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.
For this week's blog post, I decided to sit down with my friend Eliana Stanford '26, who's a member of Dartmouth EMS, among other things like the Robotics Club, Women in Computer Science, and Club Basketball. Today though, our conversation strictly focused on her experience in EMS.
Q: Can you tell me a little bit about EMS? Sure! EMS stands for emergency medical services. Dartmouth EMS is a club for people who are interested in the idea of becoming a student emergency medical responder. We have lots of different things as part of the club: weekly training on different emergency medicine topics. For example, cold emergencies during the winter, respiratory emergencies, cardiac emergencies, fractures and other things of that nature. Your involvement is as hands-on as you want to be—you can be on-call if there's an emergency on campus, like a Good Samaritan call.
Q: What kind of student is EMS for? Traditionally, people would say it's only for those that are into "pre-health". Yes, a large part of the membership are people who want to pursue careers in emergency medicine, or in the medical field. But, if you are intrigued by the idea of helping other people, EMS is for you.
Q: What motivated you to join EMS and become an EMT? I joined the club because I really wanted to help people while gaining hands-on experience in the medical field. I just wanted to test out the waters and see if it was for me, all while learning critical skills. The truth is that medical emergencies happen to everyone—students, family members, friends—and it's kind of nice that I have an in-built skillset to use as a point of reference if something goes really wrong. I guess it's nice to be a mediator in situations of crisis—I can use an EpiPen correctly, create a splint out of nontraditional materials … Basically, if something were to go wrong, I could help rectify it to a degree while we waited for paramedics. Having all that knowledge is really empowering and important in times of crisis!
Q: How has being a part of EMS contributed to your Dartmouth experience? Honestly, it's been super helpful because the point of college is to explore everything you possibly can. I came in thinking I was pre-health, and I'm still unsure about it, but I realized through this club that emergency medicine was something that I was especially passionate about. Even if I don't become a doctor, it's still something I'm going to keep doing in my life. Additionally, I want to keep taking intellectual risks and testing the waters. In this case, I really enjoyed what I was doing and found critical components in it that I want to carry with me in everything I do. From empowerment to knowledge to confidence, I hope these qualities follow me beyond college.
Q: Do you have any advice for prospective students at Dartmouth, especially those that might be interested in EMS? Whether you're pre-health or not, you should look into EMS. Or just any club in general. Whatever peaks your interest. Trust me: just attend a meeting because you never know what could come out of it. Academics is just one part of your experience at Dartmouth, but the extra-curriculars here aid your exploration—intellectually, socially, physically. Don't limit yourself, come here with an open mind, and you should be good!
If you have any additional questions for either me or Eliana, let me know!
Unlike some other universities, many of the STEM lecture classes at Dartmouth require concurrent enrollment in a laboratory section. What is it like navigating that time as a student?
SIP, or Social Impact Practicum, is a type of course that is offered at Dartmouth that centers around engaging with local community partners. I have taken two of these courses now and have found them to be enriching an interesting.
