Hi everyone! I'm Julia from Seattle, WA. Reading this blog during my junior and senior years of high school helped me to envision myself on this campus, so this all feels very full-circle. I'm studying QSS, Education, French, and Religion (I know, it's a lot at the moment!). I love cooking/food, watching old Modern Family episodes (my favorite character is Mitch), and finding cozy places to study on campus. Talk to you soon!
This class served as a great introduction to the Quantitative Social Science department. My favorite part of class was working with real-world data in our problem sets each week. I also adored my professor, Elsa Voytas. It was her first term as a professor here, and she was constantly eager to answer any questions you might have. I'm really looking forward to taking more QSS classes in the future!
I loved this class and especially my professor, Michele Tine. My favorite part of the course was watching the "Up!" documentary series as a class. The episodes began with a cohort of children at age 7, and has continued to follow them throughout their adulthood. We got to analyze the children's decisions and lifestyles in the context of what we were learning about, culminating with a paper highlighting one of the cohort members.
Paris and Literature and Film was the last part of my first-year writing experience. Professor Kane did a great job of bringing a variety of sources into our classroom discussions (books, movies, articles, etc.) which made the course very engaging. Plus, it was so much fun to learn about France before visiting in 25W!
Data Visualization was one of the best classes I've taken at Dartmouth so far. Professor Cooper was very engaging, and I learned that I really LOVE making data meaningful and accessible. I'm even taking Professor Cooper's Advanced Data Visualization in the winter to continue building on my skills.
Training For The Trails: Becoming A Wilderness First Responder
It's nearly a disease. Not only are Dartmouth students busy with classes, social calendars, and extracurricular activities ranging from varsity sports to jobs at our very own jewelry studio, they also seem to have a unique desire to get certified. From learning how to properly bake pizzas in the wood-fired oven at the Dartmouth Organic Farm to being certified to lead multi-day break trips through the Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC), Dartmouth students strive to learn how to lead and help others in unique experiences.
This winter, I decided to spend a week of my winterim (describing the six-week break between fall and winter quarters) taking a Wilderness First Responder course. Initially, I found out about the course through a listing on Trailhead, the one-stop shop website for all DOC-related activities. (Fun fact: all DOC sub-club leaders have access to Trailhead and there are multiple trips nearly every day of the year!) After seeing that the course would only cost me $350 dollars (not including additional financial aid) when WFR classes are typically over $700 dollars, I decided to sign up. I am so glad that I did.
The morning that the course began, I met my seven fellow students behind Robinson Hall to drive up to Moosilauke Ravine Lodge. While we were not going to stay in the actual lodge—it was already closed for the season—we were able to live, work, and sleep at a bunkhouse built for researchers.. The extra space and kitchen proved useful for a large projector and cooking meals. Then, we got to work! Around two-thirds of the course is purely PowerPoints and notetaking, so we spent quite a bit of time gathered in the living room listening to our instructors. Teaching a Wilderness First Responder course requires quite a bit of previous experience in medicine and wilderness rescues. Our instructors included veterans, ski patrollers, paramedics, nurses, and firefighters. Probably my favorite part of the week was hearing all of their stories from work.
The view of Mt. Moosilauke from outside of the cabin. A snowy wonderland!
Another special part of the course is that we cooked our meals together. As students, we were responsible for cooking all of the meals while our instructors would often help clean up since we typically dove right back into the material after eating. The DOC provided us with all of the groceries we could need – beans, cheese, and tortillas for quesadillas, quinoa for Mediterranean bowls, and even a party-sized container of fruit snacks. We were truly set.
When we were not inside, we were practicing rescues. We each took turns as buried patients in the snow who had injuries ranging from cuts on their face (complete with stage makeup) to bones poking out of their legs. All of us had fun both treating and being treated in these scenarios. After every rescue, we debriefed as a group about what went well and what we needed to work on for the next rescue.
A few days later, it was time to take our exam and head home. I ended up having to leave early for a variety of reasons, but I was still able to pass the final and get my certification. I am so grateful for the DOC and for my instructors for making this class so accessible and fun. It was such a wonderful week and I am looking forward to (hopefully not) using my skills over the next three years in the woods.
A statement I never thought I would make. Being completely honest, during my first term I was counting down the days to go back to Arizona. However, being away from Dartmouth made me realize how lucky I am to be here.
Dartmouth's Chinese New Year celebrations brought a sense of home through themed dining, student-led events, and cultural gatherings, fostering community and appreciation for the holiday.
A history class that starts with music, brings the past to life through debates and museum visits, and just might make me a history minor—welcome to History of China Since the 1800s.
