Greetings from the woods! My name is Gavin Fry, and I'm a student blogger with the People, Places, and Pines team. I'm a proud first-generation college student, carrying with me the full support of my crazy family. I plan to be involved with undergraduate research, outdoor activities, and club golf here at Dartmouth! You can find me geeking out about the weather, reading novels, and always drinking coffee (at any time of the day). So nice to meet you!
Academic Program
Prospective Environmental Earth Science Major with a Minor in Public Policy
Favorite Thing Right Now
My idea of starting a chapter of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) here at Dartmouth!
Oh. My. Goodness. What a fun class this was! As a certified weather and climate geek, I was totally entrenched in everything we done in this course. From the labs and weather presentations to the "flipped" classroom experience, I thoroughly enjoyed this class. Dr. Osterberg's excitement for the course material made it that much more enjoyable! It was truly an extraordinary first-year course to take.
I’ve loved this class from beginning to end. For one, I enjoyed it because of the people in it, but I also loved it because of the content. Through frequent class discussion, I learned about the health of our democracy and the ways it is compromised. Very enlightening class!
Religion 5 was a quintessential liberal arts course that deepened my knowledge in a subject I thought I had all figured out. As a STEM-oriented student, this class offered the perfect balance to my spring term schedule. As a result of this class, I became more introspective of how I was raised, and I'm more grateful in my ability to be a free-thinker.
SummerOff Campus Internship - Princeton, New Jersey
This summer, I explored my future career plans by participating in a research internship with the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory at Princeton University. I learned a lot about what I want (and what I don't want) in a future career, and I made so many awesome lifelong connections!
A course rooted in both philosophical theory and real, practical methods of becoming a better public speaker was the highlight of the term. Our class of 16 students grew to be a sort of "mini-family," and I'm so grateful for the connections I made. I completely changed the way I view public speaking and homed in on my own skills as a public speaker!
Once again, a course outside my major found its way into my favorite class list. This sociology course helped me better understand how children are viewed in society, the way sociologists study youth, and the major differences in norms around childhood around the world. Who knew there was so much to learn about youth culture!
Back when I was trying to decide where I was going to college, there were many factors I was trying to take into consideration – cost, academic focus, size, etc. However, something I don't think I emphasized was where my college is geographically and how rural or urban the college town is. When I say I'm from a rural town, that's selling it short by a mile. There were 600 people in my town, fields surrounded my house, and I frequently drove down my country backroads. The characteristics of a small, quaint town are built into my identity. I value being able to go outside and see trees, grass, and nature. I don't think I'm a city kind of person; I don't enjoy the hustle-and-bustle of the New York City streets or the sight of skyscrapers when I have my daily commute. Dartmouth has been the ultimate small-town school for me, and I truly couldn't see myself going to school anywhere else.
Especially for my fellow rural high school students, I would encourage you to think about the "livability" and location of the college you choose. At face value, it's easy to make the decision solely by looking at the academics or rigor of the school. Just remember, this will be your new home for the next four+ years of your life, and it's important that you align with the college atmosphere and surrounding towns. Dartmouth is in Hanover, New Hampshire - a quaint New England town with warm coffee shops and a tight community. The Upper Valley's picturesque mountains gave me the chance to experience something different than the flat farmland I'd grown so familiar with, but Hanover is still small, rural, quiet, and generally peaceful. It's something I've grown to be very appreciative of during my first two years here, and it's certainly something you should consider when choosing what college to attend.
I often hear the argument that Dartmouth is "in the middle of nowhere," or "there's nothing to do in such a small town in the middle of the forest." While we are in the middle of the forest (a beautiful forest at that), I challenge you to see the benefits of living in a small college town. Hanover is tied closely with the college; students are always going into town to grab a coffee or to do a bit of casual shopping. I've never once thought that I was lacking something because of Dartmouth's location. Being in the Upper Valley is one of Dartmouth's biggest strengths, and I think rural high school students would especially thrive here. Shoot, even if you are from a more suburban or urban setting, I hope you'd give rural life a try. Think about these things when choosing a college. Like I said, it will be your home for the next four years of your life!
I applied through Questbridge's National College Match, but did not match. To others who also did not match, this is not the end of your application process! Here's what I did following match decision day.
Unlimited buffets, flavorful drinks, an assortment of breakfast pastries—Dartmouth has so many great food and drink options to choose from! Join me as I rank my favorite ones.
Walking around the Wellelsey campus, it's clear that it was built with intentional incorporation of the surrounding nature. The architecture of many buildings were also mindfully crafted to support Wellesley's unique principles.
