As higher education becomes an increasingly global venture students pursuing advanced degrees tend to look further afield for training and resources in their pursuit of academic excellence. According to a PEW report, international students make up more than half the students being awarded advanced degrees in STEM subjects in the USA.
At the School of Graduate and Advanced Studies at Dartmouth, we have an international population of around 30% and endeavor to provide support and resources for this demographic, both the social and academic realms. There are several groups sponsored by the School including the Chinese Student and Scholars Association and the International Graduate Mentor Program, and the College provides immigration and visa support through the OVIS offices on campus.
Writing support for non-native English speakers and/or international students and postdocs is also available, and this year we welcome Betsy Tremmel as the writing support tutor.
While completing her undergraduate degree at a small college in Iowa as an English major, she completed a semester abroad in Granada, Spain and undertook some tutoring of Spanish students learning English. Upon her return, she knew she wanted to continue teaching English to non-native speakers and took a volunteer position teaching refugees in the local area.
Upon graduation, she took a position in the Japan Exchange Teaching program and spent three years in Japan teaching in Iwate prefecture which intensified her interest in language acquisition and learning. She returned to complete her M.A. in TESOL/Applied Linguistics at Iowa State University, and after working for a year teaching students at a community college in Chicago and at DePaul’s Intensive English Program, she pursued her PhD in Second Language Acquisition at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison).
It was first at UW-Madison and then at Duke University that she taught academic writing to international graduate students. Tremmel is now the writing support tutor for the international graduate and advanced students here at Dartmouth. “I love working with the international graduate and advanced studies group, in part because they are so motivated,” Tremmel states.
Bringing experience in second language acquisition both through her studies and through her personal language learning experience – throughout her life she has studied Spanish, Japanese, French, and currently Italian –, Tremmel has particular insight into the challenges that arise when navigating linguistic and communication differences.
Tremmel loves traveling and spends most summers in her husband’s native Italy. She is looking forward to experiencing her first New England winter and exploring all the Upper Valley, and beyond, has to offer in terms of natural beauty. Welcome to Dartmouth, Betsy!
To set up an appointment, please email Betsy directly. Describe the nature of your project, the kind of support you need, and your availability for a meeting. You can also look for Betsy's name on the RWIT Online scheduler.