Hi everyone! I'm Kabir, an international member of the class of '26, from New Delhi, India. I'm thinking of majoring in Psychology and Film & Media Studies. Outside the classroom, I enjoy watching movies, going on hikes, hanging out with my friends, and going on runs (if you see me on the streets of Hanover, say hi!) In the short while I've been here, I've come to love Dartmouth, so if you're interested in what I have to say, stick around! This should (hopefully) be fun :)
My Writing 5 class was definitely my favorite class this term — it opened my eyes to the realities of the food industry, strengthened my skills as a writer, and helped me make a ton of new friends.
My seminar was possibly the best class I've taken so far at Dartmouth. I learned about the importance of free speech and journalists in a democratic society, and how those rights to freedom are being stripped everywhere, all the time.
I've loved Cognitive Psychology as a class so far, especially because of the cool demos that the professor uses to illustrate every type of phenomena we learn about. From illusions to memory tests, it's so cool to see how the human psyche can be tricked so very easily.
One of my double majors at Dartmouth is Film & Media Studies, which is definitely not the most popular major at school. While you're bound to find a lot of economics majors and people on the pre-med track, it's not really very common to find other film majors. So, I decided to break down the major in the most simple way possible, explaining it as I navigate it.
Every Film major at Dartmouth must take an introductory Film and Film History course as pre-requisites. While I haven't taken the latter, the former is a great introduction into the world of film. We watch movies like Citizen Kane and Punch Drunk Love, analyzing different facets of their production. You also have to shoot 1-2 minute movies that use those specific production methods in groups of 3-4. I would recommend taking Film 1 in the fall because it's a great introduction to the department.
After that, there are certain required theoretical and production courses. Some common favorites include Writing for Television, Directing for the Camera, and Writing for the Screen — which I'm currently taking and really enjoying. Each of these classes (from what I hear from friends) stresses on collaborative work to reach a desired end goal. You work together with your classmates to help recommend, edit, and suggest changes to either a screenplay or a short movie. It's great because it's an open forum of discussion where you can take your work without judgement and just ask for advice.
There are also courses on specific types of films — New Latin American Cinema, Black Protest in Cinema to name a few. These courses look at the socio-cultural implications of films and delve deeper into the eras of history that they existed in. I love these classes because they serve to not only introduce you to different kinds of world cinema, but also different kinds of history. I took New Latin American Cinema my Freshman Fall, and know so much more about the geopolitics of Latin America because of it.
There's also a Domestic Study Programme (DSP), where you study a Dartmouth course somewhere away from Hanover. For the Film DSP, we go to Los Angeles and work as an intern while also taking two classes with a Film Professor. I'm going on the Film DSP this winter, so look out for more on that — because I will be blogging the whole process for everyone to catch a glimpse of.
The final thing that I love about the film major is how closely integrated the department is. Most of the classes take place in the Visual Arts Center, which I think is one of the coolest places on campus—to study film or something else, entirely! And most of the film majors know each other and are close to the department too; whether they need help for their senior thesis projects, or want to get more involved in the Film Society, there's always somebody around to help.
Reach out if you have more questions about the film major!
After returning from an enriching study abroad program, I'm diving into a bustling spring semester here at Dartmouth. Here are my four courses I'm taking this term!
Dartmouth's liberal arts curriculum pushes students to explore new departments and draw connections between seemingly disparate disciplines. Come explore my Economics, Physics, and Asian, Societies, Cultures, and Languages classes!
At Dartmouth, there is an undergraduate requirement for language; after all, it is the liberal arts! Fulfilling this requirement looks different for various people and I will focus on my experience.
I have written about being a student worker plenty of times in the past, but I have yet to talk about one of my favorite jobs ever: ticket selling at the Hopkins Center for the Arts.
Traditionally, Dartmouth students take three courses during a term, but I decided to take four courses this term! Learn about course load and the academic system at Dartmouth.
