Senior Blog: Class of 2009

Goodbye Hopkins

-Posted by Laura P.

I kept putting off writing this last post, because it is just one more thing that makes graduating seem real.  In so many ways it is easy to see packing up from school this year as just another summer vacation, while in reality it's a big step in life.

The week of graduation was exceptionally hectic--my parents were visiting, there were receptions & events to attend, packing up all of my things, and then the hardest part, saying goodbye to the people  & the places that have become so important to me over the past four years.

Coming to Hopkins four years ago it was hard to imagine that Baltimore and especially the Homewood Campus would be somewhere I saw as my home. I love my home city, Seattle, and of course my friends and activities from high school. But having spent exactly two weeks at home in Seattle since I packed up and left, I find myself missing my other home--the one in Baltimore.

It's hard to even begin to reflect on my time at Hopkins. When I think about my experience it's a swirl of people--my friends, professors, co-workers--, classes, late-night conversations, Admissions meetings, making dinner with my roommates, outdoor trips, brunches with my girl-friends, coffee-dates, playing Frisbee on the beach, working at Cafe Q, climbing at the wall, study-groups & random dance parties (along with all the many other moments).

It is all of those things-- learning how to write a good opinion paper, learning how to trad climb & learning how to make the perfect flank steak--that made up my time at Hopkins, and shaped me as a person.  Hopkins is where I really grew up--made my own choices (good & bad), made mistakes, learned about myself & about the world.

While I am incredibly sad to leave my friends, (I cried for a long time about leaving my roommates) I am really excited to begin the next step of my life. Despite the bad economy & despite the fact that I am constantly warned that publishing isn't the field to go into these days (I majored in Writing Seminars), I am excited. I've embraced the fact that the face of publishing is changing, and I am excited to be part of that. I'm excited to be graduating into a time of hope and a time of change. I'm excited because I know that the rest of the people who graduated in my class are also ready to make the most of what they have. Because at this point, I think we are all ready to begin a new phase, whether that means med-school, grad-school, a new job, an internship, or an adventure.

This summer I'm co-leading a trip of high school students (from the school that I went to) on a five-week-long backpacking trip/Pilgrimage through Northern Spain.  We are doing a route called the Camino de Santiago; it is a traditional pilgrim route that's been around since the mid 12th Century. We're walking a slightly less traveled route, the Norte, or Northern Route, and then connecting up with the Via Frances, which is a more frequently traveled route before we arrive at Santiago, the end point of our journey.

After (and during) the trip, Dave, the other leader, and I are working on creating a guidebook to the Northern Route, as there isn't one that currently exists in English.

I am really excited to be leading this trip; not only is it a great summer job, but walking for 15-20 miles a day will give me a lot of really valuable time to think and reflect on my own life while I am at this intersection.  Hopefully I'll return with more ideas, and a better sense of what direction I want to take.

While there certainly lies a LOT of excitement ahead, it is so hard and sad to be leaving behind Johns Hopkins. I absolutely loved being a part of the University and I already miss my friends, my apartment, & the campus so much.

 

"As we go on, we remember all the times we had together..."

Posted by Tanmay G.

Today marks two weeks since the Class of 2009 walked across the stage at Commencement and received our diplomas, and it also marks one week until I head off for a summer research rotation in my soon-to-be home of Durham, NC. The finality of graduation still hasn't set in completely. Many of my last conversations and goodbyes ended with "see you around", followed by a quick realization that we would all be leaving Hopkins for good in a few short days. It still seems like I'm just heading home for a break, soon to head back to my home of the past four years.

My experience at Hopkins ended just as it began, with a week full of events and activities to meet (and say goodbye to) my class. Four years ago, every conversation was punctuated with questions like "Where are you from?", "Where do you live?", and "What's your major". Now, every conversation included talk of "What are you doing next year?" and "Where are you going to be living?". Four years ago, we were introduced to the MSE Library and given seminars on how to study. Now, we had a senior class party in that very same place where many students spent countless sleepless nights, complete with a bar and a cake in honor of Johns Hopkins's (the person's) birthday. Four years ago, I met my fellow freshmen biomedical engineering majors for the first time. Now, after four years of hard work and seemingly endless study sessions, we all felt bonded together as we gathered again, this time with our families, for a celebratory luncheon. Four years ago, we all competed fiercly for our dorms during Dorm Wars. Now, we did just the same, having a blast during Senior Field Day.  As we all gathered on the Upper Quad in September of 2005, standing in the shape of a "09" to take our class picture, we wondered who our friends would be and how we would get through our time at Hopkins. Now, having finished up those four years, and having had a great time along the way, we gathered to celebrate and to remember, to mingle and to reminisce.

Hopkins has changed quite a bit over the years. When we came in as a freshmen, there were two dining halls with un-edible food, only three quads, and very little housing for upperclassmen. My class has seen the renovation of campus dining, the construction of a entirely new quad and the opening of a (really nice) new student housing complex. For three years, Dr. Bill Brody served as our president, and though a new president, Mr. Ron Daniels presided over our graduation, Dr. Brody was back, this time to receive an honorary doctorate along with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, our graduation speaker.

When we all entered college, we wondered whether we would like these new people and what we would do without our high school friends. Today, those new people are the friends we are having trouble leaving behind as we move on to graduate school, or into the read world. To all the incoming freshmen and anyone else considering coming to Hopkins, I can already answer the questions that are likely lingering in the back of your heads. Yes, you'll have a good time in Baltimore. No, the workload isn't going to kill you. Yes, you are going to make good friends here, and No, the people here aren't crazy or wierd (or all pre-med!)    

Hopkins has been great to me for the past four years, and though I had the hardest time deciding where to attend college four years ago, I haven't once regretted the decision I made. I'm certainly going to be back next year to visit my underclassmen friends, and the faculty and staff that have made my experience amazing. That said,  I am looking forward to what lies in my future. In a week, I'll head to Durham, and in August, I'll start medical school at Duke Univeristy. I've visited Durham three times in the past six months, and I'm excited about moving there and continuing down the path to my future. (Granted, I'm going to have to learn to love college basketball... and I'm still rooting for the Hop when it comes to lacrosse)

I've been volunteering with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions since my first weeks on campus, first as a Student Ambassador, then as a member of the Admissions Advisory Board and as an Admissions Representative. Meeting with prospective students and talking to y'all about the place I've called home for the last four years has been something I've enjoyed and something I'll miss. I hope that the people have read my blogs over the past four years or talked to me over via Facebook, our online chats or message boards have learned a little more about what Hopkins has to offer. Like I've said many times, Hopkins (or any school for that matter), isn't the right place for everybody, and in my opinion, my role as a student representative of Hopkins has not been to "recruit" you to Hopkins, but rather to give you all the information about Hopkins and let you figure out that this is the right place for you.

To the Hopkins Class of 2013, congratulations on your graduation from high school and welcome to Hopkins. While I won't be on campus in the fall, you'll be entering a great community where you'll learn a lot, but have a blast along the way. 

(P.S. The title of the post is from a song called Graduation by Vitamin C which came out around when I graduated from middle school... wow, I feel old now) 

The End

 Posted by Andrew L.

Wow. This is it. The end. My last post for the senior blog. As I sit here typing this, I am surrounded by boxes in my family’s new apartment in New York City. Several days after I graduated we moved to a different apartment in the City. I packed up my entire apartment at school and then did the exact same thing at my apartment at home. My past week and a half has been plagued with words like “box,” “tape,” and “move.” I’m sure none of you care about my double moving experience so I’ll get to the point: it still hasn’t hit me yet—“it,” of course, being the fact that I just graduated college. “It” probably hasn’t hit me because of all the moving I have been doing and the fact that I will still be attending school next year (the University of St. Andrews for my Master’s).

The lack of emotion and sadness that I am currently experiencing has  really allowed me to put the past four years in perspective instead of being overly melodramatic. Yes, I know I will miss college—especially once “it” has hit me; however, the things I have learned and the friends I have made will remain with me for a long time. Sounds a bit cliché, right?

Orientation week, Spring Fair, fraternity events, lacrosse games, hours spent procrastinating on M-Level (and hours spent actually working on B Level), Café Q, Smokin Jays sandwiches at Eddie’s, PJs, Brewer's Art, O's Games, Mount Vernon, Fell’s Point, Fed Hill, sitting on the Beach during the spring, Northway balcony p arties, the Six Day Jam Session to break Guinness World Record, LATE NIGHT UNI MINI RUNS (see the picture on left)… the list goes on and on. This is just a tiny list of  the things that have made my four years of college incredible. The best part about this school is that when you graduate, your list may be entirely different than mine. There is truly a place for everyone and every interest at JHU.

Academically, the past four years were better than anything I could have imagined. Almost every blog post I have written involves me gushing over my major. I don’t write like that just to get you interested in International Studies. I write like that because I truly feel that way. College is about finding the right fit and making the most of what you have. The International Studies program at JHU helped me make the most of my college experience and has provided me with a plan for my future.

I am least worried about not being around my friends anymore. I have an extremely close-knit group of friends, some of whom I have already seen several times since graduation. Facebook, GChat, cell phones, and instant messenger have made it impossible to avoid staying in touch. I am going to miss being around all of my friends all the time, but I am certain I will keep in touch with them as we go our separate ways. Several of my friends have already promised me they will visit when I am in Scotland next year. I am holding them to their word.

Hopkins has been a great home for the past four years, but I am looking forward to moving on. I know for a fact that I do a terrible job of conveying my feelings and emotions in blog form. The one thing I have tried to do, however, is present an honest picture of my life at JHU. While it has (and probably will continue to be) extremely difficult for me to convey what Hopkins and my friends have meant to me for the past four years, I hope that I have been able to show you at least one facet of life at this school. If you are reading this right now, odds are you have decided upon JHU or are seriously considering it. If you are in the first category: good luck, you made the right choice. If you are in the second category: reading the blogs will influence your thought process for the better.

Thank you for reading my guest blogs over the past few years and the senior blog t his year. Expect exciting alumni blog posts from Scotland next year.

Wrapping up four years at Hopkins

Posted by Tanmay G.

As the last week of classes starts tomorrow morning, the realization that I won't be coming back to Hopkins next semester is just finally starting to set in. This weekend was Spring Fair, an annual campus festival with food vendors, arts & crafts stalls and carnival rides. It was actually the first time in the past four years that we went all 3 days (Friday-Sunday) with only minimal rain (a quick downpour on Saturday evening before the Roots' concert, but nothing during the day)!

I've been a member of HERO, the campus EMS unit, for the past 3.5 years, and when I was on the Board of Directors last fall, we decided we wanted to organize a free community CPR training session to give back to our campus community. We set out planning the event, hoping to train about 90 Hopkins students, faculty and staff in CPR and AED use.We realized how important it was for people on campus to know what to do in case of an emergency - even though we have a crew of three EMT's on call 24/7, it's vital that bystanders know how to call for help and provide initial care before we make it to a patient. We applied for a grant from the Alumni Association, which gives out over $75,000 in grant money to student groups each year, and also worked closely with the University's Occupational Health office and the Baltimore City Fire Department to setup and organize the class.  Over the past few weeks, a number of the instructors that teach our First Responder courseeach semester got certified as American Heart Association CPR instructors, and along with other HERO members, put together all the details to run the course.

This weekend, we taught three CPR/AED training sessions. On Thursday morning, three of us checked out a van from the Office of Student Life (vans are available to all students groups for a minimal per-mile fee) and drove down to the Medical Campus to pick up CPR training manikans and other training supplies from the Occupational Health office, and then headed to the Baltimore City Public Safety Training Center to pick up additional supplies from the City Fire Department. On Friday morning, as Spring Fair vendors were setting up their stalls on the freshmen quad, we setup our classroom in a large multipurpose room in one of the freshmen dorms. We taught a class on Friday afternoon, one on Saturday morning and another Saturday afternoon. We trained about 90 students in CPR and the use of Automated Extrenal Defibrillators - skills that could help save a life if someone on campus were to go into cardiac arrest.

All our instructors and TA's had a great time teaching our fellow students as well as a few faculty and staff members. The students seemed to enjoy the class as well, and if an unfortunate situtation were to ever come up where one of them had to use the skills we taught them, I hope they'll be ready to act.   

"My Very First Easter"

--Posted by Laura P

So, I love Easter. Well, I love Easter Egg Hunts. Growing up, my dad would hide plastic Easter Eggs, filled with candy, all over our backyard. As my sister and I got older, the eggs were hidden in increasingly harder spots, in tree branches, under planter pots, inside the drain pipes.... And despite the majority of our Easter Egg Hunts occurring in the rain (I grew up near Seattle), they were always one of the most fun mornings of the year!!

However, we kind of fell of the easter egg hunt bandwagon once my sister left for college, and now that I am in college, I hadn't actually done anything for easter until this year.

My roommates are all Jewish--which means that over the past few years I have learned about Yom Kippur, Passover, how to make matza ball soup and how amazingly delicious challah is.  Now, Jewish holidays are great--minus the whole no wheat/bread thing on Passover, but, no Easter Egg Hunts??? When I realized that my roommates had never experienced the wonder that is Easter Morning, I realized that I was obligated to show them an Easter Morning in style (but Kosher, because, of course, it was also passover.)

So, before Easter I bought chocolates, jelly beans, and a big chocolate rabbit, and filled plastic eggs with the candy.  Then, not having any baskets, I made my roommates "easter baskets",  and woke up extra early on Easter to hide eggs around our apartment and make brunch.

When they woke up, I explained the rules of Easter to them: In the common space there are 31 Easter Eggs hidden. Everyone gets a basket to put their eggs in. They are all visible from some angle (which may include lying on the floor upside down...), which really just means don't go through cabinets or drawers. Whoever finds the most eggs wins a prize! Yay prizes!

So, of course they all rushed into the room to find easter eggs!!

After they had searched for a while, they managed to find most of the eggs, however, there were still about ten left to find when we realized we needed to have a coffee break so that they had enough energy to find the rest of the eggs before breakfast was all ready... 

After our coffee break, they finished searching for the eggs--it got pretty dramatic when Rena, Matt and Sam all had 10 eggs, and there was only one left. I actually had to institute a rule so that no one would injure anyone else....

At the end, Sam found the last egg, so he won the chocolate easter rabbit!!

Fortunately, My roommates really liked that easter tradition, and now they can throw Easter Egg Hunts for all of their friends who may not have experienced the magic that is easter morning!

Senior Spring

Posted by Andrew L.

I am graduating from college in 30 days. 30. Pretty crazy huh? It's sort of surreal to think about it. Ironically enough, all of you are in the same position as well, except you are about to graduate from high school. Most people refer to this part of the year as "senior spring" and your lack of a desire to do work as "senioritis." The latter phrase is quite fitting.

Senioritis usually goes hand in hand with warm weather, making it all the more difficult to not succumb to it; however, you shouldn't be afraid of it. The point of this post (which I will keep pretty short) is to let all of you know that it is finally time for you to RELAX. Throw some shorts and sandals on, grab a Frisbee, a baseball, or a good book and go outside. Enjoy your last few weeks as much as you can-- you will regret not taking advantage of the free time, warm weather, and lack of work. I personally remember spending the last few weeks of senior year in high school playing beach volleyball every afternoon with my friends. Don't let your grades drop too much (ha ha), but don't sweat the small stuff. You finally did it-- it's time for you to enjoy yourself.

What have I been doing this spring? Clearly not following my own advice... I have been watching a little too much TV because of all the rain. Last weekend we had our alumni weekend, which is one of my favorite weekends of the entire year. This year the Hopkins lacrosse team obliterated Navy. We had a party on a big balcony in my apartment building and watched the entire game from there. It was a great way to spend the day. This upcoming weekend we have Spring Fair, which is our annual equivalent of "spring fling," "spring weekend," etc. Hip-hop group The Roots is performing on Saturday night, and there are vendors selling clothing, food, and anything else you can think of all over campus from Friday to Sunday. There is also a big kickoff party this Thursday evening with fireworks and (I think) live music. This weekend is sure to be amazing.

Even though you may not have your own Spring Fair, don't let your next few weeks go to waste. Congratulations again. Reward yourself for all that hard work by making the most of your senior spring. Enjoy senioritis, only another 4 more years until you can have a valid excuse for it again.   

3 Huge Things JHU Has Done for Me

Posted by Andrew L.

Congratulations on your acceptance to JHU! The next few weeks will be an extremely exciting (and hectic) part of your life. Since we are all doing somewhat of a common theme for this week's blogs, I decided to write about 3 important things Hopkins has done for me over the past 4 years. Why so important? Because I don't think I could have gotten these 3 things at any other school in the way I got them here. Hopkins was the perfect fit for me, and I hope it will be a good fit for you as well. Here we go.

1. Direction.

2. Life-long friends.

3. The confidence and support I need to succeed.

So let's break these down--

As far as direction is concerned, you need only read a few of the blogs I have written about my love for International Studies (I probably link them in every additional blog post I make). I came into Hopkins thinking I was going to major in one thing and left with a completely different passion and a serious sense of direction. If I hadn't taken that leap and tried classes in unfamiliar departments, I never would have found direction. Hopkins has an incredible IS program-- pretty ironic that I walked into it without even knowing so beforehand.

Life-long friends. I attribute a lot of this to joining a fraternity; however, I probably wouldn't have even done so had I gone to a different school. I had no interest in Greek Life freshman fall, but my friend dragged me to a rush event and the rest is history. Being in a fraternity has been one of the highlights of my college experience. I have traveled all over the world with some of my brothers (Israel, Jamaica, Mexico, and even Florida) and had some unforgettable memories. I truly recommend that you at least check out rush during your freshman year, even if you have no interest in joining a fraternity. You never know what will happen.

Confidence and support. Finding direction and a passion for my major at Hopkins has given me the confidence and support I need to succeed. An essay I wrote a year ago for a class is about to be published in a well-respected political science journal. The topic of the paper (the looming water conflict over the Euphrates-Tigris River Basin) is one that my professor suggested because she hadn't had anyone write a paper on the subject since the late 1980s and wanted to see what had happened since. I have developed a close relationship with a few of my teachers over the past few years--they have played a large role in supporting me and giving me confidence. My advice for all of you is simple: college is much different than high school. Professors expect YOU to seek THEM for help (or just to talk), not the other way around. Unless it's the week of a test, you will be hard-pressed to find a professor whose office hours (the time they set aside to meet with students) are completely booked. Get to know your professors. They will certainly inspire you.  

Good luck on making some important choices over the next few weeks. Please try to visit Hopkins if you can--I visited after I applied and was totally blown away by how nice the campus is. It played a large role in why I chose Hopkins.

Where to now?

Posted by Tanmay G.

Right now, many of you all are in the same situtation that I am in, trying to decided where to spend the next four (or in my case, at least 7) years of our lives. I was in the same situtation as well four years ago, trying to decided what college I thought would be my best choice. I had the hardest time deciding, and didn't actually make a decision until the day the reply cards were due, but I'm very happy with the choice I made. I wanted to share a couple thoughts on how I made my decision then and what I'm considering now:

1. Ignore the stereotypes
Each college you will look at has certain stereotypes associated with it, and, as Wafa mentioned in her latest post, most of these come from people who have visited the campus or met anyone from the school. So don't cross schools off of your list because you've heard that they're "too boring", "too nerdy", "too Southern", "too hippy" or the like. Make these judgments for yourself, not based solely on the words of others

2. Don't give up if you're rejected from your "first choice" school  - it may be a blessing in disguise
To be perfectly honest, Hopkins was not my first choice school when I applied - it didn't even make my ranked list of schools that I had applied to. I applied to Hopkins on a whim because of the strength of the BME program, but knew absolutely nothing about the University in general. I had a clear first choice school that I didn't get into, and this rejection prompted me to reconsider all my other choices. I initially ignored my Hopkins acceptance, but once I decided to come visit campus, stay overnight and learn more about the University, I was convinced this is where I wanted to be. Having visited friends at my first choice school, I'm kind of glad I was forced to reconsider all my choices. While I may have been happier four years ago if I got into my first choice school, I think I fit a lot better into the culture and environment at Hopkins and I'm glad I ended up coming here. (I'm not just saying this to convince you to come to Hopkins. Hopkins is not the right school for everyone - and the same is true of every college out there. I just encourage everyone to consider all their options carefully before settling on a final choice)               

3. Visit the schools you've been accepted to if there's even a 0.01% chance you might want to go there
Continuing on my previous point, if you're even remotely considering attending a school, try to visit the campus and see how you feel there. I think the gut feeling you get when you step on a campus is a major factor in consdering where to go. If it's at all financially possible, try to visit as many schools as you can. While it may seem expensive to visit, I think it's worth making the investment now to ensure you're happy for the next four years. You may find that the school you thought was amazing and perfect for you just doesn't feel right when you visit and a school that you weren't sure you would like seems like the perfect place when you spend a night on campus. When you visit, don't just stick to the activities planned by the Admissions office. While these are always informative and useful, it's also useful to just wander around campus if you can. Sit in on a class and see how the students and teachers interact (you can get a course lists from the Admissions Office). Talk to students after class to see what they like and don't like about their school. Don't be afraid to talk to the current students - I know most would be happy to talk to you about their favorite and least favoriate parts of their experiences.

In conclusion, I guess all my three points are saying kind of the same thing - consider all your choices very carefully, visit as many as you can to get a feeling for campus, and then make your own judgements on where you think you will fit best.

Why I'm Still Glad I Chose Hopkins

Posted By Laura P.

Congratulations to the class of 2013!!!!!

Now is such an exciting time for all of you!! I can't believe that I am a senior now too, because making my decision to come to Hopkins really doesn't feel like it happened that long ago... I remember getting my letter/acceptance package in the mail (no I didn't get an e-mail!), and ecstatically opening it at the mailbox!

I loved Hopkins from the first time I visited; I even considered applying E.D. here, so I was excited to get that letter---and pretty set on going to Hopkins once I got in.

After nearly four years here, I am still happy that I chose Hopkins. I LOVE the school for so many reasons!!
Here are the top three:

1. The Classes are GREAT.
I LOVE my classes here. Each semester I get incredibly excited to peruse the course listings and pick out the 15 or so classes that I am interested in--the hard part is always narrowing it down! I think it is a good sign when there are always too many classes that I want to take, rather than too few. Not only do the classes sound great in the catalog, most of them turn out to be great! This is generally a combination of great Professors, engaged classmates, and, of course, interesting subject matter. Some great classes I've taken have been: Faulkner, Fitzgerald and Hemingway with Professor Irwin, Comparative Freedom Struggles (Comparing the South African Anti Apartheid to the U.S. Civil Rights Movement) with Professor Shell-Weiss, Feminist Epistemology with Prof. Tumulty and Gender and Health with Prof. Goodfellow.

2. The People
Even more than the great Professors and Classes that are offered at Hopkins, the people here are what make the school so great. Having great people in your classes can even turn an okay class into a really fun one.  But more than that, the people that you become close to here really do become your best friends, your support group, and your family. I don't know what I would do without my amazing roommates or my great group of friends. They help you out when you are sick, go out with you on the weekends, and are always up for coffee breaks when you are tired of studying.

3. Extracurriculars
Being involved on campus makes life on campus a LOT more fun and a LOT more interesting. When you're involved, you know what's going on (because you hang out with other involved people), you get to meet a ton of people who don't live on your floor or aren't in your major, and you get to have something to look forward to other than going to class each day.  Over the past four years I have been involved in a ton of different stuff, but my favorite groups, and the one's I've been most involved with, are the Student Admissions Advisory Board (SAAB), and the Johns Hopkins Outdoors Club (JHOC). I've been involved with both of these groups the whole time I've been at Hopkins, and have become really great friends with other members in the groups, and have had a ton of fun working with the groups. I can't imagine a complete experience here without doing SAAB and JHOC, or any other slough of student groups, because they really have been a huge part of my time here.

Now, while at any college you'll take classes, meet great people, and be involved in extracurriculars, the most important thing is finding a college that fits well for you--in all of those ways. I love the classes here because students are engaged and the professors are great teachers.

The people here are a great fit because they are driven to succeed but still want to enjoy life and what is going on around them. Furthermore, everyone here tends to be passionate about what they do--and it is great to get to share peoples passions with them.

And the student groups are wonderful because people are generally committed to their activities, because they want to be a part of what they do--which makes being involved a lot more fun.

So, while I may have fallen in love with Hopkins because the first day I visited campus, it was sunny and warm and the cherry trees were blossomming--I am glad I chose to come to Hopkins for so many other reasons.

Good Luck on your Decisions!!!

Four years of housing at the Hop

Posted by Tanmay G.

As my senior year draws to a close, instead of doing a "standard" CRIBS blog post like everyone else, I wanted to look back on where I've lived for the past four years:

Freshman year: Building A
 As an incoming freshman, I got my first choice of housing - a double in Building A. I thought Building A was the perfect place to live because it combined the social environment of the traditional freshman dorms with the comfort of air conditioning and private bathrooms. I lived with a great floor of people my freshman year and I'm still friends with a lot of them. On my floor, we all used to keep our doors propped open and anyone could pop in at any time to say hi.  I lived in a suite with my double and another single, and we had our own private bathroom. The building also had a kitchen on the first floor, but I only ever used that to warm up food in the microwave (though I know other people did cook or bake down there)

Sophomore Year: McCoy Hall
My sophomore year was the first year that Charles Commons was open, but a group of friends and I decided to participate in "group housing" where you can choose to live together with larger groups of friends (up to 32 people) in McCoy. We signed up with a group of 8, which turned into a group of 7 when my roommate transferred from Hopkins and housing didn't fill the other half of my room (so I had a double to myself :) ). Living in McCoy was nice in that I was living with a group of friends and we had other groups of friends in other parts of the building, but the setup of the housing meant we never really got to know our neighbors. Each suite in McCoy has 4 people (2 doubles) with a bathroom and small kitchen area. Each floor has two large common areas with TV's and couches.

 

Junior Year: Bradford Apartments
While living on campus is mandatory for the first two years, starting junior year, you have the option to move off campus. While a lot of people do take advantage of this, my roommates and I decided to live in one of the on-campus apartment buildings, primarily because one of my roommates was planning on going abroad in the Spring (It's really hard to get a one semester only lease in a private apartment unless you have a friend who wants to live there the other semester). In Bradford, our three bedroom apartment had two bathrooms, a full kitchen and a large living room.

Senior Year: Off-campus apartments
Senior year, I decided to move off-campus and live in a single (one bedroom apartment) across the street from campus. This building is actually closer to campus-proper than my on-campus building from last year! My apartment has a living room with one wall as a kitchen, and a separate bedroom. I have my desk, a TV, a couch and a small dining table in the living room so it serves many purposes. Living off-campus comes with a lot more responsibilities - you have to deal with landlords, pay your own bills and in general, take better care of your own place. It's a completely different feeling to have a "home" and not just a dorm room.

 
(these pictures are from when I moved into my apartment, so the walls are still bare. I took more pictures but my camera isn't cooperating right now)