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.
A Reflection on Dartmouth's Cold ( + First Impressions)
When I was applying to college, I had two main priorities: to attend a school with great undergraduate education, and, well… to be in a not-cold place.
Who knows how I ended up at Dartmouth, infamous for its freezing weather?
My home is relatively cold in the winters—Los Alamos is deep in the mountains of New Mexico, meaning that when it gets cold, it snows. However, winters were always a pain, with icy roads, freezing wind that never let up, and cold, damp buildings with puddles of melted ice. Winter was grim, and I wanted nothing but to get out of the cold.
As I spent the early parts of fall term enjoying the warmth and lush green trees, I found myself dreading having to tromp through snow and slush and nose-biting wind in the winter term. Hearing horror stories about seasonal depression from the early sunsets, and upperclassmen groaning about having to endure yet another winter term, I braced myself for the worst when I flew back to campus at the beginning of January.
I've been told by upperclassmen that this winter has been on the milder side, the degrees hovering around 20° – 30° F / -5° – 0° C. However, especially with the milder winter, I've found that the cold offers some merit.
Traditions, sports, infrastructure. I had underestimated the cultural significance of snow that is interwoven with Dartmouth's identity, inviting us not just to push through the cold, but to embrace it. For some, the invitation to embrace the cold is the midnight snowball fight, a tradition for the first large snowfall of the winter term. For others, it's the intoxicatingly warm Tower Room in Baker library that can melt any frigidness away. Maybe it's the skiway, spending weekends and afternoons on the powder.
The road along Occom Pond
I have yet to see everything that Hanover's winter has to offer. From the winter carnival to skiing to sledding down the old golf course, I find that there may be more to look forward in a winter term than I presumed.
I understand that my first impression of winter has been generous; the temperature itself is an anomaly. But if I were to talk to myself before I arrived at Dartmouth, I would tell her that her concerns, although valid, are overblown. After all, who wouldn't wish for a winter as beautiful as this?
The roads also stay clear and salted, removing treacherous ice from the equation!
As a Digital Media Student Director for Dartmouth's First-Generation Office, it is my role on campus to amplify first-gen voices, foster community, and create meaningful connections through creative outreach.
This fall, Dartmouth provided me with incredible opportunities to get involved in politics. I registered as a New Hampshire voter, joined civic organizations, canvassed, and more! Read on to follow my journey leading up to Election Day!
