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.
Last term, I was away from Hanover in Los Angeles on the Film Domestic Study Program (DSP). If you are interested in learning more about my winter term, you can check out my profile to read more about the experience (I did weekly blog updates while on the DSP)! But now, after being away from a winter in Hanover, I'm back for spring! Well, Hanover spring, which means that there's still snow on the ground, a chill in the air, and winter jackets on hand, at least for now.
Still, I've decided, now being back on campus after a whole quarter, to explore interests outside of my comfort zone. Recently, I decided to start taking classes in the Economics department, and I thought of maybe minoring in it. I haven't made a concrete decision, but a big step is that I'm taking ECON1 right now. A few terms ago, I would've never made such a swift turn away from my intended major, but I guess spring term does that to you!
ECON1 has been a super interesting experience so far. So has my other class, Physics 5, which is a beginner's guide to the way physics applies to everyday life. It's definitely not super intense stuff (which I do not have the credentials for), but I think it's an introduction to what goes on in the department and the field. Being in both of these classes has also been really cool because it's introduced me to a brand new set of people who often take classes within the department and whom I would've never met in one of my regular psychology or film classes.
My third class of the term is PSYC11, which is a lab requirement in the major. It uses a lot of the principles of Experimental Design, Methodology, and Data Analysis Procedures (PSCY10), which I took last winter, so I've been trying to brush up on that as well. I find I am notoriously bad at statistics, so I've been trying to focus extra hard in that class. Interestingly, there's also some basic coding in this class, and I've never coded before, so I'm excited to try it out!
I think that broadening my academic horizons is only one of the ways I'm looking to try something new this spring. I'm going to be in Hanover for my sophomore summer, which will officially be beyond the halfway point of my time at Dartmouth. I'm trying to use this term to figure out what the back half of my experience will look like, and I'm excited to take you along!
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 and interesting.
