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.
One of the most distinctive parts of the Dartmouth academic experience is our ten-week quarter system. The actual number of weeks each term varies a little (for example, classes in the fall of 2020 had 9 weeks and two days of actual learning, not including reading period and finals) but it all evens out rather well. Having a quarter system also means that most Dartmouth students only take three courses each term instead of four but we still end up graduating with more courses than people at other colleges (36 instead of 32).
For some people, the ten-week system moves too fast and they learn better in a 16-week semester. College in general already moves faster than high school because whole-year courses are now taught in one term in college. On top of managing your social life, your extracurriculars, and your own well-being, you may find that having a semester-style college experience is what allows you to keep yourself afloat and healthy. The semester-system may also have fewer and less frequent high-stress events since the same amount of work is spread over a longer time period. I highly encourage you to sit down and think about the implications of a quarter system and a semester system before you commit to a school because at some point, it won't just be a "preference" anymore but will actually affect your studies.
This is an infographic sort of showing you the timeline / progression of events during fall term at Dartmouth this year and at other institutions. The first row of boxes shows how long students are in school at other colleges on a semester based system. The second row shows the sole three months that Dartmouth students studied this fall in comparison to the first row!
When I was applying to colleges, I sat down with my family and friends and talked this topic out with them so that I could have people to bounce ideas off of. It was then that I realized I am someone who enjoys shorter-term gratification and goals, focusing on fewer things at once but doing them all 110%. I noticed that I felt burnt out at the end of 16-week semesters and decided that, if I could, I would go to a school with shorter terms.
And that's why I love the quarter system! I am able to personalize my education to my needs, which so happens to be working really hard for a shorter period of time and then having the ability to reset. It also allows me to focus on three courses at once instead of juggling more classes. I usually delegate this as one class for my pre-med requirements, one class for my major, and one class for my minor or other electives. While I don't have much wiggle room to take other classes, I am able to really explore a lot of interests within the scope of my major and minor.
Being on the quarter system also means that I usually get off from fall term before Thanksgiving and don't have to worry about final exams during break. That was always my least favorite part of school because I worry about my grades for a long time, even after I've taken the test. Having everything move at a faster pace gives me more ease of mind because things aren't dragging on forever and I usually know what is going on at any point in time. We also get an extremely long winterim break between winter and fall quarter, which is so nice to use as a break or to prolong your internship or research project when you're an upperclassman.
Because of the long 6-week break between fall term and winter term, I was able to go to China for two weeks to volunteer last year *and* relax at home for another four weeks with family and friends!
In general, I love the quarter system because it 1) moves quickly enough for me to not get burnt out towards the end, 2) allows me to focus my course load on my interests and take more courses overall, 3) works nicely with vacations, Thanksgiving/holiday break, etc., and 4) we have so many chances to start over and begin afresh. Sometimes, you need an external motivator to get yourself pumped up again to do work, and whether it's quickly approaching finals or the start of a new term, Dartmouth students have the ability to get this dose of motivation more times per year than the average student. So if you also like sprints instead of marathons, consider applying to Dartmouth!
In addition to blogging, I work as a Fellow for the Tucker Center, which focuses on promoting spiritual and ethical life on campus. As part of this role, I'm leading the Interfaith Alternative Spring Break Trip. Read on to learn more about my work!
