First, I'll explain who I am. I'm Nicholas Sugiarto, a '23 from San Diego, California. Second, a quick disclaimer. I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. Prior to Dartmouth, I've never hiked, skied, or seen snow. So yeah, you could say that Dartmouth is quite a bit different from what I'm used to. You'll probably find me on campus lost. I have no sense of direction. Please help.
A class studying how Christian language has permeated into how we as a society talk about economics. I have virtually no interest in either field as a major, nor am I really religious, but the class is super fun! It challenges you to think in ways that aren't outstandingly obvious, but get more and more interesting if you're willing to put the time in to thinking about them. It's by no means your traditional class. At least in the high school I came from, the idea of dedicating an entire term to a topic as niche as this is unheard of. But honestly? That just makes it so much more fulfilling. Like most Dartmouth classes, there's a ton of freedom to explore topics that interest you. For my final term paper, since I'm a huge hip hop fan, I wrote about the religious and economic underpinnings of Kendrick Lamar's "How Much a Dollar Cost." Without diving too deep into the jargon, I argued that money according to Kendrick Lamar, is defined by Western capitalism heavily intertwined with American Prosperity Gospel; its true nature, on the other hand, is a form of spiritual exchange. I loved this class so much that I was able to take my professor out to breakfast (on Dartmouth's dime, of course. Quick college lesson, never, ever pay for food. Live life Aladdin style.).
For those that don't know, Writing 5 is a class that's mandated for all Freshman. It helps you adjust to college writing, research, all that good stuff. There's a ton of topics to choose from, ranging from the criminal justice system to how food affects your mind. I personally chose "Pursuit of Happiness" because, well, who doesn't want to be happy? This class was my first intro to what the Dartmouth academic experience is really about. It was a small class of only 16 strong where classes were discussion-based and the professor's door is always open. It goes without saying that the course was immensely interesting (is there really a way to make happiness boring?), and we studied a vast majority of topics from Aristotle to Voltaire to Biochemical research studies. I tell incoming students all the time that if you want to make the most of your Dartmouth experience, take classes that interest you and make what you do with those classes interesting too. There's nothing more painful than having to write a paper on a topic you find absolutely mind-numbingly dull. Given my fascination with stand up comedy, I focused on viewing comedy as a form of happiness, starting from comedy in relation to Camus's absurd, the higher prevalence of mental illness in comedians, and what kind of comedians deserve happiness. Honestly? Even though this class was technically "mandatory," I would have taken it regardless.
This is the class I'm currently taking, and it's by far my favorite. You couldn't tell by my posts, or my favorite classes I listed earlier, but I'm actually a huge STEM guy. I'm a biomedical engineering major for a reason, and Dartmouth classes really make STEM fun. They're also so easy a child could follow them. Literally. I'm using the computer science 1 curriculum to teach my little sister coding. At a slower pace of course. She's not THAT smart (yet). I've never tried coding before, but the task-based approach of the CS department really makes things interesting. So far, we've drawn a children's book/ logo, a chalkboard drawing (I drew the Kanye bear), and a retro pong game. There's something fun about solving puzzles for a grade, and even though the course is admittedly pretty challenging at times, it's so worth it.
This goes without saying, but there's a lot of things you take for granted when it comes to surviving a global pandemic. And while life is still, unfortunately, seemingly nowhere close to normal, it's nice to see the little things come back to us. For example, study spots are open again.
Me studying at my dorm's common room! That whiteboard is much more handy than you would think. The fact that they also stock it with dry-erase markers rather than having you bring your own is also a nice touch
This may sound like nothing to you. After all, studying is studying is studying. I can go on and on about the mental benefits of switching up your study space. For example, it's good to separate where you work and where you sleep; it's really hard to focus on your work when your bed is literally 3 steps away. And while I think that's true, I think that the reason I'm so excited for study spaces to open back up is because they're the best excuse to see the campus.
Not to mention that there's a weird solidarity in all of it. It's oddly comforting to walk into Baker-Berry (the main library) on a Saturday morning, and see rows upon rows of students studying right alongside you. Even if you don't know them at all, it feels good knowing that you're in the same boat.
This is a painting I found in another study space - Collis Hall. It was actually done by an upperclassmen who I know. She's an amazing artist, and depicted what it was like before Coronavirus.
Obviously too, with spaces opening backup, the first regard is always safety. As much as I love studying in Baker, I realize that it's not worth it if it means a bunch of students packed in a crowded space all breathing on each other. In addition to having to take a daily temperature self-assessment to make sure we don't have COVID symptoms, the library is massively spaced out. Not only are the table spread out six feet apart, with only one person per table, there are people who clean the tables as soon as you leave. Masks are also required, and if for some reason your mask breaks off your face (which has happened to me an embarrassing amount of times), the front desk always has more. The same goes for the Cube, the Onion (which are both group study spaces), and Kemeny Hall (the math department building).
Overall, there's still so many things I miss about "normal" college. In person classes are the main thing. It's weird having friends who are nothing more than a face on a screen. And while I still miss the days that groups of people could meet together at Baker-Berry, it's still comforting to know that with study spaces starting to open up, at least Dartmouth is making an attempt to return back to normalcy.
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!
