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Month: May 2020

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Whether you are well into or just beginning your Dartmouth undergraduate experience, it is never too early to look forward to the future. Many of you will be going straight into the workforce once you graduate. Others will take a year or two off to figure out exactly what you want to do with your life. And there are those of you that will be considering graduate programs in order to be an even bigger force in your chosen field.

While none of these paths are better or worse than the others, I wanted to highlight some of the graduate program options available to you specifically at Dartmouth. The four graduate schools at Dartmouth (Geisel School of Medicine, Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business) all offer an abundance of opportunities for advanced academic study and placement. 

The newest of all of the graduate schools, Guarini, became an official graduate school of the college in 2017. The Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies oversees mostly STEM Masters and Ph.D. programs. However, there are also three humanities master’s programs that reside under Guarini.

Digital Music, Comparative Literature, and Master of Arts in Liberal Studies are all strong humanities programs with excellent facilities and resources connected to them. Click here to see a list of all of the programs in Guarini. 

Being that I am enrolled in the program, I wanted to put a special focus on the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies Program (MALS). This program is not as widely known on the Dartmouth campus as it could be. It can be a great opportunity for any of you to explore creative and critical theory through an interdisciplinary lens once you graduate.

The MALS program has four tracks that one can choose from: Creative Writing, Cultural Studies, Globalization, and the General Track which is open-ended and allows for a combination of disciplines. See a more detailed description of the MALS concentrations here.

 The MALS program requires all of its students to complete at least one independent study project and one long term thesis paper/presentation. These two opportunities allow students to hone into their individualized research for a great chunk of their time in the program.

As MALS runs on a flexible schedule catered to the needs of its students, you would have the possibility to finish the program anywhere from 1.5 to 6 years. However, most full-time students usually finish in about 2-3 years.

With the MALS program, you are able to build a repertoire of writing and research that will prepare you for the workforce, doctoral programs, and/or professional schools. MALS at Dartmouth is a full-degree-awarding, masters-level program at Dartmouth College - not a continuing education program.  Click on this link to see more information on why MALS may be the program for you. 

While in MALS, I was able to complete my Creative Writing concentration while also further strengthening my research skills and my overall love for academia. If you have any individual questions about the MALS Program or the MALS application process, feel free to reach out to MALS.Admissions@Dartmouth.edu or to me at Ashley.E.Wells.GR@Dartmouth.edu.

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With the end of the spring term approaching, many Dartmouth students are dealing with the new & ominous feat of having to take their first-ever online final examination(s). Taking a test online can differ greatly from taking one in a traditional classroom setting.

A lot of students don't know what to expect, which translates to them not knowing how to properly prepare for these online exams. Below are a few helpful tips and tricks that students can use to maximize their chance of success while jumping over this final hurdle of the remote term. 

 

Tip #1: Prepare Your Machine

An easy thing to overlook, be sure that your computer is as ready as possible for finals week. Download any necessary software and ensure that it is running quickly and efficiently before finals week. Make sure your wifi connection is solid and that you have a reliable computer charger. You need to be able to depend on your machine to get through your exam; you want to spend your brainpower on your work, not on a computer malfunction. 

Tip #2: Prepare for the Format

Don’t underestimate your online exams just because they are technically “open-book”. Think about how the exam will function in real-time and prepare for it. Will your exam be timed? If the test isn't at a specific time, then create a deadline for yourself by which you'll need to have it completed.  

Is it short answer, multiple-choice, essay-based, or even a combination of the three? Usually, open-book examinations encompass a large amount of material, so constantly looking back into your notes could be counterproductive. In addition, make sure to “set up an environment where you won't be interrupted. You'll want to take the test somewhere quiet where you can concentrate. Don't forget to turn your phone on silent as well to avoid any distractions” (ECPI Blog).

 

Tip #3: Prepare Your Mind and Body

This one may sound self-explanatory, but this remote term may have caused a lot of disruptions to our lives schedule-wise. Now is the time to establish some order again before finals week draws nearer. Make sure to get 7-8 hours of sleep before all exams.

Also, try to wake up at least an hour and a half before each exam. This will allow you to eat a meal and to have a short established routine to wake you up and get your mind right. That could be taking a hot shower, doing some light stretches and/or breathing exercises, doing some skincare, etc. There’s nothing worse than waking up five minutes before you have to take an exam and then expecting yourself to do your best. Give yourself the best chance possible to succeed! 

 

Tip #4: Save Your Answers & Submit Your Exam On-time

Save your answers multiple times throughout the exam. You may even want to type them up in a word document or in a notes app before copying and pasting them to the exam. Always plan for the worst; if the webpage crashes, you don't want to lose all of your hard work and risk getting a poor grade.

Most online exams aren’t done until you click the “Submit” button at the end. If you finish ahead of time, do a once-over, and ensure that everything is completed to your satisfaction. Make sure that your submission is confirmed once you submit the exam and before you exit your browser.  If you have any problems submitting the test, let your instructor know immediately and send your intended answers in an attached document so that they know that you finished on time.

 

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