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!
What's something about Dartmouth that you didn't know existed prior to your enrollment that you couldn't imagine your life without now?
A:
That's a great question, and I think there's a lot of ways I could go with this one. In fact, I even asked some of my friends what they thought, and they all each shared 3-4 things with me. Although everyone had different answers, a theme that appeared from my conversations was kindness. Reflecting on my Dartmouth experience so far, I can definitely say that something I can't imagine my life without now is the kindness of the Dartmouth community. Although I heard about how close and caring the community was when I applied, I never imagined it would be anything like what I have experienced.
I've been part of a lot of communities growing up, as I've moved four times and gone to 5 schools before Dartmouth. However, none of these communities compare to the support and kindness I have felt at Dartmouth. Personally, I felt the school's kindness as early as during Dimensions, our school's admitted student day. When I visited, everyone I met was genuinely excited and happy to get to know me. I remember thinking this was too good to be true, and decided to take off my Dimensions tag to see what the school would be like as a normal student. To my surprise, people still smiled at me on the Green and helped me when I looked lost and confused. Two years later, and I still enjoy this welcoming support every day. I think what makes Dartmouth so special is that in a way, it is "cool" to be kind. This allows campus life as whole to be more outgoing and vibrant, as I'm not scared to reach out to people in my class or clubs for friendship and advice. Furthermore, when everyone in a community values kindness, it pushes you to be the best version of yourself. Personally, I've definitely seen how my overall attitude has become more positive and compassionate by being around kind-hearted people.
Finally, I'd like to point out that Dartmouth's kindness comes from the community, extending beyond the student body. Professors and staff also contribute to what I love about Dartmouth, and I think it's amazing how I can still feel this kindness while I'm studying remotely in China. Recently, my boss for the Admissions Blog shipped me a card all the way from Hanover. I felt really touched that she put in the effort to ship a card halfway across the world just to wish me happy holidays, and it is these little acts of genuine kindness that I couldn't imagine my life without now!
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!
