Hey everyone! I'm Simon, a '24 from Lakewood, CO. Outside of class and the Admissions office, where I'm a tour guide and Senior Fellow, you can find me getting involved with campus music groups, spending time with friends at my gender-inclusive Greek house, on a walk in Pine Park, or meticulously tracking my Spotify data. I hope you have lots of fun exploring Dartmouth with me!
Academic Program
Linguistics major, English and Anthropology minor
Favorite Thing Right Now
Othello (the board game, not the Shakespeare play)
I'd known since middle school that I wanted to major in linguistics, but this was my first chance to take a formal linguistics class, and I absolutely couldn't wait! "An introduction to the scientific description of human language," my (virtual, it was fall 2020) LING 1 class covered phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, sociolinguistics, language revitalization, and so much more! Prof. Coto-Solano couldn't have been a better introduction to Dartmouth linguistics; he's one of the kindest people I've ever met and, of course, unbelievably knowledgeable.
But really, is a hot dog a sandwich? It's all just semantics; take this class to find out! Another Zoom favorite of mine, Prof. Pulju made every day in this course entertaining. I learned so much about the vast changes in perception and meaning that can come from the tiniest change in wording that most people don't even consciously pick up on. I wrote a final paper investigating the gray area between different past tenses in French--classic word nerd stuff, but so much fun.
As a queer language nerd, this course naturally landed squarely at the intersection of my interests. This was my final virtual term at Dartmouth, and Prof. Billings made it a great one! We discussed the ways quotidian language use reinforces misogyny and transphobia, as well as the nuances of negotiating various iterations of femininities and masculinities through language--we all mediate our genders through language every single day, mostly in ways we don't even notice. The highlights were definitely presenting to the class on language and gender in Dorian Electra's "Flamboyant" and coming to a new understanding of my own identity through the sociolinguistic discussions we had throughout the course.
Still amidst the pandemic, I spent my freshman summer at home with my family and working a food service job. Outside of work, I had the chance to let the chaos and intense learning experience that was my first year settle behind me and reflect on how I wanted to shape my Dartmouth experience going forward. My freshman roommate, who's from Massachusetts and I've stayed close with to this day, visited me in Colorado, and I had so much fun showing them around! At the end of the summer, I went back to Hanover a little early to serve as an Orientation Leader and had a great time getting to know the 25s and helping them through their first days on campus in various capacities.
This six-person class with Prof. Stanford was one of the coolest classes I've taken throughout my whole time at Dartmouth. We spent the entire term learning linguistic field methods by doing collaborative research on the Georgian language alongside another Dartmouth student who's a native speaker of the language! I wrote a 45-page paper for this class on Georgian morphosyntax and really enjoyed it; finishing that paper was one of the most fulfilling moments of my Dartmouth career. The small class size was a wonderful chance to bond extensively with my classmates, and I also appreciated the challenge of being the only 24 in the course alongside more experienced Linguistics majors, from whom I learned so much.
This was my first English class at Dartmouth, and the one that made me decide to declare an English minor. Prof. Stuelke, who's fantastic and inspired me to take another class with her (Contemporary American Fiction) my sophomore summer, assembled a brilliant syllabus that introduced us to an array of artistic activism traditions across time and geography. We read theory alongside memoirs, and examined photography and film alongside poetry and painting. Our final project was to create political art of our own, and I had the chance to photograph a number of trans and non-binary Dartmouth students as an exploration of stereotype, homonationalism, and transnormativity. I'm still friends with some of the students I photographed to this day, and it was a great joy to hear and tell the stories of so many of my fellow queer community members on campus!
After Field Methods, I had to take another class with Prof. Stanford, and I was so glad I did! This class was the ten-week, more in-depth version of those "pop/soda/coke" maps that you see online. We explored social speech patterns and how they vary (or don't!) across different geographic regions, genders, cultures, ethnicities, socioeconomic status . . . the list goes on. This is one of my favorite subfields of linguistics, and I'd been excited to take it ever since I found out my freshman fall that it was offered. A large component of the class was an independent group research project; my group did a perceptual dialectology study on how L1 American English speakers (randomly selected from the Novack Café study area) viewed the Malaysian English dialect in comparison to American English. The survey results were fascinating, and I ended the class wishing I could spend another 10 weeks on the material!
In the spirit of sophomore summer and trying new things, I decided to sign up for my very first film class at Dartmouth this term! I had no prior film experience, but every single day in this class was beyond exciting. The primary focus of the class was hands-on learning; every day, we found ourselves attempting a new cameraless film technique, from bleaching film to painting on it to splicing it together (and so much more)! At the end of the quarter, each student made their own film that screened at an open-to-campus event (complete with movie theatre snacks and drinks)! It felt great to see my work on the big screen when just ten weeks ago, I couldn't have told you a single step of the process that would go into creating that final product.
During the last of my five straight terms in Hanover, I really enjoyed this class with Prof. Huang. I'd taken classes in other departments that were crosslisted with WGSS before, but never signed up for a class that was exclusively in the WGSS department; that changed this term, and I'm so glad it did! The syllabus included "scholars and activists from diverse social and geopolitical positions through coalitions across global, regional, national, and local borders, within and beyond the nation-state." Our readings and topics we covered were just as wide-reaching and varied as they sound, from Palestinian feminist collectives to queer diaspora to disability justice activism in the context of the pandemic. At the end of the course, I got to produce a zine with a classmate as a final project!
WinterTāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), Aotearoa New Zealand, and Rarotonga, Cook Islands
I first read about the Linguistics FSP as a high schooler, and it was a big part of what drew me to Dartmouth in the first place, so this program was quite literally a dream come true. I can't say enough good things about this FSP and how transformative it was: the first six weeks were spent at the University of Auckland taking classes with seriously incredible Māori professors on te reo (language) Māori and te ao (world) Māori, followed by four weeks spent in the Cook Islands, doing research for Cook Islands Māori language revitalization initiatives at the University of the South Pacific. Our professors and classes prioritized Indigenous history and perspectives in a way that's almost unheard of in the US, and everything beyond the classroom offered boundless opportunities to learn and make new friends, from watching the sunset on Maungawhau and talking late into the night to snorkeling with turtles on the Rarotonga reef. No small paragraph could do this experience justice, but just know that I truly cannot recommend this FSP enough!
I signed up for this course to have more time in the classroom with Prof. Craig, who was present for much of my FSP in Aotearoa, is a truly incredible teacher and human, and co-taught this class with Dr. Mishra. This course featured an unbelievably wide array of unconventional learning opportunities: we attended weekly yoga nidra sessions and were each paired with an older Community Partner to bond with so as to reflect and process both of our life experiences from our opposite ends of the "life timeline." Our small discussion group, which met for the final hour of class each Wednesday evening, was something I always looked forward to, as we were able to be genuine and vulnerable with one another throughout our discussions, something I've never experienced to quite the same degree that I did in this class.
I wasn't taking classes this summer, but I lived in Hanover and worked full-time for Dartmouth Admissions as a Senior Fellow! This summer, I wrote for 3D magazine, recruited panelists for virtual programming, delivered info sessions, started this blog (of course) and so much more. I really enjoyed that every day is a little different in the Admissions office and learning about how different elements of the office work behind the scenes. Best of all, there are always opportunities to meet new people visiting Dartmouth from all over and hear about their lives! I've linked Sydney's blog post above (she's also a Senior Fellow!) for the inside scoop on working for the Admissions office :)
FallHanover, NH
Most Dartmouth students take their non-summer "off term" sometime during their sophomore or junior year. I changed my D-plan a few times and ultimately ended up with a slightly unconventional off term: senior fall! Since it's my last year here, I stayed in Hanover for my off term to be able to live alongside my friends for one of the last few times. Even though I wasn't in class, I was busy. I continued to work as a Senior Fellow and tour guide in the Admissions office (I loved answering prospective students' questions in Zoom student chats this fall especially) and also worked at two Dartmouth Dining Services locations. I performed in the color guard while acting as a co-social chair for the Dartmouth College Marching Band, and serving as both house manager and webmaster for my Greek house.
I signed up for this class as the final one to complete my English minor, and didn't entirely know what to expect going into it. I've been astounded so far by just how much I've loved it--this winter, you'll probably be able to find me alone at my desk with a cup of tea reading Woolf's work aloud to myself. Prof. Orner, who's an accomplished writer himself, is really encouraging us to really spend quality time one-on-one with the readings, and it's been fantastic for the reader and writer in me, but the reflecting-on-life enjoyer in me as well. Woolf's work seems to evoke ghosts a lot, Prof. Orner pointed out recently, in ways I hadn't previously understood to be possible.
This class with Prof. Sharlet is one of my favorites I've taken in all my time at Dartmouth! I've written about a psychic fair at a museum, chinchillas at a pet store, broken shoes, drag shows... it's been really wonderful to have exploring the world around me and dedicating time to just seeing and processing as a homework assignment. The final goal for this course is to produce a longer story from somewhere in the Upper Valley, to be published in 40 Towns, a periodical Prof. Sharlet has been publishing with his CRWT 21 students for some years now.
If you're anything like me, at some point, the college visits will start to blur together, and if you've visited dozens of schools, I can't fault you for it—it can be tiring taking in so much information, especially when so many schools seem to have so much in common. You're going to take classes and study subjects and live in dorms (or not) and engage with professors and meet peers and eat at the dining hall anywhere you go, and it all starts to feel a bit in-one-ear-and-out-the-other. That's totally normal, but it's still really important to get as much as you can out of each visit! Now that I've been leading tours, giving info sessions, and otherwise engaging with visitors to Dartmouth for a few years, I thought I'd write a post with some of my advice for making the most of each campus visit! Quick disclaimer: none of this is official admissions advice, just my perspective as a longtime student employee of the admissions office! Also, since it's specifically informed by my experience at Dartmouth, this is probably best applied to a Dartmouth campus visit, but most of it probably applies to any campus you've visited! Without further ado—my eight tips for making the most of your campus visit!
Visit while tours are running!This is super basic, andI'm a hypocrite for saying it—I never took a campus tour at Dartmouth and ended up here anyway—but I stand by it. Exploring campus on your own is great, and I'll say more about that later, but the very best way to get a feel for a school is through face-to-face interaction with current students, and taking an official campus tour is the only way to guarantee that. Register for a tour in advance so that you have a spot reserved, and rest assured knowing that you won't show up for a tour just to find out there aren't any that day (this has happened to me—we only made that mistake once)!
It won't be empty when you come here, but this is the Reitman Room, where your information session will be held! On the screen in this photo is our playlist of Dartmouth-themed videos that'll be running as visitors arrive.
Register for a tour that has an information session beforehand.If your schedule works better with one of our tours that doesn't have an info session before it, then make sure to sign up for and attend one of our virtual info sessions at some point! You'll get some really valuable information about our sense of place, academic program, tight-knit community, and application process. Of course, you'll see most of this in action on your tour, but having that context from the info session in advance is really important to a greater understanding of what you're seeing and hearing as you follow your guide around campus. (Also, if you sign up for an info session, maybe it'll be my info session, and I'll get to meet you!)
Keep a journal of all your college visits.This is another thing I didn't do but wish I did—it's the best antidote to the tours-and-info-sessions-blurring-together phenomenon. On each visit, just jot down a few of the highlights or things that strike you as distinct from the other schools that you've visited. That way, you'll have a quick reference to go back to after you've been on ten college visits in five days and can't remember which school had its own ski hill (it's Dartmouth, by the way)! Don't worry too much about writing down every single detail you hear because, at some point, it'll defeat the purpose, but having a way to track and organize your primary impressions and thoughts as you go through this process will be invaluable.
Ask questions! This is probably the most important piece of advice I can give you—if you're wondering about something, ask about it! No question is too big or too small. In fact, answering questions is exactly what your tour guide is here for. As a pretty shy and introverted high schooler, I remember being hesitant to ask questions because I didn't want to accidentally ask something that the guide thought would be obvious or wouldn't know how to answer. Though, now that I am a tour guide, I can definitely say there are no bad questions. In fact, I'm a tour guide because I like talking to prospective students and families, and I continue with the job because I enjoy hearing from you and answering your questions! Over three years of giving tours, I'll admit sometimes I do get asked questions I don't know exactly how to answer, but in that case, I won't leave you without an answer—I'll direct you to an admissions officer, our "Connect with a Student" page, or another Dartmouth resource or webpage. I can't speak for the exact format at other schools, but our info session is designed to lead straight into your tour after it concludes, so I'd recommend asking questions to your guide first and not to your presenter right after the session. Still, if you have more questions after the tour concludes, the admissions office is open until 4:30 PM on weekdays, and you're welcome to head back upstairs and ask to speak to an admissions officer and/or the person who delivered your info session. Ultimately, your guiding principle with this should be that not asking guarantees that you won't get an answer, so when in doubt, ask the question!
Check the weather.This one probably also sounds obvious, but it's something I see more often than you'd think, including as something that I often forget to take into consideration myself as a guide! We'll take you into some buildings, but you will be outside for much of your tour. Dress for the heat or the cold, depending on the forecast and the time of year. If it's summer, bring water—I cannot stress this enough! Even if it's not a million degrees, walking around in the sun for over an hour can be dehydrating. If it's going to rain, bring an umbrella, etc. All the standard things you do to be outside in different weather are super important for your tour, especially if you're going to be trying to focus on listening to someone talk the whole time.
Remember that your tour guide does not read applications!This one is pretty self-explanatory—tour guides have no say or influence whatsoever in the actual admissions process. Nothing you do or don't say to them will have a direct effect on your chances of getting admitted, as they do not have a part in that process; at the end of the day, they're just Dartmouth students sharing their experience with you so you can learn more about what it's like to go here. Also, because they don't read applications, a tour guide cannot tell you exactly how your admissions decision is going to be made or what your chances are of being admitted; they simply don't have that firsthand knowledge. I'm always happy to answer questions about what I think went well for me and how I'd recommend approaching it from personal experience, but I ultimately cannot speak to exactly how your application will be evaluated. That being said, it's also worth noting that any admissions officer you talk to will probably not be able to give you a whole lot of definitive answers either—the process is simply too highly individualized and dependent on many factors from year to year for that to be possible. By all means, ask for all the application advice and information you'd like, and you'll get a lot of valuable info; just go in prepared to not get as clear of answers as you'd like on certain topics. I really do get it—I was in your shoes just a few years ago, and the uncertainty can be incredibly overwhelming and stressful—but as I say in all of my info sessions, the fact that you're here and interested in a school like Dartmouth probably already means you're a very promising student with the drive and potential to create success for yourself anywhere you go and whatever you do!
Explore campus on your own after the tour.Going back to #1 (I hope you're enjoying my listicle debut, if you don't already count the anthropology minor post from a while back), as much as I seriously recommend that you go on an official campus tour here, exploring parts of campus you're especially interested in on your own time afterward can help you get even more out of your visit. Taking advantage of our self-guided tour maps is a great idea, but even beyond that, most academic buildings are unlocked and open to the public during the day as long as you're not interrupting classes. For instance, when I visited Dartmouth (albeit with no tour), I found that the linguistics department was in Reed Hall at the time (thanks Google!) and was able to take a look at some of the research posters and informational literature about that particular department. If I hadn't gone into Reed Hall that day, I never would've found out about the Linguistics FSP, which was one of the biggest factors that drew me to Dartmouth, and I never would've had the hour-long meeting with Professor Stanford that completely sold me on the Dartmouth Linguistics department. If possible, try to budget some extra time after your tour, and whatever you're interested in, see if you can find it on campus—you never know what you might discover!
Above all, enjoy it and take it all in!Seriously. Don't try to memorize every piece of information you're given point for point. It's impossible but also serves no real purpose. Whichever college (or trade school or job) you find yourself at, your experience will be a human one, not a series of facts and figures. As you walk around campus, yes, listen to your tour guide, ask questions, keep a journal, but above all, take a few moments to take in what's around you. Try to get as clear of a mental image as you can of what your life might look like here. That's not just going to classes—that's making friends, that's spending time outside, that's eating, sleeping, going into town. Anywhere you go, your entire life will be taking place, not just school. If you can construct a vision that you really like of what that would mean for you at any given school, great! Maybe you want to apply there! That means that if you don't like it, that's okay too—at the end of the day, this process is about discovering what will and won't work for you, and while the "perfect" fit probably doesn't exist, it's certainly not one size fits all. If nothing else, speaking as someone who really felt like college applications were the end of the world just a few years ago, know that no matter what happens, it really will be okay. Keep what's best for you and your well-being in mind, and have faith in yourself—wherever you end up in a year or two, you're still you, and that means you've got what it takes to continue forging your path. It'll all work out in the end, I promise. But in the meantime, enjoy your tour!
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!
In addition to blogging, I work as a Fellow for the Tucker Center, which focuses on promoting spiritual and ethical life on campus. As part of this role, I'm leading the Interfaith Alternative Spring Break Trip. Read on to learn more about my work!
