Hello! I'm Cal Shin, and I am a '27 from Cary, North Carolina. I am hoping to double-major in Economics and Philosophy. Outside of academics and blogging, you'll find that I am involved The Dartmouth as a writer and designer, WebDCR as a radio show host, and Dartmouth QuestBridge Scholars Network (DQSN) as an executive board member. Ultimately, I am a storyteller, and I hope you enjoy these stories about my Dartmouth journey!
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.
As of the moment I am writing this blog post, I am sitting in Dartmouth's main dining hall, which we call FoCo, looking out the window. It's cold - colder than what I'm used to. As someone who prefers warmer weather, I can't help but look back at my time on campus earlier this summer.
On Thursday, May 25, 2023 at 1:53 pm EST, I received an email inviting me to the First Year Student Enrichment Program, otherwise known as FYSEP. FYSEP is a pre-orientation program for FGLI first-years at Dartmouth. When I found out that I would be moving into campus a month before most first-years, I jumped at the opportunity. It might seem silly, but having never visited Dartmouth in person before, I wanted to be able to say that I did in fact visit campus before "move-in day" (late August for most first-years).
My first day on campus, which was Saturday, August 5, 2023, was hectic. I was exhausted, did not know my way around campus, and was stressed from settling in and unpacking. Of course, there was a FYSEP group meeting that evening, along with several icebreaker activities. I wanted nothing more than to go to sleep, but I was determined to make the best of the situation and got to know people who would become some of my closest friends today.
Turns out, I would quickly be acclimated to campus and college life. By the end of my first week on campus, I was taking mock college courses, and I knew my way to FoCo (mostly) without looking at a map! There were 3 classes, all of which we had to take. In College Knowledge, we learned how to take good notes and study effectively from a staff member at the Academic Skills Center, as well as upperclassmen. In STEM, we covered basic biology concepts through growing our own basil plants, coded a weather app with Python, and built our own marble machine. We even got to engrave said marble machine using tools from Dartmouth's Makerspace Studio. In Culture, Identity, and Belonging (CIB), we really took the time to examine Dartmouth's culture throughout time. We took a good look at the Orozco murals in Baker-Berry Library, visited the Hood Museum to see artworks by artist Kevin Monkman, and wrote some short essays about our own culture. My favorite part, however, was when we had to create a self-portrait —whatever that meant to us. As an artist, I decided to draw mine, challenging myself to experiment with a different artstyle.
(de)Classified: a self-portrait.
Classes were one small part of FYSEP. There were a myriad of workshops and sessions offered by lots of different departments and organizations within Dartmouth, designed to inform us about the various resources available to us on campus. There was even a FYSEP-specific house community lunch with our house professors! I found these resources extremely helpful, and I'm glad I got to know about them so early in my Dartmouth career.
On the flip side of things, there were lots of fun, informal activities! I explored downtown Hanover, visiting spots like Still North, a local bookstore. I got a comprehensive tour of the greenhouse in Life Sciences Center. I sang my heart out in late-night karaoke, and even climbed to the very top of Baker Tower.
The view on top of Baker Tower is breathtaking!
One of the things I'm most grateful for as a result of FYSEP is that it allowed me to explore different aspects of myself. FYSEP was more than just a pre-orientation program; it was a space that allowed me to express myself freely, without judgment. This was most evident when I had the idea of making a "FYSEP yearbook" — that is, a booklet consisting of different photos and memories made throughout the program, with space for people to write little notes to each other, much like a traditional yearbook. I had prior artistic and graphic design experience, but I had never made a book before, let alone one in less than a week! Despite the time-crunch, with some much-beloved help, support, and collaboration with Gnomon Copy, a local printing company, we were able to get physical copies of these books and distribute them to all of FYSEP.
I'm so glad I got to design and get this printed!
With FYSEP coming to a close, I was a little afraid that I would lose the close bonds I had fostered. Looking back, that is absolutely not the case. I am still friends with many other FYSEP students, both first-years and upperclassmen. Perhaps it's because we shared the same experiences —we were among the first Dartmouth students each of us met in person — as well as the excitement and trepidation that came along with college and our newfound independence. Even though most people from my FYSEP cohort haven't been my classmates during the fall term, we still find ways to connect. We still make sure to say hi to each other whenever we pass each other on campus, no matter the difference in class years or majors. FYSEP has been quite a formative experience for me, and the memories I've made on August 2023 are invaluable. It would be no exaggeration to say that without FYSEP, I would not be where I am today.
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.
