2012: Hopkins Arts & Sciences Freshman Blog: A Word About Fun At Hopkins

Posted by Lauren B.

So maybe you’ve seen it, maybe you haven’t, but there’s been a mini-fiasco on the message boards recently. Pre-frosh came to visit last week for the final pre-ED overnight, and predictably, someone didn’t have fun. (A disclaimer. This was a Tuesday night) At Hopkins, though, this is a big deal.

One thing I’m sure you all have heard, though, is the idea that Hopkins is where fun comes to die. False. Hopkins is trying to fight this ridiculous idea. So I thought I’d do my part, too. Hopkins is FUN.

The week before I left for college I was at a doctor’s appointment. Without fail, the doctor asked where I was going to college and when I told him I was off to Johns Hopkins, without skipping a beat he said “woahh, you’re not going to have any fun.” First off, way to be nosy, doctor! Secondly, it turns out that his main gripe against Hopkins was that he didn’t get in here! Just one of the many ridiculous "Hopkins is no fun" interactions I’ve had, and they're driving me crazy!

First off, College is fun. Hopkins is college. Thus, Hopkins is fun. The people here are involved, and social, and friendly. But more than that, Hopkins is fun because it's Hopkins. It's different from any other college, but in a great way, not (as people assume) in that it's unsocial. Really. I like to go out. Kids at Hopkins go out. I wouldn’t be at Hopkins, or any college, if my idea of a rocking Saturday night was a date with the science books. Hopkins is exciting and fun and social...

This past weekend I went into Fells Point with what seemed like the entire freshman class for the annual Halloween parade. Without a doubt the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. Imagine every person in the state of Maryland packed into an area about ten blocks square, dressed as (and this is just a sampling) priests, giraffes, Mario, rabbis, Waldo, chickens, and sailors. Madness. And so much fun. Hopkins provided a bunch of buses to and from school to make sure everyone would be able to get back and forth, and lots of people took advantage of it--I think I ran into almost everyone I know at Hopkins (including a few SAAB-ers!).

1. Fells Point (during the day). It looked nothing like this the night of Halloween. 2.Fells point (night time!)

N500707276_849469_3955 Saturday night was the night of post-Halloween parties (I wasn’t aware Halloween was a three or four day event at Hopkins, but it definitely is), and of course some more interesting costumes. Here are a few great ones from the night before
My friend Dani and I in Fell's Point! Check out the costumes in the background too.
Also--I dressed up in crazy 80's clothes, my mum was quite the party girl in the 80's and N500707276_849465_2491 has a fabulous collection of ridiculous outfits.

And below...a few sailors and football players and rabbis.

I hope this was a convincing pro-fun spiel. I promise I'm not that biased. If you have more questions about social life (or anything else) at Hopkins, it's discussed all the time on the forums.

As much fun as Hopkins is though…what is even more fun? VOTING! Do your part. Go vote.

Today in class, my Occ Civ (History of Occidental Civilization) professor gave a great lecture on the Vote disenfranchisement of the lower classes in pre-Revolution England, and the political struggles that people went through in order to finally earn the right to vote! He finished up the lecture by writing VOTE right across the board. You really should.

I can’t wait to see how some of the swing states turn out tomorrow—especially VA and CO—but my home state of NJ is really reliably Democratic, so no surprises there (and no complaints, either).