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!
A part of me still doesn't want to believe I'm starting my second year of college here at Dartmouth, but it's true. It's here, it's happening, and it's time to rock and roll! Throughout my first year, I found myself in a transitional phase from my younger years into who I will become as an adult – the values I hold closest, my outlook on life, my friends, etc. There are countless events that helped shape me over the course of my first year. Instead of trying to tell a lengthy story of the pivotal moments from my first year, trying to remember fuzzy details and dialogue, I'd like to talk about my genuine experiences and how I feel that I've changed over the past year. I know my experiences won't fit everyone else's, and that's a good thing. I hope you can gauge what this transitional period may look like for you using me as a case study.
One of the first things that infatuated me was the nature around campus – a big reason I was so attracted to Dartmouth! The way the breeze made me feel on a cool autumn's day or the way the sun shined on the pine trees surrounding campus was therapeutic. This was my "release" from campus when things got a little overwhelming. I think finding this release is something crucial to finding your happiness. Whether it be going for a run, playing a video game, doing a puzzle, eating dinner with friends, etc., find what your release is – it's essential!
Visualization of my "release." Just look at how beautiful nature is!
The earliest lesson I was taught here came almost exclusively within my own psyche. I'm from the heart of the southern U.S., a small town in rural Missouri where we dress a little different and talk a little bit funny. When I first came to campus, I tried to change this. What I thought were imperfections turned out to be what makes me individualistic. You're not meant to fit the style of those around you. You're not meant to copy others' mannerisms because you think they're "correct." You're certainly not supposed to lose who you are pretending to be somebody else. I suggest you skip this phase. You are an awesome person, so let your unique personality shine through!
Through many of the conversations I've had with friends over the past several months, it's clear that people want to form their friend groups early on. They want that sense of comfort – the feeling that you can have someone to rely on day or night, 24/7. This was huge for me. In high school, my two best friends had my back no matter what. I sure miss them! So, I tried super hard to find my friend group as early as possible. From my experience, this isn't a task that you can simply "check off." Instead, your friend group will slowly form over time, and you will see who those core people are. It's hard to be patient with something like this, but it will happen. Put yourself out there, and life will do the rest!
There are some amazing people here. You will find your gang!
From my perspective, one of the most important things you can accomplish in your first year of college is gaining a better understanding of who you are. I know this sounds a little vague now, but it will make sense. College will bring out your mental toughness, insecurities, belly-laughs, tears, and beyond. This is a bit scary, but that's a good thing! This is life, and life is about to happen to you; it's wonderful! My "advice" here is to get good at introspecting. When you come across new ideas, don't be rigid to them, but don't let them control who you are. Don't lose individuality, but don't be closed off. To put it best I can, frequently evaluate yourself and what your values are. This will change, and as long as it's in the positive direction, you're golden!
Advice on more academic-related endeavors requires a blog post in and of itself, so be on the lookout for that. For now, understand that beginning college is a lot more than merely preparing you for a future career. College is preparing you for life itself! Through the experiences you'll have, the friends you will make, and the memories you'll remember, you will find out a lot about yourself. I'm truly grateful to say this coming from the Dartmouth experience. I've felt supported and loved since I've got here, and there are so many people to thank for that. What can I say? I'm blessed!
This quote comes from a saying my family has: "Don't Let the Tail Wag the Dog". I think it's fitting for this post. I'll leave it open to interpretation :)
Every Dartmouth student is required to demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English. Here's my experience navigating the language requirement!
