你好！Or Hi! My name is Taylor, and I'm a '27! I'm from Beijing, China. I'm hoping to major in Mathematics Modified with Computer Science and minor in Religion. Outside of the classroom, you can find me going on hikes with the Dartmouth Outing club, drawing or crafting at the jewelry studio, or having fun, philosophical conversations with friends!
Academic Program
(Intended) Mathematics Modified with Computer Science, Religion
Coming to Dartmouth with a solid background in French (Delf B2), I find French 3 a perfect fit for me -- it helps me to consolidate a lot of key grammar and vocabs, and fun weekly cultural activities like coffee hours and french lunch table offers me chances to relax in busy times. While the class is very rigorous and requires a lot of hard work, my professor is so nice and makes the class very fun! I also look forward to going to Dartmouth's Toulouse LSA program after completion of this class!
This course explores how Buddhist concepts of embodiment affect daily life and society in Southeast Asian contexts, and how the intersection of religion, sexuality, and gender impact broader understandings of authority, wisdom, beauty, death, and loyalty. The class takes on many forms beyond mere lectures -- a visit to the Hood Museum of Art, mindfulness practices, and small Buddha-crafting projects. Our professor (the sweetest Prof. MK Long) also invites many of her colleagues at other institutes as guest lecturers to our class so that we can learn from real experts specializing in different countries in Southeast Asia. I have learned a lot from the class and decided to become a religion major after this course!
Having never enjoyed math classes before college, I'm surprised (again) by how I'm becoming a math major and falling in love with math here! My professor (Prof. Shu Longmei, who graduated from the best university in my hometown) is incredibly good at teaching the concepts -- not just explaining things clearly but also showing us the beauty and elegance of calculus. I really look forward to taking more math classes in the future!
SummerVietnam & Beijing, China
I first visited pagodas in Vietnam for a couple of weeks and had days of conversations with monastics! Then, I returned home to savor time spent with my family and old friends, focus on my mental and physical health, and study and work a bit.
I chose QSS 20 because of its relevance to the growing demands of social science research in the big data era. In this class, we've developed foundational programming skills, tackling topics like data visualization, sentiment analysis, and machine learning. With four rigorous problem sets and a collaborative final project, I'm building my technical proficiency while getting to know my classmates through group work. The rigor of the class also shows how the Dartmouth academic standard can be carried through classes without exams. I'm now considering expanding my studies by pursuing further QSS research or even a double major in QSS, highlighting how academic exploration here can truly reshape one's academic path.
One of my mini-ethnographies was a visual ethnography based on this photo and present it in class—making it a multimodal mini ethnography project!
The course Ethnography and Religion fulfills a methodology requirement for my Religion minor and has been an incredible opportunity to learn ethnographic fieldwork techniques under an award-winning professor. With only 11 students in a discussion-based setting, the class is highly engaging, allowing us to form a close-knit learning environment. The class also welcomes other professors and researchers as guest speakers to discuss their ethnographical work. Throughout the course, we've undertaken several mini-ethnographies, such as analyzing rituals, conducting interview-based ethnographies, and developing photo ethnographies. For our final project, we're crafting a comprehensive six-month field research proposal that encompasses a literature review, a defined research topic, a thorough analysis of methodologies, and a detailed budget. All of these exercises greatly honed my qualitative research skills and my storytelling skills in crafting a narrative using the qualitative data I've gathered.
My Fascisms course!
I took the Fascisms course to fulfill my distributive requirementof INT (International or Comparative Study) and W (Western Cultures). But this course itself is extremely fascinating. The professor's clear, engaging approach brings the subject matter to life, and the class's emphasis on participation fosters an environment of critical thinking. Each student is encouraged and expected to ask questions, making the class even more intellectually stimulating.
Walking through Dartmouth's vibrant fall foliage and reflecting on my Sophomore Fall experiences underscored the importance of community and embracing opportunities.
