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.
I'm currently a junior at Dartmouth and something a lot of students like to do is study abroad during at least one term of their junior year. Since I was on the film domestic study program during my sophomore winter, I wanted to stay on-campus for the fall. But, I have a lot of friends who are currently all over the world. For this blog post, I interviewed my friend, Lucy Vitali '26 about herForeign Study Program in Madrid.Read on if that excites you!
How've you been doing and what are you studying in Madrid right now?
I've been doing great. Europe is honestly so unique and I've been having the best time getting to know so many new people. Currently, I'm doing the Spanish Foreign Study Program (FSP) and am taking three courses. They are Spanish Art History, The History of Madrid, and Spanish Literature. The cool thing is that the whole thing is entirely taught in Spanish, so we're all really brushing up on our language skills!
What've you been learning about?
So much. I've spoken to many people on other FSPs, and they've corroborated my story—when you're in a new country and often learning a new language, many of the teachings are intersectional. For example, in all of my classes, we've been simultaneously talking about the history and the current socio-political environment in Madrid because it's super relevant to the past that has informed it. Additionally, since all the kids on my FSP are staying with host families, I've gotten to speak to my host family extensively about it; it's amazing to get a local perspective on topics that seem so foreign to our everyday lives.
What is your favorite memory so far?
My favorite memory so far, hands down, has to be the weekend I spent in Barcelona with my entire cohort. This is a group of people I didn't know at all before the program, but being in a foreign country away from everything you know tends to bond you really well. We had the best time ever in Barcelona. I strongly recommend the whole program, if nothing else, for that!
How's the culture of your study abroad been so far?
I think that's definitely one consideration for a lot of people that makes them stray away from wanting to do FSPs, just because it is an intensely new social environment where you have to remake a friend group. Trust me, from my personal experience, it's been amazing. I love everyone so much; the program comes built with a lot of group activities and trips, which has helped us bond so much and experience awesome things in real time together. An added bonus is that once we're back on campus, I know I'm going to have so many new friends I wouldn't have had otherwise.
I feel like I know the answer to this one, but do you recommend studying abroad for other students?
Yes. A thousand times over, yes. It's such a key part of the Dartmouth experience, and I feel like it's gone to show that the Dartmouth experience isn't confined by geographic boundaries; it's really about the people who make it as amazing as it is!
That's all from Lucy. Let me know if you have any more questions for her or for me!
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!
Coming back to Dartmouth for my senior year, I have been loving pursuing my major. However, what I love about the liberal arts education is that you can take classes for interest far beyond any classes in your major.
