Dartmouth College

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Major: Philosophy

Minor: Italian 

Email: jesseferraioli@gmail.com

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Questions about Academics and COVID-19

 

What were your classes like in your first year or in your major/concentration, especially transitioning from Shen? 

Class sizes were much smaller and people were, in general, more collaborative and less competitive than at Shen.

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What academic experiences have stood out to you at your college in either positive or negative ways?

Dartmouth is on the quarter system just like Shen, so although I was already acclimated to a 10-week marking period, I definitely struggled at first with doing an entire course in 10 weeks. I really enjoy how accessible all of the professors are and many prefer that we call them by their first names. I even text one of my professors and consider her a close mentor. The general curriculum is a lot less structured than at other schools (from what I've heard). It's very easy to fulfill the requirements without really making a concerted effort to fulfill them.

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How was your online learning experience at your college? What resources did your college provide you during this time?

I actually really enjoyed it (funnily enough). Since we began our new spring term entirely online, I was able to change my course-load to take harder classes because it was entirely pass/fail. I liked this opportunity to challenge myself without the negative repercussion of receiving a bad mark.

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What did your college do well or poorly to support students and communities when COVID-19 first hit?

Dartmouth was very transparent up front and I agreed with the decision to do universal pass/fail. However, I think that the hasty decision to make all international students leave at the end of the term showed a huge disregard for the safety and security of our international students. Finance-wise, Dartmouth gave student workers the amount of money that they earned the previous term as a cushion and also reimbursed a good amount of the tuition and room/board. Personally, Dartmouth was good to me, but I am not happy with how they treated international students and how they treated our athletes with the recent decision to cut some sports teams.

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Questions about Student Life

 

If students are interested in your major/concentration, what extracurricular activities do you recommend they do at your college?

I'm in Philosophy Society at Dartmouth (and I'm currently the interim president hehe), which is a great group to join if you have an interest in philosophy. I'm also involved with World Outlook, the Undergraduate Journal on International Relations, and the Sexual Violence Prevention Project.

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What are common things to do on weekends? Do students commute back home for the weekend or are there events on campus?

Honestly a lot of the social life is Greek life. If that's your thing, that's great, but if it's not, honestly I've found it difficult to find things to do on weekends. In the winter, though, skiing is huge.

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Are you involved in athletics at your college? How do you balance sports, academics, and extracurricular activities?

Nope I'm not involved in athletics. The three-course term makes it fairly easy to balance academics and extracurriculars for most of the term.

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Do you have a job during the school year, or is it common for students to have on-campus jobs? What is that experience like?

Yep I had 3 jobs on campus, and it's very common for students to have on-campus jobs. I'd say that I've only had positive experiences with working at Dartmouth.

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Extra Questions

 

What advice would you give to current Shen students when applying to your college?

I remember that the dean said during matriculation that we were all picked for our creativity and kindness. I would say be authentic and tell your story! You don't need to strive for perfection, but instead to be the best version of yourself and to have passion.

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What makes your college special to you?

It's definitely such a unique culture because of how isolated it is. Everyone is kind. Not even joking— I've never met a mean person at Dartmouth in my experience.

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What do you wish you knew about your college when you were a senior at Shen?

It is so rural. Period. And cold. It's pretty darn cold in the winter.

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Before COVID-19, what was the housing like at your college? What would you recommend to Shen seniors to find their roommates?

Housing is totally random for first years. We're also put into Hogwarts-style housing communities. I'm in West House. I like the housing communities.

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How is the financial aid situation at your college?

Oh it was definitely the best package I received by far. I love to poke fun at Dartmouth and criticize the administration's actions at times, but honestly, the financial aid is unbeatable. Darty takes care of you in that respect.

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Is there anything else you'd like to share about your college experience that hasn't been addressed yet in this questionnaire?

Go Big Green woohoo