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.
Research can be a core factor in university decisions. Do they have good research opportunities? Whenever I was on a campus tour for a small school or a big one, there was always a section dedicated to research on the campus.
What's unique about Dartmouth's research? At Dartmouth, I feel that one doesn't have to sacrifice an intimate, liberal arts education with a small student body and high-quality research opportunities. People conduct research with undergraduate professors, with researchers at the Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth Engineering, and more. When I talk to my peers about research, the process is often similar: they had a professor they liked or found a research project they found fascinating on the internet, reached out through email or an in-person meeting, and began to be a part of their research project!
My process started a little differently—I started research with WISP (Women in STEM Project) in the winter of my first year. WISP allows female-identifying students to begin research in the winter term of their first year, matching students with a research project that they express interest in to gain exposure and experience in research. After expressing interest in an organic chemistry lab, I got matched to one, and I've been working there since last winter term!
Note: the WISP only goes to the end of the students' spring term. I elected to continue research with the same professor this fall, but many students change research projects throughout their time at Dartmouth!
What do I do? I've been on a research project working to identify and computationally predict electron-donor-acceptor complexes to find ones that may be helpful in molecule synthesis! Admittedly, I didn't know much about the subject going in—I've learned a lot more by working in the lab and taking the Organic Chemistry class, but my primary investigator (my professor) has always been eager to explain the concepts. My work in the lab this term has consisted of creating these complexes and recording them to make sure that the data that was collected in previous years is accurate.
Here are some of the solutions I test!
A change in color is a hallmark sign of a complex formation!
My commitment to this project is a required ten hours per week; I typically go into the lab for about 3-4 hours in the afternoon, three times a week. It is a significant amount of time, but with mindful time management, I've found the schedule manageable!
I've learned a lot from working in the research lab—I've gotten a bit more experience in interpreting and applying code, organizing and collecting accurate data, and general lab techniques as well. Even if I don't pursue chemistry in the future, I'll carry the experiences I've learned from here into any future projects I seek!
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?
