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.
Dartmouth takes the value of going abroad to heart, giving students the cultural and historical experience of the places they stay at. After all, studying in a different place has minimal value if you never explore where you are! This week, through Dartmouth, my Music FSP took an all-expenses-paid day trip to Bath, the city in England where the famous Roman baths are located.
The Bath Abbey!
The second week in London, admittedly, has been a learning curve. Being in a new city, navigating my way through commutes, and dealing with unpredictable situations, even if they feel small, adds up. Even something as small as watching the train go by just as I was about to reach the platform felt disheartening. The first week was full of novelty, but I'm realizing that that feeling won't last the whole ten weeks. It's the beginning of adjusting to something new, and although it isn't easy, it's an opportunity for growth, to reassess who I am and my values in a different country!
The Bath trip, as a result, was a well-needed change in my developing weekly routine. On top of being taken on a small tour of the city, we were treated to afternoon tea and a ticket into the Roman Baths. We can't swim in it, but we can try the water (I tried it twice; it's not very tasty)! I took Latin in high school, and it was awesome to walk through the bathhouse where so many Romans had been and stand in places that I'd only read about before! The desserts and tea were so delicious, as well!
I'm excited for what's to come next, even though my life for the past week has been filled with semi-hectic decisions of figuring out what groceries to buy, when to take the train, when to do my readings for class, and most importantly, when to practice my instrument, I have more time to myself than I typically do on campus. It's given me the chance to reflect more about myself and what I want to do in the coming weeks and years. At the end of the day, I'm still figuring out really who I am, and I hope that I can use the slower lifestyle that this FSP gives (even if it's still bustling!) to get closer to that answer.
All three of my classes this term visited the Hood Museum of Art for curated art study sessions related to class content. I have had these sessions in prior terms too, and I really enjoy these experiences.
This past December, I traveled to Vietnam as part of the "Developing Vietnam" study abroad program! Here is a—little overdue—photo journal of my three weeks in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).
I am a lucky member of the Dartmouth Decibelles, the oldest all-female acapella group on campus, and my first term with them was filled with so many fun moments.
