Hello there! My name is Shuyi and I'm a '23, which means it's my senior year here at Dartmouth! Follow me for my last year at Dartmouth as I reflect upon my college experience. At Dartmouth, I enjoy playing squash, eating at late night, and of course, blogging. You can ask me about studying social sciences, coming to Dartmouth as an international student, and anything else really. I hope you enjoy the blog!
I actually wasn't planning on taking this class but it eventually became my favorite class. The professor was very funny and created a relaxed classroom environment where I enjoyed looking at diversity in different contexts, such as college admissions and group dynamics.
This class was a perfect mix of philosophy, classical studies, and writing. We were able to reflect on societal views, our own ideas of optimism and pessimism, and how we can lead more fulfilling and compassionate lives.
My first experience with computer science was my Freshman winter, and I quickly became interested in the subject. I followed up CS1 with CS10 in the Spring, which I found just as cool. I love how you can solve problems by applying logic and math with computer science, and I look forward to diving deeper into the major!
Econ 21 is required for all Econ majors, and I loved my experience with Professor Gustman. He made the material super easy to digest and allowed me to take exams in my timezone, which I thought was really nice.
It was really interesting to study public speaking in an asynchronous environment, and I came away with a deeper understanding of not only public speaking but speech writing. I wrote a separate blog post about the class, so check it out!
Since English was one of my favorite classes in high school, I wanted to take another writing course at Dartmouth. This was a great choice, as it was a perfect mix of lecture and discussion. I loved reading and learning about several American dramas, and even discussing modern topics such as Trump's rhetoric!
SummerShanghai
I took my Sophomore Summer off, which many international students do, and got involved with the Tuck School of Business through the Bridge and Paganucci programs! You can read more about my summer experiences in my blogs!
This was my first class from the QSS department, which was long overdue considering that I'm a QSS major! I really enjoyed picking up some coding skills and tackling problems like transitional justice with quantitative approaches.
I took Econ 25 in the Fall, and Econ 35 was the next course in the game theory sequence! It was really fun to apply game theory to cool concepts like sports, Covid-19, and auctions.
This was my first time taking a music class even though I have been involved with music my entire life, whether that was playing the piano or learning how to make beats. I loved this class because I not only learned more about music, but more about Native culture as well!
SummerNew York
I took my junior summer off to pursue a management consulting internship in New York. I had a wonderful experience!
I absolutely loved this class! Theatre was one of my favorite classes in middle school, and so it was great to reconnect with theatre again in college. The professor was amazingly kind and passionate, and the final project was a really fun group performance!
This was a small class of around 15 people, which allowed us to have intimate discussions of readings and theatre. I loved hearing from my classmates, as we used our personal experiences to guide us in our understanding of materials. My final project was a protest on campus, which also really fun and refreshing take on performance!
As I prepare to spend another term remotely, something that I've found myself doing a lot of is sending and receiving Snapchat memories from one year ago. For anyone that isn't familiar with Snapchat, the app shows you saved memories that took place on today's date from however many years ago. Now that it's been a year since my freshman fall, I find myself constantly enjoying short videos of what I was doing this time last year. Although I've blogged about my freshman fall, I thought it would be a good idea to share my favorite Snapchat memories I've looked at so far and give a perspective on my first term at Dartmouth, one year ago.
Dartmouth Hall, where I had my French class last Fall
The most common Snapchats I've seen are from weekend celebrations, where my friends and I were first going out to explore what Dartmouth offered at night. Since we were still under the fraternity ban as freshmen, many of us would gather at one designated event that a group (usually a fraternity house) would be hosting just for us. These events were dry and open to everyone, so they were very accessible and honestly a lot of fun. When the ban ended, I appreciated having more weekend options as I got to know more people and groups on campus. However, looking back at my first weekend memories on campus, I miss the immense sense of community I felt as my entire class formed a crowd outside of whichever house was hosting an event that night. Those weekends were when I first realized how welcoming and fun Dartmouth could be, and looking back at those memories only bring smiles to me and my friends.
Another Snapchat memory that I never get tired of is late night, which is a meal period at Dartmouth that happens from around 9pm-2am, depending on if it's a weekday or weekend. As someone who went to a boarding school where the dining halls closed around 8pm, late night has been one of my favorite things about Dartmouth. Not only is there hot food available at late hours, but it's also delicious. I've definitely written about late night before, but some of my favorites at late night are dumplings, corn dogs and double cheeseburgers. In fact, I liked it so much that I would often take quick Snapchats of the food. Late night was also a great time for me to catch up with some friends that I hadn't seen all day, so I've also enjoyed Snapchat memories of some older inside jokes. Although I spent my summer in Montreal and Shanghai, I still found myself missing a Hop burger more than I'd like to admit.
In line to pay for my chicken tenders, another late night classic
Finally, something I've noticed about the Snapchat memories I've been sending and receiving is just how weird the videos are. I've relived memories of crazy flair outfits, backflips at Collis, and singing on the way to Baker Library, just to name a few. However, while I was living these moments, they felt just like another day at Dartmouth. My time away from the college has allowed me to appreciate how spirited and authentic my experiences have been. Everyone I met a year ago wasn't afraid to be unique and be themselves, and it was never weird because everyone was accepted for who they were. As I look forward to my time on campus again, I can't wait to do crazy things with my friends, wearing silly costumes and themed outfits without worrying about being judged or dismissed. While I look back on all the happy memories from one year ago, I truly can't wait for one year later!
This fall, Dartmouth provided me with incredible opportunities to get involved in politics. I registered as a New Hampshire voter, joined civic organizations, canvassed, and more! Read on to follow my journey leading up to Election Day!
