Cal Shin
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Cal's D-Plan
What's a D-Plan?-
FallOn Campus
Favorite Class: PHIL 1.08: The Philosophy of Time and Time TravelI 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!
WinterOn Campus
Favorite Class: ECON 1: The Price System - Analysis, Problems, and PoliciesI 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.
SpringOn Campus
Favorite Class: RUSS 7.07-01: Monster TraffickingI 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.
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FallOn Campus
Favorite Class: ECON 10: Introduction to Statistical MethodsECON 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.)
Frolicking the Free Market
Free retail therapy sounds too good to be true, but at Dartmouth, it's not. Read to find out about the Free Market, Dartmouth's on-campus thrift store.
My First Fall, and I Fell in Love
As my first fall comes to an end, I wanted to take the time to reflect on my journey during my first term at Dartmouth.
Winterim Wonders: Part One
I am staying at Dartmouth during winterim! "But what is there to do?" you may ask. Throughout the next six weeks, I will be documenting my life on campus during winterim through my small series of blog posts, Winterim Wonders.
My Favorite Fall Study Spots
As I am wrapping up my first set of midterms in college, I've gotten very familiar with what study spots work for me. Here are some of my favorites!
- No. 1
Sherman Art Library
Sherman Art Library is my go-to place whenever I need to crank out an essay for my philosophy class or do my Latin homework. There are two rooms in Sherman—an outer room with several desks overlooking large windows and the wonderful view of campus, a couple of larger tables, and a cluster of cozy armchairs; and an inner room, with its sprawling bookshelves, high ceiling, fireplace, and even more tables lined besides large windows. The aesthetic of the inner room, which is where I normally work, really adds to my productivity! I’ve gotten the most work done for my humanities classes in this quiet space.
- No. 2
Feldberg Library
Whereas Sherman is my favorite spot for humanities work, Feldberg is my go-to study spot for working on my STEM classes. Inside, you will find a quiet environment, a ton of cubicles, large wooden tables, and sprawling bookshelves. A cubicle with a sun lamp is the perfect spot for working on some code for a problem set.
- No. 3
Brittle
Brittle, as we affectionally call it, is the common room for Brown and Little, which are two of Dartmouth's first year dorms! As someone who lives in one of those dorms, I have access to Brittle. Brittle has a spacious nature and includes a kitchen, a piano, a TV, many comfortable armchairs and beanbags, an assortment of large tables and chairs, and huge windows that cover pretty much every side of the wall! I like to sit on one of the larger tables and get some homework done in the evenings, letting the conversations and chatter surround me.
Sublime Soundwaves
Read how I fulfilled a longtime childhood dream with Dartmouth College radio!
In Which I Became a Dancer for a Month
No, this is not about joining a dance group. Read to find out how I became involved in my first theatre production at Dartmouth!
So Yeah, It's a Fire
My first homecoming weekend at Dartmouth was one of the most memorable days so far. Read to learn how I spent that weekend!
Two Birds, One Stone: Conquering My Bucket List, Two at a Time
What are the chances of crossing two items off my bucket list at the same time?
Pretty high, as it turns out. How so, you may ask? Well, you'll just have to read this to find out.
My First-Year Trips Experience
Curious to see what my first-year trips experience was like? Read more to find out about my favorite aspects of my trip, Sacred Spaces!
Salutations!
Hello! I'm Cal, and I'm a '27—that is, a member of the class of 2027—at Dartmouth. I hope that you will get to know a bit more about me through this post!