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!
Reflecting on my support and resources at Dartmouth
Q:
For international students: What resources have proved most helpful for you as a Dartmouth student?
A:
Great question! First, I want to highlight that being an international student doesn't significantly impact your daily life at Dartmouth. The same classes, extracurriculars, and social spaces are available to you as an international student, so I haven't found any huge differences there. Like any other student, my resources for daily life include my UGA, upperclassmen, and mentors that I have established throughout campus, including the people I work for in the Admissions Office, professors, and the Undergraduate Dean's Office!
However, being an international student does influence some more big picture factors of your time at Dartmouth. Of course, there is the important stuff that OVIS helps with, such as entering and leaving the country. On this front, I have found OVIS to be extremely helpful and understanding. While it can be hard to understand all the existing rules around student visas and I-20s, the people at OVIS do a great job of simplyfing things and clearly communicating what our responsibilities and options as students are. Furthermore, they are always available to chat if more niche situations pop up!
Other than actually entering the country and figuring out your D-Plan, international students face different rules regarding work authorization as well. We can't get a job off-campus, and we can only work for 20 hours per week on-campus. The 20 hour per week rule has never affected me, as I'm able to be a UGA and work for the Admissions Office while staying under 20 hours per week. Once again, OVIS is a great resource for navigating work-related issues, but so are older international friends! During my time at Dartmouth, I have asked friends about the 20-hour limit, internships, and work visas! Dartmouth authorize CPTs for international students - you might not know what a CPT is right now, but it's so helpful that Dartmouth does this for students. Through the help of OVIS and older international students who had already gone through the CPT process, I was able to get a CPT for my summer internship and ask all the questions I had along the way!
Overall, I wouldn't worry too much about needing further support as an international student. While navigating visas and international laws can be difficult, OVIS is a comprehensive support system that is available for every international student. Each student is assigned an OVIS Director, and I've found OVIS to be super responsive and helpful. Outside of OVIS, your best resources will likely be the same as other students, including upperclassmen, professors, and other people you meet!
I've loved being an international student at Dartmouth, as not only do I bring a diverse perspective to campus, but I am able to learn from the perspectives of other students as well - international and domestic!
Through Dartmouth's Guarini Institute for International Study, I am getting to take classes and experience life at Wellesley College, an all-women's school!
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!
