When most people think about what they want to study in college, they go too broad. English. Biology. Engineering. While it’s good to know what you want to do, as like, a genre, it’s not going to be enough when it comes to your essays. You need specificity. Especially at an Ivy like Dartmouth. When you write your “Why Dartmouth” essay, and when you’re making your college list to begin with, research is going to be your best friend. Dive in deep to the programs you’re interested in and see what Dartmouth has to offer and if it even fits in with your goals. We’ve compiled a list of some of the most interesting programs, majors, and competitions offered at Dartmouth to help you jumpstart your research.
Institute of Arctic Studies
The Institute of Arctic Studies takes topics like ecology and environmental science, global policy, indigenous studies, social justice, and culture into context to tackle problems facing the North. Located within the Arctic & The Environment program inside of the Dickey Center (more on that later), they conduct research on “glacial dynamics and ecosystem change to sustainable development, health equity, fisheries governance, Indigenous rights, and gender equality,” and much more.
Native American and Indigenous Studies
Native American and Indigenous Studies is offered as both a major and a minor at Dartmouth. It offers classes in Indigenous history, culture, languages, literature, and governance. While other schools have programs similar, very few go as in depth as this one – and they’re partnered with the Institute of Arctic Studies too.
Quantitative Social Science
Do you like numbers and data? Do you also like social sciences? Do you like solving big issues? Boy howdy do we have the major for you. QSS combines statistical, computational, and mathematical tools to help answer social science questions. Maybe you want to visualize voter data in maps or track demographic data of economic trends – either way, this major will allow you to combine multiple disciplines into one.
MAD Research: Video Competition
The Made at Dartmouth Research Video Competition (whew, that’s a mouthful) is for undergraduate students at Dartmouth to communicate their research to a broader public than just their department. What’s awesome about this is it allows you to get creative – especially more than a posterboard can let you – and who doesn’t love some friendly, academic competition?
Human-Centered Design
This minor within the engineering department is designed (see what we did there???) to teach you how to think of humans when creating a product. This includes everything from ethnography to anthropology to psychology. This minor also includes classes in sustainable design, architecture, and social entrepreneurship.
Society for Chinese Manuscript Culture
There is a deep culture and tradition behind Chinese manuscripts, which includes art, calligraphy, poetry, and music. If you’re interested in researching more or participating in summer programs about Chinese manuscripts, this center at Dartmouth has courses, exhibitions, lectures, and programs to help you find the write (ha! More puns!) path for you.
Cook Engineering Design Center
CEDC “connects Dartmouth Bachelor of Engineering students with industry partners to solve real-world problems quickly and economically.” By working in teams of 3-8, you can create innovative solutions to issues – like this sensory pod designed to help children on the spectrum not get overwhelmed at hospitals.
The John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding
Whew, the Dickey Center has it all. The Institute for Arctic Studies is housed here, so are Global Health, Global Studies, Human Development, and Global Security programs. From labs to scholarships to grants to research opportunities, if you have an interest in a broad international topic, Dickey’s probably got you covered. One of the cool programs in Global Security is the Political Violence FieldLab, which aims to study the causes and consequences of political violence across the world.
Dartmouth has a ton of unique programs, even more than we could ever write about here. If you want to apply, take the time to search the website and dive deep into what you want to study. You might find something that’s perfect to talk about in your essay or find a new topic you can’t wait to study. And most importantly, you can see if Dartmouth is right for you.
If you’re looking to get started with your Dartmouth application – or need help finding other schools to apply to, reach out to us today. Our counselors love to apply (had to get one more in, so sorry) themselves to the process and help you find the perfect schools.