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.
What I'm Looking Forward to Doing in my Second Year
I have found that no matter how much I try to prepare for a new term of school, I never feel prepared once I actually get on campus. There are always things—exciting opportunities or unforeseeable setbacks—that come up unexpectedly, and I have to change course. These summer weeks of envisioning my next term are probably going to feel useless from my future perspective, but now that's all I have. I hope you enjoy the sunrises and sunsets I collected over the summer—they are the backdrop of all my ambitions for my second year (ambitions that might or might not change.)
A July sunrise from my favorite beach in Bulgaria.
In a few months, I will have to finally declare my major (majors at Dartmouth are declared at the end of your sophomore winter term.) I am no longer bouncing around majors (although you can read about this period here), so I'm not too stressed about that. Neuroscience never fails to amaze me, and every class at the department seems interesting if not exciting, but I'd like to learn this year in which direction I want to steer my major. Am I going to be combining it with computer science? (That's why I'm taking PSYC 40: Computational Neuroscience this term.) Or am I going to do something entirely different? I don't know. Check in with me at the end of the school year.
There are a few other interests of mine that I'll be trying to weave into the tapestry of my career goals and pursuits. I participated inTuckLab Entrepreneurshiplast year—a term-long program for undergraduates organized by the Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship and Tuck School of Business–and I want to see if my interest in startups will take me somewhere exciting. I'll have a mentor at Tuck this year, a graduate student who will hopefully help me bridge at least two of my passions.
A sunset from Rezovo, a small village in Bulgaria on the southern border with Turkey.
Technically almost not a sunrise - I took that picture a few hours before dawn - but the moon was very pretty :)
And last (always saving the dessert for last), I'm looking forward to taking on more responsibilities in the Dartmouth Outing Club. I don't know yet if this means becoming a trip leader—readhereabout trip leaders and how you can become one, but I'd like to somehow give back to this amazing communityon campus that made my first year my first year.
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?
Join me for a 5:30 A.M adventure as I hike the Gile Mountain to catch the sunrise and explore the Norwich Farmers' Market, enjoying delicious treats and a beautiful morning!
Homecoming—a time when current students and alumni gather to relive cherished memories and exhibit large amounts of school spirit. Find out how I spent my second Homecoming Weekend at Dartmouth!
