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.
Last Saturday, I performed at the Dartmouth-hosted event "Dartmouth Calling"!
Dartmouth is known for its Greek life presence, but the school offers many fun activities for students to enjoy the weekend, organized by the Dartmouth Programming Board and/or Collis After Dark. This weekend, they invited student musicians to create a 25-minute set to perform at Sarner Underground, which contains a stage. I play guitar, and I ended being a part of two of the four acts that went on that night!
First, I played music with Hadley, known as Hadley Belle on Spotify. She's an up-and-coming singer-songwriter, and was also my Trippee for First-Year Trips (she was one of the people in my First-Year Trips group, which, funnily enough, was Camping and Jamming--we got to play music in the woods). She asked me to play guitar as an accompanist to her original songs! It was a lot of fun.
Here's Hadley and me performing! (Photo credit: Dhanush Balaji)
Second, I played with my band, Catalysis (our first gig)! We're made up of 26's, except for our drummer, who's a '25. Towards the end of our fall term, we decided that we wanted to make a band! There are a ton of student bands on campus—many perform at Greek houses on weekends. It's just another way to make a community that performs music while having fun!
I've never been in a band before; I've mostly kept to solo work, as I sing and play my guitar. But as I've been at Dartmouth, I've had the opportunity to find communities where I've been able to play and experience music. From acapella to performance opportunities provided by the library to band rehearsals, I've enjoyed the chance to find people who enjoy music too.
I also had a show with the Rockapellas on Monday! The theme was Anti-Valentine's, a show for all the anti-Valentine's folks out there.
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!
