Los Alamos

Olivia Koo

Class of 2026
Olivia Koo profile picture
Bio 

Welcome! I'm Olivia Koo '26, hailing from Los Alamos, New Mexico. I am studying biological chemistry on the pre-med track, and I'm excited to be supplementing it with music as a classical pianist and singer-songwriter! Some of my favorite things to do are watching YouTube videos about video games, singing and playing my guitar, and reading The Dartmouth. Look through my page for information about Dartmouth's pre-med track, STEM research, acapella/music, and study abroad opportunities!

Academic Program 

Biological Chemistry and Music

Favorite Thing Right Now 

Hadestown!

Hometown 

Los Alamos, New Mexico

Pronouns 

she/her/hers

You are here

Olivia's D-Plan

What's a D-Plan?

    • FallHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: BIOL 11.07: Major Events in the History of Life and the Human Genome

      Unsure whether I would enjoy the biology-heavy pre-health track, I took an intro biology class. I surprisingly found myself so invested each class—I didn’t think I’d ever be excited trying to determine if the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) had DNA or RNA, but here we are! I found it a great introduction to thinking processes at Dartmouth.

    • WinterHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: WRIT 005: Authenticity: Self, Society and Culture

      I loved coming to this class with its supportive environment! The professor's feedback really helped me improve in my writing. This course guided us through personal narratives and organizational writing while discussing what it really means to be authentic. It also introduced me to the library’s resources for writing and research!

    • SpringHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: CHEM 11: General Chemistry

      This class was definitely not easy! The accelerated version of general chemistry, it was my first class at Dartmouth that used a textbook, and I had to adapt and learn how to use a textbook for a class properly. But that didn't mean I didn't have a good time! The classes were full of physical demonstrations, and I felt very supported in the lab and beyond.

    • FallHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: MUS 42: From Plato to Mozart (Early Classical Music)

      This was the first group music class I took, and I loved it! Each class we'd move a little forward in time; one day we'd talk about medieval chants, and by the next couple weeks, we talked about Baroque music. We even got to observe original medieval music scores from the Rauner Library, and attend a performance of Baroque music by the Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra!

    • WinterHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: MUS 36: Songwriting I

      Songwriting 1 was the first time I was able to work on something creative/in the arts at Dartmouth, and I really loved it! I got to learn how to improve my songwriting and get to know a community of fellow songwriters on campus. The class was both supportive and constructive, and I pushed myself to my creative limit with the assignment of writing one new song a week. This class inspired me to continue writing and being expressive, whether in an academic setting or not.

    • SpringLondon, England

      Favorite Class: MUS 70 Perspectives in Music Performance

      For one of my classes on the London Music FSP, I got to attend a myriad of musical performances in London and discuss them with my class! It was a once-in-a-life-time experience–getting to watch multiple operas, ballets, jazz sets, and a musical, as well as seeing beautiful performances from the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, and more, helped me grow my ear so much and my inspirations as a musician.

    • SummerHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: ENGL 55.27 Introduction to Literature and Medicine

      I took this class to learn a little more about the social landscape around medicine, and this class delivered that by a mile. From environmental exposure to racial inequities in medicine/health to the discussion of medicine itself as a manipulative tool in colonialist social structures, this class helped me rethink medicine and my role within it.

    • FallHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: BIOL 12 Cell Structure and Function

      A classic biology foundation, I enjoyed the class for its course material and its lab component!

    • WinterHanover, NH

    • SpringHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: Songwriting 2

      I loved this class for the music everyone shared--we also got to make our own EP's! I found it very artistically fulfilling to take this course.

    • FallHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: MUS 99: Loving Music Slowly

      As the culminating experience for my music major, I took a class with all of the music majors at once, and we got to explore all sorts of subjects about analyzing music, music academia, and got to do some cool music analysis projects of our own. We really felt like a cohort by the end of the class, which was awesome.

    • WinterHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: CHEM 64: Inorganic Chemistry

      Although this class was challenging, it was fun to learn more about the background of inorganic chemistry and applying it to my own research, which is in bioinorganic chemistry!

An image of a sunrise on Gile Hike

The Final Lap! Reflections from a Senior about Attending Dartmouth

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As a senior now, I've experienced and learned more about myself and about life than I ever anticipated I could. With that, I want to reflect on Dartmouth's unique qualities, from its rural setting to the Greek Life presence to the quarter system!

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Posted 11/1/2025 at 9:00 AMAll Text Posts
a four-way photo of Dartmouth campus at different times of the year

An Ode to Dartmouth's Weather

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When I first came to Dartmouth, the last thing I wanted to experience was the infamous, chilling New England winter—but I've discovered that Dartmouth's climate was a blessing in disguise, and even perhaps my favorite thing about campus.

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Posted 04/21/2025 at 9:00 AMAll Text Posts
A view of Edinburgh from Arthur's Seat with a girl smiling at the camera on the right

What Do Students Do On an Off-Term?

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One of the staple characteristics of the D-Plan is the off-term, a term in which you are not taking classes! Most students at Dartmouth will take at least one off-term, and this winter happens to be my turn! What will I be doing?

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Posted 12/29/2024 at 9:00 AMAll Text Posts
The Homecoming Bonfire illuminating a dark night

Should I Apply Early Decision or Not? My Thoughts as a Non-ED Student

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Applying early to a university can be overwhelming and confusing. As someone who did not apply to Dartmouth through early decision, here are a couple tips that I could have used when thinking about applying early to a school!

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Posted 12/22/2024 at 9:00 AMAll Text Posts
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What's the Deal with Lab Classes at Dartmouth?

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Unlike some other universities, many of the STEM lecture classes at Dartmouth require concurrent enrollment in a laboratory section. What is it like navigating that time as a student?

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Posted 11/15/2024 at 9:00 AMAll Text Posts

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