in those in high school felt, in a way, untouchable. Where could I even start?
Entering Dartmouth, I knew that I would have to take several lab courses if I was to continue the pre-med track. And when talking to upperclassmen in the first term, many would describe their experiences in doing research with professors—the accessibility to general research and lab work was a little astounding. I was able to dip my feet into the world of lab work for the first time this term.
Biology 13
One of my courses this term was a lab course: Biology 13, Genetics, which had a lab section that met once a week for a four-hour period in which we completed an experimental procedure and in-lab assignments. The lab materials ran in parallel to the lecture material, surrounding the genetics of fruit flies and how mutations manifest in the flies. We got to look at fruit flies under anesthesia through microscopes. When the term began, I found myself a little overwhelmed with the four-hour time frame and the lab techniques required, like pipetting. But as we continued our labs, I found that the experience became more enjoyable!
Of course, the extra time commitment was more to manage my time around, and deadlines felt a little tighter than the previous term, when I had no lab. However, I do feel as if the lab section was a helpful addition to the rest of the course.
Me and my lab partner, Ishita!
WISP
In the fall, I applied for the WISP, or Women In STEM Project, program, in which freshman and sophomore female-identifying students can gain access to research opportunities to be more familiar in a lab setting, help discover/contribute to their academic passions, and encourage involvement in STEM. Interestingly, in this program, applicants get matched to different professors and projects from a smaller pool of their choosing—topics can range from computer science to engineering to physics to biology. I was personally interested in chemistry, biology, or social psychology, and chose projects related to these areas. I was matched to the Read Lab, in the chemistry department, and, in the lab, I've been helping an undergraduate with his research while learning about his research and lab techniques.
It's been a little while since I've taken chemistry, but the environment has been so supportive and patient in helping me understand the chemistry involved and the decorum of the lab; I feel very lucky that I've had the chance to be exposed to this side of Dartmouth early. Perhaps, with my plans to take chemistry in the spring, I will be able to better understand what goes on in the lab.
So many chemicals!
I will continue being in this lab in the spring through the WISP program, and I'm interested to see in what I will learn! Even if I do not end up staying with the chemistry department in the terms afterwards, I am definitely more open to and interested in future research at Dartmouth.
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?
