

Simon Ellis

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Simon's D-Plan
What's a D-Plan?-
FallHanover
Favorite Class: Political IdeasI came to Dartmouth as a Bio-Medical Engineering hopeful, and after my first week in class with Professor Murphy studying the classics of political philosophy, I totally changed my mind! I had never taken anything even close to a philosophy class in High School, so this was an amazing opportunity for me to be exposed to a field that I had never seen, and now love! I also loved bringing in the work I did in my other class (German 1) to this class so that I could read some of the pieces in German!
WinterHanover
Favorite Class: Government StatisticsWith my new found love for Political Science, I decided to take one of the biggest requirements for the major, Gov 10. I worked with Prof. Horiuchi to do a really cool research project on the effect of fake news on American voters in the US! We actually looked into getting funding to work on the research and publish it in a journal. I was pretty worried about taking a super math heavy class, but it ended up working out pretty well.
SpringHanover
Favorite Class: Philosophy and GenderThis spring in Hanover was one of my favorite terms! I had my first Green Key (which was my first concert ever) and I got to work in the admissions department with all of our visiting admitted students! I ended up hosting 6 students across the 2 weekends of "Dimensions", our admitted students weekends and ended up getting really close with a few of them. I still see them around on campus and they have hosted students of their own now!
SummerBerlin, Germany
Favorite Class: German LiteratureSo I did kind of a crazy thing and decided that I wanted my first time abroad to be a fully immersive home-stay study abroad with Dartmouth! I flew almost 18 hours from Hawai'i to London where I stayed with a really good friend and fellow Sophomore before jumping on a plane to Berlin. My host family and I got on immediately over our shared love of Lucky Charms, and I skype them almost once a month still! I will never forget riding down the cobblestone streets in my suburb of Berlin every morning and stopping by the Backeri to pick up a muffin on my way to class. It was such a surreal experience and something I would never have thought of doing before I came to Dartmouth. Also, fun fact, I got my first tattoo in Germany!
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FallHanover
Favorite Class: Constitutional InterpretationI took this amazing class with Susan Brison where we not only analyzed case books and took an in depth look at how the constitution is interrupted in various ways by various justices, but also had visits from law professors from all around the world! The class worked really well for me because it met twice a week during the evening, so I had time to schedule other events during the day.
WinterKona, Hawai'i
Favorite Class: Legal Aid Society of Hawai'iThrough the help of one of my academic advisors and with the information I learned in my fall law class, I was lucky enough to get an internship at a non-profit law firm in my home town! I got the call while I was sitting eating breakfast in Collis, and because I was not in school during a time when a lot of other students are, I was the only intern and the first undergraduate intern the office had ever had. I got to work with the family law unit, and really made an impact that I was happy with.
SpringHanover
Favorite Class: Encountering ForestsOn a limb, I decided to apply for a class that looked at indigenous ways of knowing and how they proceeded or are intertwined with scientific study. During this class, I got to scrape a moose hide to make a traditional drum, learn from one of the foremost black ash basket makers in the world, and do biodiversity studies on local streams. This class was definitely one of the best I have ever taken at Dartmouth, and professor Reo is now helping with an independent study project!
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FallHanover
Favorite Class: Junior Fall is Weird!Junior Fall is turning out to be a really interesting term! I am suddenly an upperclassman and starting to look at what I want to do after Dartmouth, which is a really interesting thing to pursue. I am excited to meet the '22s and do all of my favorite Fall things, but also excited to be off next term and see where my plans take me.
WinterKailua-Kona, Hawai'i
Favorite Class: Back Home (and happy)This Winter I am back home, working for a law firm and spending tons of time with my family! My regular day starts with breakfast with everyone, going into the firm and working on some cases from about 9:00am-2:00pm, and then heading to the beach before coming home for dinner. I am super happy to be home, studying for the LSAT and getting some work experience, but am excited to get back to Hanover.
SpringHanover
Favorite Class: I'm Back!It feels kind of weird to be back on campus because most of my friends were also gone, so its this interesting amalgamation of seeing people for the first time in 4 months but also all getting re-acquainted with the campus we know so well. I'm excited to take some classes that are a little bit different than what I would normally feel comfortable with, and I will share all about them in blogs to come. I am ready for Spring so catch me outside on the Green or in the sun as much as possible!
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FallHanover
Favorite Class: The Last Fall!For the first time since Sophomore Summer all of the '20s are back which can only mean one thing, its senior year! I am so excited to watch peek foliage from inside with some nice cold apple cider. I am taking two seminar classes to finish my double major, and am excited to jump back into academics. Hopefully, the cold will stay off just long enough for me to get some good fall runs in, but I am eagerly awaiting the first snow!
What I'm doing this Summer!
The Lodge operates at the base of Mount Moosilauke and serves hikers, visitors, and supports an entire crew of students (which now includes me!).
- No. 1
Trips
Of course, I have to mention my time at the Lodge during Trips! The Lodge is the culmination of our orientation program and was really one of the first Dartmouth buildings I truly fell in love with. Situated in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the Lodge is a beautifully rustic space I've come to associate with nature and calmness. My year (the '20s) was actually the last to have the "old-lodge," as it was rebuilt in the two years following my Freshman Trips experience. Luckily they kept it pretty similar because the original Lodge has a lot of memories for me spent with my trippees and future forever classmates.
- No. 2
Sophomore Summer
The Lodge isn't just for Trips though, otherwise, I wouldn't be working there! Over my Sophomore Summer, I bought a pass to the Lodge that gave me unlimited stays (space permitting). I went up a few times with my friends to hike Moosilauke, or even just went for dinner to take a little break from campus. It's such a nice place to relax and spend time with the people you love, so I really like to use it as a space for self-care and for relaxation. Lodge passes are available for all students and families, and subsidized by financial aid so come visit me this summer at the lodge!
- No. 3
Escape from city life
I am honestly so lucky for such a fantastic and cool place to work this summer. A lot of my friends are going to be working and living in New York City, Boston, and Washington D.C., but I could not be more happy to be in the middle of nowhere. I haven't met all my crew-mates yet, but I'm sure I am also going to have a great time getting to meet some new friends right before my senior year. I hope you guys are all excited for your summer's (especially you '23s).

Unconventional Easter
It can be hard having a family so far away, but the willingness of my friends and their families to welcome me on so many occasions as always made me feel a little bit more supported even 4,000 miles from home.

My Week as a Usual Dartmouth Student
Going through my camera roll recently, I was a little amazed at everything I had packed into this last week(ish) on campus.

Managing Mindfulness
It's no secret that, in addition to being a wonderful place, Dartmouth can also be very stressful for me at times.

A Trip to the Museum
This week, I decided to ease my way back into the spring term by showing you guys one of my new favorite spaces on campus; The Hood Museum of Art!

I was in a Musical?!?
Despite the large breadth of all of the possible activities that I could participate in at Dartmouth, I never pictured that being in a musical would be one of them, let alone one of my favorite experiences.

Oh the Dorms You'll Live In
From spacious singles to doubles with a view; from living in a loft to living with a dog, I have had quite the range of experiences living on campus at Dartmouth.

My Favorite Hikes
Maybe because I literally have a tattoo of a mountain, or just because I like the outdoors, I find myself going on lots of hikes and really liking to explore the wilderness around campus.

My Improv Group
Aside from being a great play on the tradition of "Casual Friday," Casual Thursday is not just Dartmouth's short-form improv group, it's my improv group!

An Ode to Coffee (and Food)
Growing up sandwiched between coffee farms and a mom who started every day with a fresh cup, it's hard to pinpoint the exact moment when I fell in love with coffee.