Welcome! I'm Olivia Koo '26, hailing from Los Alamos, New Mexico. I hope to study biochemistry on the pre-health track, and I'm excited to supplement it with music, as a classical musician and songwriter! Some of my favorite things to do are watching YouTube videos about my favorite TV shows, fiddling on my guitar, and reading New York Times op-eds.
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.
Hello! The weather has begun to warm up a little, and the sun is staying out a little longer, signaling the coming end of winter term.
I'm not one to complain about more sun!
And with the end of my fifth term at Dartmouth also comes a conversation with myself: what do I major in?
This question was present when applying to college, but it didn't matter that much then—after all, so many students change their major once getting into college! Choosing an intended major was a mere exercise in thinking about what I may be interested in studying, especially since I was aiming for schools allowing changes in majors post-enrollment.
Dartmouth allows students to declare their major during and after their fifth term; as a result, my winter term has been marked with the eternal question of what I major in!
A snippet of my thoughts...
I began my time at Dartmouth thinking about being a sociology major while taking pre-medical courses; I had an interest in the societal dynamics of people and interactions throughout high school, and although I had never taken a sociology class, I felt that I would enjoy the discipline. However, when choosing my first-year fall classes, I decided to take a biology class to determine whether I was "cut out" for the pre-medical path at Dartmouth and to gauge my interest in the sciences. Luckily, my interest was indeed piqued! I began gravitating more toward the natural sciences in my extracurriculars and classes. After joining a chemistry research lab in my first winter term through WISP, I was able to gain more exposure to scientific research. I had room to explore my interests and beyond, as my classes in my first year consisted of my writing requirement, language requirement, and a pre-medical introductory science course. As a result, by the time I ended my first year, I felt that majoring in the sciences would be the best choice for me after all. I really enjoyed the problem-solving aspect of the work done in the classes, and it was fascinating to learn more about the world around me.
But which science? I wanted to do a combination of biology and chemistry, but in what fashion? A biology major with a focus on chemistry? A chemistry major with a focus on biology? The decision feels a little arbitrary, but I wanted to make sure I was making a choice I felt confident in. To help guide my decision, I was able to speak with professors from both departments to weigh the pros and cons of each department. Ultimately, I want to learn more about the mechanistic foundations of molecules, and the biological chemistry major offers more courses delving into that aspect of biochemistry. Therefore, I've recently declared my major as biological chemistry! That being said, my decision isn't set completely in stone; students can still change their major after declaring it. However, by declaring my major, I can let myself aim more strongly towards a specific goal. I'm glad that I had an open mind throughout my first year to determine where my academic interests lay—my academic journey, of course, doesn't end here! Let's see where it goes next.
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.
Planning on visiting Dartmouth as a prospective student or an interested person wanting to see our beautiful campus? In this post, I share insider tips to ensure your visit is fulfilled!
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.
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!
