2011: Hopkins Freshman Blog

Memories on a Deck, Pt. 1

It’s that time of year again…Finals week!  Somehow I’ve managed to keep myself destressed and sleeping well.  With tons of work still to do, I thought I would look back on some stuff I’ve done recently, my freshman year as a whole, and what is to come…

Some of the best things I’ve done all year have come in these past few weeks.  First, I got to experience the amazing weekend of Spring Fair for the first time!  The freshman quad was filled with (somewhat overpriced, but still soooo delicious) food vendors ranging from Thai food to BBQ to Maryland Crab Cakes to smoothies to (everyone’s personal favorite) Funnel Cakes. Greek organizations among others were fundraising.  The Beach was buzzing with activities and music.  The upper quad had local vendors selling lots of random things.  There was a wing eating contest, break dancing, and a Vocal Chords performance on Saturday night.  The weather was amazing so it worked out well.  (Picture is of me and my friend Andrew playing around in the Kiddie Area)

The next thing that was really amazing was that I filmed my final project for film.  I’m still in the process of editing it together, but it should turn out really great.  I’m really pleased with what I shot.  (I have to thank my friends Nathaniel and Alyssa for acting in it) 

The final exciting thing was the Alpha Phi formal.  Lauren (read her blog here) invited me as her date to my first sorority formal.  We got all dressed up and took our promish pictures.  It was an amazing time.  One of the pictures I was hoping to include was one stolen from Julia who took a picture of all the SAABers that were at the formal (Rob, Stephanie,  Jackie, Julia, Lauren, and Me – also Adam was there, but he is no longer an active SAAB member), but she didn't put them up in time so I urge you to check out their blogs about it to see the whole gang.  The others are stolen from other people via Facebook.   

Looking back on Freshman year, I can’t believe how quickly it passed.  Every week seemed to take forever, but the closer and closer it got to the end, I just wanted to go back.  Although I want to obviously grow up and move on, I don’t want to lose one of the best years of my life.  So for all those out there who are getting excited about going to college, prepare yourselves to enjoy it.  Get involved, meet tons of new people, learn some stuff, and have fun while doing it. 

This is my last official blog as a Freshman blogger before I become a sophomore and head off to guest blogging (since it’s hard enough for me to keep up with my responsibility with this one…as you can see with this blog being posted half a week late)  Hopefully everyone enjoyed following along with my freshman experience.  (I know my mom sure did -thanks mom -, but I’m hoping others enjoyed too)  I remember way back when in October when my first blog went up and I never thought this day in May would come so soon.  I may be doing some blogging for the film department next year reviewing films and whatnot depending on what they want me to do so I’ll definitely plug that in the future if I get the gig.  Good luck with everything, keep reading my blog over the summer, and if you are one of the chosen few coming to Hopkins next year, maybe I’ll see you around.

As always I have to leave you with my movie recommendations and a YouTube video to enjoy.
Best Films I’ve Seen Recently:
El Topo (very violent and strange)
Hamilton (I got a free DVD of my Intro to Film Production professor’s first feature length film that is actually really visually pleasing)
Cloverfield (one of the few monster movies that I actually like, filmed in a really interesting way)
And finally…
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (probably the best film I’ve seen in years)

Here’s the video (thought this one would be appropriate):

Here comes the sun...

I would love to write a long, long blog right now, but unfortunately I am a bit caught up. This week is the final week of classes, meaning it begins the final stretch. I have five finals which start this Wednesday and end on May 14th. This is good for me because it's hard for me to deal with things if they aren't spread out. However, it means that I will have something on mine until I head home. I have had a wonderful weekend full of procrastination. This weekend was Spring Fair which meant fireworks on Thursday night, a concert on Friday night, and eating, wandering, and tanning yesterday. I really came into Spring Fair having little expectations and WOW was I impressed by the three days of activities.

 

The weather at Hopkins is definitely a selling point. And no, I did not take the picture below (but it has looked that beautiful thes last couple of weeks!). We have had a mild winter and are now having an amazing Spring: the sunshine, and even the thunderstorm last night, have all made me happy. Anyway, right now I'm in the library. Yeah, it's not exactly what I want to be doing, but I'm also not upset that I am. I have had a lot of motivation today to do well on these upcoming tests and I don't mind studying for any of my classes either. I definitely should be thankful for finding a major that I enjoy early on. On top of all of this, I'm feeling a bit sick as well (with an array of symptoms). So although I adore all of my readers, I think it is best for me to focus on studying, sleeping, and taking my vitamins, and not so much blogging. I hope that all of the prospective students have finally decided on the school that is right for them. It makes me happy that I have done my job this past month in promoting Hopkins and what Hopkins has to offer through message boards, answering questions on the Facebook groups, hosting four awesome admits, answering questions at our Ask A Student table, and participating in a Student Life Panel. And I know in the back of my mind that the work has paid off. Luckily those of you who have decided to enroll will provide me with productive study breaks, as I'm the lucky one who gets to approve all of you into the Facebook group!

Best wishes! And I can't wait until I am able to reflect on my year!

Whoever invented deep-fried oreos...

....should be blamed for the ten pounds I gain this weekend. Honestly, the idea sounds disgusting. Okay, no, it sounds intriguing. But then you taste it - ah! My friend Amanda described it best when she was explaining the taste to someone: "Think of the best thing you've ever eaten. Then, think about bird poop. Well, the best thing you've ever tasted tastes like bird poop compared to fried oreos."

You're probably wondering where (and maybe why) I got a weekend's supply of fried oreos. Hopkins has turned into a giant fair for the weekend. Not even figuratively -- literally, the entire place has been converted to a fair. Booths with every variety of fair food you can imagine fill the freshman quad. The entire quad between the library and Gilman is taken over by art booths and tables with jewelry and clothing...and rumor has it, there are RIDES over by Shaffer - but there is an age limit! Grr. For once, my midgety height won't help.

Anyway, I just realized how ridiculous this blog has sounded so far. It's probably the heat and sugar. This weekend has been an incredible relief from all the work I've had in the past week, and what better way to celebrate than with sugary snacks and sunny days? I have had to volunteer on a see-saw as part of Alpha Phi's philanthropy - all the proceeds we get go to Cardiac Care - but honestly, that's no work compared to the past couple of weeks I've had. Last week, I found out I was elected to be News & Features Editor of the News-Letter - that's the student newspaper here on campus. It's a pretty awesome honor, and I'm so excited for next year with my three fantastic co-editors, but it's also been really stressful and taken up SO MUCH TIME the past couple of weeks (the first week was training; this week, the new positions took over). I joked to my friend Amy the other day that although she thinks I'll be living with her next year, I'll really be living in the News-letter office (luckily it's adorable and literally looks like a cottage in the woods). I'm not kidding when I say this - I actually got home from News-Letter at 5 am Thursday morning. I'm pretty sure the sun was starting to rise.

For all my complaining, though, I'm really, seriously happy with this development. I was so involved in journalism during high school, and for one reason or another, I didn't start writing for the News-Letter until my second semester here - but it was so easy to get started, and once I did, I couldn't stop. It's a great community on campus and I always feel like I'm working toward something that could end up being a terrific story, and it's all worth it when the paper comes out on Thursday. And, not to be sappy or anything, but it's the same way with you admitted students. All the work we put into SAAB pays off during Open Houses, when you all come up and ask questions or tell us you've seen the Cribs videos (eek!) and we get to tell you IN PERSON how much we love Hopkins.

Anyway, I just saw my friend Suzanne's a cappella performance, and it was a wonderful half-way point in the weekend. Suze also happens to be my big sister in Alpha Phi - which you'd probably know if you've read my last two or three blogs, I kinda talk about her a lot - so it was amazing to see her perform, along with my good friend Frances. The groups on campus are so full of energy and although I don't go to performances as often as I'd like to, they always remind me that there's so much talent at Hopkins. I'll leave you with a video clip from Suzanne's solo. It's to Foreigner's song Cold As Ice - now, who wouldn't want to listen to a little bit of that?

Viva El PAPA

Let me give a brief explanation of the title of this blog. No matter what religion you chose to practice or not practice, you might have heard that this past week Pope Benedict has been in the US. When I heard about this a few weeks ago I knew I wanted to go and see him. Thankfully he was going to be in DC so getting there wouldn’t be a problem. More on that in a second. So for the past few weeks me and a few of my friends have been trying to get our hands on some tickets to the mass that the Pope would be holding in DC, but unfortunately we were unable to get them. It seems a lot of other Catholics were also doing the same thing.

So this past Thursday, we decided to go to DC anyway to hopefully just catch a glimpse of him. If we couldn’t do that, at least it was an awesome day to just be outside and also to just get away from campus for a bit. So Thursday morning, I and two of my friends headed down to Penn Station to catch the MARC train into DC. We got there around noon so we could have a few hours to walk around and also so I could visit a friend at another college. We spent about four hours walking the National Mall with breaks for quick naps every now and then. It was a PERFECT day, as in the weather could not have been better.

At around four, we headed over to the Catholic University of America where Pope Benedict would be speaking. We figured we would just hang out on the streets, with the logic that he has to get in there some how so we must be able to see him. There weren’t too many people along the streets, since most people there had tickets into the event. But we did end up talking to a few groups of people as well as join in on the singing and dancing. Just doing that was fine and the three of us would have been content if we had to go home then. But, as 5pm approached, everyone who we had been with headed over to the entrance gate to the school. It turned out they all had tickets, we just didn’t know about them. So we figured it was time for us to leave since we didn’t want to be the only ones on the street, but as we turned to leave one of the leaders of the group offered us three tickets.

We were absolutely ecstatic and hurried into the campus. The field was absolutely packed with people singing, dancing, and just being merry. They even had cardboard life-size cutouts of the Pope so people could take their picture with it. The only problem with this whole thing was that no one knew what was going on, every time we asked someone where he would be coming from or going to all we got was an “I don’t know.” So we just hung around until all of a sudden there was a loud cheer from the corner of the field. He had arrived in his pope-mobile. We ran over to that side and joined in on the cheers of “Viva El Papa.” He was circling around the field so after we lost sight of him, we ran over to another side to get another glimpse. I was able to catch some great pictures since we were so close.

After he made his way around, we figure we should get to the exit as soon as possible to beat the rush, seeing as we had 30 minutes to get to Union Station to catch our train back to Baltimore. We got back to campus around 8pm with tons of stories and no one could believe we actually got in.

My week continued to be eventful with Relay for Life Friday night. I was on a team with Outdoor Pursuits leaders, so we had all of these outdoorsy themed things around our campsites. We even set up a fondue set to serve chocolate fondue and different things to dip in. There were tons of people there, all walking around the upper quad for a great cause. I don’t know the final totals, but our team rose over $1,400 for the ACS.

These two events have definitely been the highlights of my past week, but I also have been doing a lot with admissions for the Open houses. Two weeks ago I hosted a few pre-frosh and I have been at the Open Houses almost all day. I will be there this week for anyone making the trip to Baltimore. Please stop by our table and grab an Insider’s Guide, they are really awesome and it is nice to talk to you guys and answer your questions.

Open House Questions

Hey guys! Well it's two in the morning and I should be heading off to bed. My life has been busy, but I'm loving it. I really can't believe I only have a month left.

We have begun to have a few warm days here on campus: the flowers are blooming and tons of people are out on all of the quads playing around. I love seeing people enjoying themselves and my walks throughout campus have been even happier than usual because we have all come out of our shells to enjoy the sunshine.

I have been keeping my weekends busy. Last weekend I enjoyed some of the Cherry Blossom Festival on a trip to D.C. This weekend was Homecoming weekend. I got the chance of going to an alumni lunch with my boyfriend's family. It is nice to see how many people are still connected to this school. On top of eating a lot this past weekend, I also got to watch Hopkins beat Maryland in the Homecoming game (finally!) Today I participated in a two-game club soccer tournament, we played Towson and American. One of the games was played on the lacrosse field. Let me just say, the field definitely looks smaller from the stands!

My weekdays have been plenty busy too. The last few weeks have been light in terms of workload, but starting this week it begins to be piled on again. Last weekend my roommate and I both hosted prospective students in overnights. I host again on Tuesday night and again next week. Like I said, it doesn't look as though the action-packed days are stopping.

Next weekend my brother and mother are visiting. We will be going to the Hopkins vs. Navy game at Navy and then to the Yankees vs. Orioles game at Camden Yards. I hope I come back in one-piece, after cheering for the visiting team in two games. I am also going to the Yankees game on Friday night...yay $6 student tickets! The following weekend is Spring Fair, full of concerts, prizes, venues, food, etc. I have heard great things about Spring Fair and can't wait to experience it first hand. And you know what is after that...oh no, please don't say it...the dreaded F-word....FINALS.

Anyway, like I said, I SHOULD be going to bed. And sitting here with my roommate asleep next to me only makes me want to go to sleep more. However, I thought that I would start a post with questions and answers that I have been getting at open houses. Some of the questions I will answer because they are being frequently asked, while others I will be answering because I think they are random and funny. (Thanks Admissions Daniel for the blogging idea!) This post will continue to be updated in the next two weeks with more questions from the next two admitted student open houses.
****
Questions:

1. What do you do on the weekends?
This is a REALLY tough question to answer, but one that I was asked three times last week. I explained my DC weekend to the students that answered. As you can see from above, my weekends usually get filled up with activities on and off campus. However, every weekend goes by quicker than they ever did in high school. The best answer to this question, would be to ask the student: What do you do on weekends now? Chances are that the same things that you do now for fun on the weekends, you can also do here! So, you're into debate? Then do that on your weekends! Like going to movies? Baseball games? You can do that too. However, your weekends will probably be even better than your weekends in high school because your friends are right HERE. There is very little planning needed to hang out with your friends.

2. How tall are the ceilings in Building A?
For the mother who wanted to know how tall the ceilings are in a typical room in Building A, I will get back to you. I'm still looking for my tape measure.

3. What is the weather like?
For those that came to the past open house, I honestly will say that you guys got an atypical day in terms of weather. The day started off REALLY cold and foggy, and then finally cleared up. However, I must say, most days in April aren't in the 50s. The weather here, compared to my home state (New Jersey), is just a tad bit milder. That means that we missed out on some of the snow that New Jersey got, but still got a little. It also means that the flowers are blooming earlier. I love the weather here. I wanted a place that was warmer than home, and I got it (but not by much.) Please go to this link to check out the weather statistics for Baltimore, MD. In conclusion, please don't judge the Hopkins weather based on your one day here last week...it was fifteen degrees cooler than the month's typical temperature.

4. How does the workload compare to your high school?
Every high school is different. However, no high school completely prepares you for college academics. College academics are different--there are fewer tests, usually less one-on-one interaction, etc. With all of this being said, I find the workload pretty much the same. However, it is definitely higher when a test is coming up. What people don't realize is how much more time is in your schedule in college. I only have fifteen hours of class a week. Yes, I spend another few hours in meetings. And yes, I spend another ten hours working in the admissions office. However, it doesn't compare to the LONG days of high school. So, although I may be spending more time studying, it doesn't feel like it just because of how my days are set up.

5. What do you like most about Hopkins?
I love that I have yet to come up with a "typical" college student. Anyone who visits here will be able to find someone else like them. There is no stereotype, okay, maybe a love for learning...but that's it! I was worried when I was looking at schools that the school would change me because of the type of people that I would be around. However, at Hopkins I have been able to hold on to my values and my personality because there is no typical student.

6. Is there a break dancing team?
Yup!

7. What other schools were you picking between?
Ugh, I hate this question. Seriously every person has different college choices and a lot of it depends on who you are: what you want to be, what you want to major in, where you're from, etc. To answer it simply, I applied early decision here, but the summer before I was deciding between Vassar, Georgetown, and Hopkins to apply early to.

8. Why did you pick to live in Building A?
I knew I wanted suite-style living and I really liked the location of Building A. I like looking out the window and seeing students and the sculpture garden. I wanted to be actually on the campus and close to the FFC and the gym. Plus, I like that Building A is small (only about 120 students) and that I am able to study in my room without many disturbances.

9. Why do the birds chirp at 3 a.m. here?
I have no idea, but I'm hoping my roommate asks in her Animal Behavior class.

*Edit*
MORE QUESTIONS:

10. Is there a pep band on campus?
Yup, we may not have official cheerleaders...but we do have a pep band! Our pep band performs at all the lacrosse games and they do some traveling to. I have never been the musically talented one, but if you were part of this in high school, you definitely can continue in college.

11. Do you need a car on campus?
I did not bring a car on campus and personally I don't think you need one...especially as a freshman. Our campus is very centralized. There have only been a couple of times when I've wanted to go somewhere that wasn't really convenient by walking, escort van, JHMI shutle, and the Collegetown Shuttle. Taxis are expensive here, so I try to avoid them. However, these times I have been able to call an upperclassman who I knew had a car to bring me to wherever. So, my words of advice, well it's up to you, but I would suggest being environmentally friendly and not bringing a car...you'll be surprised by how far you can go without one. Lastly, our campus has a few zipcars on campus which cost $35 to register for and then after that $9 per hour. The great thing about this is you don't have to be 21 to use one of these cars and gas is paid for. Although it may sound expensive now, it's cheaper than parking.

12. Do BMEs have lives?
Yup...I'm not BME, but I've been able to socialize with quite a few. You'll learn quickly that the people who are selected for the BME program are remarkably human, well and remarkably intelligent too. Please read Tanmay's and Liny's student profiles and feel free to ask them any questions about this: http://apply.jhu.edu/hi/profiles/profiles.html.

13. What myth do you want to bust about Hopkins?
I hate this idea that there is only one type of kid at Hopkins. Maybe it was like that at one time, but we can thank the current admissions body for forming a diverse student body, in every type of way, year after year.  We have top and unique programs that you may not even know about. You'll be surprised by how few pre-meds you'll find on campus and how many writing seminars majors you'll find instead. There really is no Hopkins type; I don't care what your viewbooks tell you. Once you get on campus you'll look around and see that it would be hard to find person that would not be able to fit in on this campus. I wanted a school that would allow me to be who I am without peer pressure and I have found that at this campus. On a side note, I just want to mention that my suite in Building A consists of four different people of different ethnicities, from different states, and with different majors...and that is why I love Hopkins!

14. Do you feel safe on campus?
Yes! First check out this to see why Reader's Digest rated Hopkins number 1 security: http://www.rd.com/family/parenting/parenting-and-education/is-your-college-student-safe-at-school/article53695.html.
I live in Building A which is on the freshmen quad, so even though I'm on a city campus I don't have to cross any streets to get back to my room. It's amaing how lit-up campus is at night. There are always people on campus on guard. Even with our motion-detecting cameras and blue lights, it's important to have your cell phone, to make sure someone knows where you are, and to have the Hopkins police number in your phone.

15. How large are the typical Public Health classes?
There are only four main classes that all public health majors have to take: Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Health Policy and Management, and Environment and Your Health. All four of these classes are lecture courses with around 100 people in them. However, both Biostatistics and Health Policy and Management are broken up into sections, so the size is not overwhelming.

16. I still don't know where to go...what should I do?
This is definitely not my decision! But pro/con lists wouldn't hurt. Pick the place where you feel like you'll fit-in and be happy. Just remember that a lot of people think they know what they want to be in high school and then find another interest in college. Hopkins doesn't have a core curriculum and your advisers will encourage you to explore classes. We will have 50 majors next year (I think we're adding archeology)...that gives you a lot of choices if you decide to switch your intended path. We only have two schools (Arts & Sciences and Engineering) and you are free to move between these schools without applying. Also, people change in college. As I said above, Hopkins also has diversity, you'll be able to find a group of friends for you in a student body that isn't too small that you know everyone, but that isn't too big that you feel like nothing.

Lastly, best of luck in making your decision and feel free to ask me any more questions on my personal thread.

 

Go outside!

"No, seriously. Go outside." That's what my roommate said to me as soon as I woke up last Saturday morning. She wasn't kicking me out of the room - well, I suppose she was, indirectly - but she wanted me to see that it was actually lay-out-and-sunbathe weather for the first time in months. In BALTIMORE.

This past week has been full of 70 degree, sun-shiny days, and it seems like the entire student body has evacuated from their dorm rooms and library cubicles to lay on any available patch of grass and read, chat with friends, picnic, throw frisbees, and generally just enjoy the sun. It's been amazing - anytime I have half an hour to kill between classes, I head straight for the Beach (I no longer boycott the term for the sprawling mass of grass in front of the library) and join the other two hundred people doing the same thing. Sigh. I love spring.

Anyway, I haven't JUST been laying around and working on my tan (/sunburn) for the past couple of weeks - in fact, I've had the most cultural (for lack of a better word) week in a long time! It started last Saturday night, when (after a long day at the Beach, of course), I went to see my friend Amanda perform in a Senior Arts Certificate Skit. These short plays are written and directed by seniors who are trying to get Arts Certificates with their diplomas, and the end product is a series of cool, wacky, creative plays that anyone can audition for. Amanda played an snobbish MC with a pig nose, if that says anything about the tone of the play.

Later that same night, a group of us headed to Shriver Hall to see another performance. For the past couple of months, we've "lost" my friend Giselle to the JHU Modern Dance - so needless to say, we were all curious and excited to see how the performance would turn out. Let's just say it blew me away. Giselle and her fellow modern dancers really, seriously, sculpted their bodies into artwork - I don't know how else to put it. Each dance was totally innovative and beautiful and told a story, and the dancers really did seem like they had been practicing for months. I took a short video of one of Giselle's dances (she's the one with the short curly hair!) and - with her permission, of course - you can take a peek at it here.

   

The rest of the week was busy and hurried, with some great moments - like the hours I spent volunteering at the Admitted Student Open Houses and meeting some of the interesting, exciting members of the Class of '12 (if I saw you there - hi! If you're coming to the upcoming Open Houses - PLEASE come by and talk to us! Seriously - the more you talk to us and ask us questions, the less time we'll have to spend listening to Daniel's stories!), a date party for my sorority (it was disco theme, and I took Amanda - needless to say, it was a GREAT time - just check out the pictures) - and some stressful times, like the hours I put in to my News-Letter article, my Philosophy paper, and my Spanish test...so needless to say, by the time Friday came around, I was ready to de-stress a little.

My good friend Chloe lives in D.C., so a group of us decided to take the Marc train into the city after classes and visit her and some of the museums in the area. We got there in time to wander around the National Mall (Amanda and I went to the National Gallery of Art, while the rest of our friends hung out in the Museum of Natural History), and then Chloe led us to a lovely restaurant in Dupont Circle, where I had the best meal I've eaten in weeks: a California-style salad with ahi tuna, avocado, and rice. Heaven. After dinner, we walked back to Chloe's house mere blocks from Dupont Circle and sat on her roof until we had to catch the train home. A seriously perfect day. Sometimes you can forget that it's SO EASY to get to DC. Baltimore really is the ideal location, because it's its own city, but DC is just a 40 minute trainride away and New York is only a couple hours. I have to remember that next year.

My lovely weekend continued yesterday, when I headed to an Alpha Phi barbeque before the Homecoming game and then to the game itself. I'm not going to lie - I'm not a huge sports spectator (or player, for that matter) so I ended up turning in my seat and basically turning my back to the game so that I could be in a more comfortable position to talk to my friends. Ah, well. It was fun anyway, and I know they won - that's what matters, right? (Feel free to internet-yell at me, Blue Jays fans.)

Later that night, I got treated to dinner at a fantastic tapas place in Fell's Point called Mezze. My 'big sister' in my sorority, Suzanne, is one of the most amazing people I've met here. Her mom came into town for the game and took us and a few of Suzanne's other friends out to dinner, and I can't even describe the meal without being really resentful that I'll to go to the cafeteria tonight, so I won't.

Since I'm in the library, I think I'll (reluctantly) get back to what the library is actually for: studying. Ah, well.

How Soon Is Now?

Since the last time I blogged things have been pretty hectic. 

Where to start…Last Friday, I made my first film!  The Friday before break my Intro to Film Production class went out around campus to create a short story by filming a bunch of different shots and then editing them together.  We finally learned how to make cuts and edit using a linear format which literally involves cutting the film (no digital editing).  Soon I’ll be putting together a short up to 3 min for the final project which will be screened along with many of the other film production classes offered this semester. 

Last Saturday at the lacrosse game, Bill Bellichick was roaming the sidelines. I think he is the reason we lost big to UNC.  But after a tough loss to Duke, the Homecoming game will hopefully turn us around.  We finally won big against Maryland which was the catalyst to last year’s turn around too.

Thursday, unfortunately, was a crazy day spent in the hospital and in bed because of an injury.  Fortunately enough, Union Memorial Hospital is only 2 blocks away from campus so I was in good hands. 

Friday was movie night. My friends sympathized with my situation and we had a night in just watching really bad movies and TV.

This past week started Open House season…one of my favorite times of the year.  Strangely enough, I actually like answering questions about Hopkins (as you can tell if you are part of either of the Facebook groups), even if it is the same question over and over or a crazy parent asks about how easy it is to get into med school.  If you come to the Open House say hi at the Ask A Student table and pick up one of the Insider’s Guides we worked so hard on to give you a students perspective of Hopkins sans admissions censorship (for the most part).

Finally (and sorry for this stream of consciousness type blog but it’s 2 days late and I’m in a hurry to enjoy more Homecoming festivities), here is something to note for prospective Film and Media Studies majors/minors.  There is a pre-registration day to make sure people in the department get into the small upper level classes.  This is awesome because it is a week before rising sophomores register for classes and I already know that I am in 2 classes that I want to take (Intermediate Production and a new screenwriting class taught by my current Production professor who is awesome).  The film department is on the rise with our new Provost hopefully and it is finally getting offices in Gilman after the renovation is completed.  I am looking forward to the next 3 years of being in the most incredible department at Hopkins! 

And if any of you are in the area April 17-20, the Hopkins Film Festival is going on.  Check out hopkinsfilmfest.com for more details

And I can’t leave you without my latest movie viewing list:
-    Rear Window (better than Disturbia)
-    Charlie Bartlett (not worth seeing in theaters)
-    The Squid and the Whale (really good indie flick)
-    Paranoid Park (new Van Sant film)
And more…

Here’s this week’s YouTube video I picked out for you all…

Why I Chose Hopkins

Hey Everyone! Congrats again to all those admitted, and good luck as many of you decide between school. I unfortunately don’t have much as far as advice goes for choosing between schools since I applied ED to Hopkins, but I thought I would share a few reasons why I chose Hopkins. Before that, I recommend reading my mom’s blog. She does a really good job explaining a lot of the things we went through last year and I am sure your parents would enjoy reading it.

Here are the top 5 reasons why I chose Hopkins:
1.    The Campus: We visited a lot of different schools and tons of different campuses, but none compared to Homewood. I knew that I wanted to go to school in a city, but yet I still wanted the college “feel” of large quads and brick pathways. Homewood Campus has all of those things, so it was an absolute perfect fit. I was still in the city, but I had an amazing campus to walk around.

2.    The IR program: So if any of you have noticed, I have changed my major way too many times. When I was picking schools though, I was a gung-ho IR major. I wanted to be able to study abroad one, two, or even three semesters. I wanted professors that were well known in national and international politics but were still interested in teaching. Most of all, I was looking for a program that had something different about it that would make me stand out in the future. I did my research, and Hopkins came out on top for me. I talked with students about study abroad and they all told me how easy it was here, and I was able to talk to a few professors who had actually worked in DC and across the world in fields I was interested in. Most of all, Hopkins has the 5-year BA/MA program with SAIS, our School of Advanced International Studies in Washington DC. The program generally allows undergrads to get their BA in 3 years at Homewood, then their Masters in 2 years. With 3 years at Homewood, 1 year abroad, and 1 year in DC. After I heard about this program, I was pretty much sold on the IR program here at Hopkins.

3.    Good at other things: As I just said I was looking for a great IR program, but knowing myself I needed a school that was good at other things too, like the sciences and engineering. A lot of schools I looked at had good IR or Political Science programs, but outside of that they didn’t really stand out in other fields. I am glad now that I made this one of my most important factors, since I am now proud to say I am a mechanical engineer.

4.    Location: I wanted to be in a city that I hadn’t had the chance to explore yet. I needed something different than small-town NH. So why Baltimore? I actually love Baltimore, there is so much going on it is unbelievable. A lot of people wonder about crime here, but I would say that I feel extremely safe and the city has so much more to offer than crime statistics. I suggest giving Baltimore a try, I haven’t found many people here who would say they dislike Baltimore; it truly is “Charm City.”

5.    The People: After I visited here, I saw just how interesting the kids were here and I wanted to be like them. To this day, I still meet new people and I am continually amazed. Hopkins is like no where else.

So those are my reasons for choosing Hopkins and I hope they help with your big decision. My biggest piece of advice would be to visit campus if you can. There is nothing like actually being here in person and experiencing everything Hopkins has to offer. Good luck and Congratulations again!

I posted a whole bunch of random pictures taken throughout the year:
1. A picture of me last summer at a waterfall in NH.
2. Me and Republican Presidential nominee John McCain at one of his campaign stops in NH.
3. The Lincoln Memorial on one of my trips down to DC at 1am.
4. I know this isn't Baltimore, but it is a picture of the beach in Florida where my grandparents live. I was able to visit them at the end of intersession.
5. My Pre-O group on our last day of canoeing.

I was going to end my post there but as I was walking to dinner I thought maybe it would be interesting to list a few of my most memorable experiences.

1. Pre-O and OP: Going on Pre-O was the best decision I have ever made and it has led me to become a leader for OP. Not only have I met awesome people, but I get to do some crazy things.

2. MSE Symposium: The MSE symposium brings in some awesome speakers and I was so happy to hear Howard Dean speak. Not to mention I got to hear my childhood hero speak: Bill Nye the Science Guy.

3. Trips: I have been able to go on some awesome trips through OP, but since Baltimore is so close to everything I have also been able to go to DC a few times as well as NYC. I am even hoping to be able to see the Pope when he comes next week.

4. Baltimore: Everyday I find another reason why Baltimore is so cool, such as  Lexington Market and the BMA. Hopefully this summer I will be able to explore more of the city.

Hopkins Cribs: Wolman 5East

Congratulations, newbies! It's exciting to be addressing this to people who will actually be walking around on this very campus next year....don't be afraid to stop and say hi, at the open houses and next year on campus!

Now that you've got your big decision ahead of you (hint: come here), you'll be curious as to where you'd be living if you came here - I was certainly curious. While Jessica, Josh and Siobhan will be rooting for buildings A/B and the AMRs, it's my responsibility to show you all how awesome Wolman is. As Rob mentioned, Wolman is basically divided into two buildings, East and West - I live in the East Wing, and I've got a great suite.

Since you'll get to watch me roam around my suite and trip over things, etc, in my Cribs video, I decided to let my friend Katie lead you on a picture-tour of my floor. She actually lives in AMR II, but as a testament to the awesomeness of Wolman, she practically lives on my floor/in my room.

Each suite in Wolman has two bedrooms, either one single and one double, or (more typically) two doubles. I live in a double, with my roommate Lauren, and our room is this cool L-shape that sort of lets us have our "own rooms"; we reference Lauren's side of the room as "Lauren's side" and my side as "Steph's side", but we don't have that weird barrier divider that a lot of rooms have.

College certainly forces you to make the most of your space. My bed serves as my desk/kitchen table/hangout area/sleeping space...so it was important to me to pick out a comforter and sheets, etc, that I really liked. I ended up buying curtains at Urban Outfitters and my mom and I fashioned them into a duvet. On the wall next to my bed, I have about 30 or so Polaroid pictures of my friends and family from home - this was my graduation project, I really wanted to get individual pictures of everyone I cared about from home, and have them sign their name and write me a little message - like a personalized yearbook. (There's an awkward part of my video where I sound like I spend hours looking at these photos and crying, but I swear, I love my friends here too!)

I'm not going to lie -- I'm not the most organized person in the world. But I think it adds a little flavor to my room! (My mother might disagree, but luckily, my roommate is almost as messy/therefore accepting of my messiness). My desk is always cluttered with books, pictures, water bottles, etc. Here's Katie, very obviously pretending to read at book at my desk.

Right outside my bedroom is the kitchen that I share with my suitemates, Shayna and Li. I LOVE having access to a kitchen, even if it is tiny - I can't imagine having survived freshman year without being able to wake up to my coffeemaker and a cupboard stocked with oatmeal, a wide array of unhealthy cereals, tea, eggs, omelet makings, etc. I don't cook as often as I could, because I actually really do like the cafeteria, but it's nice to know that if I'm studying a lot and don't have time to walk to the cafeteria, I can stay in and make a quesadilla or chicken salad. All Wolman kitchens come equipped with a refrigerator, a stovetop with two burners, a sink, cupboards, and shelves. At the beginning of the year, all my suitemates chipped in and we bought a coffeemaker, a microwave, and   way too many plates and utensils (that somehow still all managed to go missing and end up in friends' rooms...) so it's a great comfort, and perfect for lazy rainy days. To the left is Katie once again, showing off one of many "essentials": Wheat Thins!

Another Wolman luxury is the one-bathroom-per-4 people, as opposed to the AMRs, where everyone in a hall shares a bathroom. Somehow my suitemates' schedules and my schedule worked out perfectly; we almost never have to fight over the bathroom, because they pretty much all have either earlier or later classes. The bathroom has a shower, sink, toilet, towel racks, mirror, and a couple shelves, and we decided to install a few extra shelves above the toilet. I'm pretty sure my bathroom at home is farther away from my bedroom than my bathroom is here. Wolman spoils us, what can I say. (Don't worry, Katie wasn't ACTUALLY coming out of the shower - we staged this. Note the necklace).

Another great thing about Wolman is the common room - you can see it in the first picture of this entry (Katie is pretending to cheer on her favorite team). Since there are about 30 people on my floor, there's always someone hanging out or doing homework or watching TV in the common room, at any time of day. My RA sometimes throws little parties in the common room, and we all show up for the free food - and, of course, the atmosphere.

Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Hopkins CRIBS: Building A

To the RD Admits--CONGRATULATIONS! Now to our blogging topic..housing! The freshmen dorms at Hopkins, in comparison to other school's, really are nothing to complain about. I live in Building A. It was my first choice on my housing survey and I'm glad that I got it.

THE BUILDING:
Building A is built above the FFC {Fresh Food Cafeteria} it is also right next to Building B. Both dorms are closest to this cafeteria {where you end up using most of your freshmen meals} and closest to the gym. Building A/B are suite-style freshmen dormitories. There are a mix of single, double, and, occasionally, triple rooms. However, the triples are the same size as the doubles, and usually are "forced" triples and are cheaper than the doubles. However, if you are "forced" into a rare triple, you can get a room change later on in the year. Most of the rooms are doubles. The two rooms are linked by a little entryway and a bathroom. The bathroom is shared by the three, four, or five people in the suite. The rooms in the basement of Building A are handicap accessible and have bathtubs and really high ceilings. Both Building A and B are 4 stories high, have a full-sized kitchen for the building, a small lounge room {with a cable TV}, laundry room, A/C, and vending machines. Building B does not have rooms in the basement and instead has a game room area. Building A is bigger than Building B and has over 100 residents. A and B are the smallest of the three freshmen residential buildings...making it possible to recognize all of the people in your building and making it easy to bond with your floor. Both Buildings have two RAs.

MY VIDEO:

MORE ABOUT HOUSING/MY ROOM:

I hope my video provided a good idea of what my room in Building A is like. There are some things that I would like to add on:

1] Go for RANDOM selection. I know some of you may know people coming into Hopkins, but going random not only left me with an amazingly compatible roommate, but with suitemates who I may not have met if I hadn't. Because of them, I have learned about being a Baltimore Scholar, being a BME, and what it is like to be from other parts of the country.

2] Our view...I love my room because it views the sculpture garden on campus. Do you know what this means? No street noise or 3am screaming.

3] I love my roommate's signs that she puts up.

4] I love the two doors that separate my room from the hallway. It definitely allows me to have silence to read. However, that doesn't mean that the hallways aren't social.

5] Here are photos of more essentials in my room {a rug, febreze, cleaning supplies, a dustbuster, photos, lists/dry erase board, a bathmat}

6] Although, I must say, my room has been able to hold all that I need. One suggestion I have is to make sure you use the space on top of your wardrobe.