Frequent visitors to the Hopkins Insider blog may have noticed some big changes recently. To coincide with the start of the 2009-2010 academic year, I've been making some changes to the design and layout of the blog. And when I say "I've been making" the changes, I actually mean I asked my student assistant Lauren Carney to make the changes. She is my web guru and is the behind-the-scenes force in the design of many of our Hopkins Interactive projects. [Thanks Lauren!]
The biggest change you will see is to the mast-head (is that what you call it???). I asked Lauren to work on the colors, the description of the blog, and to add a collage of photos that are used frequently here. There is also an introductory post for new visitors, and we have even linked to my personal Twitter feed: @AdmissionDaniel. I hope you all like the changes, and keep checking back as there are more to come. And as always, if you ever have any suggestions, use the comments section and let me know.
Besides the re-design of the blog, I also have some plans for additional "NEW" features that I will roll-out throughout the year. As this blog nears its 4 year birthday (REALLY!!!), I thought it was time to move from the infant and teenage stages of the blog to adulthood. It is my theory that blogs age like dogs ... so Soze has been with me for 7 and a half years so he is about 54 or 55, and the blog is nearing its 4th year so it is about 25 or 26. (O.K., I honestly have no idea what I am talking about ... so let's move on.)
One of these new ideas is what I am calling FRIDAY FAVORITES. As often as I can, I will post a new blog entry on Fridays that feature some of my favorite Johns Hopkins related links. Sometimes I will post links to the best new blog entries posted to Hopkins Interactive. Other times I will share some a collection of my favorite photos from around the Homewood campus. I also envision sharing interesting and newsworthy stories that take place nearly every day at Hopkins. And yes, there will probably be some of those infamous AdmissionsDaniel pop-culture favorite lists. (Let's see how long I can go with out posting a Friday Favorites entry about the best television shows ... if GLEE continues to be as awesome as the pilot and first episode, it might not be too long.) I know these entries will be fun for me to post and I hope you will all enjoy them. If you have any suggestions for a Friday Favorites topic, let me know.
So for the premiere Friday Favorites edition, I thought I would share links to a series of blogs posted to the Guest Blog last month. These seven blog entries were the winning entries of our Class of 2013 Summer Blogging Contest. This was the third year where we challenged our incoming freshmen to submit blog entries during the summer before their arrival at Hopkins. We received the most submissions ever, and narrowing down the list to the seven winners was quite tough. I think you will agree as you review these seven entries, that the JHU Class of 2013 is filled with unique and talented students, who all have a different perspective on the start of their undergraduate years. ENJOY!
“Yes Woman”
Alexandra Guttentag
Hometown: Palo Alto, CA
Alexandra vows to be a “Yes Woman” as a Hopkins freshman, making the wise decision to never let the fear of trying something new get in the way of making incredible memories.
“I Don’t Want to Have to Learn To Count … I Don’t Want to Grow Up”
Tyler Dougherty
Hometown: Ocean City, NJ
While we might think rushing to become serious adults is the “right” thing to do, Tyler reminds us that going to college does not mean automatic adulthood: maturity will come in time.
“The Most Disorganized Catalogue”
Miriam Grossman
Hometown: West Orange, NJ
Miriam, nervous about leaving behind the comfortable details of home, presents “The Catalogue” – a collection of opinions on Johns Hopkins from those who know her best (and a few strangers, too) that comfort and inspire her.
“You Can Find a Nice Doctor to Marry"
Miranda Baxendale
Hometown: Culver City, CA
Miranda experiences many different reactions to her choice to attend Johns Hopkins University, forcing her to deal with the pre-conceived ideas and stereotypes of others.
“Reading Between the Lines”
Charlie Tsouvalas
Hometown: Arcadia, CA
It took his grandmother’s extensive college shopping list to make Charlie realize that no matter how big of a change moving to college will be, family and home will always be important parts of life.
“The List Goes On (and on, and on)"
Rebecca Krishnan-Ayer
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Rebecca resorts to the trusty to-do list to organize the things she must buy, the tasks she must complete and the ways she must grow in order to be ready for freshman year.
“Establishing a Connection: The Chronicles of a Future Freshman”
Name: Aishwarya Rajagopalan
Hometown: Newtown, PA
Aishwarya tackles getting ready for college in India while trying to settle the nerves and the inevitable doubts in her head as she prepares for this big change
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