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 New York Times op-eds. Look through my page for information about Dartmouth's pre-med track, STEM research, acapella/music, and study abroad opportunities!
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
I can't believe that we've already finished three weeks of Dartmouth! Routines have settled in, study spots have been chosen, and staple meals decided. As I've gotten to know my classes and professors a little more, let's look at what I'm taking for my first fall!
Class 1: Biology 11.07: Major Events in the History of Life & The Human Genome
There is a plethora of science classes I'll take as a pre-health at Dartmouth to prepare for medical school and the MCAT. But how does one study science at Dartmouth? I wasn't so sure. For my first fall, I wanted to ease myself into studying science, ensuring I found study methods that worked for me. Bio 11, a course about biology without a laboratory component, felt like the right choice. Looking through the course's syllabus, I decided that understanding the science of evolution offered a great foundation for knowing how life worked. Even though I wasn't very interested in evolution at the time, I decided to give it a shot!
Every morning of class, I step into the lecture hall with a muffin and some tea in hand (from café ramekin). In a lecture-based course, there are less than 50 people in the class, and the professor walks us through, well, the history of life. How exactly does natural selection work and what does it indicate? Why does our DNA and RNA make proteins in the way they do? What really, is the secret to life? These are only some of the questions we've asked and answered so far, and I can't wait to ask more!
The Life Sciences Center is where I take my Bio class!
Class 2: Spanish 1
Why take a new language in college? Dartmouth's focus on being global citizens includes learning multiple languages. Having learned some French and Latin, I hoped for an opportunity to fully learn a language that is applicable in everyday life. Learning about Dartmouth's use of the Rassias Method, I was intrigued to learn Spanish with this special language-learning method (I haven't tried it just yet, but I'm looking forward to it!).
My Spanish class is much smaller, with about fifteen people. We learn about a new area of conversational language and grammar in every class. As someone who often felt bored by the slow pace of progression through the language, I'm glad for the fast pace. But it definitely means that I take more study time outside of class!
Class 3: Women's, Gender, and Sexualities Studies 66.18: Hybrid Literatures, Hybrid Selves: Asian American and Asian Diasporic Productions
Whenever I tell someone that I am taking this class, they usually answer with "…what?"
I found this course through Dartmouth's Open House, a day during New Student Orientation where departments and professors shared their courses. Part of the Women's, Gender, and Sexualities Department, the course analyzes and discusses hybridity in literature surrounding Asian-American and Asian stories. What the heck did that mean? To be honest, I didn't know either! But if I was going to attend a college where I could take classes that didn't exist anywhere else, why not start with this one? With an interest in literature, Asian-American critique, and creative writing, I dove in.
This course is heavily discussion-based; When I walk into the small seminar room of about eight students, I know that I'm in for a discussion that's going to rack my brain in a good way, bringing in scholarly articles and artful prose about different aspects of the Asian-American identity and other constructs. We even get to learn about different types of creative writing!
Thornton Hall is where my Spanish and WGSS classes take place!
In all, I am enjoying my classes this fall. I am glad that my classes are well-rounded in subject, and I'm excited to see what the rest of the term has in store for me—here's hoping for the best!
Academics can be challenging at Dartmouth. But there are lots of groups across campus here to support you through your academic journey. Read on for my experience asking for help and a few organizations that might be helpful to you!
Every Dartmouth student is required to demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English. Here's my experience navigating the language requirement!
