Hi everyone! I'm Tess, and I live 30 minutes outside of London. I love everything Dartmouth, including the sunsets, the traditions, the classes, and the merch. I'm super excited to experience everything I read about in this blog over the next four years. Come along with me as I explore the ins and outs of life in the woods.
A course that definitely surprised me, I did not know what to expect and had very little philosophical knowledge before taking this course. It was a mixture of current and past readings, with the final project to make a group video, testing my technological ability. Professor Bumpus was amazing, and I got to know her more when I took her to breakfast at Pine through the Take Your Professor to Lunch Program.
I was recommended to take a history course, specifically a history course with Professor Lu, and it has not disappointed! This course is cross listed with Asian Studies, my major, but it has made me consider a history minor... We start every class off with a song relating to the topic of that class, and then we move on to discussion based activities.
I made the decision to come to Dartmouth about a year ago. And when I was looking at reasons to attend, I decided to reflect on my 'Why Dartmouth' essay (more like a bullet point list) I had written four months prior. So, for the Class of 2029, let's have another peek at it.
Brilliant Academic Journey
-D-Plan
-Distributive Requirements: World Culture requirement; excited for Western and Non-Western culture courses
-Ability to create Modified major, guided by my vast array of interests
-Asian Societies, Cultures and Languages
Firstly, let's go over my D-Plan, or what a D-Plan even is. Dartmouth follows the quarter system, with four terms in the year—Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. All first years and seniors must be 'on campus' for Fall, Winter and Spring, and then beyond that it is up to us which terms we choose to be 'on' and 'off.' If there is a particular internship in Spring term that we want to do, then we adjust our D-Plan to fit this. The reason this made my 'Why Dartmouth' essay is because of the flexibility it allows us.
Exploring the hidden gems at Dartmouth
The Distributive Requirements are the basis for our education at Dartmouth. It ensures that we take classes from a wide variety of subjects, from science to the arts. Throughout high school, I was in a similar system where we had to take classes across disciplines, and so I was looking forward to, at Dartmouth, exploring the academic departments.
Yes, at Dartmouth we have the option to double major, but some students instead choose to complete a 'modified major,' for example Government modified with Economics. Six-ish classes are taken from the first department, and then four-ish from the second. This allows us to directly use, in this case, economics to inform our government studies. Little did I know that fast forward a year, I would be utilizing this and major in Asian Societies, Cultures and Languages modified with Business!
Immersive Language Study
-Professor Miya Qiong Xie: comparative East Asian literature
One of the great things about Dartmouth is its amazing language programs. So far, I have taken a sequence of Chinese 31 and 32. Next term, I am super excited to be taking 'Modern Chinese Literature' with Professor Xie. Study Abroad is another aspect of Dartmouth which sets it apart from other schools. Because of the flexibility afforded through the D-Plan, about 55% of students study away at least once, with 10% participating three times! Apart from Language Study Abroad, we also have the option to participate in Exchange Terms with a partner university with classes taught in English. So, no worries if you aren't linguistically inclined, from engineering to philosophy, there is an exchange program for everyone.
Making dumplings in the Chinese Language House
'Drill' is another aspect of the language program unique to Dartmouth. It is a requirement for beginner language courses, focused on speaking practice. With individual attention (there are usually about 2-3 in a drill class), drill uses a particular technique to, as I said in my essay, 'improve fluency.'
Finding Community
-'Take your professor to lunch'
-Adventuring with Dartmouth Outing Club
-Penning articles for The Dartmouth
-Playing cello in Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra
This was probably the category that I was most excited about. Each term, we can take one of our professors for breakfast or lunch at Pine, on the College! So, we get great conversation as well as an amazing meal—definitely a win-win. I have made use of this in both the Fall and Winter term. You can go with one of your classmates as well, making it a chance to get closer to them as well.
Traditions of Dartmouth are another aspect I have really loved
As for the Dartmouth Outing Club, I have already gone on several trips to Moosilauke Ravine Lodge for a free delicious home cooked meal, with many more planned for the future.
Substitute writing for People, Places, Pines for The Dartmouth, and I will have almost crossed off everything from my 'Why Dartmouth' essay. The only thing left is performing with the Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra. The Symphony Orchestra is an audition-based, semi-professional orchestra here on campus. Deciding that I wanted something less intense, I have chosen to play with the Dartmouth Chamber Orchestra (the DSO). I love it so much—we have practice once a week and perform a huge variety of music, from movie scores to classical pieces.
All in all, compared to my 'Why Dartmouth,' my actual Dartmouth experience has exceeded everything I thought it would be. I am beyond happy that I chose Dartmouth, and look forward to many more wonderful times here.
