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!
If you've followed my blog posts up until this point, you'll quickly find that I adore many aspects of Dartmouth – the rural scenery, the small community, and, of course, the academics. There's no doubt that I love this place. With that being said, I want to journey back almost two years ago today. I was in high school fixing to graduate knowing I would be attending my dream college in just a few, short months. Everything about my life became oriented around my future college life and ways that I could prepare for it. I would encourage those who are in that weird limbo-like position in the summer before you start college to appreciate the small things in life before you embark on your college journey. Trust me, you will have plenty of time to ponder what your major is going to be and where the best study spots are on campus when you actually get here. I encourage you to stop, slow down, and smell the roses. Talk with family members that you haven't caught up with in a while and maybe grab a meal with those high school friends. Take a walk to that park that you frequented as a child, drive down the backroads, walk down the city streets, etc. The point is, don't live too far into the future that you're neglecting the present.
For me, this meant a lot of hikes with my little bro!
That's true for when you get here on campus, too! You'll start thinking about study abroad programs that will happen a year from now or what your plans are for the Greek-life scene months before you could take any action. The summer before your first year is a crucial time to investigate your mind. What things fill up your "battery," and what activities drain it? What does a comfort night look like to you? In my view, the best way you could prepare for college during that summer is to just live in the moment. Don't get too caught up in the intricate details of the impending future that you forget the small things in front of you. Spend time with family and your close friends back at home, sleep in, and take time to delve into the little activities that bring you joy that you maybe haven't indulged in during busy high school times. For me, this was Minecraft with the buds!
Minecraft with these two buds in particular. Be sure to spend a bunch of time with your high school pals!
Now, it may seem like I'm saying this to emphasize that all of these things will be gone or that you can't do them after you start college. That's not the case. What I do think, however, is that your life fundamentally changes once you get to college. You've heard it all before: "You'll be making your own decisions… there will be no grown ups there to tell y…" yada yada. You get it. What I want to emphasize is that your day-to-day activities will looks so drastically different than before – especially at a place like Dartmouth! I mean, from your first Homecoming bonfire to the Winter Carnival and Green Key, you've got a bunch of things to look forward to. Beyond those bigger events, you will certainly find your niche at this wonderful place, and I'm so excited for you! You will be a part of Dartmouth and Dartmouth will be a part of you. That's why I want you to embrace the seemingly monotonous lifestyle you've got during this summer. Don't feel pressured to get everything done or strain yourself too much; just live a little bit… you've got quite the four-year journey ahead of you!
Planning on visiting Dartmouth as a prospective student or an interested person wanting to see our beautiful campus? In this post, I share insider tips to ensure your visit is fulfilled!
As I approach the halfway mark of my Dartmouth journey this spring, I find myself reflecting on the significance of distributive and world culture requirements in shaping my academic experience.
This is my final term before senior year, which is both exciting and terrifying at the same time. One thing I am excited about is the classes I am taking this term, so let me tell you more!
This is part two of me "nerding out" about my honors thesis! If you want to learn more about independent projects, theses, or the humanities at Dartmouth, check it out!
