…semesters, that is. With two semesters left, I guess I'm kind of, sort of technically a senior…and I'm wondering if this means I'm entitled to senioritis? I'll keep you posted on that bit, as I'm sure some of my readers can relate to it.
It's becoming more real that college doesn't go on forever; the end is in sight--and soon…exactly one year. Especially with as fast as this semester went, I know that the next two will go just as quickly, if not more so.
I thought as my last blog entry of the regular semester, I'd give you a highlight of the most important things I've learned over the past months. In no particular order:
-some of the most important lessons come outside the classroom. these include balance, cooking skills, knowing when to call it a day, and realizing it's okay to be a little ridiculous sometimes.
-never, ever start laundry at 1:00 AM.
-policy is the enormously complicated output of so many processes and considerations and compromises.
-being not-pre-med is a good life choice for me.
-Justice Scalia writes very interesting dissents. they're actually fun to read sometimes.
-all of our food is probably contaminated.
-I will never, ever, no matter how hard I try, be able to wrap my brain around statistics. it does not make sense to me. at all.
-there is no such thing as an easy class. if it seems easy from the start, there is invariably some sort of twist or turn. on that note, you get out what you put into it. a class is infinitely more useful if you are engaged and do the assigned readings.
-baked goods are a great way to make friends.
-time flies when you're having fun.
-no matter how hard you try, you cannot fit more hours into a day. work with what you've got.
My apologies for the lack of blogging lately. Finals kind of consumed me and I spent more time studying than sleeping, making all other priorities fall completely to the side. But I'm home as of a few hours ago! So I'm hoping I can manage to squeeze in some more blogging in between my naps, movies, and knitting. In the mean time, I'll leave you with this picture of my two dogs (one of them just shows up as a black blur) who were trying to win my attention while I was writing this. To be fair, I was sitting on the floor.
December 18, 2009
December 10, 2009
holiday spirit
This is my favorite time of year. Holidays. Shopping. Festive coffees. Finals. Yes--all good.
Being away at school means the holiday time has changed. In high school, it was this funny little three weeks, surrounded by two-week breaks (trimester break in November and winter break in December). Because I was a cheerleader (go ahead and laugh), I was busy preparing for Homecoming and my holiday preparations consisted of listening to holiday music to and from school every day in the car. There was always something delicious baked goods around my house, there was Mom's lovely tree to see each
evening when I got home, and, basically, I could fully immerse myself in all things holiday-esque.
Nowadays, I'm instead immersed in papers to read, outlines to be expanded, and books to go back through; the holiday season has been transformed to finals season. But I still love it. The air has a bite, the fraternity houses along North Charles Street are decorated with lights, as is much of Charles Commons (don't judge--it's the view from my apartment windows!). Starbucks has wonderfully festive drinks that double in their holiday spirtedness and power to wake me up. And instead of having my mom or grandmother's baked goods, I bake my own and spread the holiday cheer to my friends.
And just like the old days, things will be settling down right when Homecoming has passed. Instead of finishing with my cheerleading duties, I'll have finished yet another semester of college. And instead of just having two weeks away from schoolwork, practice, and dress codes, I'll be home to visit my family, show off my favorite work of the semester (yes, I still do that), and ease off the caffeine. Everything is pretty much entirely different since I've left home only two and a half years ago, but the continuity of certain traditions and the creation of other new ones has made it okay. I still love the holiday season, even though it means finals. In fact, I love finals period--I'm on my own schedule, summing up my entire semester's worth of knowledge, all while sipping on eggnog lattes and looking forward to seeing the big Raleigh acorn drop on New Year's Eve. Perhaps I'll even be heading back to my old high school to see how the current cheerleaders are doing compared to my team.
Holiday time at Hopkins is certainly different from holidays at home. It's easy to lose your holiday spirit when you've been in the library for some long period of time or you've got a two-page to-do list. But trust me--no matter what time of night you're leaving the library, seeing the white holiday lights wrapped around the lampposts all over campus will instantly brighten any of the grumpiest of Grinches (even me, which can be quite a feat). And there are so many fun things to do besides study (which can be a bit of a problem for those of us without serious amounts of self control) ranging from end-of-semester parties to music/dance performances to study breaks sponsored by different student groups. Sure, we study hard, but there's plenty of holiday spirit and cheer to be spread around, too.
Being away at school means the holiday time has changed. In high school, it was this funny little three weeks, surrounded by two-week breaks (trimester break in November and winter break in December). Because I was a cheerleader (go ahead and laugh), I was busy preparing for Homecoming and my holiday preparations consisted of listening to holiday music to and from school every day in the car. There was always something delicious baked goods around my house, there was Mom's lovely tree to see each
Nowadays, I'm instead immersed in papers to read, outlines to be expanded, and books to go back through; the holiday season has been transformed to finals season. But I still love it. The air has a bite, the fraternity houses along North Charles Street are decorated with lights, as is much of Charles Commons (don't judge--it's the view from my apartment windows!). Starbucks has wonderfully festive drinks that double in their holiday spirtedness and power to wake me up. And instead of having my mom or grandmother's baked goods, I bake my own and spread the holiday cheer to my friends.
And just like the old days, things will be settling down right when Homecoming has passed. Instead of finishing with my cheerleading duties, I'll have finished yet another semester of college. And instead of just having two weeks away from schoolwork, practice, and dress codes, I'll be home to visit my family, show off my favorite work of the semester (yes, I still do that), and ease off the caffeine. Everything is pretty much entirely different since I've left home only two and a half years ago, but the continuity of certain traditions and the creation of other new ones has made it okay. I still love the holiday season, even though it means finals. In fact, I love finals period--I'm on my own schedule, summing up my entire semester's worth of knowledge, all while sipping on eggnog lattes and looking forward to seeing the big Raleigh acorn drop on New Year's Eve. Perhaps I'll even be heading back to my old high school to see how the current cheerleaders are doing compared to my team.
Holiday time at Hopkins is certainly different from holidays at home. It's easy to lose your holiday spirit when you've been in the library for some long period of time or you've got a two-page to-do list. But trust me--no matter what time of night you're leaving the library, seeing the white holiday lights wrapped around the lampposts all over campus will instantly brighten any of the grumpiest of Grinches (even me, which can be quite a feat). And there are so many fun things to do besides study (which can be a bit of a problem for those of us without serious amounts of self control) ranging from end-of-semester parties to music/dance performances to study breaks sponsored by different student groups. Sure, we study hard, but there's plenty of holiday spirit and cheer to be spread around, too.
November 24, 2009
November 22, 2009
not working
This is how I operate: I have these periods of hyper-productivity, where I'm pretty much amazingly unstoppable. It's great. But a lot of the time, I'm on the other end of the spectrum, where I'm entirely incapable of being a functioning member of society. I go to the library, and try as I may, it just doesn't happen. In those times, I might try a little bit harder, and if I can't force myself into productivity mode, I leave. You see, I'd rather be at home, relaxed and not productive than at the library, sitting in a cubicle, and not productive. The second I catch myself wandering onto Facebook while I'm at the library, it's time to go, at least if I'm studying by myself.
It's a system with obvious flaws. And it's not usually the kind of thing that works well on its own--I have to force myself to try to get into productivity mode, and only after serious (failed) effort do I give up. So don't think I'm a crazy slacker or anything. Because that's only sometimes.
Anyway, while I'm sure you're fascinated by my work habits, I thought I'd tell you about what I do when I'm in one of my off-periods and am entirely useless as it pertains to schoolwork. Here's the general breakdown:
1. Bake. Seriously, it's become somewhat of a problem. So far, I've gone through 15 pounds of flour this semester, and opened up a new bag last week when I started baking muffins late Sunday evening before heading off to the library. Then of course, Tuesday night was cupcake night, but this was for a friend's birthday, so I like to think that was a little bit more reasonable. Chocolate chip cookies are another favorite. All of this is from scratch, of course, as I've decided my new fallback plan is to open a pastry or truffle shop--I need my practice.
2. Watch movies. I watched "Up" twice the whole way through this week, and I watched several bits of it during many of my quick/at-home meals. Fabulous movie, highly recommended if you've not yet seen it! Other times I'll watch tv shows, etc. But being able to stare blankly at the screen and not think about anything is a very nice break.
3. Sleep. Sometimes, I just decide to go to bed really, really early. Like 11:00. I'm not sure if I even went to bed that early in high school. It's good though, unless I end up getting too much sleep and being groggy in the morning.
4. Cook. This is different from baking, but obviously you know that. Every now and then, I'll feel inspired to make something really elaborate or different. Not that it was elaborate, but as far as different goes, on Saturday during my non-productivity phase, I decided to try to make a butternut squash soup with all sorts of weird variations. I'd tell you more, but it was kind of gross and I don't want you to judge me based on my failed experimentation.
I think that's the majority of my non-work activities. I hesitate to call them forms of procrastination, because I know very well what I'm doing and at the time, I have no intention of moving on to work until significantly later. Like I said, I've embraced my ridiculous work habits and as long as my hyper-productivity continues to come often enough, I'll continue perfecting my chocolate chip cookies, following along with ridiculous tv plots, and becoming a master chef.
P.S. In case you're wondering, blogging falls kind of in-between. Sometimes it's on my to-do list, other times I do it for fun, other times it'd fit on the above list. Tonight it's a transition. I was super-productive at the library (for five hours, nonetheless), and came home to take a nice long break, and will shortly be resuming my work. I have a feeling I'll be highly motivated these next few weeks...finals are JUST around the corner!
It's a system with obvious flaws. And it's not usually the kind of thing that works well on its own--I have to force myself to try to get into productivity mode, and only after serious (failed) effort do I give up. So don't think I'm a crazy slacker or anything. Because that's only sometimes.
Anyway, while I'm sure you're fascinated by my work habits, I thought I'd tell you about what I do when I'm in one of my off-periods and am entirely useless as it pertains to schoolwork. Here's the general breakdown:
2. Watch movies. I watched "Up" twice the whole way through this week, and I watched several bits of it during many of my quick/at-home meals. Fabulous movie, highly recommended if you've not yet seen it! Other times I'll watch tv shows, etc. But being able to stare blankly at the screen and not think about anything is a very nice break.
3. Sleep. Sometimes, I just decide to go to bed really, really early. Like 11:00. I'm not sure if I even went to bed that early in high school. It's good though, unless I end up getting too much sleep and being groggy in the morning.
4. Cook. This is different from baking, but obviously you know that. Every now and then, I'll feel inspired to make something really elaborate or different. Not that it was elaborate, but as far as different goes, on Saturday during my non-productivity phase, I decided to try to make a butternut squash soup with all sorts of weird variations. I'd tell you more, but it was kind of gross and I don't want you to judge me based on my failed experimentation.
I think that's the majority of my non-work activities. I hesitate to call them forms of procrastination, because I know very well what I'm doing and at the time, I have no intention of moving on to work until significantly later. Like I said, I've embraced my ridiculous work habits and as long as my hyper-productivity continues to come often enough, I'll continue perfecting my chocolate chip cookies, following along with ridiculous tv plots, and becoming a master chef.
P.S. In case you're wondering, blogging falls kind of in-between. Sometimes it's on my to-do list, other times I do it for fun, other times it'd fit on the above list. Tonight it's a transition. I was super-productive at the library (for five hours, nonetheless), and came home to take a nice long break, and will shortly be resuming my work. I have a feeling I'll be highly motivated these next few weeks...finals are JUST around the corner!
November 15, 2009
the academics: post-natural sciences
While I'm technically still a natural sciences student (I'm on the nat. sci. track in the Public Health major), my schedule of classes could lead you to believe otherwise--and I love it. Sure, I am taking biostatistics, but compared to past semesters, I am mostly free from classes that involve any sort of numbers or reactions or brain structures, and after this semester, I'm hoping to never again need a calculator more sophisticated than the one on my phone.
So what exactly do I do as a natural science major who has lost all interest in the natural sciences? Excellent question, and one I asked myself time and time again when I realized I was in such a position.
I figured I'd go a little more in-depth with describing my classes this semester, though not with straight description (see this previous entry for that approach), but more of what I'm actually learning and doing in them. So, without further ado:
How do policies get on the agenda? How do you design them so that they'll get passed? How do you make sure they're
sustainable (and will last even if you're voted out in the next election)? Why is it that, even when there's a beautifully simple solution, we end up with these extremely complex policies that no one can understand and are so far from the original project? This, my friends, is Politics and Policy Design. I've grown to be SO much more informed when it comes to all of this, but it's hard to keep the cynicism at bay, especially when the introduction to one of our books tells us that the underlying assumption is that the main motivation for members of Congress is re-election. Not the good of their people, not the good of the country, not creating good policy, but their own re-election. Of course, this is a generalization and assumption for the purpose of creating a political theory (that is very widely cited, mind you), but it's an example of why it can be difficult to remain non-cynical.
What are all of the aspects involved with the individual mandate for health insurance? Who are the key stakeholders for and against the policy? Describe the rationale, in terms of access, cost and quality of care and lay out a concise yet complete issue statement for this policy. This is my current project in Politics of Health Policy. We had a group project and are giving the presentation Tuesday, to be followed up by an individual paper. Of course there's much more to the class than this project, but it provides an excellent example.
Remember the 2nd amendment? No? Well, I do, but only because I had to study the Constitution for a quiz. Anyway, it's the whole "right to bear arms" thing. (Which, by the way, always makes me think of a particular Family Guy episode, and if you don't know what I'm talking about, pretend I never said anything). And perhaps you've heard about juveniles being sentenced to life without parole for non-capital offenses? If you're really big on your random current events, you'll know the "birthers" are still trying to sue to have Obama's birth record unsealed. All of this, and much more, is discussed at the beginning of every Constitutional Law class, for up to half an hour sometimes, before we get into the actual topic for the day. It's amazing how prevalent Constitutional Law really is--I really expected to be memorizing old cases and a few more recent ones, but I never imagined to have such thorough current applications every single class.
Did you know that most foodborne illnesses are actually caused by keeping food at an improper temperature, rather than poor sanitation or low-quality of the ingredients? Or that over 95% of all waste is industrial waste, rather than municipal waste (municipal waste = yours and my garbage). I learn a lot of really weird, random things in my Environment and Your Health class, and I think in a lot of ways it's actually helped me to live a healthier lifestyle. Seriously!
You know all those headlines citing studies and their crazy amazing findings? Like how people with a Facebook get lower grades? (an example from class last week). Most of them are probably inaccurate, and I might even be able to tell you so if I could see the data--all thanks to Biostats. I mean, it's not quite as interesting as my other classes, but it's definitely a valuable skill--and, most importantly, a major-required one!
So you have an idea of what I'm actually doing in my classes. I am legitimately learning things and am VERY
much enjoying myself. But I've come a long way from, say, spring freshman year. Want proof? Look at this little screen shot from ISIS, our online system that lets us register, see our grades, check our bill, etc. Look at how different my courses were...and allow me to tell you how much happier I am now!
Anyway, I hope I was able to shed some light on the social science courses here--they're truly fantastic and cater to any interest imaginable. Even if something doesn't seem interesting at first, chances are you'll learn a ton and come out having gained a lot more than you expected. And, personally speaking, I'm getting a bit more sleep these days--not because the courses are systematically, across-the-board "easier," but because I'm doing what I'm best at and genuinely enjoy.
So what exactly do I do as a natural science major who has lost all interest in the natural sciences? Excellent question, and one I asked myself time and time again when I realized I was in such a position.
I figured I'd go a little more in-depth with describing my classes this semester, though not with straight description (see this previous entry for that approach), but more of what I'm actually learning and doing in them. So, without further ado:
How do policies get on the agenda? How do you design them so that they'll get passed? How do you make sure they're
What are all of the aspects involved with the individual mandate for health insurance? Who are the key stakeholders for and against the policy? Describe the rationale, in terms of access, cost and quality of care and lay out a concise yet complete issue statement for this policy. This is my current project in Politics of Health Policy. We had a group project and are giving the presentation Tuesday, to be followed up by an individual paper. Of course there's much more to the class than this project, but it provides an excellent example.
Remember the 2nd amendment? No? Well, I do, but only because I had to study the Constitution for a quiz. Anyway, it's the whole "right to bear arms" thing. (Which, by the way, always makes me think of a particular Family Guy episode, and if you don't know what I'm talking about, pretend I never said anything). And perhaps you've heard about juveniles being sentenced to life without parole for non-capital offenses? If you're really big on your random current events, you'll know the "birthers" are still trying to sue to have Obama's birth record unsealed. All of this, and much more, is discussed at the beginning of every Constitutional Law class, for up to half an hour sometimes, before we get into the actual topic for the day. It's amazing how prevalent Constitutional Law really is--I really expected to be memorizing old cases and a few more recent ones, but I never imagined to have such thorough current applications every single class.
Did you know that most foodborne illnesses are actually caused by keeping food at an improper temperature, rather than poor sanitation or low-quality of the ingredients? Or that over 95% of all waste is industrial waste, rather than municipal waste (municipal waste = yours and my garbage). I learn a lot of really weird, random things in my Environment and Your Health class, and I think in a lot of ways it's actually helped me to live a healthier lifestyle. Seriously!
You know all those headlines citing studies and their crazy amazing findings? Like how people with a Facebook get lower grades? (an example from class last week). Most of them are probably inaccurate, and I might even be able to tell you so if I could see the data--all thanks to Biostats. I mean, it's not quite as interesting as my other classes, but it's definitely a valuable skill--and, most importantly, a major-required one!
So you have an idea of what I'm actually doing in my classes. I am legitimately learning things and am VERY
Anyway, I hope I was able to shed some light on the social science courses here--they're truly fantastic and cater to any interest imaginable. Even if something doesn't seem interesting at first, chances are you'll learn a ton and come out having gained a lot more than you expected. And, personally speaking, I'm getting a bit more sleep these days--not because the courses are systematically, across-the-board "easier," but because I'm doing what I'm best at and genuinely enjoy.
November 04, 2009
the critical juncture
This semester, I'm taking two courses that deal with policy--Politics and Policy Design and Politics of Health Policy. The two overlap slightly in the principles, as you might expect, but I feel like I'm actually getting a very diverse education in policy-making and implementation, and how what seems like the logical solution is not usually the one used in practice, largely because of political concerns (i.e., re-election).
Anyway, an important principle discussed in both classes is the "critical juncture," or, roughly, a turning point. This also plays into the concept of "path dependence," where current options are limited by past decisions. Basically (and I mean VERY basically--a quick google search shows that this can be an extremely complicated topic), as it was explained in one of my classes, critical junctures are the point when big decisions are possible, and the rest of the time, you're limited by path dependence set in place by the critical junctures.
In simpler terms? The decisions you make now set you on a specific path, where some later
options can be drastically changed depending on the current decision. I guess you could kind of think of it like the "butterfly effect," if you want to skip the middle part, and think about the impact a current decision will have on your available options twenty years from now. But it's not really about endpoints (as in, right now and twenty years from now), at least as I see it. It's about the entire path--now, tomorrow, the entire time between now and twenty-years-from-now.
I see it like this: as college students, we're at a critical juncture, RIGHT NOW. (no pressure, right?). We have the ability to make relatively big decisions that set a whole particular path before us. That's not so scary though, because I don't think political science is completely translatable to peoples' lives on an individual level (despite this blog entry's attempts at that?)...as in, just because we're setting our paths, doesn't mean we're going to be entirely limited by it. I think path dependence works a little better with policies than with people, but it still applies.
I don't know if you necessarily have to call out just one critical juncture for all of college or this age period, but to choose one, I think mine is when I settled on my public health major and realized I'm not doctor-material. Choosing not to continue pre-med studies is rather path-dependent, at least in the short term. (Luckily, nowadays, there's post-bac programs for people who decide after graduating that they actually do want to go to med school, but that's not me. Just throwing it out there). Anyway, I set myself a new path when I had that critical juncture and made that decision, and now each successive decision relevant to my life goals (undefined though they may be) are putting me further along on that path--I hope. That is, if political science works. I think I believe in it.
I hope this doesn't get construed as alarming--it's not like you make one decision and you're stuck for life, as it can be with policies. I think that's the beauty of our generation; we have so many options and fallbacks and the ability to redo things, all at much later points than previous generations.
So now, here's your quiz to see if you've been paying attention. Here I am, having passed my critical juncture in which I chose to pursue law school, and am currently faced with the following path-dependent decision: spring internship in DC or LSAT course? I might need a few more weeks of policy classes to figure this one out. Or maybe just a few more days in the week next semester. I'm wondering what the politically feasible option would be in the long run...okay, I can't even think of any more ways to stretch this.
(By the way, I'm choosing the LSAT course, sadly).
Anyway, an important principle discussed in both classes is the "critical juncture," or, roughly, a turning point. This also plays into the concept of "path dependence," where current options are limited by past decisions. Basically (and I mean VERY basically--a quick google search shows that this can be an extremely complicated topic), as it was explained in one of my classes, critical junctures are the point when big decisions are possible, and the rest of the time, you're limited by path dependence set in place by the critical junctures.
In simpler terms? The decisions you make now set you on a specific path, where some later
I see it like this: as college students, we're at a critical juncture, RIGHT NOW. (no pressure, right?). We have the ability to make relatively big decisions that set a whole particular path before us. That's not so scary though, because I don't think political science is completely translatable to peoples' lives on an individual level (despite this blog entry's attempts at that?)...as in, just because we're setting our paths, doesn't mean we're going to be entirely limited by it. I think path dependence works a little better with policies than with people, but it still applies.
I don't know if you necessarily have to call out just one critical juncture for all of college or this age period, but to choose one, I think mine is when I settled on my public health major and realized I'm not doctor-material. Choosing not to continue pre-med studies is rather path-dependent, at least in the short term. (Luckily, nowadays, there's post-bac programs for people who decide after graduating that they actually do want to go to med school, but that's not me. Just throwing it out there). Anyway, I set myself a new path when I had that critical juncture and made that decision, and now each successive decision relevant to my life goals (undefined though they may be) are putting me further along on that path--I hope. That is, if political science works. I think I believe in it.
I hope this doesn't get construed as alarming--it's not like you make one decision and you're stuck for life, as it can be with policies. I think that's the beauty of our generation; we have so many options and fallbacks and the ability to redo things, all at much later points than previous generations.
So now, here's your quiz to see if you've been paying attention. Here I am, having passed my critical juncture in which I chose to pursue law school, and am currently faced with the following path-dependent decision: spring internship in DC or LSAT course? I might need a few more weeks of policy classes to figure this one out. Or maybe just a few more days in the week next semester. I'm wondering what the politically feasible option would be in the long run...okay, I can't even think of any more ways to stretch this.
(By the way, I'm choosing the LSAT course, sadly).
November 01, 2009
and we're back
Happy November! I can hardly believe it's already November (and we're more than halfway through the semester), but October was a crazy month and I'm kind of glad to have it behind me in some ways.
Just to demonstrate, here's my October calendar, fresh off the wall. The highlighted items are exams.
But this isn't a blog about how busy I've been, because that's all behind me. Today, I woke up, cleaned and organized my entire apartment, and will soon venture out to Eddie's Market with my grocery list. You see, I'm trying to get back into being a productive, orderly, healthy person. I kind of let all of those priorities fall aside when I got busy, and I'm definitely feeling it now. So I'm giving myself one day to catch up, clean up, wake up, etc., and then I'm going to
get back into doing homework the day before it's due (instead of the early hours the morning of), eating actual meals (instead of snack food and coffee) and other things that I think normal people do.
Until then, I'm enjoying the extra hour of sleep (which couldn't have come at a a better time), am taking the day to lull around, and will leave you with one picture from my Halloween celebrations. I was a pop-punk something-or-other, inspired by Avril Lavigne. I promise to get back to my usual blogging very soon, just as soon as I get back to my usual life.
Just to demonstrate, here's my October calendar, fresh off the wall. The highlighted items are exams.
But this isn't a blog about how busy I've been, because that's all behind me. Today, I woke up, cleaned and organized my entire apartment, and will soon venture out to Eddie's Market with my grocery list. You see, I'm trying to get back into being a productive, orderly, healthy person. I kind of let all of those priorities fall aside when I got busy, and I'm definitely feeling it now. So I'm giving myself one day to catch up, clean up, wake up, etc., and then I'm going to
Until then, I'm enjoying the extra hour of sleep (which couldn't have come at a a better time), am taking the day to lull around, and will leave you with one picture from my Halloween celebrations. I was a pop-punk something-or-other, inspired by Avril Lavigne. I promise to get back to my usual blogging very soon, just as soon as I get back to my usual life.
October 21, 2009
fall open houses
Fall at Hopkins always means several noteworthy events at the top of my not-to-be-missed list, and a favorite is definitely the two fall Open Houses--it's such a great opportunity for me to take a break from work, enjoy the fall weather (whatever it may be) and talk to prospective students and their families about why I love my life here. What's not to love about that?!
For two consecutive weekends in October, the campus is devoted to prospective students and their families. There are presentations from each major/department, student panels, advi
sing panels, tours, plenty of the famous Hopkins tote bags, and always lots of food.
This year marks my fifth and sixth fall open houses, during which my fellow SAAB members and I don our lovely light blue t-shirts and "mingle..." sometimes with each other, sometimes with AdmissionsDaniel, but (hopefully) mostly with you! We're there to talk to you about anything you want to know. And this year, we have spiffy business cards to hand out so that if you think of questions later on, you'll have a way to get in touch with us.
Of course, fall in Baltimore means occasionally unpredictable weather. And by that, I mean the weather is entirely predictable, but it can be predictably nasty. Last weekend, we had a high of about 46 degrees and it rained the whole day. But we still had a great time (with the help of the abundance of hot chocolate and coffee at breakfast and lunch, of course) and hope that if you were there, you did as well, and if you weren't, you'll be out this coming Saturday! The weather's supposed to be a good 20 degrees warmer, for what it's worth, but either way, it's a great chance to see the gorgeous campus and meet all of us.
For two consecutive weekends in October, the campus is devoted to prospective students and their families. There are presentations from each major/department, student panels, advi
This year marks my fifth and sixth fall open houses, during which my fellow SAAB members and I don our lovely light blue t-shirts and "mingle..." sometimes with each other, sometimes with AdmissionsDaniel, but (hopefully) mostly with you! We're there to talk to you about anything you want to know. And this year, we have spiffy business cards to hand out so that if you think of questions later on, you'll have a way to get in touch with us.
Of course, fall in Baltimore means occasionally unpredictable weather. And by that, I mean the weather is entirely predictable, but it can be predictably nasty. Last weekend, we had a high of about 46 degrees and it rained the whole day. But we still had a great time (with the help of the abundance of hot chocolate and coffee at breakfast and lunch, of course) and hope that if you were there, you did as well, and if you weren't, you'll be out this coming Saturday! The weather's supposed to be a good 20 degrees warmer, for what it's worth, but either way, it's a great chance to see the gorgeous campus and meet all of us.
October 11, 2009
my own fall break
I'm sitting here, early into Sunday afternoon, almost ready to get serious, but not quite.
You see, this weekend I decided to give myself my own fall break. I've already mentioned that I don't have classes on Friday, but this doesn't automatically mean a three-day weekend. Most Fridays I try to get up at the same time I do Monday-Thursday, have a bit of a leisurely breakfast, and then get to work. But not this Friday. I woke up late (does 10:00 count?) and somehow managed to do nothing productive with my day, at which point I decided I was on fall break.
My fall break coincided with fall fest and young alumni weekend,
meaning there was a TON of stuff going on, with both on-campus events and off-campus parties. Of course, as any break should, mine included plenty of laziness. I spent the majority of Saturday watching movies and re-watching Thursday's episode of The Office (3 times, so far). Aside from that, I saw a screening of The Hangover on the beach, and stopped by a couple of other events and parties as well. The closing event of my fall break was a trip with friends to Pete's Grill and The Book Thing 
this morning. Pete's Grill is an awesome place a few blocks away that's garnered fame for being Michael Phelps' favorite breakfast place, and this morning I understood why. Delish. And The Book Thing is Baltimore's free book warehouse. Walk in, browse, pick up anything that appeals to you, and leave. It's so great and a short walk from Pete's Grill, making for a perfect morning. I left today with six books on criminal law, American politics, interest groups, and the like. My friends picked up entirely different things (of course) and it was kind of funny to look at what we all got and compare.
So I realized that sometimes, once in a while, on occasion, it's okay to completely disregard real life and focus on having fun. It's good and perhaps even necessary for maintaining sanity. And even Hopkins students do it! Of course, now it's time to buckle down, go back to being a normal person and do my biostats homework (I can't even tell you how much I'm dreading all of that), but it was a fantastic break that hopefully prepared me to get back to reality.
You see, this weekend I decided to give myself my own fall break. I've already mentioned that I don't have classes on Friday, but this doesn't automatically mean a three-day weekend. Most Fridays I try to get up at the same time I do Monday-Thursday, have a bit of a leisurely breakfast, and then get to work. But not this Friday. I woke up late (does 10:00 count?) and somehow managed to do nothing productive with my day, at which point I decided I was on fall break.
My fall break coincided with fall fest and young alumni weekend,
So I realized that sometimes, once in a while, on occasion, it's okay to completely disregard real life and focus on having fun. It's good and perhaps even necessary for maintaining sanity. And even Hopkins students do it! Of course, now it's time to buckle down, go back to being a normal person and do my biostats homework (I can't even tell you how much I'm dreading all of that), but it was a fantastic break that hopefully prepared me to get back to reality.
October 03, 2009
classes, v. 5.0
So, in between work, meetings, events, and the like, it's easy to let it slip my mind: I'm actually here to go to classes and, you know, learn things. And this semester I'm doing lots of both--going to classes, and learning things, that is.
As per tradition, here's the blog entry where I'll tell you about my fabulous class schedule, show you why I love it, why it's a little bit crazy, and where I'll tell you a few times that I have no classes on Fridays. (And can I just mention that I can't believe this is my fifth semester of classes? I'm not sure how many times I'll throw this kind of tidbit into my entries, but I'm still not wrapping my brain around the fact that I'm so far along in my undergrad studies!)
-politics and policy design: This is a hugely intimidating, 300-level political science seminar full of students who know a lot of things about politics and economics. I know very little about either of those subjects. So I sit there quietly and try to take it all in. But the professor, Dr. Teles, has a sense of humor that I really appreciate and I feel like I'm learning a lot, on many different levels (as in, not just from our assignments).
-constitutional law: This class is all about our judicial system and the Supreme Court. We haven't gotten too in-depth with actual cases yet, but it's a very interesting class. There's always some current events to be discussed at the beginning of class and the topic is ever-evolving, making it very relevant. Professor Grossman has been teaching for 45 years and really knows (and loves) the subject. He's always got some fun little anecdotes about an issue or particular justices. And, just look at one of our textbooks. When I'm reading this, I feel so legit and it definitely makes my bookshelf look more scholarly, and you can't tell, but it's actually a huge book.
-politics of health policy: My third political science class this semester. There's actually an interesting bit of overlap between all three classes, though it's very slight and really only on subject matter, so I'm able to look at an issue from varying perspectives. Roughly speaking, this class focuses on different health policy examples and how they've been framed in the political world to achieve various policy ends. It's kind of taking a case-studies approach to policy analysis and principles that I'm learning in my politics and policy design class.
-environment and your health: One of four core classes required of all public health majors, this is one of those bigger, lecture-style classes. So far, I've learned that almost everything causes cancer. It's an interesting class, and there's always some kind of alarming fact or another.
-biostatistics for public health: As the name might imply, this is another of the four public health core classes. Unfortunately, this runs back-to-back with environment and your health (a.k.a. "EAYH"), in the same room, each for an hour and fifteen minutes, which can be a bit of a long stretch some days. Especially for a non-numbers person (me) who thought they were done with numbers for the rest of forever. But it's really not so bad.
So, that's it! I've already had my first midterm and am really invested in the courses by now (you know, I've done the work so far, gotten to know the little quirks each of the professors have, etc.), and am getting very comfortable with my routine. And of course, I love love love the fact that I have no classes on Fridays, allowing me to have the occasional three-day weekends, extra study time, time to run errands and/or clean my apartment or any other possible options. Fall 2009, in short? So far, so good.
As per tradition, here's the blog entry where I'll tell you about my fabulous class schedule, show you why I love it, why it's a little bit crazy, and where I'll tell you a few times that I have no classes on Fridays. (And can I just mention that I can't believe this is my fifth semester of classes? I'm not sure how many times I'll throw this kind of tidbit into my entries, but I'm still not wrapping my brain around the fact that I'm so far along in my undergrad studies!)
-politics and policy design: This is a hugely intimidating, 300-level political science seminar full of students who know a lot of things about politics and economics. I know very little about either of those subjects. So I sit there quietly and try to take it all in. But the professor, Dr. Teles, has a sense of humor that I really appreciate and I feel like I'm learning a lot, on many different levels (as in, not just from our assignments).
-politics of health policy: My third political science class this semester. There's actually an interesting bit of overlap between all three classes, though it's very slight and really only on subject matter, so I'm able to look at an issue from varying perspectives. Roughly speaking, this class focuses on different health policy examples and how they've been framed in the political world to achieve various policy ends. It's kind of taking a case-studies approach to policy analysis and principles that I'm learning in my politics and policy design class.
-environment and your health: One of four core classes required of all public health majors, this is one of those bigger, lecture-style classes. So far, I've learned that almost everything causes cancer. It's an interesting class, and there's always some kind of alarming fact or another.
-biostatistics for public health: As the name might imply, this is another of the four public health core classes. Unfortunately, this runs back-to-back with environment and your health (a.k.a. "EAYH"), in the same room, each for an hour and fifteen minutes, which can be a bit of a long stretch some days. Especially for a non-numbers person (me) who thought they were done with numbers for the rest of forever. But it's really not so bad.
So, that's it! I've already had my first midterm and am really invested in the courses by now (you know, I've done the work so far, gotten to know the little quirks each of the professors have, etc.), and am getting very comfortable with my routine. And of course, I love love love the fact that I have no classes on Fridays, allowing me to have the occasional three-day weekends, extra study time, time to run errands and/or clean my apartment or any other possible options. Fall 2009, in short? So far, so good.
