Living Learning Community Essays

If you would like to apply to be a Living Learning Community UGA, complete essays for up to three communities in which you are interested. This requirement applies only to the following LLC programs. For more information about the programs, contact the Living Learning staff.

Please Note

Fill out the following essay questions for each program to which you apply. You should write your essays and read over the program descriptions before completing the application. We also suggest that you contact the faculty or staff advisor of the program, or the Living Learning staff, if you are unfamiliar with the community or want to learn more.

Many of these questions are the same as those asked on the program's housing application. If you intend to apply to live in one of these programs in the event that you are not selected to be a UGA, you should save your essay responses so that you do not have to rewrite them for the housing application.

Asian and Asian American LLC

  1. Why are you interested in the Asian and Asian American LLC and what would make you a strong UGA candidate?
  2. What previous experience with exploring Asian and Asian American topics (academic, personal, and/or community) do you bring with you to this program?
  3. What role does the Asian and Asian American LLC play within the Pan-Asian Community?

Chinese Language House

  1. Please list any pertinent information about your competence in Chinese (indicate if you are a native speaker, how much time you have spent in China, how many years you have studied Chinese, etc.).
  2. What will you do for the academic, cultural, and social learning environment in the Chinese Language House?
  3. List the reasons you wish to live in the CLH. (Please answer in both English and Chinese.)
  4. Do you have any dietary restrictions? If so, please explain.

Foley House

  1. We do faculty dinners five times per term. Choose three people (living or dead) who you would like to have dinner with and explain why.
  2. Since Foley House is a living cooperative (i.e., we all help care for the house, contribute to a house fund, buy ingredients, cook and attend dinners, etc.), we are all about working, learning, and living together. Knowing this, what makes you a good fit for Foley House and why do you want to live there? Please include what you are hoping to gain from, and what you are able to contribute to, the Foley community.
  3. Describe your leadership style: how you handle conflict? What are your strengths and weaknesses as a leader? How do you think all of these qualities will influence the way you navigate being the UGA of Foley House?

Gender Equity Program Floor

  1. Why are you interested in the Gender Equity Program Floor and what would make you a strong UGA candidate?
  2. What previous experience with exploring gender (academic, personal, and/or community) do you bring with you to this program?
  3. Please describe any dialogue, facilitation or leadership training experience (DPP, IGD, LDP, etc.) that you have completed either on campus or off.

Global Village

  1. The Global Village is made up of many parts, and first-year and upper-class students live on mixed floors together. Please describe your interest in being a Global Village UGA, keeping in mind its various parts. How do you envision building community in the Global Village, and what do you hope to gain from this experience?
  2. The Global Village is inclusive of all life experiences and backgrounds. Please describe what you bring to the Global Village. Consider your interests, experiences, skills, language knowledge, and/or perspectives.
  3. Describe three ways that you will contribute to the collective academic, cultural, and social learning experience in the Global Village. For example, what types of activities and opportunities would you be interested in organizing to enhance the Global Village experience?

Great Issues Scholars

  1. What interests you most about serving as a UGA in the Great Issues Scholars LLC and in what ways do you hope to contribute to the community?
  2. Please share about your involvement with the Great Issues Scholars program or other Dickey Center student programs? What are some ideas you have that will facilitate a deeply enriching learning experience for residents on the GIS floor?
  3. Please describe your leadership style and the approach you would take in working with scholars (and fellow mentors) if given the opportunity?

Humanities Floor

  1. In your own words and in your own terms, define "the humanities," explaining what you think they are and what that means to you.
  2. Think about an event, a work of art, a film, a book, or a piece of music that struck you and stuck with you. What was it about that human moment or experience that resonated with you and drew you to write about it now?  If you were to guide a community devoted to the humanities, what kinds of things would you pursue to share such memorable encounters with others?
  3. Why do the humanities matter, especially in the context of becoming engaged, informed, and compassionate members of our local, broader, and global communities?

Interfaith Program Floor

  1. Why are you interested in the Interfaith Living Learning Community (IFLLC) floor?
  2. What previous experience with exploring inter-faith dialogue, community or relationship building (academic, personal, and/or community) do you bring with you to this program?
  3. What unique contributions can you offer to facilitate a deeply enriching learning experience for IFLLC residents?

La Casa

  1. Briefly explain why you are interested in living in La Casa.
  2. Describe your experience with the Spanish and/or Portuguese language(s), and with Hispanic and/or Luso-Brazilian cultures. (Please answer in both English and Spanish.)
  3. How do you think you would contribute to the academic, cultural, and social learning environment in La Casa, based on your experience and interests?

LALAC House

  1. In what ways have you been, or are you currently involved with, the LALAC House, OPAL Latinx Student Advising (Latinx Heritage Month, Latinx Partnerships for Success, etc), the LALACS Program, or the Latinx community at Dartmouth? What have you gained from this involvement? What have you contributed as a result of your involvement?
  2. Inclusion is at the core of LALAC House, particularly communication and interaction among the various sectors of the Latinx community. Please describe your interest in being the LALAC House UGA, keeping in mind the various parts of the Latin American, Latinx, and Caribbean community. How do you envision building community in the house and how will you ensure that diverse perspectives are represented?
  3. Describe three ideas you have for engaging residents in the exploration of Latinx identity and culture. What are the dimensions of Latinx identity and life that you think are most relevant to Dartmouth students? How can students grow and explore different facets of their identity while they are residents of LALAC House?

Native American House

  1. In what ways have you been, or are you currently involved with, the Native American House (NAH), Native American Studies (NAS), the Native American Program (NAP), or the Native American community at Dartmouth?
  2. What unique qualities and contributions would you bring to the NAH, and how would they benefit or compliment the residential program and/or the Native American and greater Dartmouth communities?
  3. Why do you want to participate in Native American House Residential Education Programming?

Shabazz Center for Intellectual Inquiry

  1. Part A) Please list all of the AAS and intercultural courses you have taken thus far.  How has your participation in these courses impacted your Dartmouth experience, both academically and personally. Part B) Please share any involvement you have had working with the Office of Pluralism and Leadership (OPAL).  Please list any OPAL trainings you have done and or Heritage and History Months with which you have been involved.
  2. The Shabazz Center for Intellectual Inquiry is not only a residence space, but also serves as a cultural hub for Black-identified individuals and their allies and advocates.  How would you promote community engagement across the entire Dartmouth Black Community, particularly given the multifaceted and intersectional nature of Blackness.
  3. Please share what you hope to gain personally from residing in Shabazz and in being its UGA. How will this be a reciprocal relationship for both you and the community at large?

Sustainable Living Center

  1. What is one experience, sustainability-related or not, that has given you an awareness of your impact on the world?
  2. What is one thing you could contribute to or learn from being a part of the SLC community?
  3. Sustainability is both a social and academic experience for students at Dartmouth. The SLC is designed to introduce new students to sustainability practice and support students who choose to embrace sustainability as a part of a healthy, happy life at Dartmouth. As the UGA of the SLC, how would you drive these principles in the house and why are you passionate about doing so?

Thought Project

  1. Why are you interested in living in the Thought Project?
  2. Describe the ways that you will contribute to the Thought Project. What types of activities and opportunities would you be interested in organizing to enhance the Thought Project experience?
  3. The Thought Project host discussions on a variety of topics. What are you most interested in talking about, and why?

Thriving Through Transitions Floor

  1. Please describe what "thriving" means to you. What helps you thrive at Dartmouth and how can you see yourself promoting thriving among a group of first year student?
  2. T3 is a diverse community of first year students. Please share your own experiences related to marginalized identities and intersections. What you have specifically done to connect with communities across difference at Dartmouth?
  3. T3 will function as a virtual LLC during Winter term, and all student participants will be enrolled remotely rather than living on campus. What might you do to create or enhance a sense of community among the students who make up this LLC?  

Triangle House

  1. Given the program statement above, what opportunities do you think the Triangle house presents for its residents and what role will you play in facilitating them?
  2. Please list all academic courses, course work, or independence research on LGBTQIA topics you have completed in the past.
  3. Please describe any additional experiences that would inform your ability to be an effective UGA in the Triangle House including, but not limited to, previous participation in the Gender Equity Program Floor, participation in related campus organizations, leadership facilitation training, time as an OPAL intern, or participation in LDP or DPP.

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