To the Class of 2015

Congratulations on your acceptance into Dartmouth College!

A diverse and unique group of students, you are some of the best students in the world-- and you should definitely be proud!

Make sure to come to Dartmouth's Dimensions later in April-- it will give you a clearer idea about what Dartmouth student life is really like.

Once again, congratulations!

I hope to see you soon.

New Prospects

Ah, it's Spring Term. As beautiful as it is on campus, and as excited as I am about taking new and challenging courses, I must say that today I am excited for a completely different reason.

Today March 30th, 2011 at 5 pm eastern time, Dartmouth will embrace a new group of prospective 2015s. Brilliant academically, and unique in their perspectives and extracurricular activities, this group of students will have some important decisions to make.

As a 2013 (a sophomore), I am eager to welcome these prospective students-- and am eager to show them what wonderful resources Dartmouth has to offer!

The Dartmouth Idol Semifinals, Winter 2011

The amount of talent that my fellow Dartmouth students possess never ceases to amaze me.

Last night, along with some of my Alpha Phi sisters, I went to see my friend, Austin Greenfield (a member of the Dodecaphonics, a coed acapella group on campus) sing at the Dartmouth Idol Semifinals.

Austin performed "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day amazingly! He was so confident-- it was great to see.

I was amazed to see one of the girls from my Women and Gender Studies class on stage, a '14. She sang a Carrie Underwood song-- and from the moment she began singing I was mesmerized.

Dartmouth students are known for their academic brilliance-- their ability to get onto the stage and sing without diffidence is another thing entirely!

I can't wait for the finals!

For more information:

http://hop.dartmouth.edu/student/dartmouth-idol-2011

The Beginning of a New Term!

Winter term has just begun-- and things are in full swing!

I'm currently taking three classes--- NAS 34 (Native American Oral Traditions), Math 13, and WGST 10 (Sex, Gender, and Society).

NAS 34 and WGST 10 are discussion-based classes; in NAS 34, we've talked about the written versus spoken word, and in WGST 10, we've discussed the importance of princesses on the development of young girls and children. How does Snow White's portrayal in the film affect young girls-- does is espouse the idea that girls should wait for their Prince Charming, and that they'll live happily ever after?

As an economics major here at Dartmouth, taking discussion-based classes is surprisingly refreshing. I love being able to talk about issues I wouldn't otherwise have gotten the opportunity to talk about-- and always find that I walk out of each class energized and even more curious about either human nature or oral tradition.

I'm definitely excited to learn more-- because expanding your horizons sometimes means stepping out of your comfort zone; and I've definitely done that this term!

Homecoming

Homecoming this year was a blast!!

It was an incredible experience-- being an upperclassman, getting to see the freshmen enjoy the bonfire initiation and their own excitement; and to see the alums from '69 or '78 come back to relive Homecoming. I remember being in the same position as the freshmen, a year ago.

This is when things will start to become exciting-- as the freshmen begin to acclimate to Dartmouth, their new home for the next four years.

I ran to the bonfire with three of my closest friends, and we huddled together in the cold, watching the freshmen run in circles.... I even caught a glimpse of a few seniors running beside the freshmen. As some enter, others leave.

It made me think that our time at Dartmouth is short, but should be well-lived.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday Classes

So this term I signed up for Economics 10 (statistics), Economics 22 (macroeconomics), and a Marketing class offered by Tuck, the graduate school of business.

I guess one could say that I lucked out-- my professors are absolutely amazing!

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I have two classes-- Econ 10 and Econ 22.

My Economics 10 professor is Ms. Maura Doyle. Energetic and patient, I find that she really tries hard to keep her students engaged and learning. She brings the class chocolate coffee beans every morning!

My Economics 22 professor is also amazing. Her name is Ms. Marjorie Rose. She reminds me a lot of my mother-- who also happens to be a professor (at UT). She's funny, and actually makes economics interesting! She comes up with silly chants to remember formulas, and is always entertaining!

I guess I really lucked out this term!

Back at Dartmouth!

I just got back to Dartmouth a few days ago-- and moved into my new dorm. Compared to McLane, the Fayerweathers aren't that great, but they do have a touch of Dartmouth's history! On the back of my dorm room door there's a sign that gives instructions in case of an air raid!

I LOVE my roommates this year-- Annie Chen and Roanna Wang. Our room is a two room double with a relatively spacious living room and a slightly more cramped inside sleeping room. Regardless, I know that this year is going to be A LOT of fun!

Classes start on Wednesday. I am so excited!