Hopkins Interactive Guest Blog

Guest Blog on Summer Vacation 2008

It's finally the season of more sunshine and less schoolwork!  With Hopkins undergraduates scattered throughout the world chilling at home, conducting research or an internship at a university, volunteering at various organizations, or simply working to save up money, the next three months will be unique and exciting for every student. 

Although the beloved Guest Blog will be hibernating during the heated months of summer, there is much to look forward to in August as a number of incoming members of the Class of 2012 will be submitting entries!  Until then, check out the fabulous twenty-six entries featuring current undergraduates posted throughout the latest semester:

01.28.2008 - Rachel - "Finding Where I Fit" - CLICK HERE. A sophomore psychology major shares her epiphany during a Hopkins tour when she was a high school senior.  Although she wanted to attend a small liberal arts college, the news about JHU Tutorial Project made her choose Hopkins.  Now, she is a devoted member of Student Advisory Board (SAAB) in the Center for Social Concern (CSC) which manages the Tutorial Project.

01.31.2008 - Amanda - "Leading a Double Life" - CLICK HERE.  Here is a fourth year undergraduate who is in the excellent JHU Public Policy program (which works through the Institute for Policy Studies, IPS).  This two year program allowed her to take graduate level classes her senior year as it overlapped well with her Political Science undergraduate classes.

02.04.2008 - Michael - "Hopkins: A Dialectical Perspective (Or: Living to Learn)" - CLICK HERE.  This freshman says "college has been a qualitative change".  As a Biology/Anthropology major, he ventured into the Beginning Arabic course and realized that things should be looked at from multiple perspectives.  Read how he applies this to ECO-reps, a group advocating Hopkins Sustainability.

02.07.2008 - Andrew - "Birthright: A Trip to Israel" - CLICK HERE.  Although this junior has written many guest blog entries before, this particular blog highlights his trip to Israel through the Birthright program.  Traveling with a handful of friends from school, he had a blast venturing throughout Israel during winter break.  This vacation linked well with his studies as an International Relations student!

02.11.2008 - Katie - "Meanderings of a Hopkins Freshman" - CLICK HERE.  Freshman Writing Seminars major from California writes about her love for Pre-O (Pre-Orientation) at Hopkins and her continued involvement in Outdoor Pursuits.  Her love for Sacramento transferred to Baltimore's Hampden and its numerous eccentric shops!

02.14.2008 - Amy - "Working at the BMA - CLICK HERE.  This freshman comes from Colorado and is a Philosophy major with a pre-med twist.  She works in the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) and spills the details of the latest Matisse exhibit.  Note: this museum is free of charge for Hopkins students!   

02.18.2008 - Amanda - "...When Baltimore Gleamed in Supernatural Ecstasy..." - CLICK HERE.  This freshman New Yorker writes about her explorations throughout the city of Baltimore.  The non-city feel of the Homewood campus is compensated with various hot spots like Fell's Point, Sonar, Walter's Museum, etc.   

02.21.2008 - Ashlyn - "Hopkins in Egypt" - CLICK HERE.  This member of the Class of 2010 transferred into Hopkins as sophomore as a Near Eastern Studies major.  She details her adventures in Egypt through the Hopkins in Egypt Today Intersession Program.  Read about her 24-day adventure abroad!   

02.25.2008 - Tanmay - "Life as a Hopkins BME: Reflections on Junior Year" - CLICK HERE.  This third year BME student gushes on the wonders of classes in the Biomedical Engineering department.  In particular, the Systems Bioengineering (SBE) courses are quite popular with their numerous professors -- experts teaching their field of work -- and the labs!  Watch the videos of dissections and how the students learned how cardiac contraction occurs with the use of an isolated frog's heart ventricle!

02.28.2008 - Margaret - "Welcome to Alaska!  JHU goes to Egypt" - CLICK HERE.  Read what impressed this senior English and History of Art double major on the Hopkins in Egypt Today during Intersession.  Apparently, everyone in Egypt greets Americans with the phrase, "Welcome to Alaska!".      

03.03.2008 - Liny - "I <3 T-shirts ... especially when they're free!" - CLICK HERE.  This third year BME devotes an entry to her love for FREE STUFF.  She shares the secrets of how to get a handful of free t-shirts at Hopkins throughout the school year. 

03.06.2008 - James - "Going GRΣΣK" - CLICK HERE.  Here is a junior Neuroscience major who is ready to tell you the positive aspects of Greek Life at Hopkins.  With higher grade point averages, more community service hours, and an enormous networking plan, fraternities aim to raise better men.  Read about the various programs in the different fraternities at Hopkins!

03.13.2008 - Jermaine - "Journal Excerpt: Empowering Change -- Challenges in Urban Health" - CLICK HERE.  Read how this third year undergraduate attended the 10th Annual Minority Pre-Health Professions Conference organized by the Pre-Professional Advising Office.  He attended work shops on urban health and was inspired that our generation can make a change.  Also, the renown Dr. Ben Carson was the keynote speaker for the weekend!   

03.17.2008 - Blake - "Historically Black Greek Lettered Organizations at Hopkins" - CLICK HERE.  This sophomore -- who shared about his involvement in the Hopkins' improv group, the Buttered Niblets, in a previous entry -- now shares of his involvement in Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated.  This is a historical Black Greek Lettered Organization (BGLO), and this entry shows the magnificent influence these organizations have on the young and old today and in throughout history.  Also, watch the video of "real stepping outside of Hollywood"!

03.20.2008 - Siobhan - "Tales of a Second Semester Freshman" - CLICK HERE.  As a Mechanical Engineering student AND basketball player on the Women's Basketball Team, this freshman tells of how she decided to branch out more during the second semester.  With a enjoyable job working at Hopkins sports games and joining a sorority (Kappa Alpha Theta), she is enjoying her ever widening network of friends.   

03.24.2008 - Brandon - "Explorin' the Town" - CLICK HERE.  As a fourth year Philosophy major, this senior has learned to find the beauty of the city.  Read why Blue Moon Cafe and The Sound Garden make Fell's Point his favorite area in Baltimore. 

03.27.2008 - Mary - "The Right Decision" - CLICK HERE.  This freshman studying Environmental Engineering is already ready to call Hopkins and Baltimore "home".  Read why this girl from rural New Jersey was quickly able to get acclimated to the city of Baltimore.  And read about her exciting internship over Intersession at the Jones Falls Watershed Association.

03.31.2008 - Siobhan - "Hopkins Cribs: AMR II, Hollander House" - CLICK HERE.  As a member of Hopkins Interactive, Siobhan creates an entry of her crib in AMR II.  Read about the typical living space of a freshman at Hopkins.

04.03.2008 - Tabitha - "Hopkins Cribs: Wolman 302A" - CLICK HERE.  Tabitha is another freshman on the Hopkins Interactive team, and she shows you her crib in a different style of freshman living.  Rather than the typical freshmen dorms like Siobhan's room (in the entry above), this freshman opted for the suite-style. Look at the different housing options with descriptions: Office of Housing and Dining Services. 

04.07.2008 - Jeremy - "A Hopkins Student and a Humanities Major: A Confession in Several Paragraphs" - CLICK HERE.  This freshman dipping his toes in the humanities writes a hilarious account of the meshing of humanities, engineering, and pre-med students at Hopkins.  As a member of the Buttered Niblets, he is good with his words.  Read about facial hair and long hours in the library in this entry.  He also shares about Gilman Hall's renovation.    

04.10.2008 - Anna - "Lo tuvo sin hacerlo, que lo hagamos sin tenerlo" - CLICK HERE.  This third year Romance Languages and International Studies double major shares her adventures abroad through the Hopkins sponsored program in Madrid, Spain.  Studying Spanish history, Spanish Literature, the EU, Spanish Society, and the Spanish language, she was able to expand her knowledge with a hands-on manner.  Read about her adventures with other Hopkins undergraduates. 

04.14.2008 - Tabitha - "Hopkins from the International Perspective" - CLICK HERE.  Tabitha spills the beans on what her experience as an international student from England has been thus far.  Looking into the differences of academic classes, geographic areas (stores, demographics, etc), and people, it seems there are slight differences in perspectives.  However, her experiences at Hopkins -- and her interactions with Americans -- have been pleasant!

04.17.2008 - Aliza - "Hopkins Take Two" - CLICK HERE.  This freshman is a Political Science and Public Health double major.  She is involved in the Blue Key Society, Alpha Phi, and mentors Baltimore City children at the National Aquarium at the Inner Harbor through the PSA Mentoring Group.  Read as she re-tells a typical week.

04.21.2008 - Catherine - "The Wonderful World of Wolman 2 West" - CLICK HERE.  This International Studies freshman confesses to being slightly on the less social side.  However, as your read her entry, you can see that everyone -- to whatever degree of social one may be -- can find their niche.  Her eclectic group of friends keeps it real every night eating together at the Fresh Food Cafe (the freshmen dining hall).

05.16.2008 - Stephanie - "So Much Has Changed" - CLICK HERE.  As graduation is near, this senior reflects on her four year journey at Hopkins.  Reminiscing on what activities deeply impacted her, such as being a Resident Assistant and a Teaching Assistant, she can see the growth in herself.  Receiving the Fulbright grant, she is looking forward to teaching English in Hong Kong, carrying all of the lessons and memories of Hopkins.   

There you go!  Twenty-six separate glimpses of what a single semester at Johns Hopkins can hold.  Another semester has passed, and countless lessons have been learned and growth through change has run its course.  Until next time!   

So Much Has Changed

Name: Stephanie Tow

Year: Class of 2008

Major: Neuroscience

Hometown: Belle Mead, NJ

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“Congratulations graduate! You did it!”

I can’t believe people will be saying this to me in a few days. Commencement is just a few days away and I find it extremely difficult to believe that my undergraduate experience at Hopkins is done – my four years here have certainly zipped by!

My name is Stephanie and I have just completed my senior year at Hopkins. In late March, I found out that I was awarded a Fulbright grant to go to Hong Kong next year to teach English at the Hong Kong Institute of Education. Although I am stoked for Hong Kong, I have had such a great time at Hopkins as an undergraduate that I am really sad to be leaving. It feels like it was just yesterday when I was hanging out with my friends until 4AM in AMR II.

Since my freshman year, a lot has changed. The meal plan has been revamped, new buildings and a new quad have sprouted on our campus, there are no longer single-sex dorms, the AMRs are now carpeted (although still not air-conditioned), and a ton of new security measures on and off campus have been implemented. In addition, with the development of Charles Village (the area of Baltimore near our upperclassman dorms) and Charles Commons (the new dorm for upperclassmen), Charles Village has become a great hang-out hub for students. However, these are just the physical changes.

Looking back at myself during my freshman year, I am amazed at how much I have changed over just four years, and I believe I owe most of it to my various experiences at Hopkins, especially the activities in which I have been involved. During my freshman year, trying to figure out what exactly my interests were, I experimented and joined a whole bunch of activities. I tried out Crew for a month, but quit before the team started 4AM practices. After I quit Crew, I joined the Women’s Ultimate Frisbee Team, which as a club sport, allowed more flexibility with my schedule. I also played in the Hopkins flute choir and took flute lessons at Peabody. I experimented with various other activities and organizations on campus, such as Alpha Phi Omega (the service fraternity on campus), Cooking 4 Love (another community service organization that prepares meals for a homeless women’s day shelter), and the Ski and Snowboard Club.

Sometime during my sophomore year, I finally found the right bunch of activities that fit my interests. However, there were also many activities with which I was not able to get involved until my junior year. These activities included my positions as a resident advisor (RA) in Wolman Hall and as a teaching assistant (TA) for Organic Chemistry Lab. My experiences with these two activities have definitely allowed me to grow significantly as an individual, providing me new perspectives and insight into Hopkins. In fact, the RA position has definitely been my favorite involvement during my time at Hopkins.

As an RA for freshmen (and a few sophomores) in Wolman for two years, I have met so many interesting people. Last year, I was an RA for twenty-eight freshmen and sixteen sophomores. This year, I was an RA for thirty-five freshmen and four transfer sophomores. I remember having so much fun with my residents last year and worrying that I would not have as much fun with my new residents during my senior year. Last year, my residents would sit out in our lounge until at least 3AM on most nights, jamming on their guitars, playing Halo, watching “Family Guy” on our lounge TV, or watching various movies on a projector borrowed from the Digital Media Center. Although my residents this year were quite a different bunch of individuals, I definitely had as much fun with my residents this year. In fact, I was amazed by how so many of my residents hung out in the same group of friends this year (last year, there were a lot of smaller groups of friends instead of one giant group) and how my floor in Wolman had become a close-knit community.

Every month, I plan a few events for my residents, and in December, we did an event that decorated our hall. More than half of my residents came out that evening to help decorate the hall, and the outcome was mind-blowing – our floor was bursting with holiday spirit, and every resident who did not live on our floor would voice how they wished their floor was as crazily festive as ours. Furthermore, I was blown away by the maturity, altruism, respectful manners, and fun-loving spirits of my residents this year. They would often study together in the lounge and stay up late to help each other out. Although most of them kept an appropriate focus on their academics, they were also quite outgoing, getting involved with many activities on campus, going to every lacrosse game, or making plans for the weekend with other residents on the floor to go to Towson, Inner Harbor, DC, or various other hot spots.

This year, I became very close to my residents, serving basically as their older sibling who looked out for them and gave them advice. My position as an RA was definitely rewarding this year, knowing that I was able to influence my residents in a positive manner. In fact, during my final floor meeting on the last day of classes, my residents surprised me with a parting gift along with a poem they had written for me:

The best RA ever
Is Stephanie Tow
To show you our love
We don’t even know how

You made our first year
At Hopkins so great
Living on Seven East
Must have been fate

We painted Easter eggs
And ate lots of brownies
You turned upside down
All our little frownies

We wish you the best
Of luck in Hong Kong
Thank you for never
Steering us wrong

After reading this poem, I almost cried. I will certainly miss my residents when I leave Hopkins. But in addition to becoming close to my residents, I have also made some of my closest friends with other RA staff members, which has given me even more reason to love the RA position. We go together to lacrosse games, theme parks, snowtubing adventures, and for those of us who are at least 21, we’ll also hit the bars together with other friends. Our favorite is “Howl at the Moon,” located in the Power Plant in the inner harbor. “Howl,” as we call it, is a really fun dueling piano bar, and my friends and I keep winning these free happy hour parties in which we are allowed to invite up to a hundred friends for a Friday or Saturday early evening. Singing along to classic rock hits with the piano man, my friends and I always have a blast at “Howl.” Included in this group of friends are not only RAs, but also friends from freshman year with whom I am still close, including my freshman year roommate. It amazes me that even though I have changed so much, I am still close with a bunch of friends from freshman year.

My many experiences at Hopkins have not only helped prepare me for my future, but also have made up the best four years of my life. I have had so much fun here at Hopkins and would not trade my Hopkins experience for any other undergraduate experience. While I start the next chapter of my life in Hong Kong, and then the subsequent chapter in medical school, I hope to be able to come back to Hopkins, once again reminiscing on my undergraduate years, hopefully with my friends at my side. With the amount of change I have seen in the past four years, I can’t even imagine what things will be like in ten or twenty years from now…

The Wonderful World of Wolman 2 West

Name: Catherine Liow

Year: Class of 2011

Major(s): International Studies; Economics and Entrepreneurship and Management double minor

Hometown: Gaithersburg, MD

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Hi. I’m Catherine. I’m a freshman at Hopkins, and I’m involved (or trying to become involved) in several organizations. However, they’re all irrelevant in light of what I want to address, which is how my experience at Hopkins has largely been shaped by the few people I live with.

I’m naturally not a very social person. Near the beginning of the year, I tried to seize the opportunity and go out on campus to meet new people. However, after asking the general round of questions to every person came into contact with, (What’s your name, Where you from, What’s your major) I really didn’t have enough in common with him or her to continue the conversation.

While I appreciate Orientation Week for giving me the chance to meet other members of my class, I’d prefer to make friends as I go along the road of freshman year. Ironically, the people that I find most intriguing and spend the most time with happen those living close to me; namely, the people on my floor, Wolman 2 West.

During my very first days at Hopkins, I went out to meet people but mainly stayed near the other girls in my suite. On one of the first nights here, the boys who lived across the hall walked into our suite (unannounced) and asked my suitemate a sexually based question. They were having an intense debate and wanted outside opinions. Naturally, the conversation ingrained a lasting memory in our minds. To this day, their suite frequently visits our suite to chat, even at the most ridiculous hours of the night.

Eventually, other people on our floor started coming into our suite, mainly to talk to my suitemate. She had a reputation for not studying, and because she had such a great personality, people just walked into our suite and sat on her bed -- also at odd hours of the night. Essentially, we formed a small group on our floor of the most unexpected alliances. We picked up a few stragglers from 2 East, and after a few months, the cult was solidified.

We’re a pretty informal group of friends. We eat together, we play intramural sports together, and we chat together, but that’s pretty much it. However, our attachment is almost as strong as our personalities are unusual. When we’re not in same room, we talk on AIM. Alone, we might be considered as normal people, but when the group gets together – especially during dinnertime – our conversations become extremely entertaining.

Curious? Come meet us at FFC around 5pm on any given day; we’ll be there. This habit of eating as soon as the dining facilities allow us started with one guy across the floor, who I can’t even begin to describe. Many people who know him will understand why.

Of course, there are plenty of other interesting people with unique traits. Some like to play with lasers and insects, and others aspires to write a book. Combined, this group of people comprises most of my social life here at Hopkins. While this might seem unusual for other students, I find it very both fun and convenient. I never have to go far if I just want to have a chat, and there’s always a new bit of gossip or a story to share. Since most of us are from all over the country, we have different memories of growing up. It’s always fun to hear how different life is just two hours away from your own home, where everything seems to be the universal norm.

I think that my experience of happening to live near many of my close friends highlights how you have the opportunity to shape your own social life here at Hopkins. There are plenty of new people from incredibly diverse backgrounds, and you can meet someone you enjoy spending time with anywhere between the room next door to a nearby college. Hopkins – and college, in general – is a great place to explore, and as long as you remain open-minded in your options, you’re bound to have a worthwhile experience. 

Hopkins Take Two

Name: Aliza Fishbein

Year: Class of 2011

Hometown: Potomac, MD

Major(s): Political Science and Public Health

Previous Guest Blog Entries:
Nov 19, 2007: Tales of a Hopkins Freshman, (click here)

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Hi, my name is Aliza and I’m currently in training for the Blue Key Society here at Hopkins. That’s the organization of students that act as tour guides on campus. If you’ve come to visit you have probably met a few of our members.

So anyway, when you meet prospective students you hear a lot of concern about social life on campus. I know, I had those same concerns when I applied just last year. After my week this past week I paused and literally thought: “whoa, whoa! Wait a sec!” I thought I’d share with you the story of my past week.

I’ll start with last Wednesday, 7 days ago when after a full day of classes I went to the Foreign Affairs Symposium’s guest speaker, John Bolton. I remember watching him speak at UN Press Conferences on TV just last year and was able to walk just 4 minutes to Shriver Hall and hear him in person! It was a little chilly that day so I decided to treat myself to Tamber’s, the Indian restaurant / 50’s Diner across the street from my campus dorm. I am currently pledging a sorority on campus, Alpha Phi, so I asked a sister of mine to join me. We sipped tea and discussed our days.

Come Thursday, a light day for me (I only have one class), I decided to sleep in a bit and leisurely get to my schoolwork. At 2:30 I met my upperclassmen friends at their cars in front of the library so we could meet the group of Baltimore City middle school students that we mentor at the National Aquarium in the Inner Harbor. I love my mentee, Aya. She is a driven 8th grader with lots of spunk and attitude. PSA Mentoring, the group that I belong to, does not draw its mentees from the bottom of the academic pool like the other mentoring groups on campus. Rather, it recruits from the top. Our mentees are typically the students who want to learn but don’t get the attention in the classroom they deserve because of the other rowdy students throwing chairs and such. These students need a positive influence in their lives to encourage them to stay on their track. So at the aquarium we saw a dolphin show, learned about how to preserve the marine environment, saw the sharks, stingrays, and seahorses. It was Aya’s first visit to the aquarium; I couldn’t believe it! And she lives in Baltimore!

Every Friday evening the HOP (Hopkins Organization for Programming) holds a movie night of recently released movies in the Mudd Auditorium. Usually my floor mates and I grab blankets and go over there for a nice relaxing evening movie. The movie that night was Enchanted which turned out to be hysterical even though I wasn’t really looking forward so much to seeing it. I was persuaded to go and I’m so glad that I did. That night was also a Mardi Gras themed party at the football fraternity, WaWa. They titled the evening MardiWa, I know, so clever. A bunch of my friends hopped over there too for some late night fun.

On Saturday morning I woke up extra early, grabbed myself a lox and bagel from the Einstein’s in my dorm and headed off to the Marriot. On that particular day a not for profit organization called The Priceless Gown was holding their annual event in Baltimore. Over the past year they collected 1700 prom dresses plus assorted accessories. Some of my sorority sisters and I went to act as personal shoppers to hundreds of Baltimore City girls who wanted to pick out the perfect prom dress but couldn’t afford to pay for one. I had such a great time with my friend and meeting girls all the while learning a lot about the population of Baltimore. When the community service project was drawing to a close the girls and I walked just a few blocks to M&T Bank Stadium, home to the Baltimore Ravens. It was a chilly day but it didn’t matter because it was ESPN U’s double-header of University of Virginia v Syracuse and Johns Hopkins University vs. Princeton University in Lacrosse!

I hope you are aware that Hopkins is very, very proud of its champion Lacrosse team! Everyone was coming over in buses from campus and came together to cheer on the Blue Jays to victory! What a morning! It was my first Hopkins lacrosse game so I definitely enjoyed it. I came wearing all my gear and my black and blue Mardi Gras beads. Whenever we score the Blue Jays always chant the number of goals we have. So at four goals we stand up and chant: 1-2-3-4 WE WANT MORE! It’s so exhilarating to be out there with a winning team and its fans in a large NFL stadium.

At Hopkins it’s not all play as you may be surprised to find out from my week. After the game I returned back to campus to complete some homework. The next evening I attended the Foreign Affairs Symposium College Democrats vs. College Republicans debate. It was enlightening, particularly during the time election season. Afterwards was my sorority formal, Poison Ivy, which is well attended by many students not just by my sorority. I don’t usually go off campus to much in a general week, but this particular one was refreshing and welcome, especially as the weather was beginning to warm up.

The next few days consisted mostly of class and lots of meetings for my various clubs. I shadowed some tours as part of my training, and met with some of my political action groups as well. Right now I’m sitting at the Hopkins Hillel where I work as a building monitor. It’s said to be the best place to work on campus because it’s not difficult work and you mostly get to sit at the front desk and get paid to do your homework. I highly recommend it.

I hope that this blog entry has been enlightening for you. At Hopkins we’re a balanced bunch of students who both work hard and play hard. We’re active members of the community both on and off campus. So I really hope that you don’t find yourself checking Hopkins off your list because you’re not sure if we have an active social life here; it’s booming here! Hope to see you next fall!!

Hopkins from the International Perspective

Name: Tabitha Moses (read my profile)

Year: Class of 2011

Hometown: Oxford, England

Major: Neuroscience

Previous Guest Blog entries:

April 3, 2008: Hopkins Cribs: Wolman 302A, click here.

December 6, 2007: What's Up in Wolman 3 East, click here.

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Hello again, I am back for my semesterly ramblings on my life here at Hopkins. As I’m sure you remember from my earlier blog, I am an international student, so I figure I’d write this semester’s entry on what it’s like for me at Hopkins as an international student.

I have been asked a lot of random questions about what it’s like going to university in a country that I’ve never lived in, so I thought I’d write a bit about each basic area.

Classes:
Something I am always asked while in England is whether I find the classes here easy because I’ve done it all before in high school. The assumption is that in the UK schools teach you a lot more, and to a greater standard than in the US, and that the first couple years of college in the states is like the last couple years of high school in England. I have absolutely no idea where this idea comes from, but let me tell you, it’s not true!

I mean, yes, if I took A-level (equivalent of IB or AP) chemistry then I would probably find general chemistry easier than those people who haven’t taken it before, but that’s the point of being able to pass out of classes. Although, there is one downside to passing out of classes, especially so as an international student: assumed knowledge. Each of the different examinations teach different material; for example, in A level Chem, I didn’t really learn anything about orbitals, which you cover pretty extensively as an AP Chem student! This meant that I had a few problems adjusting to a class like Orgo (Organic Chemistry) where some of the assumed knowledge was knowledge I’d never had, let alone assumed. So yes, classes are a change and are, of course, harder than high school; but that’s the same no matter what country you come from.

Area:
From the age of 5 on I lived in a small village, near Oxford. It was the sort of place from television shows, with a pharmacy, a butcher, a bakery, a little grocery store, and an odd knick-knack store. We had a local school, and any time you went out you would always bump into someone you knew.

Now, of course, Baltimore is nothing like this. Baltimore is like any big city; it has all the shops, and the different areas, the bad and the good neighborhoods. So obviously, it was very different to home. However, there was something that didn’t change, and that’s the nice friendly atmosphere where you always bump into someone you know.

The area is completely different to anything I ever saw at home, but I don’t think that is so much something to do with being international, I think it’s more to do with not having lived in a big city. It did mean I had to adjust slightly when I first got here: I had to be more conscious of safety and not walk around by myself in the middle of the night (although that’s something I probably shouldn’t have been doing at home either!)

All, in all, I don’t think that being in a different country has affected how I experience the area around Hopkins. I think that for anyone (who didn’t already live in Baltimore!) there was a big change moving to Baltimore, but that the Charles Village (area surrounding Hopkins) really gives it a great homey feel.  Plus, I still manage to find myself bumping into all sorts of people that I’ve seen in classes, or at shows, or just friends in all sorts of different places. The thing I do get out of the surrounding area, although a bit silly to say is the best of both worlds. I have access to all the good things a big city has to offer—well, as much can really be said of Baltimore—plus a nice local community with loads of people I know and interact with on a day-to-day basis.

People:
Well, this is an interesting topic. I have found that the way people behave towards others, especially foreigners really differs from country to country, including between the UK and the USA. I don’t want to sound rude, but it seems that when I am in England people tend to be very dismissive of foreigners, and especially rude about Americans (just my observations, I’m not trying to be rude!)

However, when I come here I have found that people are really lovely. I have felt really welcomed, and not treated as “different” because I am not from the same country. Plus they’re not obsessed with checking the football (soccer) scores every five minutes (although I’ve found that a certain friend of mine has a slight baseball problem). And, although it can get incredibly annoying to have people make comments about my accent, and ask me to say things for them, it is always said pleasantly, and I never feel put down after an interaction with a random stranger who tells me that they’ve been to England.

That is one amusing thing that differs.

When I am in England and someone says they’re American, I don’t ever hear someone tell them that they’ve been to America or something similar. However, when I’m in the States I can be doing something like waiting in line at CVS, and someone I don’t know will hear my accent and ask if I’m British, and then tell me they’ve been to England. I am not sure how to respond to this – it seems slightly random!

Okay, well I think that is enough of my ramblings for all of you to bear…at least for now! If you have any questions regarding this or anything else, please contact me on my thread on the message boards. I hope you guys are all having fun choosing which of the colleges you got into, but I’m sure you’ll choose the right one for you in the end.

"Lo tuvo sin hacerlo, que lo hagamos sin tenerlo"

Name: Anna Ippolita Ciuffo

Year: Class of 2009

Hometown: Virginia Beach, VA

Major(s): Romance Languages (Spanish, French, and Italian) and International Studies

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If you accomplish nothing else in your college career, go abroad.  I mean, I highly suggest you do something more than that, but this is a good starting point.  My majors mean that it would be pretty ridiculous for me to not go abroad, but that doesn’t mean that pre-meds and other science-y majors can’t go abroad too.

I was in Madrid last semester, and it was phenomenal.  Though I had plenty of problems with the administration that organized the trip (it’s a Hopkins program, which is great in terms of transferring actual grades back, but the coordinator and I did not exactly see eye-to-eye), the overall experience was way rewarding.  I lived with a host family, which consisted of a host mom, two host sisters, a host grandma, a host live-in boyfriend, and five host puppies, though the tiniest one was given away while I was there.  Three times.  It was a drawn-out and emotional whirlwind of give-backs, but she was incredibly cuddly.

We went to school in Getafe, which is about half an hour south of Madrid, but we lived in the city.  All of our classes were in Spanish, and I studied Spanish history, Spanish literature, the EU, Spanish Society, and Spanish language.  Our sixth class was composed of a journal we kept and a bunch of field trips around Spain.  I was whiney when we had to get up at seven to catch the bus to go to Toledo or Segovia or to go on a walking tour of Madrid, but it was completely worth it, because I saw so much that I wouldn’t have seen on my own, because I’m lazy.

Spain is pretty much the party capital of Europe.  Our first two weeks we were in Salamanca, near-ish to Portugal, which apparently has the highest bar-to-person ratio in the world (96 bars for every person), and no covers anywhere.  And it’s a university town, which means we could party until six a.m. with people just like us! 

It was sad to leave Salamanca, but fortunately Madrid is just as cool (but way more expensive, which is especially upsetting given the not-so-surprising continuous fall of the dollar while we were there).  Not only does it also offer parties until the metro starts running again (none of that last call at 1.30 business), but it also has three of the world’s most famous art museums (including my favorite, the Reína Sofía, which features Picasso’s masterpiece Guernica), a beautiful central park (the Retiro), a sprawling Sunday flea market (the Rastro), and the world’s best establishment for eight-Euro bottles of table wine (BAR RESTAURANT – that’s three of my friends and me with the owner there.  He knew us by order, and reprimanded one of the other waiters once when he tried to bring us a bottle of rosé).

A lot of people used their time there as a springing board for tons of travel, but I spent five weeks in Europe last summer backpacking, so I didn’t feel as pressed to travel (nor did I really have the leftover funds).  I spent two weekends in Paris (I have some good friends going to Sciences Po) and a weekend in Sheffield, England, visiting a girl I met during our language classes in Salamanca (which was one of the most expensive weekends of my life … the British pound is insane).  I also spent a weekend in Barcelona when my mom and aunt came to visit, but we mostly just watched cartoons and then spent a weekend in Montserrat, so I don’t really know much about the town.

I think my Spanish was very good when I left for Madrid, but it’s significantly better now.  I feel much more confident in my ability to express myself, and I’ve definitely beefed up my slang, which will be good when I move back to Europe after graduation with little money and less planning.  I also feel like such an accomplished human being for getting to know a foreign capital city (for someone from a suburban beach town, this is impressive) and growing up and being OK with having two phones, a camera, and an iPod stolen.  Yeahhh, abroad!

A Hopkins Student and a Humanities Major: A Confession in Several Paragraphs

Name: Jeremy Bremer

Year: Class of 2011

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Major: Writing Seminars, and possibly Philosophy

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Hi, my name is Jeremy and I study the Humanities: a terrible and shocking confession for anyone claiming to be a Johns Hopkins student. Alright, so maybe I exaggerate slightly – or significantly – but I am still a proud member of a minority, and I don’t think I’d have it any other way; it’s far too much fun to complain about inequities.

It’s a shame that I didn’t get here a couple years ago because then I would have had great complaint material, concerning Gilman, but then the powers that be had to go and start renovation. Gilman Hall is the main Humanities Building at Hopkins, and appears to have been constructed around the time the university came into being. I once managed to get myself trapped in one of the bathroom’s because the door knob had some cooperation problems, and turns counter clockwise to open.

As I said before though, Gilman is getting just starting its round of Botox injections that is going to take in the neighborhood of two years and turn it into a rather more legitimate place to study at a top university – although I would argue that it is going to lose some of its romantic mystique. At least, in the mean time, I can still hold onto the fact that the Humanities professors’ offices are essentially Winnebagos until then, but after that period, well things will be different around here.

Aside from the opportunities to complain being a Humanities major, we do have a very important role to play in the grand scheme of things. For one, we are responsible for, I’d say we account for about 50% of all facial hair on campus. Our showering habits could also be construed as a bit questionable, but then again the same could be said for many majors. We also occupy important space in the library: we sit in the comfy for chairs for hours on end reading and reading and reading.

A common misconception is that we don’t spend much time in the library, as we don’t have to deal with complex equations or the joys of Organic Chemistry, but, in actual fact, we’re in there quite a lot. I spend more time in the library than my roommate (a Chemical Engineer), my girlfriend (Psychology Pre-Med), and my friends (Psychology Pre-Med and Behavioral Biology respectively). Now, all of these respective individuals would have you believe that this is because I am absolutely insane, and possibly the most meticulous reader to ever walk the planet – I have an annotation problem and am seeking help – but I think it is because being a Humanities student isn’t as easy, or as rare, as its cracked up to be. We’re actually growing in number and strength, and would consider attempting some sort of coup, but then we would lose aforementioned complaining privileges.

Unfortunately, we cannot claim responsibility for Hopkins fine performing arts community of which I am a proud participator as a member of the Buttered Niblets, Hopkins only improv and sketch comedy group and one of its most discreet and modest groups. Although we are not completely Humanities based, pedagogical diversity is not one of our strengths. Here are the Buttered Niblets:

Myself: Writing Sems, possibly Philosophy
Adar: Political Science
Jackie: Writing Sems
Kempton: History
Eric:Writing Sems
Scott: Whiting School of Engineering
Remy: Writing Sems
Chris: Film and Media Studies
Mike: Writing Sems
Blake: Public Health

As this shows, we need to work on our diversity pretty desperately. As you can pretty embarrassingly see, things tend to be more than a bit lopsided. Though I may seem a bit hostile to the Engineers I’m not, I can personally attest to Scott’s theatrical talent – he was in a production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night along with other student written productions – and he really does fit in quite nicely with everyone else; this is probably more so because we’re all rather strange people. I must admit, though, that he comes in handy though when we have questions that necessitate mathematical calculation or some kind of conception of space, as does my roommate; neither are afraid to point out our deficiencies in these.

I feel bad sometimes with my roommate because I can sometime give him a hard time about being an engineer, but he cuts into my guilt as he always gives me some good jibes back. He certainly didn’t try to keep quiet about the fact that all of his midterms were over while I still had three to go or that he has one midterm this week while I have two philosophy papers and a 3-5 page story in the style of Virginia Woolf to write, along with a midterm in my political philosophy class due in the next four days. However, I feel it is fair to take anything that he can think of throwing at me as he helped me assembled some shelves (and by help I mean make me look a bit silly by doing it rather easily, after some thought) I bought at the bookstore after I’d personally known him for all of two hours or so; they really helped give me a lot more storage space. There is a healthy and deeply sarcastic rivalry that plays out through little these little pokes across campus.

Everyone on our campus really does have something to offer. We are happy to deal with the abstract and the esoteric and write comma and semicolon saturated pieces – such as this one – while the Pre-Meds offer helpful medical advice, the Engineers help us fix the sound equipment and turn off the damn blue light to which we can’t find the off switch to, the Computer Science guys fix your computer when Vista decides to act up during an especially suspenseful part of a story you’re writing that’s due in an hour, and whomever else does whatever it is that they do–and hopefully manages to clean the bathroom every once in awhile.

In the end, everyone really does have a part to play, Humanities majors just happen to be the best complainers.

Hopkins Cribs: Wolman 302A

Name: Tabitha Moses (read my profile)

Year: Class of 2011

Hometown: Oxford, England

Major: Neuroscience

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My room isn’t the nicest, it is doesn’t have the best temperature control, and it certainly isn’t the cleanest—at least that’s what my friends say, I think it’s just fine. I still think my room is great. We also don’t have a common shower room, instead we have one bathroom to share between the four of us, which is definitely a positive!

My room in Wolman is suite style living, which means that we have two double rooms, and a common kitchenette and bathroom.

My favorite part would have to be our kitchen, loaded with barely enough food!! (okay, maybe we have a bit of food). Anyway, we still barely have enough to keep everyone fed with nutritional items such as Wheat Thins, Hob Nobs (yummy English cookie things), cereal — only a small amount of it of course, very little selection —Kosher muenster cheese, and probably a lot of other things that I’m forgetting at the moment. We also have lots of tea, thanks in part to my insane boyfriend who decided to bring back so much from spring break — I’m currently mad at him. We do, however, have a tendency to forget that we have left tea steeping till anywhere from five minutes to five hours — so sometimes the tea is far too cold, it does give our microwave a good workout though.

I don’t just love the kitchen because of all the food, although that certainly doesn’t hurt — I have an urge to feed people — some call it a problem, I call it a personal strength. But anyway, that’s not the point, it’s a really nice space, and it’s always nice to hang out there and try and do a bit of work. Although we usually don’t succeed in getting a whole lot of work done, but we do manage to have loads of fun, and that’s far more enjoyable anyway!

There are other parts of my suite, other than the kitchen. There is my room of course, which is a bit of a mess right now, I’m afraid, as I just sort of plopped all my stuff out when I got back from break. I barely have enough clothes, but some people don’t agree. My roommate also decided to redecorate by organizing all her stuff around, so things are a bit weird in there right now.

My friend Heather lives next door, and we spend some time in her room, or time with her and friends in the kitchen. We’re actually living together next year in a double in Charles Commons, with two of our friends living just down the hall; I am really excited. The whole housing process was very stressful, but we managed to luck out and get things just about how we wanted.

Hopkins Cribs: AMR II, Hollander House

Name: Siobhan Callanan (read my profile)

Year: Class of 2011

Hometown: Barrington, IL

Major: Mechanical Engineering, Math and French minors

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Hey guys!! So I live on the first floor of AMR II. In the AMRs, freshman get the “typical” college dorm style living. Most rooms are you and a roommate, unless it is a single. AMR II has a main building for the mail room for both AMRs and for Buildings A/B, Blue Jay Café: a lounge with couches, a TV, and a couple of vending machines, the laundry room, a kitchen, another lounge area, and some other random rooms.

AMR II is split up into 8 houses: Adam, Baker, Clark, Gildersleeve, Griffin, Hollander, Jennings, and Lazear. There is no actual barrier diving up the houses, besides the stairwells. So you can walk from Adam through all of the houses and get to Lazear. I live in Hollander. It’s basically amazing!!

So my room isn’t the biggest room, I looked up the floor plan and it is apparentely 175 square feet. So not big, but my room mate and I make it work. As you walk into the room, my side is on the right and my room-mate’s is on the left. Our sides aren’t very separated, except that our desks are back to back in the center, so that somewhat divides us while we work.

I have my bed half lofted so I could fit my drawers underneath, which saves some space. There is a lot of storage space under my bed, so I definitely decided to take advantage of that. I have my suitcases and stuff that I don’t use that often in the back then my set of drawers is in front of that with boxes of clothes and shoes beside it.

Then I also have a desk, a chair, and an armoire. Over the summer, I ordered a fridge/microwave combo so we have that in our room too. It’s great to have it just to make a quick bowl of oatmeal or heat up water for tea.

I have a lot of decoration on my wall right by my bed. I bought fabric, cut it up, and pinned it to my wall. A great thing about the AMRs is that of the four walls in your room, two of them are actually made from corkboard. This helps so much!! It makes decorating so much easier. I also got a ton of pictures of my friends, and family from home and they are pinned up all over the wall! Also on my wall I have glow in the dark stars which I also pinned into the corkboard wall. There are also a couple of quotes that I really like, an Irish Parking Sign, and my Theta sign (I don’t think this is in the pictures tho).

I recommend buying shelves and boxes for storing your stuff, because I can almost guarantee that you will not be able to fit all of your clothes in the drawers and armoire provided. Also, plastics sets of drawers are a great idea too. I have numerous of these, they can be used to store clothes, food, or anything really.

Unlike Wolman and Buildings A/B, I unfortunately don’t have a bathroom in my room!! So I share a communal bathroom with the other girls on my floor. It really isn’t that big a deal at all!! It is only 20 feet from my door; I think I can handle that! Our bathroom actually just got completely remodeled! They redid everything over Intersession, so now it is extremely high tech…haha, or at least the sinks and toilets are automatic. The bathroom has three toilets and there are also three showers. I have to say that I don’t even care that it’s communal because I have never had to wait to use a toilet or a shower.

The Right Decision

Name: Mary Vitale

Year: Class of 2011

Hometown: Hampton, NJ

Major: Environmental Engineering

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Two days ago, I came across a list I had made on my computer last year, my senior year in high school.  It was a list of 30 colleges which I could not decide between.  Each school had the aspects I liked and disliked listed next to it, and I had attempted to order the schools depending on overall appeal.  I ended up applying to eleven, hoping fate would let the admissions departments lead me to the correct school.  I ended up getting accepted to most of the schools, and my safety school, which I had barely considered, offered me a lot more money than I expected.

Last spring break was filled with long car rides and plane trips.  I flew down to New Orleans one weekend, and drove south to North Carolina the second weekend.  I was packing in as many college visits as I could and trying to decide which school was the best for my major.  I ended up visiting Hopkins for a third time that year, and finally decided that I would be happiest at Hopkins.

This year, not a day goes by where I doubt my choice.  I wonder how I could have not known Hopkins was the place for me.  I am the happiest here I have ever been, and barely want to leave when the vacations come around.  I love walking around the peaceful, beautiful campus, observing the beauty of the seasons.  In the fall I marveled over the glorified autumn colors of the leaves; in the winter I was comforted by the cozy brick buildings tucked in under a layer of white snow.  I feel so at home walking around the brick paths I rarely want to leave campus.  I feel so lucky to be studying with incredible professors at a selective university, opening the doors of powerful knowledge to me.  (OK, at 9 AM chem lecture I’m not REALLY thinking that, but sometimes when I’m in a contemplating mood I do think about this).  I’ve always said I want to make a difference in this world, and I know I am truly being prepared to do so with my Hopkins education.

The biggest surprise upon coming to Hopkins was the diversity and personality of the student body.  I didn’t pick Hopkins for the social scene; in fact, I picked it for the opposite — I hoped if I was surrounded by smart, intense, pre-meds, I too would feel pressured to study.  Granted, there are those who choose to do nothing but study, but the overall population has an incredible personality.  They are smart, funny, cool, diverse, outgoing people for the most part who know how to get A’s and know how to have fun.  I love my roommate and floor; it can feel like one big family sometimes.  Most of all, I feel like I fit in not because I have to conform to some Abercrombie model like in high school, but because of my interests and traits that make me unique.

As much as I’m not a city person, I’ve also started liking Baltimore a lot more than I thought I would.  I could get an internship over intersession that was just a mile away, and could walk to the polls on election day.  Coming from a very rural area, this is new to me -- and I love the convenience.  Everything is less than ten minutes away (not to mention I feel great about reducing my carbon footprint by walking everywhere!)  But when I need to feel at home, I can just step foot on campus and see grass and trees all around me.  I’d never even know I was in Baltimore.

I’m an environmental engineer, and my internship over intersession was really great way to get acquitted with the city of Baltimore.  I worked at the Jones Falls Watershed Association and part of my time there was spent writing a history of the Jones Falls.  I knew a bit of the city’s history by reading James Michener’s Chesapeake, but the history of the city (both from a historical and environmental prospective) is old and rich.  The Jones Falls helped the city become one of the leading milling cities of the world in the 1800s, but eventually the river became disgusting and was buried under the now-Jones Falls expressway, emerging shortly before the Inner Harbor and dumping tons of pollutants into the distraught Chesapeake every year.  Even the Carroll House (located right in the front of campus) and Charles Street work their ways into the history I was reading, and it was very fascinating to look out my window and see the history before me.

As finals draw nearer and nearer (less than two months…) I find myself missing campus already.  I miss New Jersey and my family and friends there, but I know one thing for sure -- Hopkins is my new found home, and I’m going to greatly enjoy each of my four years here!

Picture Captions:

Picture One- me outside the dorms enjoying a sunny day.
Picture Two- My California roommate enjoying her first snow experience, with the campus all lit up for winter.
Picture Three-  The Jones Falls alongside its expressway.