Alicia Dong is a Graduate Coach who possesses a highly sophisticated, interdisciplinary background bridging computer science, artificial intelligence, industrial design, and creative technology. Alicia began her academic career at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she earned her B.A. in Industrial Design. Driven by an interest in emerging technology, she transitioned into pure STEM and is currently completing her M.S. in Computer Science at Dartmouth College. This unique academic path gives her profound, firsthand expertise in guiding students through cross-disciplinary transitions, particularly those looking to connect creative fields with technical research.
At Dartmouth, Alicia has been a core member of the academic community through extensive teaching and peer support. Serving as a graduate teaching assistant, she has coached students through complex technical concepts, helped them elevate their engineering projects, and instilled confidence in high-pressure environments. Furthermore, as an official mentor within Dartmouth’s formal mentorship framework, she has spent years helping undergraduate students evaluate their academic options, map out career targets, and identify distinct professional paths that align with their personal strengths.
As a Graduate Coach, Alicia brings a highly empathetic and strategic perspective to applicants considering an unconventional or nonlinear academic path. Having successfully navigated the pivot from industrial design to AI and computer science herself, she knows how to transform the uncertainty of changing fields into a distinct application advantage. She specializes in helping students synthesize diverse projects across engineering, design, and art into a single, cohesive narrative that highlights intellectual curiosity, rapid growth, and elite graduate potential.
