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.
The Last Few Days of Summer: Trips, Orientation, Canoeing
Can you believe that the summer passed so quickly? During the term, I am always so busy and caught up in the moment that I don't realize how fast time was passing. Before I knew it, I had finished all my exams and had a couple days' break before leading Trips for the 25s!
This was my first time leading a trip since going on my own trip during freshman year. I had applied to be a trip leader (TL) for the '24s as well, but things got disrupted due to COVID. I knew that I wanted to be a TL for new students because Trips is often one's first introduction to Dartmouth and Dartmouth culture. The whole experience can be fun, exhilarating, and extremely gratifying. On the other hand, it can also be overwhelming, tiring, and worrisome. I definitely remember feeling a combination of both types of emotions my freshman year; I wanted to be a TL to help make this first experience as good of an experience as possible for the '25s and minimize any potential feelings of chaos or concern.
While the Trips experience was slightly different and delayed due to certain COVID measures, I will say that the entire event was very fun. My co-leader was a '24 and brought a sense of novelty to our time together as well since they were also experiencing it for the first time. I happened to be leading the exact same trip that I went on as a freshman, and I loved getting to go down memory lane and see the cabin again and visit Moosilauke. My triplings got along very well and were all wonderful people; even during our short three days together, I could see them grow and become more confident, comfortable, and empathetic to their fellow trippees' needs.
Since Trips was changed to be primarily based out of Hanover this year, we did a lot of stuff together on the golf course, such as having picnics and doing activities with H-croo.
After Trips ended, I had work as an orientation leader! These two jobs are not connected, but I had applied to both earlier in the year not knowing what would happen and gotten accepted. Unable to choose between the two, I ended up doing both! During the week, I helped coordinate events for the '25s, whether it be passing out pamphlets and directing people during their First Meeting of the Class, running karaoke night, or helping to light people's candles during their Twilight Ceremony. I had a lot of fun doing these tasks around campus and was so happy to see the '25s get a normal college experience after everything that COVID did last year.
One of my favorite parts about helping with orientation was that I also got to re-experience freshman traditions such as the Twilight Ceremony!
It was also very fun to host events like karaoke night. Stand outs of the night included "I Just Can't Wait to be King," "Good For You," and "Since You've Been Gone" (with riffs inspired by "Pitch Perfect").
After orientation ended on Sunday, school started the very next day on Monday. Truth be told, while I loved running events for the '25s and working with my co during Trips, I really missed seeing my own friends and other upperclassmen so I was excited when everyone came back. That Saturday of week 1 before Ledyard closed for the season, one of my friends and I went canoeing on the Connecticut River. We talked for hours and did a brief meditation session in one of the canals, which was unexpected but so fun. I was never an outdoorsy person prior to college since my parents weren't either, but I had always wanted to spend more time being active and Dartmouth is certainly one of the best places to do that during college.
Look at that view of the Connecticut River! I feel so lucky to live in such a beautiful place.
So that concludes my very quick wrap-up of my last few days of summer! I spent it meeting new people, catching up with old friends, and helping "initiate" the '25s into campus life, which I greatly enjoyed. Now I am on to my fifth term in a row taking classes (wow!), which will bring new stories and things to share. I also hope your summer went well and that you will come back soon to hear about what else I experience this term!
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!
