Posted by Lauren B.
Garland Hall is, without a doubt, the ugliest building on campus, and as of this week, it's now my favorite.
Flashback to the first week of school: Orientation -- we were assigned Student Advisers (sophomores, juniors and seniors who volunteer to help new students with anything they might need). I looked up my name on a long list of freshmen, and next to my name was written Garland Hall. When I asked how to get there, and how on earth to find it among the many other brick buildings here, I was told to, "look for the ugly one."
Sure enough, Garland is the only ugly building on this campus. Luckily, that made it easy to find, and while countless other freshmen wandered, looking at this and this,
Now back to the present: I'm currently facing the all too inevitable middle of freshman year freakout. Maybe the other freshmen aren't freaking out (particularly those lucky ones who've figured out their major, which p.s. I have not), but it feels pretty inevitable to me.
Number One Problem: Though I may or may not have tricked you all on this blog into thinking I'm a Writing Sems girl, it turns out I am entirely undecided, though hopefully I can resolve this at least in part by 10 am tomorrow, when I have a meeting with my ever-helpful Academic Adviser. This will not be the first time I've run into her office babbling about majors, and I believe our fall counseling meeting went something like this,
Her: So how's pre-med going?
Me: I QUIT.
I'm quite optimistic about this one though, I may have narrowed the choices down a bit (more on this soon).
Number Two Problem: Jobs. And internships? And why are none of these paid? And why is the economy so bad? Ugh. There are a myriad of other problems to deal with, but luckily, due to the wonders of Garland Hall (and the free, better than Starbucks coffee they have in the Career Center) these don't seem to be too much of an issue.
So why is Garland Hall just so wonderful?
It's just this old, stocky building on the prettiest new quad on campus, but when you walk inside you'll see. There's a huge list of every possible thing you might need on campus. Career Center? check. Financial Aid Services? check. Student Employment? check. Need a new J-Card? (like I did a few weeks ago, ugh) go to Garland!
But really, beyond the JCards and free coffee, Garland really lets you take advantage of all the things Hopkins has to offer. And not the usual things, but those really interesting, underutilized, little known things about a school. Like the fact that the Career Center has peer counselors, and a packet nearly the size of the dictionary on how to write the best resume you can, and an online database of Hopkins alums across the world for you to call about jobs, majors, or to stop in and have a meal with if you just happen to be in Senegal or Shanghai one afternoon.
I had no idea that all these things were available to students here, and I think the best students here have really been doing their research in Garland. It wasn't until this week that I found out Hopkins will sponsor your unpaid internship (that's what I'm trying to do!) or that Hopkins undergrads have done everything from research on sexual trafficking in India to teaching in a Nepalese orphanage to cancer research right here in Baltimore. It's really exciting to realize that these people are the same ones you sit next to in class and have marathon FFC sessions with; it makes these things seem so much more attainable.
Now, what has Garland done for me?
Well, I've written a resume that doesn't look like a kindergarteners. I'll hopefully be figuring out my major soon. I've gotten a new JCard (phew).I've found a summer internship--I'll be going to London to work for a small consulting firm that helps women re-enter the workforce after having children (and I'm SO excited about this!). I've (almost) found a job for the school year.
It's looking pretty great, and my freshman year crisis is nearly resolved! So when you visit, or hopefully when you come to Hopkins, make sure to stop by Garland!
-Lauren