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, Geography, 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!
Academic Program
QSS major; Religion and French double minor
Favorite Thing Right Now
Beautiful (and free) dinners at Moosilauke Ravine Lodge!
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.
Having never taken a Geography class before, I had no idea what to expect from Professor Alvarez León's course. By the end of the term, I was obsessed with all of the topics of the course. We spent the majority of the time talking about space versus place, and we constantly had fun group activities in class. Plus, I took the class with my godsister (a '28) which was a dream come true!
Evangelicalism was easily one of my favorite classes so far. Professor Balmer was an extraordinary lecturer, even providing anecdotes from his own PBS series about his book. I came into Dartmouth anxious about all of the reading that would be required for classes, and Evangelicalism quashed that fear of mine. I left the class a more confident and curious student.
One of my favorite parts of Dartmouth is how many friendships form between class years. I have been looking forward to interviewing some of my favorite graduating seniors on their Dartmouth experiences for the blog, given they have perspective on Dartmouth that I lack now. With that, I proudly present my interview with Kelby Greene. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: Where did you grow up? What kind of high school did you go to?
I grew up in East Tennessee, just outside of Knoxville. I went to a small private school where we used project based learning.
Q: Why did you choose Dartmouth?
One of the main reasons I chose Dartmouth once I got in was because of the resources that I knew the institution had. I was choosing between a local school in Tennessee where I got great financial aid and Dartmouth, where I also got fantastic financial aid. Ultimately, it came down to the fact that every department had faculty that are some of the best in their field. In my specific department, History, there is a really high ratio of professors to students in the major. You get to work one-on-one with your professors, which I really wanted out of my college experience.
Q: Can you talk a little more about affordability? How did that shape your Dartmouth career?
There are just so many sources of funding, whether for going home during a break or getting a winter coat. There's also funding for things that you wouldn't get to participate in otherwise, like Dartmouth Outing Club break trips across the country. There's also tons and tons of fellowships for research projects and research under professors. You can find financial support for almost anything you want within reason.
Q: Tell me about the day you got into Dartmouth.
I woke up really early and I had gone out rowing before school. The entire day of school I was a nervous wreck. I could have opened my decision in my car after my evening rowing practice, but I got too panicked so I had to go home.
I went inside and I opened my decision up and I was like, "Oh my goodness, this can't be right." I just kept checking it over and over again, and the decision was still there. The next morning, I decided to tell a few friends. It was very fun.
Q: What was your favorite extracurricular activity on campus?
I feel like 80% of Dartmouth is extracurriculars. Everything is extra. One of my favorites is still curricular in some way, research. It was just such a new and empowering experience to get to do research really closely with my professor, Bethany Moreton.
Outside of the classroom and other academic pursuits, definitely the Dartmouth Outing Club through the Cabin and Trail subclub. I led break trips to Colorado, Tennessee, Montana, northern New Hampshire, Virginia—all different places—through the DOC. I got to see really cool parts of the country with trippees that originally started out as strangers.
Q: How did you get involved with the DOC, and Cabin and Trail?
I didn't go to a Cabin and Trail meeting until my first spring. But when I went on my first hike, I was like, "Wow, wait, this must be where all of the really, really cool people at Dartmouth are." And, uh, that turned out not to be true in a technical sense. We're kind of weird. But I think I was just drawn to people's kindness. I felt so welcomed that I thought, "Wow, I think this is like a space where I feel like I can belong." I already loved being outside, but felt intimidated to do it up in this totally new place. But my friends in Cabin and Trail helped me get comfortable. I ended up working on Trail Crew, doing cabin maintenance, leading weekly trips to diners, leading countless hikes, and pretty much anything you can imagine.
Q: When you reflect on your Dartmouth career, what are you most proud of?
I'm most proud of all of the little milestones that passed by. There were so many moments where I got through a really good term and I was like "Wow, I did that. I learned tons and tons of really cool stuff." And then the next term, I would totally pivot and try something new. I'm really proud of those pivots.
I'm also really proud of how much I took advantage of the liberal arts. I've taken at least three courses in Religion, Geography, Anthropology, Earth Sciences, Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. I've taken Music classes and Creative Writing classes.
Q: What are your plans for the future?
I'm taking this summer to work as a Teaching Assistant in the History department. In the fall, I'll be working at Moosilauke Ravine Lodge as a crew member. This winter, I'm moving to Nepal to start my post-graduate H. Allen Brooks Traveling Fellowship through Dartmouth to do research on hydropower conflicts and produce radio stories about it.
At Dartmouth, students have the opportunity to fuse two different academic studies and programs into a single major. Learn more about my modified major here!
Dartmouth is known for its outstanding graduate schools of business, engineering, and medicine, but how can undergraduates take part in that enriching environment? Read more to find out!
When I first arrived on campus, upper-level students eased my fears with their confidence and care. When invited to apply as a Dartmouth Bound Leader, I jumped at the chance to do the same to students starting their own college journeys.
