Ajay Kannan

Ajay hails from Potomac, MD, and is a graduate of Montgomery Blair High School. He's planning on majoring in either mathematics, economics, or computer science (or maybe he'll triple major in all three!) This term he's taking Narratives of the Artist (German 7), Differential Equations, and Macroeconomics. His first activities on campus include parliamentary debate, club tennis, and tutoring in the academic skill center. He's already discovered Feldberg Library as a preferred study spot, and it's no surprise: among his favorite pastimes is exploring new places.

Springing into Spring!

 Posted by Ajay Kannan at 12:48 pm  No Responses »
Mar 292012
 

It has been a while since we’ve posted, we know.  It’s been a hectic time.  Our short spring break has ended, and now we are in the midst of adding and dropping classes, buying textbooks, and going to meetings for clubs.  I want to spend some time talking about this past spring break to illustrate the amazing people here at Dartmouth and the amazing opportunities we have.

Most of our ASB group standing near the top of a mountain

Instead of going home or to a popular spring break destination like Miami, I went on an Alternative Spring Break (ASB) trip to rural West Virginia, a program organized through the Tucker Foundation here on campus.  Led by two Dartmouth students and the Director of Sustainability at Dartmouth, our group focused on mountaintop removal and the adverse effects it has on the environment, people’s health, and the economy in West Virginia.

A mountaintop removal site

One thing I learned on this trip was how complex issues can truly be.  Everyone that we met had different responses to the situation and offered different solutions for the future.  There is no simple solution to the problem, and the best our ASB group can hope to do is communicate the issue to our peers on campus and in the greater Hanover community.

The people I met on this trip are so passionate about the environment and are all around great friends.  I am so glad I chose to go on this ASB not only for the educational value, but to meet people I otherwise would not have.  I encourage you all to do an ASB, or at least take advantage of the multitude of funding from other organizations on campus to do things you truly feel passionate about.

To read more about our trip to WV, read our blog: http://wvasb.blogspot.com/?view=classic

Theatre and Math Go Together, Right?

 Posted by Ajay Kannan at 9:50 am  No Responses »
Feb 272012
 

Yesterday, I went to see the finale of Hairspray, the Theatre Department’s winter production.  I hadn’t heard of the play before, but I can now say I love it.  The cast was simply stunning, and they had such a bubbly energy even after two hours of jumping, hopping, dancing, and singing, and so much practice leading up to their final performance.  Personally, I find it amazing that people can be so talented at singing, dancing and acting all at the same time, especially since I find each one in itself such a challenge.  It was great to see that students of all years, even freshman, were featured so prominently in the show.  If I had any talent at all, I would definitely audition because it seems like the cast had such a great time working together.  My friends and I were all in a euphoric state after experiencing such a heartwarming story.

After the show, I went back to my dorm to work on my math paper.  I’m currently taking Math 17, a topics course called Math Beyond Calculus, which focuses on number theory and its applications in cryptography this year.  The professor does an amazing job tying together many areas of math into a coherent course in an interesting field while giving us a taste of what math is like after the calculus sequence.  In the final week, all the students in the class have to study something not directly covered in class.  Not only is it a chance to explore anything that interests us outside the curriculum, but it also exposes us to mathematical texts and papers, encouraging us to piece together an understanding the way mathematicians and scientists do when they learn about new topics.  We are soon going to start giving presentations to the class, which trains us in conveying difficult mathematical concepts clearly and succinctly, a skill that will definitely come in handy in the future.  I had never taken a math class quite like this before, and I love it.  I’m so glad that Dartmouth has classes like this, and I plan to seek them out in future terms as well.  I’ve been rubbing Warney Bently’s nose every time I pass through the Hop – hopefully that will give me good luck for my presentation.

 Tagged with: , , , , ,

A Truly Sweet Carnival

 Posted by Ajay Kannan at 9:55 am  No Responses »
Feb 112012
 

Winter Carnival is amazing.  It feels like a Sunday, yet it is only Friday.  Having Friday off, as well as most of Thursday, has given me a nice long break from work.  Today, I took advantage of 99-cent Ski Day at the Dartmouth Skiway.  One of my friends taught me and another friend how to snowboard.  By the end of the day, I went home with my backside sore and my head beaming.

I’ve never snowboarded, surfed, or skateboarded before, so I was not prepared for what I was facing today.  Simply standing still on the board without slipping and sliding around was an issue.  Before I clipped on my skateboard, the “bunny” hill looked small and harmless, but after I fell over simply standing on my board, it started to look huge and menacing, as if it had a huge, menacing mouth with sharp teeth jutting out.  Eventually, I made it up to the top and skateboarded down, and it was such a shock and a rush to see how fast I was going (when I didn’t fall halfway down the hill, of course).

My friends and I went early in the morning, but as time wore on, more and more people joined us on the slope.  I found it hilarious that as I was fumbling around and falling down, tiny kids were gracefully whizzing by me.  My friend heard a young boy who looked no taller than 3 feet say in a high-pitched voice, “Wow, there are a lot of learners today.”

Though some have lamented that it has been warm and there hasn’t been a lot of snow, I rather enjoyed today’s balmy 40-degree weather, especially since my pants were soaking wet.  There was still powdery snow beneath my boots and board, that’s all that mattered to me.  The views were majestic and picturesque, and it felt warm enough to wear nothing more than a t-shirt.  I still don’t know how to turn and my stopping skills are rudimentary, but I feel like I’ve made a lot of progress and maxed out the amount of fun a person is allowed to have in a day.

Yesterday, I met up with my floor and people I haven’t seen in a while at the opening ceremony of the carnival.  Having big weekends each term gives everyone on campus a chance to recharge, reconnect with friends we haven’t seen in a while, and have a whole lot of fun.  Though there weren’t the traditional fireworks yesterday, which was a bummer, I got free hot chocolate, cookies, and pizza and spent the rest of the day goofing off.  I’m grateful for Winter Carnival – it has truly been sweet.

Fuzzy Memories of Hectic (but Definitely Fun) Times

 Posted by Ajay Kannan at 5:52 pm  No Responses »
Jan 262012
 

It has been emphasized over and over again, but I just can’t get over how fast the term is going by.  I blinked and somehow it has been two weeks since I last posted.  Midterms have once again descended upon us, but I don’t really want to write about that.  Instead, I want to talk about the debate tournament the Parliamentary Debate Team hosted a few weekends ago.  As a member of the team, it was a great time to bond with fellow ’15 teammates and help organize a fun event for colleges across the nation.

The tournament started on Friday the 13th and continued on until afternoon the next day.  It snowed and sleeted on Friday, so teams got delayed coming in and rounds started late.  By the time I had finished my job for the day, it was well past midnight.  But somehow by the end of that first night, even after having worked for nine straight hours, I was in good spirits.

Most of my friends were judging debate rounds, which is supposed to be really helpful for cultivating your own debate skills as well.  Meanwhile, I helped in “Tab” (where all the pairings and draws were established), answering calls from debaters that were having problems finding their rooms, judges, or opposing teams.  It was interesting having my cell phone be the emergency number for the tournament, especially since my cell phone wasn’t completely functional (everything worked out though).  Trying to get buildings unlocked so that debaters could get into their assigned rooms late at night and early the next morning kept me on my feet as well, and there were a few interesting surprises thrown in along the way.  All in all, those two days are somewhat of a blur in my mind, but I do remember getting free breakfast and lunch with my fellow debate team members on Saturday.  Who doesn’t love free food?

With around 100 people coming from other schools, each member of the team had to host a couple debaters overnight.  I had people from University of Connecticut and William and Mary, which is somewhat close to my home in Maryland.  There were some some teams that flew in (Stanford and University of Chicago) – they take their debating seriously.  On one of the rare occasions I had the chance to venture outside of Tab, I saw people from different schools laughing and talking with each other over food.  It was so satisfying to see people from different schools creating a sense of inter-college community.

Even though large chunks of that hectic weekend are a blur, it was a great time to bond with my fellow ’15s on the team and to get to know how debate tournaments really work (it is a lot more complex than I thought).  Moreover, it is an example of the level of campus involvement you can immerse yourself in even as a freshman.  Whatever clubs you may be interested in here on campus,  I bet you can look forward to engaging in big, exciting projects as well.

The Path of Least Cold

 Posted by Ajay Kannan at 10:45 am  No Responses »
Jan 042012
 

My sidekicks during the winter months.

Classes start really late for me today, so I thought I would load a quick post. I’m a little anxious to get back into the swing of classwork, especially since I’m taking harder courses this term. I’m very satisfied with my schedule because my classes are fairly small and there will be a lot of participation involved. However, the most pressing item on my mental agenda for today is plotting my “path of least cold”.

When my friends left for classes this morning, they stepped outside into 1 degree (F) weather. It’s supposed to reach a high of 15 degrees today. Needless to say, I’m plotting my activities for the day to minimize time outside. It’s really a pity that the 40 degree weather that Hanover had a couple days ago disappeared the moment everyone came back to campus. Anyways, I suppose I should be readying myself for class instead of sitting on my bed being wistful.

The nice thing is that, as I sit on my bed typing this post and planning out my day, I’m enjoying some balmy conditions inside. The dorms are kept toasty – warm enough that I sometimes wear shorts and sandals inside.  Most of the time, I feel like it’s spring. Essentially, I’m only preparing to face the cold for a combined 20 minutes of walking over the course of the entire day.

But, back to my checklist: Hat – check. Gloves – check. Huge jacket – check. Wool socks – check. And I’ve never worn a scarf before, but I assure you, I will be wearing one today. It’s kind of exciting to break out all my heavy winter gear. I’m off now, with plan formulated in my head.

Happy New Year everyone!  This year is definitely starting differently for me, and I hope it will be a great one for the both of us.

 Tagged with: ,

Congrats Future 16s!!!

 Posted by Ajay Kannan at 10:17 pm  No Responses »
Dec 082011
 

Before coming to Dartmouth as a ‘15 this past September, I never could have imagined that the upperclassmen would get so excited to see freshmen.  I get the sentiment now – I can’t wait to meet you and see the great things you bring to the future of this school.

I know the days leading up to the decision were especially difficult.  I can remember mine as if they were yesterday.  Counting down the minutes and seconds, not being able to concentrate in class, dealing with a mad rush of texts, chat messages, and phone calls – it all seemed so surreal.

That surreal feeling doesn’t really go away, though.  My first term at Dartmouth has been unreal, and I can’t believe that I’ve already finished a twelfth of my time here (I don’t want to leave!).  I can’t help but think how lucky I am to have chosen this school.  Dartmouth is better than I could have imagined, and I’m positive you will feel the same way!

 Tagged with: ,

Dealing with Tennis Withdrawal

 Posted by Ajay Kannan at 5:34 pm  No Responses »
Dec 052011
 

I love tennis, as you probably gathered from my quick bio on this website.  When I was at home, I used to play tennis with my brother every single day it did not rain and was above 30 degrees.  We would play matches against each other and USTA tournaments as well.  I was a little hesitant of what I would do without tennis up north at Dartmouth, especially during the winter.  What I did not realize was how many clubs and facilities there are to use for students.

Photo credit to DartmouthSports.com

I knew there would be a gym, but I’m not a big fan of running on treadmills or lifting weights – it was always too boring for me.  I like strategy, competition, and winning.  I learned just yesterday that there is a badminton club on Thursdays at 9 pm in the Alumni Gym, which sounds awesome, considering that my love for tennis spills into all other racket sports.  A friend also showed me the indoor squash courts at Alumni Gym, which are open to the public for a large part of the day.  If I start shaking and sweating because of tennis withdrawal, a friend and I could each pay $5 to play on at the Boss Tennis Center when the varsity teams are not training.

I haven’t tried out that many other facilities, but the gym is nice – it has all the equipment you would need.  There is also a swimming pool, which I personally have not tried out, but it looks at me alluringly every time I pass by it on my way back from the racquetball courts.  I’ve also seen the indoor basketball courts and track.  I’m sure there is more that I’m missing, because there are multiple floors, and the staircases and hallways are like a maze.  I’ve gotten lost my fair share of times (I’m not the best at directions), but I don’t mind because it means we have a large gym.

There are also a ton of club and intramural sports.  I did tennis in the fall, naturally.  Many kids from my dorm did intramural soccer and had fun facing other teams in matches.  There are also PE classes that span areas that aren’t offered otherwise.  For example, there are classes in yoga, many types of dance, fencing, and a whole lot of other activities that I have never done.  I plan on taking one this winter to ease my tennis withdrawal.

Overall, I guess I can live without tennis.  It would have been excruciating had Dartmouth not had so many awesome activities, though, so I’m thankful.

 Tagged with: , , , , ,

Courses, Schedules, and D-Plans Galore

 Posted by Ajay Kannan at 8:40 pm  No Responses »
Nov 232011
 

I have way too much fun planning.  I think classes are my favorite thing to plan about my time at Dartmouth.  You know how on Macs, they have the “Top Sites” page when you open up a new tab?  Well my Banner account, where you go to pick classes, is listed there now…with other sites like Youtube, my favorite web comics, Gmail, and Sporcle.  I think I look at classes more than I watch television or surf Facebook.  That’s a good thing, right? (Just nod your head, it will make me feel better.)

There are just so many possibilities to consider.  Class topic, professor, time – sometimes it gets to be a bit much because I literally can’t hold all the information in my head.  I don’t mind courses in the morning or going to class on TuTh (Tuesdays and Thursdays) in addition to MWF (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays), but a lot of my friends choose courses that only meet later on MWF.  Then there are the distributives that they fulfill, which I’m not really worrying about right now, but eventually I’ll be looking for a CI, TMV, etc.  I apologize for my abbreviations – I think it’s another sign I’ve spent way too much time on Banner.  Anyways, I especially like looking at the teachers’ reviews, especially on the site that the Hacker Club resurrected (don’t worry, “hacking” is another word for Programming, and the Hacker Club works on some awesome projects).  A great teacher can make you really enjoy thinking about subjects that you’ve never thought about before.

Speaking of new subjects, it’s my goal to take at least one crazy, creative, out-of-the-box course each term.  On the agenda for winter term: ethnomusicology, in which I’ll learn about non-western music whilst playing musical instruments I’ve probably never seen before and learning from visiting musicians.  To work towards my goal, I’m already planning (no surprises there) a list of interesting courses that I want to take by the time I graduate.

D-planning is harder to do as a freshman in my opinion, especially because there are so many variables up in the air.  Most freshman take summer off, but I don’t mind staying on-campus if it means I can land a really interesting internship or study abroad program some other term.  D-planning started with my nearly-obsessed friend (you know who you are :P , but no judgment, since I clearly cannot judge anyone).  I caught the disease from her, and now I’ve come up with a tentative plan for my first three years here (let’s not mention the hours that went into that).  D-Planning also leads to discussions about housing next year with my friends, which I won’t even go into here – it’s complicated.

Anyways, when it’s course registration time, I tend to get very little work done.  It’s a pity that course registration opened just before midterms, but I did fine on my tests, so no worries.  But now that’s its Thanksgiving break, I can relax, do a little studying (not go on Banner…hopefully that part works out), and reconnect with my family and friends from back home.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

 Tagged with: , , , ,

Ole Blitz

 Posted by Ajay Kannan at 9:58 pm  No Responses »
Nov 092011
 

I only learned this recently, but apparently cell phone service was very, very spotty at Dartmouth until the early 2000s. As a result, people “blitzed” (emailed) each other instead of texting each other, which is why we Dartmouth students hold Blitz so close to our hearts.

The “old Blitz” was shifted to a new system this year, which was a cause of annoyance for a lot of the upperclassmen, but everyone I know is still grateful that we use email the way we do. What do I mean by that? People blitz out events to the entire student body so that everyone knows what is happening on campus. Between social events and clubs recruiting members, between opportunities to eat lunch with President Kim and to get involved in off- and on-campus programs, I get so many emails day. This entire system creates the most inclusive, cohesive campus atmosphere that I have heard of.

The emails come in spurts. At one moment, I will be lulled into a false sense of calm. But there are times during the day, usually mid afternoon, and then especially around 10:30 pm, when I get email after email after email, convincing me that campus is alive and throbbing with energy. I will leave you with this piece of advice. Ignore Blitz at your own peril – you will be flooded in emails if you don’t check it daily, sometimes more often. Just kidding…sort of….

 Tagged with: , ,

Got floor bonding?

 Posted by Ajay Kannan at 4:17 pm  No Responses »
Oct 152011
 

I have gotten to know my floor pretty well. We have had normal experiences: eating lunches and dinners together, having late nights laughing over funny Youtube videos, and stopping by each others rooms to talk. Then there was K-pop, watching “A Very Potter Musical” with a very enthusiastic Harry Potter addict, and “acting” for a friend’s film strip for class. And now, a month in, we continue to grow closer. There are always happenings that give us more memories and stories to tell.

A couple afternoons ago, I was talking to my friend down the hall, and I went back to my dorm momentarily to get something. Before I came back out, the fire alarm went off. While slipping into shoes and following my floormates down the stairs, I heard a voice say, “I didn’t even turn the heater on!” My friend came over to me to explain the situation.

My friend said that she felt a heat wave, and while she was checking her own heater, the fire alarm went off.  Once she figured out it wasn’t her heater setting off the alarm, she opened the door and was hit with a wall of dense steam. She could just make out the silhouette of a person across the hall throwing his electronics into his roommate’s room. He casually said over the din, “Oh, sorry about that.”

Apparently, there was a crack in his heater, and water gushed out. He was working on a paper, and since he didn’t know how to fix the problem, he refocused himself on his work. A couple minutes later, he heard hissing, and he slowly turned his head towards his heater. Within minutes, steam filled his room.

While professionals went into the building to assess the heater, the floor took a group picture outside our dorm.  Thankfully there was no water damage, and life went back to normal 15 minutes later. However, life here never ceases to throw us surprises, and I am glad I have my floor to share experiences with. I am excited for the end of the year, when I can reflect on all the crazy things we have seen and done together.

 Tagged with: , ,
 Older Entries
© 2013 Dartmouth Direct Acceptable Use Policy