Evolution. It’s the reason why we’re here. It’s why we stand on two legs, why most of us get our wisdom teeth taken out, why we have five fingers to clasp our morning coffee. Evolution, in both the scientific and the lay sense, permeates every aspect of our lives, from modern medicine to forensics (DNA testing) to computer science (algorithms that compete against each other).
Evolution is an ongoing process, and humans, despite our progress and technology and hot cups of coffee, are not evolved, but are still evolving and have not stopped evolving. But students don’t just evolve in the biological sense. During these four years, students “evolve” as they undertake a unique journey through sort-of-adulthood. We are ever-changing, never just following a straight and direct line, coming out (hopefully) as better versions of our high school selves.
This week, the Mirror explores evolutionary patterns at Dartmouth — the trajectory of our time as students; how academic disciplines are born, die out and evolve; what steps we can take in becoming the best version of ourselves; and the experiences of students who have lived in Dartmouth’s Living Learning Communities.
