Hi all! Welcome to my blog! My name is Robin. I am a senior studying Economics and the Digital Arts. Outside of class I'm a guitarist, amateur rock climber, and seasoned billiard player–if you're on campus, there's a good chance you can find me at the Collis pool hall. I love Dartmouth and am sharing my journey through this blog. So if you're a prospie, parent, or Dartmouth enthusiast, you've come to the right place!
In this class, I'll be learning about stellar evolution, the origin of the elements, the deaths of stars, black holes, the structure of our Galaxy, other galaxies, dark matter, the expanding universe and the big bang.
In this class, we explore the issues of mark, line, scale, space, light and composition. I'm not naturally a great artist, but I love art and am taking this course to improve my skills.
This course studies the economic behavior of employers and employees as they interact in the labor market, covering topics such as human capital investment, the structure and determinants of financial compensation and benefits packages, contract negotiations and arbitration.
Painting I is an introductory class in oil painting techniques, painting language, and critical thinking. Major topics that will be covered include: basic color theory, color mixing, paint application, and color composition.
This course explores how the brain controls our motivation to pursue goals and how drugs of abuse hijack those systems, exploring in detail how narcotic drugs (opioids, stimulants, alcohol, cannabis) act in the brain and the mechanisms underlying the transition from drug use to addiction.
College classes are tough...but there is always room for some fun.
This term, one of my favorite classes is Introduction to Public Policy (aka PubPol 5). It's super interesting; we talk politics, legislation, and economics–all of which are extremely relevant, especially in the midst of the presidential election. Our professor, Charles Wheelan is hilarious, and I am always looking forward to his lectures.
That being said, this class is tough. We have lots of readings, two group essays, three individual essays, and a midterm–all concentrated in ten short weeks. To learn and do well in PubPol 5, you need to dedicate lots of time to stay on top of the workload and master the content.
That being said, our professor does understand that the work can be overwhelming at times, and makes sure to let us have some fun. The night of our midterm, he treated the entire class to Boloco (a local burrito restaurant) and booked an auditorium for us to watch a documentary. He ordered over one hundred burritos, and lots of cookies. The movie we watched, Fog of War, was about public policy in the 1980's, and showed me that everything I learned is used by the best of politicians.
Professor Wheelan has also invited some awesome guest speakers to our lectures. The first, Judd Gregg, is a former senator and governor of New Hampshire, and was one of the writers of the legislation to stabilize the economy during the 2008 financial crisis. The second was John Lynch, another former governor of New Hampshire, who talked to us about the difference between a good politician and a great politician, and shared his ideas today's biggest issues. Like Judd Gregg, Lynch offered great insight into the life of a policymaker.
Lastly, professor Wheelan decided in the middle of the term that we needed to loosen up, and surprised us with trivia day. The prices: books from a recent speaker at Dartmouth, and his own books. The trivia was related to class but again, Wheelan is hilarious, and spun the questions so we'd have a good laugh.
So, moral of the story, take PubPol 5 if you get the chance, and don't take yourself too seriously! Even in the Ivy League, there's always room for a bit of fun.
Traditionally, Dartmouth students take three courses during a term, but I decided to take four courses this term! Learn about course load and the academic system at Dartmouth.
As I approach the halfway mark of my Dartmouth journey this spring, I find myself reflecting on the significance of distributive and world culture requirements in shaping my academic experience.
Witnessing an eclipse was one of the most exciting days in my life to date, and a solid reminder of our place in this universe. Read on to hear about it!
This is my final term before senior year, which is both exciting and terrifying at the same time. One thing I am excited about is the classes I am taking this term, so let me tell you more!
This is part two of me "nerding out" about my honors thesis! If you want to learn more about independent projects, theses, or the humanities at Dartmouth, check it out!
