Hi all! Welcome to my blog! My name is Robin. I am a senior studying Economics and the Digital Arts. Outside of class I'm a guitarist, amateur rock climber, and seasoned billiard player–if you're on campus, there's a good chance you can find me at the Collis pool hall. I love Dartmouth and am sharing my journey through this blog. So if you're a prospie, parent, or Dartmouth enthusiast, you've come to the right place!
In this class, I'll be learning about stellar evolution, the origin of the elements, the deaths of stars, black holes, the structure of our Galaxy, other galaxies, dark matter, the expanding universe and the big bang.
In this class, we explore the issues of mark, line, scale, space, light and composition. I'm not naturally a great artist, but I love art and am taking this course to improve my skills.
This course studies the economic behavior of employers and employees as they interact in the labor market, covering topics such as human capital investment, the structure and determinants of financial compensation and benefits packages, contract negotiations and arbitration.
Painting I is an introductory class in oil painting techniques, painting language, and critical thinking. Major topics that will be covered include: basic color theory, color mixing, paint application, and color composition.
This course explores how the brain controls our motivation to pursue goals and how drugs of abuse hijack those systems, exploring in detail how narcotic drugs (opioids, stimulants, alcohol, cannabis) act in the brain and the mechanisms underlying the transition from drug use to addiction.
My high school teachers always told me that college classes would be harder. I never quite understood what that meant, but my time at Dartmouth has shown me that they were 100% right. College classes not only teach more complex topics, but also pack what would be a full year or more of learning in high school into a semester or, in Dartmouth's case, a 10-week quarter. So, courses move fast.
However, there is more "free time" than there is in high school. Dartmouth students generally take three courses per quarter, totaling about ten hours of lectures per week. The rest is up to you! So, when thinking about what you want in your college experience in terms of clubs, social life, and health, you have to find a balance that also allows enough time to study and finish hours of assignments each day. However, you're not alone. Each academic department at Dartmouth has support systems in place to make sure students have the tools they need to succeed. Here are a few:
Office Hours:
In all honesty, I rarely attended office hours as a first-year. Sometimes that was because I felt good about the content and didn't have questions, and others because I was so confused that I didn't know what to ask. Don't be like me! Going to office hours even if you have nothing particular in mind is a great way to get to know your professor, learn from the questions of other students, and check your understanding of course material.
Tutors:
Most courses at Dartmouth offer tutors through the Academic Skills Center and, recently, through the First-Year Student Enrichment Program (FYSEP). There are both individual and group tutors who work directly with the course professor to organize weekly review sessions and office-hours. These students have taken the course themselves, so their experience and advice can be invaluable.
Learning Fellows:
More and more classes are employing Learning Fellows (aka LFs). LFs attend class and facilitate group activities. They ask guiding questions and check your work as you go, making it easier for you to grasp and apply course concepts.
Teaching Assistants:
Lastly, we have Teaching Assistants (aka TAs). TAs are a bit like LFs, but generally don't attend lectures. Their role is outside of the classroom, hosting office hours, review sessions, and being available over Slack or email to answer student questions as they come up. They are trained and supervised by the course professor, so they are a great resource if you are ever stumped or need some study tips.
These are just a few of the academic resources available at Dartmouth. So, don't you worry. College is hard, but Dartmouth's mission is to help you succeed.
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?
