I'm Kalina, a '27 from Sofia, Bulgaria. I love books (I love reading and writing them), and I particularly love fantasy (i.e., I'm an expert on Middle Earth and Hogwarts studies). I'm fascinated by the human brain and the real-world magic of science. I also love hiking, bird-watching, climbing, and em dashes.
Instead of taking a normal Writing 5 course, I decided to fulfill my first-year writing requirement by taking HUM 1. This course helped me strengthen my relationship to literature and writing. It changed the way in which I thought about classics, both books and movies (we saw Wall-E, by the way). And it also changed the way I thought about academic writing and literary criticism. A third of the course was made up of lectures by professors from different departments, while the other two thirds were discussions with a single professor and a small group of 15 students.
Intro to Neuroscience was the first course I was truly excited about. It wasn't an easy course; we had a weekly quiz of ten to thirteen questions covering the lectures from the past few days, but it was very interesting and also very funny (Professor Winter's humor is legendary). We learned about the human brain at the level of individual cells. We also studied it at the level of different systems, from the olfactory system to the parasympathetic nervous system. And last, we learned about cognition: learning, attention, language. We saw a real human brain with formaldehyde dripping from it. We saw a real sheep's brain. And a rat's brain. And we pocked each other with paper clips to determine the sensitivity of our touch receptors.
Journalism with Professor Alexis Jetter was an enjoyable class, sometimes challenging but very satisfying. We covered a lot of US history through the lens of the media, and we started every class with a discussion of the current news and events (thanks to these discussions, I feel like a real adult now—not so lost when the conversation turns toward politics). Several guest lecturers—from former students of Professor Jetter who're now journalists to a New York Times war correspondent—brought us real stories from the field. In the middle of the term, each of us had to find someone over 30 years old in the Upper Valley, spend a day with them, and write a profile.
SummerSofia, Bulgaria
I'm spending my first summer back home, helping my family care for my newborn sister. In my free time (changing diapers takes a lot of time!), I'm doing research for the cognitive neuroscience lab FINN Lab, preparing for my classes in the fall, and working on a new book.
Computational Neuroscience with Professor Richard Granger is a multidisciplinary course taught by a multidisciplinary professor and designed for multidisciplinary thinkers. The class covered brain anatomy and physiology and the biology of learning; it covered linear algebra and the architectures and characteristics of several neural networks. Last, we had a module on "brain engineering"—how some brain circuits function and how we can get inspired by them as engineers.
The first focus of Discrete Math for Computer Science was learning to think like a mathematician: how do we use logic to find proofs to problems and our solutions? Next, we learned how to apply this thinking in computer science contexts — how do you prove that a recursive program works? How do you prove what its run-time is going to be? These were the kind of skills we were building in preparation for the next course in the theoretical computer science sequence: Algorithms. Before we can build algorithms, we need to know how to think about the steps we need to take to solve problems with the rigor of mathematical logic.
This term I decided to venture out of my comfort zone and fill out of my distributive requirements with a government class. Taught by Professor Steven Simon, America and the Middle East was one of the most interesting classes I've taken at Dartmouth. The class covered the evolution of US foreign policy toward the Middle East from the early days of the Republic to modern times. The books and papers we were assigned to read for each class were complemented by Professor Simon's lectures (his storytelling style made his class one of the few classes with 2-hour-long lectures that keep my attention till the very end), and he shared fascinating anecdotes from his work and trips.
SummerHanover, NH
I am spending my sophomore summer on campus, doing full-time research at the FINN Lab (Functional Imaging and Naturalistic Neuroscience Lab). This summer I get to do a little bit of programming, stimuli writing, and data analysis and run a pilot study that will pave the way for a bigger neuro-imaging experiment. I am also serving as the house manager of Alpha Theta Gender Inclusive Greek House. I'm still deciding which is more challenging: navigating academia or the intricacies of taking care of an actual house. ;)
The fact that I am not currently taking classes makes it particularly easy for me to enjoy the little moments of summer on campus (I routinely seem to be less stressed by my friends, who are taking three classes this summer—I'm doing research and serving as house manager for my Greek house this summer instead of being enrolled in courses).
My July and August are so far full of quiet summer moments of peace and joy that I've been collecting over the weeks.
First, a doe watches me on my way back from the grocery store. You can often see deer on campus—no matter the season (ok, maybe not winter). I rarely go on a walk in Pine Park, the patch of wood north of campus, without crossing paths with a deer who stands just a few feet away from me, undisturbed.
A deer near the Life Sciences Center at Dartmouth.
Walks in Pine Park, for that matter, are another favorite activity of mine this summer. The blackberries and raspberries have ripened, and my friend Yawen and I often go on little hikes at the end of the day, watching the darkness settle over the Connecticut River.
The view over the Connecticut River from Pine Park
Yawen and I also made pancakes last weekend, because what is breakfast on a Sunday if it doesn't feature pancakes? I learned how to make American pancakes (as opposed to crepes, which I also call pancakes, in Bulgarian) on atrip to the Grant—a significant forest which Dartmouth owns in northern New Hampshire/Maine—with the Flora and Fauna club in my first year.
This is me, making pancakes in the Alpha Theta kitchen.
Another skill I learned through the Dartmouth Outing Club, which I realized I'll need and use this summer, is how to turn over a canoe once it has capsized. Last spring break, I went on a break trip with the Ledyard Canoe Club to the Green River in Utah. One afternoon, our leaders Ben '26 and Dylan '26 taught us what to do if a canoe capsizes. I never thought I'd need this skill in real life—and I didn't think I actually remembered how to do it—until my friends did their best to capsize their boat one weekend, and I had to help them.
This is me in a canoe this summer! Unfortunately, I do not have a photo of my friends' capsized canoe…
A wise Dartmouth alumna told me that every sophomore summer is different. So these are some of the downtime moments of my unique sophomore summer.
When I first arrived on campus, upper-level students eased my fears with their confidence and care. When invited to apply as a Dartmouth Bound Leader, I jumped at the chance to do the same to students starting their own college journeys.
Thinking about studying abroad? Seriously, you should! Beijing has been one of the highlights of my Dartmouth experience so far. Keep reading to hear about my trip to the iconic Great Wall!
Dartmouth is no stranger to a variety of student-run full-year performance groups in dance, a cappella, improv, and comedy. Sophomore summer is particularly special, as most of these groups allow sophomores to audition and join just for the summer.
While the Hanover community is always strong and thriving, it's hard to imagine what it's like when you are thousands of miles away from The Green. Read on to learn about my Dartmouth life in Rome, and the community within Dartmouth while abroad.
In one of my previous posts, I mentioned how I joined a sorority earlier this fall by going through the recruitment process. I've come a long way since then. In fact, I am living in my sorority house for my sophomore summer!
