My name is Eva, and I'm a '25 Mechanical Engineering BE student from Upstate New York. My time at Dartmouth has been marked by the combination of the arts and engineering on campus and you can often find me working on a new project in either the Dartmouth Engineering Machine Shop or Visual Arts Center. In my free time, I love to work on lego sets and watch the craziest reality tv I can find!
This was a great exploratory class to take as an introduction to Dartmouth. I took it with Professor DeSilva, an extremely passionate individual who made this class incredibly engaging the whole way through! Coming into college I never would have expected my favorite class to have been about monkeys and early humans, but I discovered a deep interest in the evolution of reproduction.
Coming from a background of little chem experience, this class was challenging, but fun! I learned a ton about the foundations of chemistry and their applications in the modern world. My favorite part of this class was the lab where I got to see what I was learning in class in real life. I'll be taking a lot more chemistry in the future and I feel a lot more comfortable with the material as well as how to study effectively.
Design Thinking for Engineering was an incredible class that completely restructured the way I make decisions. With an 100% project based course load, this class develops teamwork, positive attitudes, and an eye for design. Not only did I learn a lot, but it inspired me to pick up a minor in Human Centered Design.
SummerHome
I took my off term in the summer to work at a coffee shop close to home as a Barista. Ask me about where to get the best coffee on campus!
My first art class and my favorite class yet! Under the instruction of a fantastic artist, I learned about many kinds of printing and made some incredible art to add to my portfolio. This is a great class for beginning artists and stood as a great start to my arts career at Dartmouth. The printmaking community within the arts department is incredibly supportive and full of talent.
Imagine taking an engineering project from its ideation to creation all in 10 weeks: stressful, but an awesome experience! Paired with an incredible team of interdisciplinary majors, I worked on the development of an electronic kettlebell to "gamify" the workout experience.
This was an incredible theatre workshop taught by a known August Wilson scholar. We read all of August Wilson's plays over the course of this class and engaged in meaningful discussion about their meaning and significance.
The summer theater workshop is an experiential class that brings students and current artists together to work on collaborative projects. This class allowed me to expand greatly as an artist and create meaningful connections with people who are currently pursuing theater full time.
FallCincinnati, Ohio
During my off term, I pursued an engineering internship at Johnson and Johnson in their surgical devices department.
Around this time a year ago, I blogged all about my first year housing situation. Being from West House, a sect of the housing system at Dartmouth, I lived in what are called the river dorms. Within the housing system here, each student is assigned a section of dorms on campus where the same students will reside for the next four years! The dorm options for West House sophomore students are called Fahey, McLane, Butterfield, and Russel Sage. Each of these is in a little cluster sandwiched between Tuck Drive and frat row. As a sophomore, you're also able to pick your roommate! The roommate who I went into the process with and I wanted to be able to see each other often, but also have our own space. The ideal option for us was a two room double!
A look into my dorm room!
If you read my blog from last year, you may recall that my roommate and I had a three room double. Our room, quite luxuriously, featured our own separate rooms and a common room between them. Though our dorm was located far from campus, it was always a pleasure to come back to. Three room doubles often aren't common for sophomores in West House, but there are plenty of two room doubles, two room triples, and the classic one room double. Singles are also a lot more common than they are for first-years, so if you're one that really needs their own corner of the world, there are options for you.
My two room double is located in McLane, a dorm connected to Fahey that lives on the road leading to the engineering building. It's around a 2 minute walk to the engineering building, 5 minutes to the main dining hall, and 3 minutes to the library. It truly is a central location and I've loved the short walks I've taken this year. My room faces North as well, so I rarely have the sun glaring in my face but also have a fantastic view of the sunsets. There is also an abundance of trees surrounding the dorm, so it looks absolutely wonderful during New Hampshire peak foliage.
Outside of McLane
This dorm also has an elevator, spacious study rooms, and a great kitchen space on each floor. Last year, I had to walk down 3 flights of stairs to make popcorn, but now since it's so easy, I've been hosting a lot more movie nights. McLane is also the dorm of choice for my friend group when we decide to have a cooking night! Though these are fantastic perks, my absolute favorite is the balcony looking out over the first floor. It is home to a few adirondack chairs and is perfect for days when I have a lot of work to finish but don't want to miss out on the beautiful weather.
The community element of dorm life isn't as prominent past first-year, but I know most of the people on our floor from living in close proximity with them last year. It was really comforting to see so many friendly faces on move-in day this year! It's also great knowing that these are people that I'll see relatively often over the next two years because of the housing system.
Overall, I'm incredibly happy with my housing situation this year and am beyond excited for the experiences I'll have in my new home.
Through Dartmouth's Guarini Institute for International Study, I am getting to take classes and experience life at Wellesley College, an all-women's school!
