Name: Anna Kochut
Year: Class of 2013
Hometown: Athens, GA
Majors: International Studies
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During the final weeks of high school, visions of college bliss clouded my consciousness. I daydreamed about meeting exciting new people, taking fascinating courses from renowned professors, and experiencing all that an urban campus could offer. Daydreams are all well and good, but honestly, when I decided to attend Hopkins last spring, I had no idea what to expect. Looking at my life, I realized that I had spent the past nine years at a tiny independent school in Athens, Georgia and was about to graduate alongside the same 62 kids that I had known for most of my life. What was I getting myself into? Needless to say, I was terrified at the prospect of moving over 600 miles away to attend a school several times larger than I was sure my comfort zone could handle. Before I knew it (or could accept it), it was move-in day.
The first few days of college were a blur. There was intense heat, sleepless nights due to said ludicrous heat, fun and informative Orientation events, and learning more names than I could ever hope to remember. In all honesty, it was overwhelming—and a lot like summer camp. I felt uprooted and confused, but at the same time exhilarated at the prospect of a new beginning. It was a lot for me to deal with, so I’m pretty sure I appeared quiet and reserved when people met me. It’s funny, because in reality that’s the last thing I am.
Once classes started, I felt more comfortable. I love a good routine, and for some reason settling into a new one always filled me with a sense of purpose. I clung to it. My classes, needless to say, are amazing. I’m taking five classes this semester: Intro to Greek Philosophy, Intro to Cognitive Neuropsychology, Contemporary International Politics (CIP), High Intermediate French, and Intro to Fiction/Poetry Writing. While the selection might seem random, I promise there was at least some method to my madness. Before Hopkins, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to major in, so I decided to take classes in whatever interested me. I’m so glad I took this path; I not only learned more about what I’m interested in, I have also broadened my worldview. While I love them all, I must say that CIP is my favorite. Professor David gives such concise, intelligent, and frequently hilarious lectures that present the information in a new and exciting way. It’s basically impossible not to be engaged. My intimidating TA, once I got past the intimidation factor, is incredibly brilliant and a valuable resource. I definitely wouldn’t have gotten as much out of this class without going to his office hours. I realize now that classes like this were a huge part of reason I came to Hopkins.
As for social life, I honestly wasn’t expecting very much. Hopkins’ academic reputation precedes it, and I was pretty much expecting to be drowning in homework. Much to my surprise, this didn’t prove to be the case at all. With careful time management (by that I mean lots of time spent holed up in the library, forcing myself to do my work) I have had plenty of time to spend with the awesome friends I made in my house (Griffin house in AMR II—the best). We have hot chocolate parties, go out on the town for each other’s birthdays, and spend hours just hanging out together in the dorms. Together, we’ve been exploring more and more of Baltimore. Once, we went to Little Italy and ate at a cute Italian
restaurant to celebrate the birthday of one of my friends. We also ventured into Fell’s Point for the Halloween festivities. That was an interesting adventure, to say the least. Needless to say, having whetted our appetite, we definitely plan to explore more and more of the city.
Now, nearing the end of my first semester here at Hopkins, I realize I could not be happier. I love my classes, my friends, and my roommate (I got so lucky!). I’m so excited to start next semester. I have a feeling it’ll be even better than this one. However, I must say that happiness definitely takes effort. I will be the first one to admit that I was terrified when I first got here- scared I would fail out of my classes, scared that I wouldn’t find anyone I got along with, and most of all, scared to discover that I made the wrong decision. Admittedly, it was hard to get my fresh-to-college-shy self out of my dorm room and make friends, but it wouldn’t have happened any other way. It’s hard to remain caught up with schoolwork so I can have time for social life. But I’m so glad I made the effort.
At first glance, the first months of college felt like some strange combination of summer camp and high school. However, now I can definitely say that it has morphed into something else. Don’t get me wrong, it still feels like a combination of camp and high school (with more homework), but it’s starting to sink in that this is where my life truly begins. Walking around at the beautiful campus, listening to interesting lectures, hanging out with my friends, I realize that this is the reason I moved so far away from home—to start my life. Looking back on my time here, I realized that nothing in my life up to this point has felt as real, as solid as my first months at Hopkins. Moving far away from home and being forced out of my comfort zone definitely put things in a new perspective, and I feel like I’m living life in an amplified version… life in Technicolor.
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