Ignorant College Student--Need Advice!

Welcome, I like your Dart.
Glad to hear you are willing to have a go with it.
You have come to the right place. Someone here will have a good answer
for most any question you can think up.
The more you tell us about the car the better we can help.
How I start with an a-body that is new to me is give it a good look underneath.
Our cars can have rust thru in a few places that make the car unsafe.
The torsion bar anchors in the transmission crossmember.
Upper control arm mounts. Rear spring mounts.
And the frame rails in general should be looked at.
Next I would check for wore parts in the front suspension. Have a friend work the steering wheel for you.
How are the brakes? Look at the rubber and steel lines front to back.
May as well look at the fuel line and tank while you are there.
Belts and hoses usually need replaced if its been off the road over a couple
years.