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!
Classes Outside Your Major: The Best Dartmouth Courses
I've thoroughly enjoyed all of the courses I've taken at Dartmouth. Each course and instructor brings a unique perspective to the liberal arts experience and provides a new set of challenges each term. Although I'm a STEM student at heart with a particular emphasis on meteorology (the study of the weather), many of my favorite courses at Dartmouth have been outside of this academic discipline. Of course, I have a separate love for courses like meteorology, climate dynamics, and physics, but I've learned there's an entirely different enjoyment surrounding courses scattered around the liberal arts curriculum:
First Year
Fall: My first term on campus, I took Meteorology (EARS 14), Calculus I (MATH 003), and a First-Year Writing Course (WRIT 005). Meteorology was fantastic, but my writing course was a unique, philosophy-based course questioning the emergence of consciousness in humans. I learned from other students in the class, contributed to discussions, and received constructive feedback on my papers. This was such a great course!
Winter: During my second term on campus, I took a government seminar course titled, "Does Democracy Work?" The discussion-based classes every Tuesday and Thursday morning fueled my energy for the day, and I loved the clashing of opinions from my peers and from my instructor. This was the first time my real-life experience have helped me understand course material, and it was fascinating!
Spring: Wrapping up my first year, I took a course in the religion department titled, "REL 005: Early Christianity – The New Testament." This is perhaps my favorite class that I've taken at Dartmouth, including the classes in my major path. I grew up in a Christian family, and I never quite had the time (nor was I allowed) to question the faith that was thrust upon me. At Dartmouth, I was able to embrace my new identity as a free-thinker to view this religion from an academic standpoint, which was an amazing experience for me.
Something I can't fail to mention.... sitting in the front row of ALL these courses is a key to success at Dartmouth!
Second Year
Fall: Public Speaking was an enormously beneficial course from a personal and academic standpoint. I used to be a very timid and softly spoken kind of guy back in the first half of high school. Once I started to gain confidence in my abilities as a leader through the help of my friends in high school, my life became much more enjoyable. This course reinforced my ability to remain confident in stressful situations, i.e., public speaking!
Winter: Sociology has always been a fascinating topic to me, and I got the chance to explore those interests during my second winter on campus. I learned about childhood sociology through a course titled, "Youth and Society" (SOCY 031), and it was certainly the highlight of the term for me. Again, it doesn't have much to do with my immediate interests in weather and climate, but this was absolutely fascinating material that made me a more well-rounded scholar.
Spring: A course that's a little bit more suited toward my career interests lies in the Environment Studies department at Dartmouth – "The Practice of Science Diplomacy & Policy." Through various simulations, discussions, and debates, I was able to better understand how science is (or is not) translated into tangible policy in the United States government. It allowed me to understand my career interests in more detail and even shift them quite a bit!
Third Year
Summer: I've yet to be on campus for my third year, but the first term of my third year was spent abroad in the Baltic Countries on the Baltic LEAP program at Dartmouth! I enjoyed all three of the courses I took, including energy & political systems of the Baltic regions and even the history of the region going back to medieval times. It was great getting to learn more about my grandfather's homeland in Latvia, so I must highlight all of these classes as well!
As you can see, I've enjoyed many courses at Dartmouth, and most of them have been outside of my major path. So, I encourage you to explore your academic interests by embracing uncertainty and taking a course you find enigmatic instead of comforting. Get outside your comfort zone when choosing classes… you won't regret it!
Every Dartmouth student is required to demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English. Here's my experience navigating the language requirement!
In addition to blogging, I work as a Fellow for the Tucker Center, which focuses on promoting spiritual and ethical life on campus. As part of this role, I'm leading the Interfaith Alternative Spring Break Trip. Read on to learn more about my work!
