你好! Or Hi! My name is Taylor, and I'm a '27 from Beijing, China. I'm hoping to major in Mathematics 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!
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.
This is a really fun and engaging class taught by an award-winning professor. The mini-ethnography assignments provide a lot of hands-on experience in conducting fieldwork, making the methods we study feel real and applicable. From participant observation to interviews and field note coding, this course offers an immersive introduction to ethnographic research on religion. Plus, the discussions on research ethics and methodology are both thought-provoking and relevant, making this an incredibly useful class for anyone interested in studying contemporary religious communities through direct engagement.
This class is incredibly interesting because it feels like traveling through time—from the philosophical foundations of Laozi and Zhuangzi to medieval Daoist traditions and contemporary practices in northern and southern China and Taiwan. Even as a Chinese student, I’m realizing how much there is to learn, not just about Daoism but also about the broader religious landscape and practices in China.
Rethinking Dartmouth Through the Lens of Career Development
It's easy to romanticize the Dartmouth experience—something I've certainly done before. But after more than a year on campus and recently wrapping up recruiting season for finance, I've come to value a more grounded perspective. Beyond the scenic campus and tight-knit community, what does Dartmouth actually offer in terms of preparing students for professional life? Having just gone through the internship recruiting process, I now see Dartmouth's career ecosystem more clearly—through both its structural advantages and its cultural atmosphere. From this more analytical lens, two factors stand out: (1) the strength of its alumni network, and (2) its less pre-professional culture, which, paradoxically, creates a more sustainable environment for long-term career exploration.
The Alumni Network
Dartmouth's small size fundamentally transforms the nature of student support—both among peers and through alumni. One of the first things I noticed was how approachable and generous upperclassmen were. Because the community is small and relatively non-hierarchical, class years tend to blur. Many of the upperclassmen I initially reached out to for career advice have since become close friends; we meet regularly, and their support has extended far beyond formal mentorship.
This sense of accessibility carries over into the alumni network. Dartmouth graduates may be fewer in number than those from larger institutions, but their strong emotional attachment to the college translates into high levels of engagement. Alumni not only respond to cold emails – they often go out of their way to help, offering to walk through mock interviews, discuss recruiting timelines, or provide candid insight into their industry. In fields like finance, where timing, informal mentorship, and insider knowledge are disproportionately important, this access becomes a tangible structural advantage.
Personally, I found the networking process far more relational than transactional. Both students and alumni showed genuine interest in my growth. They patiently answered my questions, helped me stay grounded through moments of stress, and consistently offered reassurance. When recruiting ended, I found that some alumni were even more excited about my outcome than I was. Their continued encouragement served as a reminder that Dartmouth's career support isn't just functional—it's deeply personal.
View of Manhattan from a company's office
Detachment from Pre Professional Anxiety
The second factor is more subtle but just as impactful. While Dartmouth is a target school for finance recruiting, it does not cultivate the rigid, pre professional culture that defines many peer institutions. This was something I only fully appreciated after comparing experiences with friends at other universities. Ambition certainly exists at Dartmouth—but the pressure to follow a single, hyper-competitive path is noticeably less intense.
This cultural flexibility creates room for authentic exploration. Students feel more free to take classes outside their intended field, experiment with majors, or pursue intellectual interests for their own sake without constant fear that they're falling behind professionally. Ironically, this looser structure can result in better outcomes. With less pressure to conform, students often take greater ownership over their path. For me, this led to more thoughtful preparation and allowed me to build higher self-awareness.
The absence of a pervasive, campus-wide job hunt also helped. Compared to schools where everyone seems to be recruiting at once, Dartmouth offers a quieter, more self-paced approach, perhaps because of the D-Plan. That relative calm allowed me to focus without feeling a hyper sense of competition. While certain echo chambers still exist, particularly in popular industries like finance or consulting, they don't dominate the culture. And my own experience shows that it's entirely possible to engage in recruiting mindfully, without losing perspective.
There's always a way back to nature when you need it most.
In my freshman year, I wrote a blog revisiting my decision of attending Dartmouth College. Now that more than a year has passed, I would love to revisit my decision again, with a more realistic lens.
