Hi everyone! I'm Yehalah and I'm a '26 coming all the way from Colombo, Sri Lanka. My academic passions lie in Energy Engineering and Environmental Studies. I am a first-generation and low-income student, actively involved with the community. I love to paint and read during my free time. I'm excited that you're here, and I hope you enjoy this account of my life at Dartmouth!
The sequel to Drawing 1! Undoubtedly harder, but definitely a great class. I can now say, with confidence, that I am able to paint a mango successfully.
The Sacred Architecture of Asia is one of the most incredible courses I have taken at Dartmouth! The course is primarily discussion-based, with Professor Seher explaining and initiating conversation about the course material.
It is hard to believe that we are entering Week Four of the term. The term is flying by. The weird part is, it still feels like summer. The temperatures are high and the trees are mostly green. I would never usually complain about warm weather, but it is concerning when thinking about climate change causing it. It should not be as hot this time of the year.
The heat makes it harder to study but midterm season has rolled around. Thankfully, I only had one midterm for my multivariable calculus class. Sometimes, just the word midterm causes me more stress than the actual exam.
This term I chose to use NRO for a class. NRO stands for Non-Recording Option. This means that students can set a boundary for a grade and if the grade received is below that boundary, it will not appear on the transcript or be calculated in the GPA. These can be used for prerequisite classes. It cannot be used for any major, language, distributive, or world culture requirements. It also cannot be used during off-campus programs.
Many students use this option for large introductory classes. However, departments can decide to remove the ability to use the NRO in their courses. Almost all the engineering prerequisites are not eligible for this option. Math 13, the multivariable calculus class is the only class I can use it for, which is why I decided to do so. My professor is really good though, so I do not anticipate needing it.
Students have time to elect the NRO until week three. The limit chosen can also be altered up until week 8! The important thing to note is that if a grade of D is achieved, it will still count towards the maximum of eight D's to graduate. Any grade below a D will be recorded on your transcript regardless of electing the NRO.
With these many restrictions due to my major, I can only realistically use this option for one class during my time at Dartmouth. The ability to use the NRO depends on your major and the department's policies. It is not something to rely on but it can definitely save you from a difficult prerequisite!
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!
