Hey!! I'm Eloise and this is my blog! I'm a '28 from New Holland, Pennsylvania. I love to read and write in my free time and I'm so excited to get involved in clubs at Dartmouth. I love exploring the outdoors and I can't wait to go on more trips with the Dartmouth Outing Club. I hope you enjoy my blog!
This course covers modern American history through an imperial lens. It was my first time learning about these topics and events in-depth, and I learned so much! The class focuses on small group discussions and having nuanced conversations about assigned readings. It was the perfect class for my first fall! I cannot recommend this class enough!
This course was my first-year seminar, a portion of the Dartmouth first-year writing sequence. In this class, we read four Jane Austen novels and discussed them as a class. The best part was our final project: creating an exhibit to be displayed in Baker-Berry Library! In partnership with Rauner Special Collections Library, we worked with Austen's first editions and designed an exhibit to celebrate Austen’s 250 Birthday.
This course introduces different types of sociological research methods, which culminate in a final research proposal to explore the topic of your choice. I'm not a sociology major, so I was intimidated at first, but I fell in love with the class and the topics. I stepped outside my comfort zone, and I learned so much. I highly recommend it!
SummerWashington, D.C.
For my first off-term at Dartmouth, I spent the summer in Washington, D.C. as a First-Year Fellow through the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy at Dartmouth. I interned at the House of Representatives, where I met constituents, politicians, and legislative staffers who help run our country. I learned so much about policy issues close to my heart, like animal rights and climate change. I also had so much fun exploring D.C. with the other fellows and learning about our nation’s capital!
The Dartmouth Outing Club(DOC) offers so many fun and outdoorsy adventures for students during the school year and interims. From first-year trips to hikes up Gile Mountain to journeys down the coast, the possibilities are endless, and the best part is that financial aid covers DOC trips if needed.
This spring term, I went on the Puffin Trip, a one-day adventure to Boothbay Harbor, Maine, to watch puffins and explore the cute coastal town. While most DOC trips are free, this trip costs $25 per participant to cover transportation expenses and the boat ride tickets. Fortunately, for students on financial aid, the trip was covered.
The day started at 3:30 am. Our trip leaders told us to meet at Robinson Hall (Robo) by 4:15 am to grab snacks for the car ride and load into the vans. While we had to wake up ridiculously early, getting ready was so much fun! My floormates and I all went on the trip, so we got ready together and left from French Hall to Robo.
At Robo, we met up with everyone else going on the trip. Some were familiar faces, and some were not. That is one of the best parts of going on DOC trips: you get to meet so many new people! After everyone arrived, the trip leaders handed out fruit and protein bars for the ride, and we got into the vans and left campus around 4:45 am.
The drive to Boothbay Harbor, Maine, was about 4 ½ hours, but we also stopped a few times for coffee and snacks. Most of us slept on the car ride there or listened to music.
My friends and I are boarding the boat!
Finally, we arrived in Boothbay Harbor! Our first stop on the itinerary was getting on the boat for a puffin-watching tour of the water and the surrounding small islands. The boat was huge with seats both inside and out. My friends and I grabbed a table inside and chatted while the boat prepared to leave the harbor.
Once the boat started moving, my friend and I went out and stood at the front of the boat. We watched as the ship cut across the water, getting faster and faster until we reached our destination. We passed so many beautiful houses and small islands, and we even saw a seal!
The boat started to slow down as it began to circle the island where most of the puffins inhabit. There were puffins everywhere and other birds too. They flew around our boat, and we watched them swim in the ocean and catch fish.
Some puffins and other birds flying around the island!
It was so amazing seeing the puffins! Once we finished circling the island, we headed back to port, and my friend and I went back inside to rejoin our friends. There was even a little gift shop on the boat, so I bought puffin socks.
After the 2-hour-long boat ride, we had a couple of hours to spend in the town of Boothbay Harbor. First, we grabbed pizza at a local pizzeria, and then we explored the shops. I loved the bookstore in town! I bought a few souvenirs there and then went to the candy shop next door to eat fudge.
My friends and I in the town with our shopping bags!
Once we finished shopping and exploring, it was time to head back to campus. The car ride back was more lively than the one in the morning, because we weren't as tired anymore. We talked and sang along to music. When we got to campus, my friends and I grabbed a late dinner at the Class of 1953 Commons (Foco).
I fell asleep shortly after returning to my dorm because I was exhausted, but I had so much fun! Seeing puffins in real life was so amazing! I also love that at Dartmouth I can take a day trip to the coast with my friends and not have to worry about the cost, because financial aid covers DOC trips.
A reflection on how Dartmouth offers countless ways to stay connected to literature and writing—even as a side passion—through blogs, courses, campus publications, and creative communities.
