Cindy Background

Cindy Shen

Class of 2021
Cindy with a plant on her head

About 

Hello there! I am an avid doodler and caffeine addict who can be spotted 24/7 at KAF (the coffee shop in Baker-Berry Library). I've grown up skiing in the Rockies, so I'm a hype man for low temp activities like throwing snow at friends and carving ice sculptures (yes, I actually did that!). Aside from blogging, I am an economics teaching assistant, design mobile, web, and VR apps for Dartmouth's DALI Lab, and travel around with the fencing and debate teams for competitions.

Academic Program 

Economics

Favorite Thing Right Now 

Zoom sessions with my closest friends!

Hometown 

Salt Lake City, Utah

Pronouns 

She/Her

You are here

Cindy's D-Plan

What's a D-Plan?

    • FallOn Campus

      Favorite Class: The Price System (Prof. Zarnowski)

      Freshman fall flew by! While I unwittingly took some of Dartmouth's more difficult classes, I met so many amazing people and got to explore campus with a fresh set of eyes (I'd never visited before). I also got inspired (after taking my prof to lunch) to pursue a major in economics!

    • WinterOn Campus

      Favorite Class: The Supreme Court (Prof. Kalish)

      Winter was my favorite term freshman year, largely because I felt more settled into the campus rhythm and took awesome classes. Prof. Kalish (my Writing 5 -- a required class for all freshmen -- professor) was not only fun and insightful, but also made an active effort to connect with every student. It's one of the best classes I've ever taken.

    • SpringOn Campus

      Favorite Class: Macroeconomics (Prof. Comin)

      In my opinion, Hanover is most beautiful in the spring: you see everything from fluffy snowflakes to vibrant blossoms. The weather kept me cheerful, even if spring was my most rigorous term. My favorite class was Econ 22 with Prof. Comin, who led a case-based course that helped us understand the real-world applications of what we were learning. He's also a super cool guy to chat with, and he's done fascinating research.

    • SummerOn Campus

      Favorite Class: Drawing I (Prof. Reisman)

      Most freshmen don't stay "on" their first summer, but I scheduled my D-Plan around my winter internship. Summer didn't disappoint: I love the new friends I made and the classes I took (and I also got super fit from attending two PE classes). Taking Drawing I was also one of the highlights of my summer. It's a lot of work, but I'd rather spend 10 hours on a drawing than 10 hours on a problem set.

    • FallOn Campus

      Favorite Class: Games & Economic Behavior (Prof. Snyder)

      I finally met the '22s!! (Seriously, you all are so cool.) This term, I took a class on game theory, which is basically a subject where we literally learn about games. While it was by far my most challenging class this term, I thought that what we learned was super rewarding.

    • WinterSalt Lake City, UT

      This was my first "off" term since I arrived on campus! I interned for Cross Creek, a venture capital firm in Salt Lake City, Utah (my hometown!).

    • SpringOn Campus

      Favorite Class: Public Finance & Public Policy (Prof. Skinner)

      I could RAVE about public economics and Prof. Skinner for hours. While public econ wasn't easy, it challenged me to think critically about my political philosophies and about the economic theories I'd previously considered fact. Prof. Skinner was one of the most engaged professors I've ever had; he even recommended a few running routes to me!

    • SummerOn Campus

      Favorite Class: DALI Independent Study (Prof. Loeb)

      The famous "Sophomore Summer" and my second summer on campus! I took an unconventional four-course term complete with Econometrics, Gender & Philosophy, DALI Lab Independent Research, and Independent Studies in Engineering! I had so much fun studying on a dock by the Connecticut River and having lots of gelato under the sun. :)

    • FallWashington D.C.

      Favorite Class: My Internship!

      I had the opportunity of a lifetime to be an economic policy intern at the White House! I loved my job, met incredible people, and had plenty of time to Facetime my friends on campus.

    • WinterOn Campus

      Favorite Class: Comparative Politics (Prof. Horowitz)

      This was such a fun winter! I went skiing with friends, spent a few weekends eating Chinese food in Boston, and to top it all off, I took my very first government class. I really loved learning about political science from a comparative perspective; specifically, how institutions can affect the way a society can vote or even organize collective action. I wish I'd taken more government classes earlier.

    • SpringOn Campus, Virtually

      Favorite Class: Authoritarianism in CE Europe (Prof. Aha)

      While I was physically camped out at home in Salt Lake City, Utah, I still spent plenty of time with friends (albeit over Zoom), and I got to know professors in office hours! I also had the rare chance to spend quality time with my parents and my dog while also learning a lot in my classes on business strategy (offered by the Tuck School of Business) and authoritarianism in Central and Eastern Europe.

    • SummerNew York City, Virtually

      I spent the summer as an investment research intern at J.P. Morgan. My internship was completely virtual, but I still got to befriend my coworkers, and I'll be going back full-time after I graduate!

    • FallOn Campus

      Favorite Class: Adam Smith & Political Economy (Prof. Clark)

      After six long months away, I finally came back just in time for the beautiful New England fall. I began writing my economics thesis in a difficult yet rewarding advanced econometrics class with Professor Staiger, attempted acting in a play, and learned about the nuances behind Adam Smith's "invisible hand" (which has become a caricatured generalization of his work). I even made a few new friends out of '24s from six-feet away!

    • WinterUniversity of Oxford, Magdalen College

      I spent my winter term at Oxford studying economics and politics at the beautiful Magdalen College.

    • SpringOn Campus

      I can't believe it's senior spring already! This spring, I'm finishing my thesis and taking classes on creative writing for fiction, costume design, and the economics of gender and family. Be sure to say hello if you're on campus (or Zoom)!

Blog Cindy 20X
Blog Cindy 20X
Blog Cindy 20X

We Started a Nonprofit in Quarantine!

The idea for Give Essential—a nonprofit that connects essential workers in need of household items with donors who are able to support them—initially grew out of a Dartmouth class, Social Entrepreneurship (ECON 77).

Read More

Posted 09/30/2020 at 9:00 AMAll Photo Posts

I'm Feeling Sentimental

In light of these recent events, I'm feeling extra sentimental about my Dartmouth experience thus far. To make use of my nostalgia, I've compiled short summaries of all of my Dartmouth terms so far!

  1. No. 1

    Junior Winter! (20W)

    Blog Cindy 20S

    It didn't end long ago, but it flew by so quickly! I had a really study heavy term because I took two culminating experience courses in economics (ECON 48 and 82), which are basically in-depth seminars where you produce your very own research paper at the end. I wrote about pharmaceutical innovation in emerging markets -- it was a ton of work, but I really enjoyed applying everything I've learned so far to a project of my own. 

  2. No. 2

    Washington DC! (19F)

    Blog Cindy 20S

    I spent the fall in Washington D.C. interning at the White House Council of Economic Advisers. The term taught me that even when you're away, Dartmouth never really leaves you. My internship was funded by "Rocky" (the Rockefeller Center for Public Policy at Dartmouth), and I met Juliann (a fellow Dartmouth '21 who was also interning in D.C.), who would later become one of my best friends!

  3. No. 3

    Sophomore Summer!!! (19X)

    Blog Cindy 20S

    It was hard to choose only one image to encompass my sophomore summer. I ended up choosing the photo above because I spent so much time studying (or pretending to study but actually just tanning) by the Connecticut River. I had so much fun! Since the entire campus is basically dedicated to the sophomore class over the summer, I had the chance to really bond with my classmates and appreciate Dartmouth that much more. 

Read More

Posted 05/15/2020 at 9:00 AMAll List Posts

Summer, In Summary

I've now spent not one, but TWO summers at Dartmouth. So I figured I'd compile a list with my favorite Sophomore Summer (and Freshman Summer!) memories.

  1. No. 1

    Strips! (Sophomore Trips)

    Blog Cindy 20W

    Most incoming freshmen know about "Trips" (where you spend five days in the wilderness with a random pool of your new classmates), but have you heard about Strips? Strips is yet another wild adventure that Dartmouth students go on before the start of their Sophomore Summer. I spent several days hiking with five classmates that I had yet to meet! 

  2. No. 2

    Campus Views

    Blog Cindy 20W

    This was a rainbow over the O-Farm! (Dartmouth's Organic Farm)

  3. No. 3

    Study Views

    Blog Cindy 20W

    At the end of the day, everyone's still taking an intense course load over the summer. So as much as Dartmouth might feel like summer camp at times, I still often found myself studying in the library. Thankfully, there's a stunning view from the library windows!

Read More

Posted 02/5/2020 at 9:00 AMAll List Posts
Blog Cindy 20W
Blog Cindy 20W
Blog Cindy 20W

D.C. & Me: My Dream Internship... and How Dartmouth Paid For It

This past fall, I interned at the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA for short)! It was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. So despite my love of New England falls, I packed my bags for Washington D.C.

Read More

Posted 02/2/2020 at 10:15 AMAll Photo Posts

Pages