Hello there, friend! My name is Love and I am a '23. Aside from being on the pre-med track, I'm currently interested in studying math and public policy. I have a penchant for old things, learning languages, and the arts. I also love personality tests, irrespective of their actual validity—in case you're curious, I'm an INFJ, Scorpio, dragon, and type 2w1.
BIOL 11.07 (Major Events in the History of Life and the Human Genome) is a very unique class. We learn topics such as oxidative phosphorylation in conjunction with evolution and paleontology. In other words, where and when did ETC come from, and how can we support our hypothesis? Though not an easy class by far, every day the material I learn amazes me with the wonder of life, which is how biology should be!
MES 7.03 (Jerusalem: Vision and Reality) was my First-Year Seminar and such an interesting class to take! We explored Jerusalem through three main viewpoints (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). The class had a bit of religion, literature, anthropology, sociology, and even geography—all things I love to study but don't necessarily have the space for with our three-class quarters. I often found myself going to office hours just to talk with my professor about questions I had outside of the reading!
COSC 10 (Problem Solving with Object-Oriented Programming) is a data structures course and the last pre-requisite for the computer science major. Though I added it as a fourth class on a whim because of COVID-19 and remote learning, it quickly became my favorite class this term because I loved the problem solving that CS has to offer. It is a difficult class but the emotional and academic rewards make it all worth it!
This was one of four classes I took during fall term and it was super interesting! We learned about healthcare systems and innovations from around 4 guest lecturers per week, and were able to do research on our own and propose a new system at the end of the term. Students came from all over campus and the course was very enlightening for me in terms of understanding how care is dispensed in the U.S. and how we can improve it.
Though this was my first "foundation" course in the Biology department and I still found it challenging, I really enjoyed learning the material and found it all super exciting! We learned about DNA replication, mRNA transcription and protein translation, genetics, and had the opportunity to do a literature review at the end of the term.
The dreaded Organic Chemistry sequence of my pre-med track came upon me faster than I thought it would, but it surprised me by being one of my favorite classes to date! I found it intellectually interesting (even though it was time-consuming), probably because I treated it like a STEM-and-logic puzzle instead of pure STEM or pure memorization. Am I great at it? Not necessarily. Do I remember everything I've learned? I'm not too sure! Am I mentally ready for Organic Chemistry 2 next term? Not at all! But I had a lot of fun doing this class and surprised even myself with how I tackled it.
I love dancing, story-telling, and learning about different cultures so I knew going into this course that I would enjoy it. Cross-listed in the theater and AAAS departments, this course let students have the privilege of working with Dance Theatre of Harlem members who were in Hanover for a summer residency. As a group, we analyzed a play ("The Purple Flower" by Marita Bonner) and transformed the text into a physical movement piece. Each student also had complete ownership of a personal final project, and I opted to do a self-choreographed dance. Overall, I loved getting the chance to work creatively in my academics this term and I also was able to broaden my perspective and knowledge of the African-American story in the process!
As a pre-med, I am constantly trying to learn more about the U.S medical system. This course was extremely engaging in all aspects, taking students through all of American history through the lens of healthcare within the span of 10 weeks. I particularly liked having a discussion session that replaced a lecture, since we were able to talk about the issues with the professor and think out loud about our readings. The course was definitely challenging and required a lot of synthesis across different time periods and topics, but I feel like I came out of it with a deeper and more profound understanding of our healthcare system and why it functions the way it does today.
WinterDetroit, MI
For my junior winter, I did an internship in clinical research! With COVID affecting so much of my college experience, this practical, in-person work internship was very important for me to not only hone my employable skills but also see what having a 8am - 5pm job looks like and how it could fit into my future.
Much like my other pre-med courses here at Dartmouth, Biochemistry was quite rigorous and fast-paced. It was certainly challenging, but I found the work extremely rewarding and I enjoyed learning about all the different mechanisms that happen inside of our bodies. Additionally, many of my friends were also in this class as well, rounding out final prerequisites for graduate school, and this fact made it all the more fun.
SummerDresden, Germany
For my junior summer, I had a research internship in Eastern Germany, working at the intersection between math, computer science, and biology! The learning curve was very steep since my project focus changed once I arrived in Europe, but I had a lot of fun and learned a lot about the content and myself. I am extremely thankful for all the support that Dartmouth has given me throughout my time here, without which I wouldn't have been able to do a 12-week European adventure!
As a pre-med student interested in health disparities, SOCY 75 was an amazing class to take! We covered numerous topics concerning how where one lives can impact their health outcomes. At the end of the course, students were also able to complete a final project of their choosing and I loved being able to tie my personal experiences into an academic course.
Throughout college, most of my science courses have been at the introductory level: one term of genetics, one term of cell structure, etc. Rarely have I had the chance to engage with something on a deeper level or connect the pre-med courses to human biology. This course was super interesting because I could finally connect everything I've learned throughout college into one cohesive course that connects to something I want to do post-Dartmouth.
My name is Love Tsai and I am a rising sophomore at Dartmouth ('23). My freshman summer, I am working at a nonprofit in San Francisco, learning about the realm of real estate, art, and social change in the Bay Area. Because of the coronavirus, I am completing my work remotely, but it still has been such a blast so far. I got this internship through Dartmouth Center for Social Impact's Cohort Internship program, which I highly recommend incoming freshmen to check out if you're interested in social impact work. Spots usually go to rising sophomores or rising seniors and in a typical year, you can expect to live in SF, Boston, or Philadelphia, living with other Dartmouth students completing different internships in the same city for around 10 weeks.
What does my average day look like? I start working on my projects around 11AM EST. My long-term projects are mostly research projects gathering data for the nonprofit to work from for their future endeavors. I stop working on my own projects around 5PM EST. My work schedule is a little weird because of my internship being on the West Coast. Throughout the week, I have various meetings at different times—on Thursday, for example, I have a meeting from 6-8PM EST. On Wednesday, I attend a meeting from 5-6PM. In total, I make myself available to my colleagues and managers from 11AM - 8PM, although I am typically not expected to work that late. If you are doing an internship in the future, you will most likely work normal hours (this specific situation is just because I am in EST and my nonprofit is on the West Coast).
My long-term projects are researching average rent prices across SF and Oakland, as well as putting together a database of founding sources for artists. I also do many smaller tasks, such as calling Wi-Fi companies, going through operating budgets, and proofreading reports. The best part of my internship has definitely been meeting all the people and getting to learn about a new part of the world that I haven't ever encountered before. Everyone who works at CAST is incredibly driven, dedicated, and talented at what they do.
The most challenging part has been all the meetings—I discovered very quickly that I do not like meetings in general, but a lot of the daily operations surrounding business, real estate, and nonprofits not involved in direct service are meetings. I'm very glad to have found this out about myself this early in the process! It gives me a lot of direction and clarity into the type of job I would like to have after graduation—task-oriented, people-oriented, and fast-paced.
The DCSI program also pairs each intern with an alumni mentor through the DPCS. The pairing happens through shared interests, backgrounds, or career goals. I've met with my mentor three times now, and we plan on meeting every other week through the end of my internship. Before my meeting, I brainstorm some questions that I have for her surrounding my internship, my career, and even my time at Dartmouth. Being able to hear another person's insight has been very helpful! I often have a lot of things swirling around in my brain that I need clarification on, and this mentorship has been invaluable for me in being able to get a first-impression perspective as well as the perspective that comes with a deeper relationship.
All in all, I am really enjoying my time so far. The work is challenging and thought-provoking, and I have met so many people and encountered so many industries that I had never even heard of before this summer. Even the things that I don't enjoy as much, such as the meetings or staring at a screen all day, have been useful for me to figure out where my priorities lie and how I can make sure that my future, lifelong career is one that doesn't include these things. I encourage everyone, particularly incoming freshmen, to hop onto the DCSI, Rocky, or Dickey websites to learn about possible internship opportunities!
When asked about my favorite term at Dartmouth, I'll enthusiastically answer, "Sophomore Summer!" Whether it's the enhanced beauty or community on campus, one aspect stands out as the highlight of my term: the start of summer dance ensembles!
For those who want to attend medical school after their undergraduate education, the infrastructure of a "pre-med" track is an important factor when choosing a school to apply to. Here's how the premed experience has been for me at Dartmouth!
What a wonderful summer! From joining a summer dance ensemble to regularly canoeing along the Connecticut River, I reflect on the aspects that made Sophomore Summer one of the most memorable Dartmouth traditions I've taken part in.
