你好! or hi! My name is Yutong, but feel free to call me Taylor. I'm a '27 from Beijing, China. This will be my first time living ten thousand miles away from home and my first time embracing the New England winter, which makes everything more exciting! I'm also a big fan of Dartmouth Outing Club, and you can find me canoeing in the Connecticut River or taking a walk at Pine Park. I can't wait to show you my college life with my blogs!
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!
"Dear old Dartmouth sets a watch, lest the old traditions fail."-Alma Mater.
Green Key is definitely one of the "old traditions" on campus. So, you may ask, what is Green Key? Well, it is an annual program that features live music, free food, and other great ways to celebrate the arrival of spring.
Green Key concert in full swing!
For the student body at Dartmouth, Green Key undoubtedly lives up to the hype. From the food trucks sponsored by Dartmouth to the free swag handed out that started days before the Green Key main concert, Green Key weekend is a culmination of camaraderie and fun. The main event is the concert that takes place at the Golden Coast Lawn on Friday evening. The concert started with student DJs Vivachae, and then followed by Young M.A and Shaggy.
Other than the main concert, there were a lot of other activities, free food, and concerts happening throughout the weekend! Before the main concert, there were artists performing in front of Collis, our student center. On Saturday night, we also welcomed performances by The Ballroom Thieves and National Park Radio at Collis After Dark.
Free Food during Green Key Weekend!
While many at Dartmouth immerse themselves in the vibrant mosaic of concerts, the weekend also unfolds with quieter, equally enriching pursuits. For those of us less drawn to crowded scenes, it offers moments of retreat and reflection. Opting out of the main concert's sonic boom, my friends and I found solace in the chords and melodies of the guitar.
Later, a stroll to the Connecticut River allowed us to step into a painting of the evening: the sunset draped the water in strokes of gold and amber, and the gentle breeze carried our conversations into the night. It was here, in the hush of twilight, that we delved into the deeper currents of our lives—our fears, our dreams, and our evolving senses of self. This communion, shared under the vast, indigo sky, brought a closeness that only such serene settings can foster.
The tranquility continued into Saturday, marked by the simple pleasures of free smoothies from Phi Tau, a gender-inclusive Greek space, free indulgent ice cream from Ben & Jerry's, and a delightful dinner at a local Spanish restaurant. Each of these moments was an invitation to nurture the bonds we had begun to cultivate the night before, allowing us to drift deeper into the quiet joy of shared experiences.
This rich diversity of moments, whether filled with the echo of music or the soft murmur of river waters, affirms that there is no singular "quintessential" Dartmouth experience. Whether reveling in the heart of the festivities or finding solace in quieter gatherings, each path we choose contributes uniquely to the rich mosaic of our college lives. Each student, in navigating these hallowed traditions, discovers their own ways to celebrate and cherish the spirit of Green Key, crafting memories woven from the threads of human connection and the intimate contours of personal journeys.
Dartmouth's proximity to nature - the White Mountains and the Connecticut River, was one of the main factors that made me apply Early Decision, but it took me three quarters before I actually went paddling on the river.
As it approaches the end of spring term and the finale to my freshman year at Dartmouth, I am reflective of the goals I made for myself each term and how I've accomplished them.
The dining halls at Dartmouth offer options for all types of people, including those with dietary requirements, foodies, and those simply seeking a quick bite to eat in between courses.
