Hey all! So excited to see you here. My name is Sydney and I'm a '24 passionate about energy, education, the environment, and economic policy. I grew up in Southern California, but have also lived abroad in Gibraltar, Spain, and the Philippines. When not blogging or working at McNutt as a Senior Admissions Fellow, you can catch me involved in the Dartmouth Energy Alliance, Energy Justice Clinic, and Greek Life. I hope my blog can give you a window into Dartmouth from a student's perspective.
Academic Program
Majors in Economics and Environmental Studies, Minor in International Studies
Taught by Professor Tine, this class focused on many interdisciplinary topics within the field of education. I loved learning about the significance of early pre-K interventions on long-term behaviors, the layered complexities of the American public school system, the neuroscience behind how the brain processes new information, and much more!
As someone interested in international studies, this course opened my eyes to the complex world of global health – both the biological and social sides of achieving equity. I found this class especially applicable given the COVID-19 pandemic and often transfer knowledge from Global Health & Society into my everyday life.
Searching for Justice is a perfect blend of studying literature and law. Highlights from this course include an op-ed I produced on anti-Asian hate crimes and a fictional short story adaptation based on Japanese internment camps from Korematsu v. United States. This first-year seminar exposed me to many different court cases, and I’m now strongly considering a future career in law!
SummerClaremont, California
I spent my summer back home in Southern California, working at my high school alma mater as a Summer Fellow for their Junior Scholars program. I had a wonderful time designing curriculum for the Journalism program, planning activities for middle schoolers, and providing support in the dorms. I also spent quality time with my cousins and bonded with family by the beach.
I am an aquaphile, a lover of all things related to the water. This environmental studies course on Marine Policy was perfect for me because it dove into how humans have impacted the oceans. From coastal development to deep sea mining, we explored how to think like a policymaker and consider the many different stakeholders involved in global marine issues.
Wow, the Practice of Science Policy and Diplomacy was a blast! I was eager to get to class early every day for this Public Policy seminar. Professor Burkins introduced me to writing effective policy memos, participating in a Model Arctic Council simulation, and presenting our SDG 7: Affordable & Clean Energy recommendations with a state coalition.
Energy Justice examined issues of culture, power, and inequity in the necessary shift away from fossil fuels. Taught as a Social Impact Practicum, this class deepened my interest in pursuing a career in energy and environmental law. During junior year, I’m excited to continue working with Professor Kelly as a Presidential Scholar researching justice and accountability in corporate energy systems.
During my Sophomore Summer, I really enjoyed studying food systems and accessing Dartmouth’s Organic Farm as our lab for Professor Ong’s Agroecology course. It was an incredible New England summer experience learning to visualize data in R, conducting fieldwork outdoors, and working as a team on scientific research projects. A term highlight was tasting freshly tapped maple syrup from Dartmouth’s very own Sugar Crew!
I was one of six Dartmouth Economics exchange students at University College London this term. All four of my modules—UCL’s equivalent of classes—gave me a new perspective on Economics and Geography through a British lens. Economic History was my favorite as we studied industrialization, the demographic transition, and the East Asian economic miracle after World War II. I grew a deep appreciation for how the events of our past can offer important lessons for us today and into the future.
WinterNew York, New York
Since Dartmouth students typically spend their Sophomore Summer on campus, the D-Plan allows us to take a different term off to develop personally and professionally. I spent my off-term working as a corporate legal assistant intern at a law firm in New York City. It was such a thrill to live and work in the Big Apple! With many fellow Dartmouth '24s also in the NYC area, my days out of the office were full of yummy food, catching up with old friends, and exploring iconic city sights.
Drawing upon disciplines like law, psychology, and popular culture, Writing and Speaking Public Policy was all about becoming more persuasive communicators. Professor Kalish provided us with such thoughtful, detailed feedback on our assignments and arranged for class field trips to the Jones Media Center and Hood Museum of Art. I especially enjoyed the flexibility offered for our small group media campaign project, where I created a children’s book on the benefits of bringing universal pre-K to New Hampshire.
SummerMystic, Connecticut
During my junior summer, I interned as a Yale Conservation Scholar at Mystic Aquarium. Working in the Education & Conservation department, I mentored high school interns about marine science communication and public engagement. Besides attending weekly professional development workshops with the Yale School of the Environment, I also helped out with summer camps, traveling classroom programs, and citizen science projects.
I traveled to Southern Africa for the first time with Dartmouth’s Environmental Studies FSP. From conducting research on invertebrate diversity in the Namib Desert to speaking with community members at Uibasen-Twyfelfontein Conservancy, we studied Namibia's socio-ecological systems. Highlights from this incredible trip include experiencing game drives at Etosha National Park, discussing ecotourism at the Cheetah Conservation Fund, and learning about Namibia’s integrated coastal zone management approach with government officials from the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources.
Econometrics was a pleasant surprise! While I came into this statistics-heavy course without a Stata coding background, Professor Fetter’s amazing explanations helped me feel confident about the new material. I learned so much about the assumptions required for causality and now feel equipped with the analytical tools to evaluate Economic research papers in an entirely different light.
Ever turn on the news and wonder why inflation can be so persistent? Or perhaps how exactly countries with a comparative advantage benefit from international trade? I'm four courses away from completing my Economics major—so not an expert yet—but here are my tips to succeed and figure out if Economics is right for you.
In 2019, when I received my Early Decision acceptance letter to Dartmouth, I knew I wanted to explore the social sciences. However, I was not 100% confident I was going to major in Economics and knew I needed to take a class to figure out if the major was something I wanted to pursue. During my freshman fall, I enrolled in ECON 1: The Price System: Analysis, Problems, and Policies to explore the department, one of three prerequisites for Dartmouth's Economics major. While I received the MATH 3 (ECON 3) equivalent from my AP Calculus AB exam, I needed to take MATH 10, ECON 10, GOVT 10, SOCY 10, or an equivalent statistics course to earn my statistics credit for the major. I chose MATH 10 because I wanted to try out a class in Dartmouth's Math department!
The joy of studying Economics is gaining the quantitative skills that you can apply to modeling real-world topics such as monetary policy, international trade, the optimal provision of public goods, and the utility gained from a cash transfer versus in-kind benefits. Microeconomics examines how firms and individuals make decisions (more intersections with math and quantitative topics), while macroeconomics studies the economy as a whole (more intersections with government and public policy).
Macroeconomics professor Diego Comin recaps the class's case study discussion of Singapore's rapid technological growth.
Now, onto my tips for the major!
Tip #1: You don't need to take classes by order of their number, although the higher number classes tend to be more specific and topics-based than the lower ones. So far, I've taken ECON 1: The Price System, ECON 21: Microeconomics ECON 22: Macroeconomics, ECON 39: International Trade, ECON 28: Economics of the Public Sector (through my University College London exchange), and ECON 00: Economic History (through my University College London exchange). ECON 20, 21, and 22 (Econometrics, Microeconomics, and Macroeconomics) are often regarded as some of the hardest classes in the major. These three core classes help students build strong foundational skills for the upper level courses. I would recommend taking ECON 21 soon after finishing ECON 1 so microeconomics is still fresh in your mind.
Tip #2: Pick a track that you are interested in, and don't worry about picking the "wrong" track as an underclassman because you don't officially decide until your senior year when you enroll in your culminating experience. During your senior year, you will enroll in your track's senior seminar where you will produce your own empirical research paper. I am planning to complete either the Development track (the "4s") or the Public track (the "8s") depending on which courses are offered during my senior year and how I'm feeling then.
Tip #3: Take advantage of Dartmouth's more intimate class sizes. Since Dartmouth does not have a graduate program for Economics, undergraduates are front and center in many research opportunities. Dartmouth's smaller class sizes make it easy to stay back for a few minutes after class to ask if your professor has any opportunities to partake in research, review tough problems, drop by office hours with questions, or get to know your professor better. I even took my Microeconomics professor Dr. Petre out to lunch at Pine, a nice restaurant across the Green located at the Hanover Inn, during sophomore summer with my friend through Dartmouth's Take a Faculty Member to Lunch program sponsored by the Undergraduate Deans Office and Student Assembly.
Tip #4: If you are very interested in Economics, Dartmouth offers opportunities to enrich your knowledge besides the standard major. I'd recommend looking into the Dartmouth Economic Research Scholars (DERS) program (where you are matched with a faculty member to assist in research), ECON 78: Fed Challenge (which sends students to an annual Fed Challenge Team competition in Boston), the Honors Program (where you can write a thesis in Economics), and three exchange programs (where you can study abroad in Europe to Oxford University, Bocconi University, and University College London). I recently wrapped up my fall study abroad program at University College London, where I got to earn credits for my Economics major and spend a term making new friends and memories in another continent.
Hope this post helped explain some of Economics at Dartmouth, and have a wonderful winter!
At Dartmouth, there is an undergraduate requirement for language; after all, it is the liberal arts! Fulfilling this requirement looks different for various people and I will focus on my experience.
Traditionally, Dartmouth students take three courses during a term, but I decided to take four courses this term! Learn about course load and the academic system at Dartmouth.
As I approach the halfway mark of my Dartmouth journey this spring, I find myself reflecting on the significance of distributive and world culture requirements in shaping my academic experience.
This is my final term before senior year, which is both exciting and terrifying at the same time. One thing I am excited about is the classes I am taking this term, so let me tell you more!
This is part two of me "nerding out" about my honors thesis! If you want to learn more about independent projects, theses, or the humanities at Dartmouth, check it out!
