你好! Or Hi! My name is Taylor, and I'm a '27 from Beijing, China. I'm hoping to major in Mathematics and minor in Religion. Outside of the classroom, you can find me going on hikes with the Dartmouth Outing Club, drawing or crafting at the jewelry studio, or having fun, philosophical conversations with friends!
Coming to Dartmouth with a solid background in French (Delf B2), I find French 3 a perfect fit for me -- it helps me to consolidate a lot of key grammar and vocabs, and fun weekly cultural activities like coffee hours and french lunch table offers me chances to relax in busy times. While the class is very rigorous and requires a lot of hard work, my professor is so nice and makes the class very fun! I also look forward to going to Dartmouth's Toulouse LSA program after completion of this class!
This course explores how Buddhist concepts of embodiment affect daily life and society in Southeast Asian contexts, and how the intersection of religion, sexuality, and gender impact broader understandings of authority, wisdom, beauty, death, and loyalty. The class takes on many forms beyond mere lectures -- a visit to the Hood Museum of Art, mindfulness practices, and small Buddha-crafting projects. Our professor (the sweetest Prof. MK Long) also invites many of her colleagues at other institutes as guest lecturers to our class so that we can learn from real experts specializing in different countries in Southeast Asia. I have learned a lot from the class and decided to become a religion major after this course!
Having never enjoyed math classes before college, I'm surprised (again) by how I'm becoming a math major and falling in love with math here! My professor (Prof. Shu Longmei, who graduated from the best university in my hometown) is incredibly good at teaching the concepts -- not just explaining things clearly but also showing us the beauty and elegance of calculus. I really look forward to taking more math classes in the future!
SummerVietnam & Beijing, China
I first visited pagodas in Vietnam for a couple of weeks and had days of conversations with monastics! Then, I returned home to savor time spent with my family and old friends, focus on my mental and physical health, and study and work a bit.
This is a really fun and engaging class taught by an award-winning professor. The mini-ethnography assignments provide a lot of hands-on experience in conducting fieldwork, making the methods we study feel real and applicable. From participant observation to interviews and field note coding, this course offers an immersive introduction to ethnographic research on religion. Plus, the discussions on research ethics and methodology are both thought-provoking and relevant, making this an incredibly useful class for anyone interested in studying contemporary religious communities through direct engagement.
This class is incredibly interesting because it feels like traveling through time—from the philosophical foundations of Laozi and Zhuangzi to medieval Daoist traditions and contemporary practices in northern and southern China and Taiwan. Even as a Chinese student, I’m realizing how much there is to learn, not just about Daoism but also about the broader religious landscape and practices in China.
On a sunny spring Saturday in Hanover, I spent my day immersed in art and archery—a pairing that sounds unlikely on paper, but felt perfectly natural in a town like this.
The morning began with a guided tour at the Hood Museum of Art, organized by the French department to showcase two Monet paintings currently on exhibit. We explored the artwork while speaking in French, which made the experience feel both intimate and immersive. For me, Monet has always been a favorite—his brushstrokes soft yet precise, his colors capturing something ephemeral and eternal at once. Seeing his work at Hood Museum brings me back to my favorite art memories and reminds me how lucky we are to have access to a museum like this right on campus.
After lunch, I traded the gallery walls for the woods, heading to BEMA (Big Empty Meeting Area—a popular outdoor space on campus) for the archery PE class I signed up for through the Dartmouth Outing Club. As a total beginner, I wasn't sure what to expect—but the trip leader (a junior student) was very kind and encouraging, and the atmosphere was relaxed. The light filtered through the trees as we practiced our stances and lined up shots, each one a small act of focus and coordination. For a moment, it felt like I had stepped into a scene from The Lord of the Rings—surrounded by trees, steady in breath and posture, completely absorbed in the stillness.
In a place like Dartmouth, it's easy to get caught up in the pace—problem sets, parties, packed calendars. But this Saturday reminded me that there's another rhythm available here, one shaped by slower pleasures: appreciating art, spending time in nature, engaging in hands-on movement, and practicing language. A kind of weekend that doesn't ask for noise to feel alive.
Sometimes, it's not about doing more—it's about choosing differently. And in this peaceful little college town, there's space for that too.
Dartmouth is not just a college. With world-renowned graduate schools, why would we choose to call ourselves a college instead of a university? The story behind that decision dates back to a significant Supreme Court ruling.
During my sophomore spring quarter, I took on the challenge of four STEM courses, and while it has been intense, the unexpected connections across subjects and the joy of learning have made it one of my most rewarding academic experiences yet.
Read about the Sophomore Summer Soiree and how I got to witness the beginning of something that hopefully grows into a long-standing Dartmouth tradition!
Here is my list of the restaurants in Hanover within walking distance of Dartmouth. Whether you're touring campus for the first time or are a Dartmouth student in need of a new place to eat, feel free to reference this list!
As I approach the end of my first year at Dartmouth, I would like to reflect on some of the experiences and lessons I've learned throughout this school year.
