Hi everyone! I'm Oscar, a '28 from Flushing, NYC. My academic interests are a mix of the arts (studio art, graphic design), the sciences (psychology, biology, sustainability), and maybe even anthropology? All of which I'm thinking of merging with a major in Cognitive Science with a focus area on Design. Outside the classroom, I'm passionate about giving back to my community, fiber arts, and em dashes. Welcome to my blog—I'm excited to explore Dartmouth together!
My name is Oscar, and welcome to my neck of the woods! I'm excited to see what my first year at Dartmouth brings—I'll be navigating that process through the blog, which I hope will serve as a resource for what life at the College is like. As a preface for my posts—and because my lucky number is 4—I'd like to introduce myself in 4 parts:
1. I'm a person of a few firsts
Like many others, being a Dartmouth student is my first extended time away from home. It's a little scary having so much freedom now, but there are so many more opportunities to explore on campus. In the past few weeks I've been here, I've made dye, camped outside, canoed, and met people from all over the world for the first time. I'm also a first-generation college student, the first in my family to pursue a 4-year degree. So, I'll be documenting my journey—and all of my future firsts—in this blog!
A fruit stand in my grandma's local bansan (wet market).
2. I'm Chinese-Malaysian-American
That's just a fancy way to say I like good food. I was born in the States, but my family is Chinese Malaysian (My mom's family is from Penang, which is considered the food capital of Southeast Asia). My favorite things about Malaysia are seeing extended family, eating fresh mangosteen, and exploring pasar malams—night markets. The Penangite palate is sharp, so I'll probably be writing quite a lot about food.
A closeup of a cardigan I actually wrote one of my application essays on!
3. I'm an artist at heart
I've been involved with some kind of creative pursuit most of my life. It has ranged from fine arts (watercolors, drawing, sculpting), fiber arts (knitting, sewing, cross stitching), and digital arts (graphic design, 3D modeling). I collect mediums like squirrels hoard acorns, the most recent being ASCII art in CS001! Recently, I've been interested in set design and theater—which I'm hoping to get involved in on campus.
Heading to BEMA for the twilight ceremony, officially starting my Dartmouth journey.
4. I'm always interested in making new friends!
If you'd like to ask a question about the college process, what I'm studying, or anything about life at Dartmouth and college in general, I'm always down to answer. Don't be afraid to ask questions!
The college process can be confusing, complicated, and daunting. But if you're reading this, you've already started the first step—research! I hope this blog will be helpful to everyone worried about what college life will look like, scared about going through the motions, or just those curious about Dartmouth. Take everything one step at a time, and remember: no matter the outcome, everything will work out.
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.
"What's it like working for admissions?" "Are you being truthful with your answers?" "Are you being scripted?" Let's dive right into all these questions.
In August, I participated in the First Year Summer Enrichment Program, a pre-orientation program designed to help FGLI students adjust to life at Dartmouth!
Welcome to my blog! Here you'll find snapshots of my life and explorations at Dartmouth, ruminations on life, outdoor adventures, process of finding my major and more. I can't wait to show you around!
My time at Dartmouth has been filled with a lot of change, yet I'm struck by how similar Dartmouth is to my life back home, or rather, how Dartmouth is quickly becoming a place I call home.
