Hello! My name is Cal Shin, and I am a '27 double-majoring in Economics and Philosophy. When I'm not studying or writing a blog post, you can find me drawing as the Design Editor for The Dartmouth, hosting my radio show at WebDCR, or spending time with my friends. And if I'm not doing any of those, I'm probably watching cat videos. Follow along as I share the moments that make Dartmouth feel like home!
I took this course with Professor James Binkoski and loved it! I had never taken a philosophy course prior to Dartmouth, so this introductory course in the department was perfect! After all, it combined my interests of philosophy with time and time travel — at least, how time and time travel are depicted in the media. This course may initially seem to be on the more technical side, but Professor Binkoski made sure to break down the various time travel theories — various ways scientists and philosophers think of time and its supposed movement — in a manner that’s easy for anyone to understand. A very popular course overall; I am fortunate to have been able to take it during my first term here!
I took this course with Professor Ha Yan Lee and it was absolutely amazing! I had my initial reservations about this course, mainly because I knew a lot of my classmates would have had some background knowledge while I had none. Professor Lee did a wonderful job of breaking down concepts in a manner that, as she often put it, is easy for even “your grandparents to understand”. Even beyond the course, the level of care Professor Lee exhibited towards her students is significant. She’s one of the most popular professors at Dartmouth, and for good reason! I ate lunch with her at The Pine through the Take a Faculty Member to Lunch program, and she gave me tremendous insight and advice! Because of this course, I have been inspired to explore more courses within the Econ department and potentially major in Economics.
I took this course with Professor Jasmina Savic and examined how the vampire figure evolved over time, starting with Slavic literature, going through Dracula and Twilight, and ending with “vampire” political figures. I realized what the portrayal of vampires could tell me about the thoughts of that society, including the fact that the early notions of vampirism are akin to modern-day diseases. For my final project, I wrote a research paper comparing the gumiho (the Korean nine-tailed fox) to several Western vampires.
SummerNew York City, New York
I had the opportunity to visit New York City for the summer! I met up with a good friend of mine, explored the city itself, and went to a networking event with other college students.
ECON 10 is one of the required courses for the Economics major. Based on my stellar experience with Professor Ha Yan Lee during ECON 1, when I saw that she was teaching ECON 10 this term, I immediately jumped at the chance to take the course with her. Once again, Professor Lee did an amazing job of breaking down concepts in an easy-to-understand manner. (The fact that her slideshows were colorful and featured various pictures of cats helped.)
My main interest in philosophy lies in normative and applied ethics, so when I saw the opportunity to take a class on the former, I didn’t hesitate! The class focused on consequentialism, utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics. I enjoyed the ample opportunities for discussion, including discussion posts about the readings, as well as the table-wide conversations. My table, in particular, had lots to say, and there was one reading in particular where we ended up diving into discussion, not once, but twice! In fact, we had so much to say that all of us coincidentally chose to write our essay on this reading — and none of us knew until after we started talking about our papers!
While not explicitly required for the Philosophy major, you can choose to take this (and many other Philosophy courses!) as one of your four electives. Prior to taking this class, feminist philosophy was completely new to me. I had traditionally been exposed to “traditional” European philosophers, and taking the class helped me realize that my lack of exposure to other philosophers outside of this demographic was a product of epistemic injustice. The class consisted of weekly readings and discussion posts, some reflections, guest lectures from the authors of several readings, and a final project of pretty much any format about any topic of our choice! I walked away from the class with a much more nuanced understanding of agency, commodification, and labor; the harms that are a result of the very nature of women tailoring themselves under male desire seemed much more insidious.
Dartmouth Bound is an all-expenses paid fly-in program where rising high school seniors from underrepresented backgrounds can stay on Dartmouth's campus for three days. During their stay, students can learn all of what Dartmouth has to offer through informational sessions about the campus, financial aid, and the D-Plan; campus tours; classes with real professors; conversations with current students; and mock application sessions with admissions officers. Did I mention all of this is for free? In short, it's a golden opportunity that high school students should not miss!
I myself never participated in Dartmouth Bound. In fact, when I was a rising high school senior, I didn't even know the program existed! When I stepped on Dartmouth's campus for the first time during my first year, I was somewhat uncertain of whether I'd be able to prevail at being a college student. That uncertainty started to dissipate when I met upper-level students who carried themselves with a sense of ease and calm that was only possible due to their deep understanding of Dartmouth. So when I received an email inviting me to apply as a student leader for Dartmouth Bound, I jumped at the chance to offer my voice and wholehearted care to those just beginning their college application journeys.
I, along with other Dartmouth Bound Leaders (DBLs), received lots of training from admissions officers during the spring term to offer the Bounders (high school students participating in Bound) the best experience possible! Most people were DBLs for the first time this summer (myself included), so these training sessions were definitely helpful.
During the summer term, we received the names and contact information of the Bounders in our groups, we reached out to them over email and introduced ourselves! I, along with my co-DBL Emmanuel '28, were leaders of Group I (undoubtedly the best group!), and we made a group chat with all the Bounders in our group so we could get to know each other better.
The day of the program quickly approached, and before I knew it, the Bounders had arrived on campus! The first day of Bound consisted of a group dinner at FoCo, where we finally got to meet the Bounders in person. Following that, there was a large welcome at Collis Common Groundfrom the admissions officers, along with several icebreakers. Afterwards, we congregated into our groups, and the Bounders in Group I had the chance to ask me any and all questions they had about Dartmouth or being a college student in general.
The second day of the program consisted of a group breakfast bright and early (7:45 AM)! We then walked the Bounders to their information session about all things Dartmouth. Following that, DBLs were free to go! Because I didn't have class that day, I decided to get ahead on some work at the library. Around half an hour later, I noticed a group of students streaming into the hallways of the first floor. To my pleasant surprise, they were the very Bounders I had just dropped off! They were being taken on a tour around campus.
Before I knew it, the second day had flown by, and it was time for our small group meeting. Despite the fact that these meetings were about an hour long, they flew by because the Bounders asked so many good questions!
The final day of Dartmouth Bound started off with breakfast with the Bounders. We walked them to an admissions case study workshop, where each group had the chance to talk to a couple of admissions officers, walk through a sample application, and receive advice on tackling their essays. This was by far the busiest day for me, as I had both classes that day, and during one of the sessions, a midterm as well. After all my classes, it was time for me to get ready and walk with my Bounders to the Hanover Inn for a fancy dinner with admissions officers and various members of the College's administration. The food was fantastic, but then came time for our last small group meeting, which felt bittersweet. We answered the Bounders' remaining questions and took lots of photos to commemorate their time at Dartmouth.
Dartmouth Bound 2025, Group I!
As you may be able to tell, there were 2 sessions of Dartmouth Bound this year.
Being a Dartmouth Bound Leader has been a rewarding experience. I'm honored to have gotten the chance to be a mentor and support system to such brilliant students. I cannot think of a more meaningful full-circle moment than to have stood beside these prospective students, reminding them—just as someone reminded me—that they belong at Dartmouth.
Thinking about studying abroad? Seriously, you should! Beijing has been one of the highlights of my Dartmouth experience so far. Keep reading to hear about my trip to the iconic Great Wall!
Dartmouth is no stranger to a variety of student-run full-year performance groups in dance, a cappella, improv, and comedy. Sophomore summer is particularly special, as most of these groups allow sophomores to audition and join just for the summer.
While the Hanover community is always strong and thriving, it's hard to imagine what it's like when you are thousands of miles away from The Green. Read on to learn about my Dartmouth life in Rome, and the community within Dartmouth while abroad.
In one of my previous posts, I mentioned how I joined a sorority earlier this fall by going through the recruitment process. I've come a long way since then. In fact, I am living in my sorority house for my sophomore summer!
I've just finished my first four weeks as a Concord Monitor news intern, having delved into journalism in ways I couldn't have without the help I received from Dartmouth's Center for Professional Development.
