A photo of a sunset, with silhouettes of trees at the foreground

Cal Shin

Class of 2027

Cal's D-Plan

- FallOn Campus
  Favorite Class: PHIL 1.08: The Philosophy of Time and Time Travel
  I took this course with Professor James Binkoski and loved it! I had never taken a philosophy course prior to Dartmouth, so this introductory course in the department was perfect! After all, it combined my interests of philosophy with time and time travel — at least, how time and time travel are depicted in the media. This course may initially seem to be on the more technical side, but Professor Binkoski made sure to break down the various time travel theories — various ways scientists and philosophers think of time and its supposed movement — in a manner that’s easy for anyone to understand. A very popular course overall; I am fortunate to have been able to take it during my first term here!
- WinterOn Campus
  Favorite Class: ECON 1: The Price System - Analysis, Problems, and Policies
  I took this course with Professor Ha Yan Lee and it was absolutely amazing! I had my initial reservations about this course, mainly because I knew a lot of my classmates would have had some background knowledge while I had none. Professor Lee did a wonderful job of breaking down concepts in a manner that, as she often put it, is easy for even “your grandparents to understand”. Even beyond the course, the level of care Professor Lee exhibited towards her students is significant. She’s one of the most popular professors at Dartmouth, and for good reason! I ate lunch with her at The Pine through the Take a Faculty Member to Lunch program, and she gave me tremendous insight and advice! Because of this course, I have been inspired to explore more courses within the Econ department and potentially major in Economics.
- SpringOn Campus
  Favorite Class: RUSS 7.07-01: Monster Trafficking
  I took this course with Professor Jasmina Savic and examined how the vampire figure evolved over time, starting with Slavic literature, going through Dracula and Twilight, and ending with “vampire” political figures. I realized what the portrayal of vampires could tell me about the thoughts of that society, including the fact that the early notions of vampirism are akin to modern-day diseases. For my final project, I wrote a research paper comparing the gumiho (the Korean nine-tailed fox) to several Western vampires.
- SummerNew York City, New York
  I had the opportunity to visit New York City for the summer! I met up with a good friend of mine, explored the city itself, and went to a networking event with other college students.
- FallOn Campus
  Favorite Class: ECON 10: Introduction to Statistical Methods
  ECON 10 is one of the required courses for the Economics major. Based on my stellar experience with Professor Ha Yan Lee during ECON 1, when I saw that she was teaching ECON 10 this term, I immediately jumped at the chance to take the course with her. Once again, Professor Lee did an amazing job of breaking down concepts in an easy-to-understand manner. (The fact that her slideshows were colorful and featured various pictures of cats helped.)
- WinterOn Campus
  Favorite Class: PHIL 37: Ethical Theory
  My main interest in philosophy lies in normative and applied ethics, so when I saw the opportunity to take a class on the former, I didn’t hesitate! The class focused on consequentialism, utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics. I enjoyed the ample opportunities for discussion, including discussion posts about the readings, as well as the table-wide conversations. My table, in particular, had lots to say, and there was one reading in particular where we ended up diving into discussion, not once, but twice! In fact, we had so much to say that all of us coincidentally chose to write our essay on this reading — and none of us knew until after we started talking about our papers!

Being Green at Dartmouth

The Dartmouth Green is more than our school color. These words describe our natural surroundings, the myriad of outdoor activities available through organizations like the Dartmouth Outing Club, and even the large, grassy space perfect for social gatherings during warm weather. As I would come to learn, green would also describe Dartmouth's commitment to sustainability. If sustainability is important to you, I encourage you to read further, as we have several sustainable initiatives on campus.

No. 1
Green2Go

Created by Dartmouth students in the summer of 2017, Green2Go is an initiative where people get reusable, sanitized, to-go containers in certain dining locations on campus. For $10 DBA (dining dollars), you can receive a green carabiner. Each meal period, you can exchange their carabiner with a Green2Go. You can bring back your Green2Go (no need to wash it; Dartmouth Dining will take care of that for you) and exchange it for either another Green2Go, or a green carabiner. The best part is that you’re not limited to one carabiner; if you happen to lose yours, you can get as many as you want, as long as you have the dining dollars. Since the Ivy Unlimited meal plan, the required plan for first-years, comes with $325 DBA, the carabiners are a worthy investment that can last for your entire undergraduate career.
No. 2
The Free Market

The Free Market is an on-campus thrift store located in the basement of North Massachusetts Hall. You can get anything and everything you want for free—no questions asked! There is clothing for all occasions and seasons, bedding, boxes, and books. All items are donated by other students on campus. Read more about my experience with the Free Market here!
No. 3
The Moving Sale

The moving sale occurs during orientation week and sells dorm and school supplies. I’ve seen mini-fridges, tables, lamps, mirrors, fans, laundry hampers, storage organizers, drawers, fans, and notebooks, to name a few. The best part is that these items are cheap—you’d be hard-pressed to find a high-quality mini-fridge for $20! Additionally, students who participate in the First Year Student Enrichment Program (FYSEP) get priority in purchasing items—with vouchers provided by the First-Generation Office.