Hello there! My name is Shuyi and I'm a '23, which means it's my senior year here at Dartmouth! Follow me for my last year at Dartmouth as I reflect upon my college experience. At Dartmouth, I enjoy playing squash, eating at late night, and of course, blogging. You can ask me about studying social sciences, coming to Dartmouth as an international student, and anything else really. I hope you enjoy the blog!
I actually wasn't planning on taking this class but it eventually became my favorite class. The professor was very funny and created a relaxed classroom environment where I enjoyed looking at diversity in different contexts, such as college admissions and group dynamics.
This class was a perfect mix of philosophy, classical studies, and writing. We were able to reflect on societal views, our own ideas of optimism and pessimism, and how we can lead more fulfilling and compassionate lives.
My first experience with computer science was my Freshman winter, and I quickly became interested in the subject. I followed up CS1 with CS10 in the Spring, which I found just as cool. I love how you can solve problems by applying logic and math with computer science, and I look forward to diving deeper into the major!
Econ 21 is required for all Econ majors, and I loved my experience with Professor Gustman. He made the material super easy to digest and allowed me to take exams in my timezone, which I thought was really nice.
It was really interesting to study public speaking in an asynchronous environment, and I came away with a deeper understanding of not only public speaking but speech writing. I wrote a separate blog post about the class, so check it out!
Since English was one of my favorite classes in high school, I wanted to take another writing course at Dartmouth. This was a great choice, as it was a perfect mix of lecture and discussion. I loved reading and learning about several American dramas, and even discussing modern topics such as Trump's rhetoric!
SummerShanghai
I took my Sophomore Summer off, which many international students do, and got involved with the Tuck School of Business through the Bridge and Paganucci programs! You can read more about my summer experiences in my blogs!
This was my first class from the QSS department, which was long overdue considering that I'm a QSS major! I really enjoyed picking up some coding skills and tackling problems like transitional justice with quantitative approaches.
I took Econ 25 in the Fall, and Econ 35 was the next course in the game theory sequence! It was really fun to apply game theory to cool concepts like sports, Covid-19, and auctions.
This was my first time taking a music class even though I have been involved with music my entire life, whether that was playing the piano or learning how to make beats. I loved this class because I not only learned more about music, but more about Native culture as well!
SummerNew York
I took my junior summer off to pursue a management consulting internship in New York. I had a wonderful experience!
I absolutely loved this class! Theatre was one of my favorite classes in middle school, and so it was great to reconnect with theatre again in college. The professor was amazingly kind and passionate, and the final project was a really fun group performance!
This was a small class of around 15 people, which allowed us to have intimate discussions of readings and theatre. I loved hearing from my classmates, as we used our personal experiences to guide us in our understanding of materials. My final project was a protest on campus, which also really fun and refreshing take on performance!
What is financial aid like for international students?
A:
Financial aid is a sensitive topic, which is why you might not see a lot of blogs about the subject. However, it's an important topic for many students to think about during the college process, and that's especially true for international students who are committing to leaving their home country for the United States. Although Dartmouth has a website for international students on financial aid, there are still a lot of questions left unanswered. Part of the reason financial aid is such a sensitive topic is because everyone has a unique situation, which is why I'll answer this question by sharing the perspectives of a few international students on aid & affordability.
Starting with me, I wouldn't have thought that I would be able to write about affordability coming into Dartmouth, since I'm not on financial aid. However, I've since taken advantage of several opportunities that Dartmouth provides for students to make extra income during their time here. This year, I'm doing research on a Presidential Scholarship, which means that Undergraduate Advising and Research will be paying me a stipend of $1000/term. My on-campus jobs as a Undergraduate Advisor and Admissions Communications Intern also pay well, as I'm able to make around five figures during the school year. All these opportunities have been super accessible as an international student, and the only difference has been that I have to fill out a few extra forms to get set up. Furthermore, I've been able to find opportunities that also allow me to develop personally and professionally, which is awesome!
I also talked to one of my best friends here about financial aid, who is an international student from Turkey. My friend told me that Dartmouth provides him with enough financial aid that tuition is affordable for his parents, and that he is able to further support them through student work authorization. Student work authorization is basically just a fancy term that references to all the job opportunities we have available on campus, and my friend has taken advantage of them having worked as a tutor, grader, cashier and more during his time here.
Finally, I asked a friend from Africa what he wished he knew about international aid & affordability before applying. His answer was that although it seems daunting and sometimes impossible to be able to make the trip to the United States, Dartmouth actually provides a lot of resources (financial and otherwise) to make it all possible. Since everyone's situation is different, I encourage you to reach out to an Admissions Officer if you have further questions. However, I do hope hearing from a few international students at Dartmouth was helpful!
Exploring Chicago with my fellow women engineers from Dartmouth! We explored the city outside of the SWE conference and got to see how exciting Chicago can be.
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.
Learn about the different programs Dartmouth offers prospective students to explore campus life, learn about Dartmouth, and enjoy an all-expenses paid trip to Hanover!
"Indigenous Peoples' Day Every Day!" A common phrase said within the Native Community at Dartmouth. Come and join me as I describe the Indigenous Fly-In Program offered by Dartmouth!
As an international student, I was hesitant to join Greek Life, but I found a welcoming community. Now, as a junior, I hope to help others find their place too.
"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.
It's been (almost) a full year since I was in your (figurative) shoes! Let's take a trip down memory lane and dissect my Dartmouth application process. Part one of a long journey!
