Dallas Koelling ’20 Got an “A” in Frontiers and NYC Pizza

Friday, October 4, 2024

Dallas Koelling ’20 is getting an M.F.A. in creative writing from City, University of London. She is working on a novel and a play as a member of the London Library Emerging Writers Programme.

What were you like when you arrived at Columbia?

I was so sure of myself. I was going to meet the love of my life during NSOP, I was going to double major in theater and poli sci, and I was going to be the first person to ever get rich doing long-form improv comedy. None of those things came to pass.

What do you remember about your first-year living situation?

I was a terrible roommate. My roommate was an incredibly cool girl whom I was a bit intimidated by. We lived on the fifth floor of Carman, and we threw wild parties, and I made horrible messes I didn’t clean up. It drove her away, and I had that big double room all to myself. It was incredibly lonely.

What Core class or experience do you most remember, and why?

I loved my Frontiers of Science instructor, Fabrizio Spagnolo. I was pretty inept at math and science, and I would go to his office hours every week to do the homework. He is an Italian-American lifelong New Yorker who was horrified to learn that the only pizza I had tried in NYC was Koronet. He sent me a list of pizza places I had to try. Magically, I pulled off an A in FroSci, and I kept in touch with him the whole time he was at Columbia.

Did you have a favorite spot on campus, and what did you like about it?

I loved Avery Library. I was my most productive in Avery. I discovered my trick to doing massive amounts of reading there: listening to the audiobook on double speed while I read the physical book. It got me through Rousseau. The ambience of a place like Avery makes you feel like a real scholar.

What, if anything, about your College experience would you do over?

I would do all of the reading I was assigned. I only ever read in full what I had to write papers about; if I could do it again, I would have skipped a few parties and spent a few more hours in Avery.