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 remember "Ivy Day" clearly; on my high school's spring break, my family and I were on vacation. A hot afternoon, we entered the hotel room to prepare to go to the swimming pool, and the notifications on my phone were a nerve-wracking sight. I opened all my portals, and with low expectations, I opened one result right after another. As I opened Dartmouth's, the thought of going to the swimming pool all but vanished.
Dartmouth. When first researching the school during college applications, I looked at the location of the school, winced, and closed the tab—I didn't want the college I would attend to be cold. But as the research process continued and I took a second look, I realized that everything except for the cold was intriguing; a flexible music program, a proximity to nature, extraordinary undergraduate focus (I mean, they had a blog for current students to share their experiences. That's cool). Perhaps I could let the cold slide. And let it slide I did—Dartmouth has been a whirlwind of experiences, from little things like having bagels or breakfast sandwiches every morning and tranquilizing fruit flies for a lab, to meeting new people and re-evaluating what I might want to do with my time here.
Sometimes, I feel the novelty of the school has faded a bit (and the cold!), two terms in. The intensive routine of meeting new people, taking new classes, and joining new groups has settled in. I'll be honest, I'm a little nervous for the upcoming term: without a long 6-week break, will I be able to be ready for this term? The long nights studying for the next day's test? The slight embarrassment when trying to find a seat in the dining hall? The exhausted late-night walk back to the dorm, knowing I'll have to wake up early for class the next day? The new introductions, the old-new introductions?
And yet, I remember the leaves in the fall term as they lit up the Green with warm colors; the quiet snowfall in winter term as I walked to my next class; the laughs I hear and share in the hallways. The people that I've met here, who I still see around and say hello to, even if we haven't talked in a while; the friends who I'm always glad to see around.
A peaceful morning in Fairfield Tower
And I remember that that's why I choose to go to Dartmouth, every day I'm here. It's quite beautiful here.
I applied through Questbridge's National College Match, but did not match. To others who also did not match, this is not the end of your application process! Here's what I did following match decision day.
Unlimited buffets, flavorful drinks, an assortment of breakfast pastries—Dartmouth has so many great food and drink options to choose from! Join me as I rank my favorite ones.
Walking around the Wellelsey campus, it's clear that it was built with intentional incorporation of the surrounding nature. The architecture of many buildings were also mindfully crafted to support Wellesley's unique principles.
