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.
Hello from the snow! Dartmouth has seen a set of flurries and cloudy days this past week, making for some pretty scenes:
Here's Occom Pond, covered in snow!
I love seeing the snow!
But now it is time for business: last Friday, I met virtually with my undergraduate dean to ask some questions about my major declaration. Because Dartmouth is a liberal arts school, students don't declare their major until the end of their fifth term (which usually coincides with students' sophomore fall or winter). Since I'm currently in my fifth term, conversations about declaring a major have begun to grow, and I decided to ask my undergraduate dean some questions.
What is an undergraduate dean? An undergraduate dean is one of the many sources of academic and social support for students! They offer student advising appointments, provide workshops for academic decision-making and support, and help especially with decisions about the D-Plan and major declaration! I always appreciate the weekly emails that my dean sends us, sharing information about career fairs, fellowships, mental health resources, upcoming deadlines for course selection, and more.
Each class has two undergraduate deans—students are assigned to one who becomes their main undergraduate dean. In students' first years, there are four undergraduate deans to maximize the attention and support that first-year students need, and two of them follow the class throughout their time at Dartmouth; that means I get to speak to the same person about my academic needs throughout my four years.
I asked my dean, Dr. Loren Bowley Dow, what her favorite part of being an undergraduate dean was—she said that it was "seeing students find their path and thrive and supporting students through that process. There will be ups and downs along the way and seeing students discover their academic passions and finding their home on campus is really fun to be a part of!"
I also asked her what she thought important for prospective applicants to know about Dartmouth:
"It's important to embrace the liberal arts experience and to keep an open mind as you take classes and engage with opportunities because there are so many areas to explore! Dartmouth is a special place to be able to grow and learn things that you maybe never have had the opportunity to do before."
And it's true! Some of the most "out-there" classes I've taken at Dartmouth so far have been my most memorable experiences, and it's been wonderful to take the chance to learn things that I may not have been able to learn at a different school. Dartmouth's undergraduate deans are there to help us through our journey every step of the way.
Academics can be challenging at Dartmouth. But there are lots of groups across campus here to support you through your academic journey. Read on for my experience asking for help and a few organizations that might be helpful to you!
Every Dartmouth student is required to demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English. Here's my experience navigating the language requirement!
