Hello, 你好, and Bonjour! My name is Tao; I'm from New York City, and I'm a proud first-generation student. I'm currently interested in studying applied math and learning a new language (French, with the intent of studying abroad using my D-Plan!) at Dartmouth. I love being immersed at campus–especially aesthetic Woccoms, fookie grubs at FOCO, and Baker-Berry Tower Room study sessions. Come one, come all: let me take you along!
Academic Program
Mathematics and Quantitative Social Science with a minor in French
The People of Color Outdoor is a sub-club of the Dartmouth Outing Club, the nation's oldest collegiate outing club. After getting acquainted with the club, I decided to spend my Sunday with them Apple-picking in the upper valley! Signing up for the trip was super easy; I went on Trailhead, the website that hosts all of the trip information, and simply pressed "Sign Up"!
This time, we visited multiple farms and orchards: the first being the River View Farms. The farms had a huge corn maze and a cozy shop where we had hearty apple ciders and patches of apples and berries! We sampled so many different apple varieties: Honey Crisp, Crimson Crisp, Zestar (our favorite), Cortland, and McIntosh. Getting to try so many different apples grown organically on a farm, a first-time experience as a New Yorker (from the city) was the coolest thing ever—which is another reason that drew me to Dartmouth, the rural vibes of New England is so refreshing and rejuvenating—especially being able to enjoy it with other POCO members!
POCO embers featured: Sumant Sharma '26, Elizabeth Liu '27, Ojas Sharma '28)
Next, we decided to hop over to Mac's Maple about half a mile away from the River View Farms, because we wanted to try the last batch of Maple-themed food before the end of the fall term! Mac's Maple also had a corn maze, except it also had a giant red tractor next to it. But the star of our visit was the Maple shop: creemees (yup, that's how it's spelled), a creamier soft-serve made with maple syrup. Creemees dipped with maple cream donuts and chocolate chip cookies were the exact treat we needed after our midterms!
After a satisfying grub, we headed back to campus. On the way, we listened to Noah Kahan, humming The View Between Villages and many of his other songs that parallel the mildly chilly fall weather. But in the car, we were cozy and jolly: the community like POCO makes Dartmouth feel like home. To the prospective applicants, I hope you'll join me on more trips like these next fall!
Dartmouth is not just a college. With world-renowned graduate schools, why would we choose to call ourselves a college instead of a university? The story behind that decision dates back to a significant Supreme Court ruling.
On a quiet spring Saturday in Hanover, I traded the usual campus buzz for Monet in the morning and archery in the afternoon—a reminder that Dartmouth weekends can be just as meaningful when they're slow, reflective, and a little unexpected.
During my sophomore spring quarter, I took on the challenge of four STEM courses, and while it has been intense, the unexpected connections across subjects and the joy of learning have made it one of my most rewarding academic experiences yet.
Read about the Sophomore Summer Soiree and how I got to witness the beginning of something that hopefully grows into a long-standing Dartmouth tradition!
Here is my list of the restaurants in Hanover within walking distance of Dartmouth. Whether you're touring campus for the first time or are a Dartmouth student in need of a new place to eat, feel free to reference this list!
As I approach the end of my first year at Dartmouth, I would like to reflect on some of the experiences and lessons I've learned throughout this school year.
