Hi everyone! I'm Kabir, an international member of the class of '26, from New Delhi, India. I'm thinking of majoring in Psychology and Film & Media Studies. Outside the classroom, I enjoy watching movies, going on hikes, hanging out with my friends, and going on runs (if you see me on the streets of Hanover, say hi!) In the short while I've been here, I've come to love Dartmouth, so if you're interested in what I have to say, stick around! This should (hopefully) be fun :)
My Writing 5 class was definitely my favorite class this term — it opened my eyes to the realities of the food industry, strengthened my skills as a writer, and helped me make a ton of new friends.
My seminar was possibly the best class I've taken so far at Dartmouth. I learned about the importance of free speech and journalists in a democratic society, and how those rights to freedom are being stripped everywhere, all the time.
I've loved Cognitive Psychology as a class so far, especially because of the cool demos that the professor uses to illustrate every type of phenomena we learn about. From illusions to memory tests, it's so cool to see how the human psyche can be tricked so very easily.
My sophomore fall has drawn to a close, which honestly shocks me, because I feel like I just came back from summer break, but that's the thing about Dartmouth terms. You're shocked at how quickly they end. Still, I like to compile a list of five things I did for the first time this term, and I'm glad I did them!
Did the Lou's Challenge: The Lou's Challenge is an absolutely crazy Dartmouth tradition (we have a lot of those). Lou's Restaurant & Bakery is a famous breakfast place in town that opens at 6:30 AM on weekdays. The challenge is to stay up the whole night and go to Lou's before you go to bed. My friends and I decided to take on the challenge. While we were successful, our sleep cycles were never the same. If you do go to Lou's when you're in Hanover, I recommend the club sandwich — you can never go wrong with that and a pancake to share with friends!
Wrote My First Script: As a film major, I've been writing scripts since I was a kid, but all of them were messy, informal, and never coherent. In one of my classes this term, Writing for the Screen 1, I got down to writing my first ever film script. While it's still a work in progress, and I plan on taking the follow up Writing for the Screen II in the spring, I'm really proud of how far I've come so far with it.
Assisted on a Student Film: This was a big one for me, because I've never been on a student film set; if you have any questions about the student filmmaking culture within the film department at Dartmouth, don't hesitate to reach out to me, by the way. This was the first time I've worked on a student set, and it was honestly a great experience. The weather wasn't the best, but I learned a lot about camerawork, setting, design, as well as framing characters. Definitely recommend trying out — whether or not you're a film major.
Went Through The Rush Process and Am Affiliated!: I plan to talk about this one in a separate post, but rush is the process through which you try to get affiliated in Greek life at Dartmouth. It honestly went really great and taught me a lot about myself. Again, if you have any questions, I hope to address them in a separate blog post.
Went on a Gile Hike!: It's surprising, but I've never actually hiked Gile Mountain, the famous mountain that all Dartmouth students sunrike (a portmanteau of sunrise and hike). I went with my friends, and while it was really difficult, I strongly recommend it when you come to Dartmouth. It's these traditions that make Dartmouth what it is, and partaking in them helps you feel more attached to your community.
I had a great term overall, and am excited for my next term which is an off-campus program in Los Angeles. I plan to blog the entire experience! See you then.
In addition to blogging, I work as a Fellow for the Tucker Center, which focuses on promoting spiritual and ethical life on campus. As part of this role, I'm leading the Interfaith Alternative Spring Break Trip. Read on to learn more about my work!
