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!
If you didn't physically visit campus before choosing Dartmouth, how did you make the decision to enroll? What factors influenced your decision?
A:
This is a very good question! I faced a unique challenge as an international student applying during the COVID-19 pandemic—I couldn't physically visit the campuses of the schools I was admitted to, including Dartmouth. To make this crucial decision, I relied on a combination of online research, insights from current Dartmouth students, and perhaps a touch of intuition.
The standout factor that heavily influenced my decision was Dartmouth's remarkable alumni network. On the day I received Dartmouth's offer, Lei '06, Admissions Director of Dartmouth in China, sent me warm congratulations. Chris '98, my alumni interviewer, and others from the Beijing alumni reunion embraced me into the Big Green Family with unmatched enthusiasm. The tight-knit bonds that rapidly formed through this extraordinary institution left me wonderstruck. Dartmouth is not a cold institution but one big family in the woods.
Another significant factor in my decision was the combination of extensive research and intuition. It became clear that Dartmouth offered me the space I needed for personal growth and ensured my overall well-being. The university's unique D-plan system, characterized by its brisk yet flexible structure, promised both challenges and rewards that I was eager to embrace. Moreover, the incredibly accomplished and supportive professors, coupled with the abundant research and study abroad opportunities, made it evident that Dartmouth was the place where I could reach my full potential.
Last but not least, I have to emphasize the importance of physical well-being. Dartmouth's living and dining conditions were a crucial part of my decision. Dartmouth has solid living and dining conditions! Just as Virginia Woolf once wisely said, 'One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.' As a somewhat picky eater living, I can confidently say that Dartmouth's dining options and dorm conditions are solid. Furthermore, Dartmouth's DOC trips that take place throughout the weeks ensure that I can always find solace in nature.
It's easy to forget how easy it is to access walking trails during the hustle of a Dartmouth term. As graduation nears, I am reminded of how special it is to step off campus and enjoy quiet moments in nature.
With a solar eclipse sweeping across North America for the first time in nearly seven years on April 8th came a road-trip with hundreds of other Dartmouth students to a zone of totality near campus: St. Johnsbury, Vermont!
After returning from an enriching study abroad program, I'm diving into a bustling spring semester here at Dartmouth. Here are my four courses I'm taking this term!
Dartmouth's liberal arts curriculum pushes students to explore new departments and draw connections between seemingly disparate disciplines. Come explore my Economics, Physics, and Asian, Societies, Cultures, and Languages classes!
