Dartmouth Winter Sports Club

Julia Snodgrass

Class of 2021
Julia Snodgrass '21

Bio 

Hey friends! I'm Julia, a '21 from Western Massachusetts. I hope that this blog helps shed some light on what life as a Dartmouth student is like. I've been a ski instructor, digital designer, mentor for middle schoolers, and Academic Assistant at the Irving Institute for Energy and Society. I've also spent terms abroad in Spain, Namibia, South Africa and New Zealand. On campus, I love to longboard around Occom Pond, eat takeout by the river, and get up egregiously early for sunrise hikes!

Academic Program 

Environmental Studies and Spanish

Favorite Thing Right Now 

Ben & Jerry's 'The Tonight Dough' ice cream

Hometown 

Williamsburg, MA

Pronouns 

She/her/hers

You are here

Julia's D-Plan

What's a D-Plan?

    • FallHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: Writing 5: Food for Thought

      This class is one of many foundational writing courses to help first-years acclimate to college-level writing. The central theme was the cultural and personal significance of food, which we explored through readings, guest speakers, and our own reflections. Another wonderful aspect of this course was how we were able to bond with our new classmates, through sharing our experiences with food and collaborating on peer editing.

    • WinterHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: Science Policy and Diplomacy

      This class highlights the crucial connection between scientific researchers and the policymaking realm. Our professor, Melody Burkins, taught us various strategies to effectively communicate scientific knowledge, so that it can be applied in the formation of prescient policy. We also investigated how scientific collaboration can be a promising tool for diplomatic efforts.

    • SpringHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: Energy and the Environment

      This class provided an excellent introduction to the role energy plays in our society and the critical challenges we face today. Prior to this class, I had never thought deeply about how energy is produced, delivered, and utilized around the world. I simply flicked on a light switch and assumed it would turn on. This class inspired me to delve more deeply into energy issues and pursue related internships.

    • SummerSantander, Spain

      Favorite Class: Spanish Language Study Abroad (LSA+)

      With the flexibility offered by the D-Plan, I was able to study abroad my very first year in college! I spent the summer with a small cohort of Dartmouth students, taking classes at a local university and living with host families. Each weekend, we went on excursions to various sites in order to have an in-person experience of the topics we were learning about in class. Whether we were exploring prehistoric cave art, getting a private tour of the famous Prado Museum, gorging ourselves on traditional Basque cuisine, or even just playing volleyball on the beach after class, this immersive program elevated my language skills and enriched my cultural understanding.

    • FallHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: Indigenous Environmental Studies

      This class is cross-listed between the Environmental Studies and Native American Studies departments. Through carefully selected readings, classroom conversations, and hearing from guest speakers, we explored environmental issues through the lens of indigenous studies. For our final project, my group created a mini documentary exploring indigeneity at Dartmouth. We interviewed indigenous students and faculty, who shared their reflections on the community they've found here and their vision for what the Native American Studies Department and Native American Program can look like in the future.

    • WinterSpringfield, MA

      Favorite Class: Internship at Eversource Energy

      For my off-term, I interned at Eversource Energy, New England’s largest energy provider. I worked in the Distributed Generation team and helped to implement a new solar incentive program in Massachusetts. This internship not only gave me valuable experience working in an office setting, but also cemented my interest in pursuing a career in energy.

    • SpringHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: Introduction to UX/UI Design I

      I came into this class with no digital design experience, but through hands-on projects and patient guidance from our instructors, I gained an understanding of the history, principles, tools, and practice of User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) Design. We took a field trip to Boston to visit three design firms, put together our own unique toolkit of resources, and learned how to work through the design process in order to deliver a tangible product to a client. After this class and the subsequent independent study in the Digital Applied Learning and Innovation (DALI) Lab, I now have an entire portfolio of designs and am working with other Dartmouth students to develop our own app!

    • SummerHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: Tango Argentino. Music, Dance, Poetry, Community

      This class was an immersive experience in the history and cultural value of tango. We learned to dance tango through in-class workshops and evening sessions with community members, hosted by the Dartmouth Argentine Tango Society (DATS). We also danced with patients at DHMC with motor neuron degenerative diseases, for whom tango can be a helpful therapy. Our professor brought in a variety of talented guests, from the Latin Grammy winning ensemble, "Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet", to professional dancers who have competed at international tango competitions. Overall, I gained a deep appreciation of the origins and legacy of tango music, lyrics, and dance, and the sense community tango is able to create on every scale.

    • FallSouth Africa and Namibia

      Favorite Class: Environmental Studies Foreign Study Program

      Study abroad round 2! This program gave us hand-on experience doing field research in collaboration with community partners. Our overarching focus was the interaction between humans and the surrounding ecology–exploring natural resource management, ecotourism, and human-wildlife conflict in a variety of contexts. From the dunes of the Namib Desert, to game reserves in South Africa, we worked closely with inspiring local experts, saw stunning landscapes, and were immersed in an academic and personal growth experience.

    • WinterAuckland, New Zealand

      Favorite Class: Research Assistantship at the University of Auckland

      For my off-term, I worked with a professor at the University of Auckland on her research on the intersection between gender, violence, and religion. Although I had minimal prior exposure to these disciplines, this experience helped me to further hone my research skills and broaden my academic perspective. In my spare time, I tried to see as much of the country as possible. I sailed around the Bay of Islands, hiked the Tongariro Alpine Crossing (inspiration for Mt. Doom in Lord of the Rings!), and swam in natural hot springs in Taupo. None of that would have been possible without the generous support of The Dickey Center for International Understanding. Like many centers on campus, they offer guidance and funding for students pursuing off-term internships.

    • SpringZoom!

      Favorite Class: Todo Borges

      With this class, I finished my Spanish minor! We delved deeply into poetry, short stories, and other writings by the Argentine author, Jorge Luis Borges. Guided by these texts, we had riveting conversations about the nature of time, memory, subjective realities, and much more. Our professor worked diligently to create a collaborative classroom environment that was as comparable as possible to in-person classes. At the beginning of some classes, students would recite a poem they had memorized, lead us in meditation, and one student even taught us a Bollywood dance routine with her mom! Our last class was a “Zoom party” where we introduced each other to our families and our pets. Overall, I was amazed at both the quality of the learning experience and how bonded I felt with my fellow classmates.

    • SummerZoom Round 2!

      Favorite Class: Senior Admissions Fellow

      This summer, I have begun my role as a Senior Admissions Fellow in the Admissions Office. Although I'm disappointed that we cannot work together in-person, transitioning to a remote format presented us with an exciting opportunity to get creative with our programming and expand our reach. I am working on a variety of projects and this blog is one of them!

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Getting Settled into Life at Dartmouth - Advice for First Years!

  1. No. 1

    Get involved!

    Ultimate Frisbee Team

    Getting involved in extracurricular organizations is a great way to make connections with people across campus. There’s clubs for nearly every possible interest out there and if one that you’re looking for doesn’t exist, you can easily create your own! Continue with older interests, explore new ones, BUT don’t think you need to join a bunch of random clubs to fluff up your resume. In reality, engaged, sustained involvement with a group you’re passionate about–whether it’s singing, farming, or real estate–will be much more rewarding in the long term.

  2. No. 2

    Get a breather!

    One Line a Day Journal

    Even if it doesn't seem productive, sometimes you just need to take a breather. During finals week one term, a professor told my class: “The less you think you can afford a break, the more you need one.” Take a walk around Occom Pond, get a socially distant lunch on the Green, or call up a friend from home. Also, take time to reflect and journal...I’d highly recommend 'One Line a Day' which is a five year journal where there’s only enough room to write a few lines. You could summarize your day, write something you’re grateful for, or jot down a new fact you learned–it’s totally up to you! I started mine in January of my first year at Dartmouth and have been writing in it every single day since then. It’s great to be able to look back and see the ways in which life has shifted over the course of college.

  3. No. 3

    Get organized!

    Use a physical or online calendar to keep track of class times, upcoming assignments, club meetings, and other items on your agenda. I’ve found it helpful to have everything in one place and visualize what my schedule looks like in the coming week. If you’re especially organized, you could even include things like exercise or time with friends, to ensure that you’re building time for those things into your day.

  4. No. 4

    Get some guidance!

    Reach out to your OPLs, UGAs, and even upperclassmen you might cross paths with in class. Shoot them a quick text or blitz and I guarantee they will be eager to share their experiences with you! Whether it’s advice about must-have professors, funding for internships, or life in general, I’ve found that guidance from older students has been essential in shaping my Dartmouth experience.

Posted 10/1/2020 at 9:00 AMAll List Posts

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