Hello! My name is Cal Shin, and I am a '27 planning to double-major in Economics and Philosophy. Outside of academics and blogging, you can find me drawing (perhaps even designing for The Dartmouth), hosting my radio show as a proud deejay at WebDCR, perusing the Free Market, or hanging out with friends. Ultimately, I am an artist and a storyteller. I hope you enjoy reading about my Dartmouth experience; the journey has just begun!
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.)
Normally, Dartmouth has a myriad of dining options available for students on campus. However, this is naturally reduced due to the significantly smaller number of students on campus during winterim (Dartmouth's 6-week winter break). There are two particular dining options one can partake in during the break: The Class of 1953 Commons (colloquially known as FoCo), and Ramekin.
FoCo is Dartmouth's main on-campus dining hall that serves a variety of foods across its nine buffet-style stations, while Ramekin is a smaller cafe that sells grab-and-go meals (think sandwiches, wraps, and beverages like bottled water and coffee). Each dining location comes with different benefits. Those who are part of the North Park housing community may find Ramekin to be convenient due to its proximity to those dorms, while those in School House may naturally gravitate towards FoCo due to its central location. I am part of the latter; I opt to eat at FoCo because it's a convenient distance away from my dorm, and because it can accommodate most of my dietary restrictions.
Despite reduced manpower during winterim, Dartmouth Dining is decent at making sure there are still enough options that accommodate my allergies. It's by no means comprehensive; A9, FoCo's allergy-free station, does not operate during winterim. Other stations are open, but offer a significantly reduced menu during winterim. However, each open station (with the exception of Bake My Day, a station that serves baked desserts, which usually contain egg, dairy, soy, wheat, and/or tree nuts) offers at least one menu item that is marked Free From (the top 9) Allergens (FFA). Herbivore, the station that serves vegan and vegetarian food items, operates at almost full capacity during winterim. And of course, all menu items have symbols indicating the appropriate classifications, whether it be allergens (e.g. a "d" for an item containing dairy) or accommodation (e.g. a VG for a vegan item).
I would be remiss to not talk about the logistical and financial aspect of meals during winterim. This year, Dartmouth Dining announced that meal plans from the fall term will roll over through winterim. This allows anyone on a meal plan to use any unused swipes and Dining Dollars (DBA) during winterim. Since I opted for the Ivy Unlimited Plan, I still had unlimited meal swipes to FoCo throughout the break, along with my remaining DBA, which I occasionally used to purchase food at Ramekin. If someone is not on the Ivy Unlimited Plan, their swipes and DBA run out, and they meet certain financial aid determined by the Financial Aid Office, they can still get lunch and dinner at FoCo through the Meal Subsidy Program. This stipend also covers the days before College holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas, when FoCo gives large paper bags with multiple disposable to-go boxes so people can stock up and feed themselves when no dining options are open. Additionally, the Hanover Inn offers special holiday meals so people can taste a little bit of holiday joy even when away from their families.
In elementary school, I did ballet. In middle school, I tried diving. In high school, I played volleyball. And now, in college, I guess I'm a hockey player! Read on to learn a bit about Dartmouth Club Sports and our Women's Ice Hockey Program!
