Michelle's Musings

Farewell, old Hop

How to I even begin to write my final blog entry?

It’s very bizarre. I’ve walked across the stage at my graduation, I’ve grasped that medallion for my Woodrow Wilson fellowship which I haven’t shut up about since sophomore year, and I’ve finally gotten a job offer for my post-graduation, actually-entering-the-real-world, not-getting-paid-by-the-hour job. Yet- writing my last “Musings” entry? Not having weekly snide comments from Daniel about how untimely my posting has gotten? Wow- college life has officially left the building.

There are so many things to talk about, so many places I could start, and all I can think about are my student loans. Probably because today, my Dad and I sat down with the 5 folders of paperwork that have amassed over the years and started calculating real numbers. How much per month am I going to be shelling out to start paying these puppies back? What percentage of my salary is that going to be? Can I consolidate the 3 PLUS loans I have? Is the interest rate variable? Oh, and also, I have to finish that online exit counseling for those Direct Loans I took out. I’m going through a crash course in “loan lingo”.

As I sat there budgeting out how much I was going to be taking home per month and how much of it was going towards my loans, it was kind of nuts. More than ¼ of my salary is going towards loan payments. Yet the one thing which I knew from the bottom of my heart and which was going through my mind during this entire process:

It was SO, SO worth it. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Hopkins has given me so much. I can’t even begin to explain it. It’s opened my eyes to a world of acting which I never would have known had the Barnstormers not been so welcoming at the Freshman One Act auditions. It put a world of research opportunities at my feet and gave me $10,000 to pursue whatever I wanted to do. It surrounded me with world-class musicians and opened up incredible musicology classes at Peabody so my musical side never felt neglected. It has the best library I’ve ever known.

But most of all, it gave me such wonderful friends. Maggie, Liz-Ann, and so many other Wilson House friends who piled 15 strong into our double in the AMRs during freshman year to watch The O.C. en masse. Sarah and JT, who jumped into the car with me between the hours of 10:30 pm and 6 am to take an impromptu trip to Philadelphia in order for me to visit that guy I had a crush on. My friend Liz who snuck into the back of the Swirnow Theater with me (and my friend Margaret, in the cast, who let us in) to see the fall mainstage production of “Six Degrees of Separation” when the producer told us it was sold out and we couldn’t see the show because we constituted a “fire hazard”. Maura, who hosted me in her home in Cleveland when I spontaneously qualified for the College Jeopardy auditions in the middle of the summer. Umi, who always pulled all-nighters with me to study for our chem tests- and then always invited me to the AllNighters parties (not in the same evening). Sahar, Bev, and Anu, who slept on a lab floor with me in order to wish Dr. Hendry a Happy Birthday. Max, who always came up with the best lingo and abbreviations to describe everything Hopkins (Stu-Lou, Mega, Libs). 

While I sit here and reminisce (a la our awkward senior class president’s Commencement speech) I know my connection to Hopkins isn’t over. I’ll be back 4 times a year for Trustee meetings. I still have access to an incredible pre-professional advising office when I decide to apply to those MD/PhD programs. And without Hopkins, I wouldn’t have the fabulous job offer I have- working for a Hopkins alum at a marketing firm in San Francisco. He was only hiring Hopkins grads. How awesome is that?

Hopkins has taught me so much. This place has showed me just how tough I can be. I learned I can handle 19 credits, direct a play, perform with the Wind Ensemble, prepare for a research presentation, work in the Admissions office, and still have time to write a blog. I’ve learned that studying for a test doesn’t mean cramming 2 nights before- it means cramming 9 nights before. I’ve learned that 24-hour Subways are quite the blessing, and that 24-hour libraries during finals are even more so. I’ve learned that it’s more important to be well-rested for a test than to take those last 6 hours attempting to cram and in actuality spending 3 of them on Facebook. Most importantly, I’ve learned that time spent with your friends is just as valuable as time spent with your notes- and that’s the most important lesson of all.

I’m going to miss you, Hopkins. I’m going to miss running around doing 12 things at once. I’m going to miss theater rehearsals that go until 2 am. I’m going to miss my pre-library mocha from Café Q which I get out of habit instead of actual caffeine need. When I get home from my job and don’t have a pile of homework, I’m probably not going to know exactly what to do with myself. I guess that’s what they call “growing up”. Hopkins has probably prepared me for that, too.

So long, alma mater, and thanks for the fabulous ride.

Sincerely,
Michelle

Blogging as a form of procrastinating on studying for finals

It’s been a series of “lasts” for me in the past few days. As the school year finishes up and we start into finals week, many things are ending- but for real this time. None of this “until summer is over in August” stuff- really, truly ending. Finished. I will no longer be a student of the Johns Hopkins University and I won’t be a Barnstormer or a band member or a groupie of the AllNighters anymore.

I had my last class ever on Friday- Cell Biology. It was an amazing “last class at Hopkins” to have because it was a guest lecture from none other than Hopkins’s own Nobel Prize winner Peter Agre. He won the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery of aquaporins, the water channels present in biological membranes. He was also the co-star of the recent commercial that was aired nationally during lacrosse games.

(Oh, P.S., in Men’s Lacrosse News- despite our kindof disgusting and sadly record-setting 5 game losing streak we had this semester, our past 5 wins have earned us a spot in the NCAA Championship bracket! We play Hofstra this weekend for the first round (who we lost to in overtime this semester, kicking off that aforementioned losing streak). Lets try not to do that again, k Hop?)

So anyway, Peter Agre was the speaker, and he was a joy to listen to. He has an incredibly relaxed and approachable demeanor and just talked about what it was like growing up in Minnesota and how he got interested in science. He used to play around in his father’s laboratory (his dad was a chemistry professor) performing “experiments” with the chemicals and when something as simple as a solution’s color change occurred, “it was like magic”. He talked about the Tom Leher song "The Elements", and then sung it to the whole class! He told us about how he was studying the human Rh blood factor when some side curiosities about a molecule that kept popping up led to the discovery of aquaporins. He told us what it was like getting the call from Stockholm, and what his mother said when she found out (“Tell him not to let it go to his head”).

He also talked about the importance of funding in public schools and how the nation has misplaced priorities when it comes to spending, especially spending on the sciences and the arts. “Helmet sports” as he called them rarely receive funding cuts, but entire music programs are being slashed. We as a society spend $5,500,000 for 60 seconds of Super Bowl time, which is 180 times that of the starting annual salary for a high school science teacher- and are they really comparable in value? Of course not. He told us that our generation had to try and make sure that these disparities started reversing their disturbing trends. I loved it because I’m a child of the public school system and I think these issues are really important. It’s nice to know that a Nobel Prize winner thinks so too.

On a lighter note, I had the Barnstormers Semi-Formal last night, where all the theatre people dress up to look gorgeous and pretend we’re in our own fabulous fraternity/sorority. I also went to my last AllNighters concert, where my good friend Umi had his “send off”, where graduating acapella members get to select a song to sing as their final farewell. Umi busted out his inner diva singer for this one, and I expected nothing less.

The AllNighters have been in existence for 15 years, and for their anniversary they brought back a bunch of AllNighters alumni- some flew in all the way from Japan! Instead of having a guest group, they brought up all of the alumni to sing with them for a few songs, and they were absolutely AMAZING. This one alum sung a RIDICULOUS version of Boyz II Men’s Water Runs Dry which left me speechless.

So, that’s been a recap of some ending events. Now I get to embark on the least fun ending event- finals. Boo. Off to the library….

Woodrow Wilson Fellowship Finale

On April 11th, the final poster session for the Woodrow Wilson fellowship was held, where all of the senior Wilsons (myself included) presented the results of our projects that we’ve been working on for several years now.

My fellow Wilson’s projects were absolutely amazing. My friend Sophie Lu went to China to do a study on how the education campaign instituted in an attempt to “Westernize” the population in anticipation of the Olympics affected individual perceptions of value. Another friend, Maura Lillis, did a survey on how the Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline affected the villagers at an individual level. Virginia Pearson, a fellow neuroscience major, designed a project to see how levels of sleep control the retention of procedural memories. Another Wilson went to India to see if instituting a curriculum of Indian classical dance to developmentally disabled children would assist in their learning and motor skills.

I had a lot of support from those people who have helped me out along the way. Dr. Hattar (who was my Cellular/Molecular Neuroscience Professor and who volunteered to preview my presentation twice to make sure it was perfect) showed up to cheer me on and to see the other Wilson projects- he was on the committee which selected the past  few years of Wilsons. John Astin, who was a constant cheerleader for my research, came to the poster presentation to see the final results of the work I’d been updating him about since the beginning. My boyfriend came out to see me all dressed up in a suit attempting to look professional, and then completely saved my life when he ran (literally, ran) back to the Math department building 2 minutes before my presentation began in the frantic search of a laser pointer which I had forgotten- and borrowed one from a colleague and got back in time for me to present. Forget knight in shining armor- he was my knight with a shining laser pointer.

Dean Adam Falk gave the opening remarks, which are always pretty much the same from year to year but they’re nice to hear- that this program embodies the best of Hopkins, completely encompasses the goals of the University as a research institution, and showcases the best innovative minds of the School of Arts and Sciences. He gives a big thanks to the mentors of the program, those faculty members who helped guide our projects and got us to this final culminating event. Then, he introduced the 3 Wilsons who were giving presentations about their projects to the entire group.

They choose 1 Wilson every year from each of the three subject areas (Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and Humanities) to speak more formally at the Poster session, to give a PowerPoint about the steps involved in their projects and give whoever’s there a window into what went into these projects. I was selected to speak on behalf of the Natural Sciences, so I got to show pictures of when I shadowed NeuroPace implants, results from the intracranial EEG recordings, and the final results of my 2-year analysis of seizure recordings.  Because of my rehearsals with Dr. Hattar, the presentation went really well- and I was the only Wilson to actually stick to the 5-10 minute time limit. Awesome! (It’s ok, I knew that would happen)

I’m so glad the final poster presentation is done. There are still some administrative things to get through, but pretty much my Wilson journey is done. The only thing left? The Wilson awards ceremony, which happens the evening before Graduation- where the seniors get the MEDALLIONS we get to wear at Graduation. Only 15 of us will be gracing that stage with total bling. I can’t wait!

Senior Showcase- my final theatrical hoorah!

2 weekends ago I acted in my last play at Hopkins. Our Arts Certificate Senior Showcase went up, and it was a great success. 

Last Spring, in my Junior year, I submitted my application for my Arts Certificate in Theater. To receive the arts certificate, you have to have participated significantly in one of 5 areas of arts (Music, Theater, Dance, Fine/Visual Arts, or Digital Media) for at least 6 semesters at Hopkins. Then, you have to complete a culminating final project in your area to actually be awarded the certificate.

I applied for the theater certificate, and 3 of my friends (Mitch Frank, Liz Eldridge, and Julie Sihilling) did too, so we decided to band together to present a showcase of plays. Wanna know something awesome? When I auditioned for the Freshman One Acts when I first arrived at Hopkins, I was cast in Tom Stoppard’s “15 Minute Hamlet”. Some of the other cast members included….Liz Eldridge, Julie Sihilling, and Mitch Frank. We’ve traveled together, acting in plays each other have written (I was in a Mitch Frank play my 2nd production of college, right after Hamlet), acting with each other (I was with both Liz and Julie for JHUT’s productions of “The Marriage of Bette and Boo”, “Returning”, and “Twelfth Night”) and directing each other (I directed Liz and Mitch in a selection from “Mrs. Warren’s Profession” for my Directing Seminar) ever since, so it was really nice to be able to do my culminating final project with them.

The play I directed was actually written by Mitch. It’s called “Midway Family Singing”, and it was based on and inspired by a type of music called “Shape Note singing”, which is a traditional kind of sacred music that was popular in the Southern United States in the 1800s into the early 20th century. Here’s an example of the kind of music we’re talking about:

So, for my play, I had to teach 4 actors how to sing together in a quartet. Most of our rehearsals were music based, and I got to unleash my inner band director on them, including the classic “make a comment during the count off” technique:

…“One, together and, louder, GO”
“One, two, three, four, don’t, forget the, repeat, GO”

It was a really fun experience, and hearing the quartet sing these crazy pieces together, bringing to life this old form of music- it was awesome.

I directed Midway Family Singing, but I also acted in “Rooster Versus”, another Mitch Frank play which was adapted from the poems and letters of Marianne Moore and Elizabeth Bishop. It chronicles a poem “Roosters”, written by Elizabeth Bishop, which was re-written by Marianne Moore, who was a much more famous and well-established poet and author than Elizabeth was. It then tracks Elizabeth’s ensuing feelings towards the Moores. I played Mary Warner Moore, Marianne Moore’s mother and the general narrator/clarifier in the play. One of my favorite things about the play was the staging of the poems. Mitch designed it so that sections written by Elizabeth and revised by Marianne which were similar were said at the same time by the 2 different characters, and that paragraphs of utter difference were the only ones said separately. There were 2 similar but different poems happening at once, and it sounded really cool.

Us four seniors applied for an “Arts Innovation Grant” to fund our Senior Showcase, which we got. That was HUGE for us. We had a really generous budget to buy costumes, props, the rights for various plays, print posters, and buy 17 dozen cupcakes from Charm City Cupcakes for our reception. The Arts Innovation Grant is a new-ish program which was a result of the Homewood Arts Task Force, a group which did an intensive survey of the arts at Homewood and proposed a number of recommendations to improve the permeability of the arts at Hopkins.

One of their primary recommendations was to sponsor a grant which would allow students to pursue new ideas in the arts; ideas which would combine art forms, departments, and the Hopkins and Baltimore theater communities. Our idea for a showcase combing the Writing Department (which Mitch and Liz are a part of, and who both wrote plays for the Showcase) and the Theater department (which we all 4 are part of) was appreciated by the grant committee, and so our showcase had everything it needed to succeed. We never had to sacrifice what we wanted to see on stage based on the fact that we couldn’t afford it. It was such a wonderful feeling, and not one that you feel in the arts too often, so I’m really grateful that Hopkins has such a program in place.

One of the coolest parts of the Senior Showcase was the poster, made by the amazingly talented Emily Wisnowski (who was also the Stage Manager for the Showcase). Check it out:

Why is this poster so cool, you ask? It just looks like a Victorian drawing. Then, look closer at their faces, and check out this photo the 4 directors took before the plays went up:

 

Yes, we've been immortalized. I know you're jealous.

This is such a bittersweet entry, because now I've acted in my last production at Hopkins. I don't know when the next time I'll be acting ... how scary! Though, I did run into one of my former acting professors the other day and he told me that if I'm in the NY area to let him know: "You never know when I'm going to need actors for something I'm directing". So, here's to hoping I get a job near NY!

*Insert lyrics to one of those cheesy 'Graduation' Songs here* (Vitamin C? That "Sunscreen Song", anyone?)

I’m not quite sure how 2nd semester senior year came to be known as a “slack semester”. I’ve been SO BUSY in the past few weeks. There are so many things to be done before graduation…which is coming up SO much sooner than everyone thinks. It’s ridiculous. We only have like 3 or 4 more weeks of actual class. Dub.T.F.

Last week they hosted a “Grad Fair” in the bookstore, where they had everything “graduation-y” on sale- you could buy diploma frames, your cap and gown and stole, donate to the senior class gift, order graduation invitations, all that stuff. If I had to buy my cap and gown and stole new, it would have been $74… for a black robe I will wear for like 2 HOURS and never wear again. As I was complaining about this forthcoming expense to my boyfriend (who’s a grad student here) I asked him if he had to buy his robe when he graduated from undergrad, or if he had the opportunity to just rent his. “I forget what I did during undergrad, but I had to buy my cap and gown for when I got my masters here”

“Do you still… have those?” I inquired…

…and he pointed to the shelf in his office where he had taken his cap and gown off upon getting his masters degree 3 years ago. It was literally a little graduation shelf, with a cap, a gown “folded” up in a bag, and his masters degree still in its tube. I guess he’s waiting until he gets his PhD to get to the frame store?

Anyway, I saved myself almost $50 in unnecessary fees by only needing to buy my undergraduate “stole”. Yay for thrifty shopping!

In keeping with the “graduation” theme I’ll talk a little about all of the exciting events they have planned for Senior Week. Senior Week is the week between when classes end and when graduation happens, and they plan a bunch of activities for us. One of the events is a “Champagne and Cupcakes Social” on Brody’s lawn…which will be the last year that it’s actually Brody’s lawn! Sad thought. But Champagne and Cupcakes- what a great combination, right?

They also have $5 tickets for us to the Preakness- the annual horse race which is one of the races in the Triple Crown (the other 2 being the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes), raced at Pimlico race track about 10 minutes from campus. Tickets to the Preakness are usually at LEAST $50 so $5 tickets for seniors is an AMAZING deal. I can’t wait to go out and buy a ridiculously awesome hat.

They’re also hosting a Harbor Cruise Formal, on a boat that’s going to be cruising around the Inner Harbor. It has “a variety of food, a DJ, and a cash bar”. I imagine it will be very prom-esque, but it’s been 4 years since we’ve experienced any of that high school stuff so it should probably be considered nostalgic by now. I’m certainly going!

There’s also a trip to Atlantic City, a “Baltimore Crab Feast”, and a club night in Federal Hill. This will be such a nice change from finals.

I’m off to sleep. My Senior Showcase performance goes up tomorrow, and I’m a mess this weekend with trying to study for 2 extreme exams next week. Details about my fabulous Senior Showcase to follow next week!

Hopkins Cribs: Off Campus Apartment

To all recently admitted Hopkins students: Congratulations! All of us at Hopkins Interactive decided to post our Cribs blogs so that you could get an idea of what your Hopkins digs will be like next year.

So, here's my front door. That sign on the door says "Enter the 90s"... we were throwing a 90s party last night! Note the fabulous green/brown door frame/door combo. That was not my decision, by the way.

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This is my little chest of drawers that serves as our "put stuff on it when you walk in" table. It's right there when you walk in. I got this on the curbside in Alexandria -- for free! Alexandria has some really rich neighborhoods and they always have garbage day on the same day of the week so you can drive around and find furniture on the curb the night before.

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This is my fabulous living room. That amazing green leather couch there? That was free on Craigslist. That overstuffed Ethan Allen chair? Also, free on Craigslist. I love Craigslist.

The 90s party can be revealed here in the remarkable arrangement of things on the coffee table: RING POPS, Gushers, Fruit Roll-Ups, and PUSH POPS. Yes, you read that right dear readers.

This is our "Entertainment Center", with shelving we acquired free from a friend who was moving out. That is a SNES (pronounced "snez") you see there -- Mario Kart tournaments? Why of course.

This was the triumph of our 90s party. We obtained a projector from our friend Nicole and projected "Clueless" silently on the wall of the party. GENIUS.

This is my amazing Motion Wall Art that I obtained from winning 2nd prize in the Gushers "Redo Your Room Sweepstakes". It's a light up fish tank! They swim around!

It provided amazing mood lighting during the party. You know you're jealous.

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Here's the other side of our living room, focused on my really fun map of the United Kingdom which I have from London. All of my friends from abroad wrote on the map, and I had it framed when I got back here. So many good memories wrapped up in that map. I miss you guys, London!

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Here's our cramped little kitchen. This is literally a shot from the doorway that leads into the kitchen. It's like a narrow little hallway with some appliances on one side, but you learn to work with it. It's the one downside to our apartment, but oh well.

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Here's a picture of half of our kitchen..the rest of the sink is there on the left, and you can see our fridge and our shelf we put in there for additional storage/ you can use the top as counter space. The kitchen is all about creative arrangement of appliances... my KitchenAid mixer is in the narrow space between the sink and the fridge (You can see the very edge in this photo), and our microwave sits on top of the fridge.

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Here's my beautiful bedroom! The bed has about 3 layers of down on it, it's one of the most comfortable beds ever. That's an arrangement of photos from London on the wall on the left, and one of my favorite Van Goghs on the wall above my bed. You can see on the left, those 3 posters one on top of each other are all posters from various plays I've been in. I have more posters from plays I've been in around the room in other spots- they're such good reminders of the awesome times those plays brought up.

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This is my desk, known as the "desk of no return". I could not name anything that's actually on it. It's a mess of stuff. That's my hole puncher on the left, the tall gold can is spray polyurethane from when I reupholstered that rocking chair, and anything else is anyone else's guess.

 

This is a nice artsy shot of my window/my wonderful Loose Stone sign that was acquired with a group of friends on a particularly awesome trip to a time share in North Carolina. The warning signs there were SO ODD.

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This is my photo montage of pictures from home. I'm a big fan of these frames where you can stick a bunch of different photos in them. The photo on the bottom right is one of my favorites- it's me as a flower girl at my aunt's wedding, and my mom (in the bright blue 80s bridesmaid dress she was in) talking to me and coaching me on my flower girlness. Love!
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Finally, here's my bathroom. There's a nice new cabinet/sink there and my fabulous shower curtain. One of the best parts about these apartments is that the 2 bedroom ones used to be efficiencies, so each bedroom has its own bathroom. It's the first year I've had my very own bathroom and I LOVE it.

So that's the tour of my apartment. To all of the future Blue Jays- congrats again, and good luck with your decisions this month!

Umm..........

To:  Michelle Brown
Date:  Mon, Mar 10, 2008 at 1:32 PM
Subject:  Young Trustee election

Dear Michelle:

I am delighted to inform you that this morning the Board of Trustees elected you to serve a four-year term as a Young Trustee.  Congratulations!

The Trustees who serve on the Committee on Trusteeship, Nominations & By-Laws were extremely impressed with your credentials and your performance in the interview.  They are looking forward to having you join them when the board holds its first meeting of the academic year on October 5-6, 2008.

A formal letter regarding your election will follow in the mail, and in June I will be writing to you with the meeting schedule for the year (including orientation for new trustees) and other important information.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Jerry Schnydman
Secretary
Board of Trustees

****************************************************************

....Woah.

That's all I have to say about that. I'm a little bit speechless right now.

In which Michelle tries to assuage her own fears about her uncertain future

As the school year marches towards its completion and all of the seniors start counting down the days until graduation, the inevitable question of “What are you doing next year” is becoming increasingly frequent in its appearance. For my friends who are currently applying to grad school / medical school, life is sweet for them. My good friend, a combined English and Cellular Biology major, just got into UMaryland’s medical school (and she’s waiting to hear back from her interview at Hopkins Med). Another has been accepted to University of Rochester’s Developmental Biology department to get her PhD. A fellow Neuro major just got into Baylor College of Medicine. A BME friend of mine just got accepted to the combined Baylor / Rice University MD/PhD program, and I basically want to be him right now. My Neuroscience Lab TA from last semester is deciding between Northwestern and Vanderbilt medical schools.

I am currently, um, “job shopping”? 

It’s true that I’m jealous when I hear about grad school acceptances. While I’m confident in my decision to take time off before applying to grad school / medical school, I REALLY wish I had that security, that guarantee that yes, you will make it in to grad school and yes, you will be really happy with where you end up and no, your future is not eternally screwed by the fact that you buggered off to England for a semester to stop thinking or that you retook Orgo.

Alas, I will have to wait a while for those exciting acceptance phone calls to start coming my way, but I just wanted to write a little about taking time off before medical / graduate school, why I’m doing it, and why I think it’s a good idea.

First, I want to tell all those pre-meds out there to calm down. When you’re in high school it’s easy to know exactly what you’re going to do with your life: College for 4 years, immediately to med school for 4 years, do their surgical residence in pediatric life saving (ya know, for the kids), and have a family and a Mercedes before they’re 30.

The truth is, the average age for entering medical school is now 24. When you graduate there are SO MANY options for what you can do. I have friends joining the Peace Corps, Teaching for America, and researching in labs - and these are all friends who plan on applying to some sort of graduate school in the next few years.

There are a lot of advantages to taking time off. You get that mental break from academia so that after you finish 4 years of intense undergraduate study, you’re not burned out before embarking on the most hardcore and sleep-deprived 4 years of your life. It gives you the opportunity to work for a while to make some money before starting a very expensive application process (Cost of MCAT prep + cost of MCAT + cost of medical school applications + cost of flying out to every medical school interview you get + cost of any hotels you have to stay in while you’re there = HOLY MOTHER I BETTER BE MAKING A BOATLOAD WITH THIS ‘DOCTOR’ THING).

It gives you the opportunity to travel and relax and see places you’ve never seen and do things you’ve always wanted to do, because once you start medical school, there will be no extended world traveling for a LONG time. Perhaps most valuably, it gives you a few years of maturity and perspective so that you can know that this is TRULY what you want to be doing. When they ask you during your interview why you want to be a doctor, it can be hard to come up with a good answer if you’ve just high-tailed it through your education waiting to get to medical school. “I want to help people” and “I’ve wanted to do this since I was 12” can only get you so far in your personal statement. If you’ve had the experience of going out into the real world, distancing yourself from the rat race that is medicine, and really asked yourself if going to medical school is what you WANT to be doing, and why, that will show itself in your interview.

I’ve heard time and time again from Dr. Hendry that the students in the medical classes he teaches who take time off are always the strongest students. Medical schools do NOT look down on you for taking time off - the experiences you gain in those years can be an immense boost to your medical school application and also allows your senior year grades to be factored into your GPA, which helps a lot.

So, I continue on the job search process, trying to determine what experiences I want to have before med/grad school. All of you students out there who, at 17, are designing their precise 10-year timelines, take a step back and remember that things change, life is short, and you don’t have to rush into things. Be open to the possibility of deviating from your 10 year plans.

… but if you get in to amazing grad school before me, try to keep that on the DL. I’ll get a little jealous.

JHU_Michelle FAVORITES

This week, the students of Hopkins Interactive have decided to change things up a bit and all present a common blog topic.  Through the blogs and the message board, we really enjoy providing you with a glimpse of our lives at Hopkins while helping reveal to you what might lie in store for you in you decide to become a Hopkins student as well.  In addition to detailing life here at Hopkins, we also all enjoy getting to talk about totally random things that we love.  Just like we've done with the Off-Topic Discussion Forum of the message boards, we're taking a break from Hopkins talks and this week we're discussing our favorite things!

So here we present out personal answers to a common survey of our favorite things about the worlds of books, movies, television, and much, much, more. Get ready for random...

Who is your favorite author?
Shell Silverstein. "The Giving Tree" is the best book in the history of ever.

What is your favorite website?
I have a few favorites. Fark.com is fabulous for finding out about the most random news stories you've ever encountered. I also love PostSecret- it's so voyeuristic! Also, Gmail. Obvi.

What is your favorite item in your bedroom?
I know that this has been said by like everyone else but it's totally my bed. My bed is the most comfortable bed you will ever be on, and I've been told that by MULTIPLE people. Start with a queen-sized BeautyRest mattress with a built-in pillowtopper. Then, add on top of that a super-thick ALL DOWN pillowtopper. Then super-soft jersey sheets, and then on top is a fabulous, big down comforter. I also have like 3 down pillows. When you're lying in my bed, it's like being in a down sandwich... and it's WONDERFUL

But I also really love my "Loose Stone" sign, which was aquired on a road trip with a bunch of my friends the summer after high school.

What, in your opinion, is the greatest invention of your time?
Absolutely, without a doubt, the cell phone. We've all heard the phrase "Necessity is the mother of invention", but for the cell phone, Invention was the mother of Necessity. The phone was invented, we all got one, and then promptly figured out that in no way could we possibly live without one. Almost everyone I know feels a little bit incomplete if their phone breaks or gets lost. We might miss a really amusing text message! Ah!

What is your favorite news source?
Fark. In addition to posting crazy-ass news stories, they post real ones too.

What is your favorite movie series?
The series of movies that are Wes Anderson's creations.

What is your favorite time of day?
5:30 pm. At 5:30, our apartment is filled with such AMAZING sunlight- it's not too bright, the sun is setting, and it casts the entire apartment in this gorgeous warm glow

The thing about that is that once 5:30 hits the sun sets really quickly. So you go from sitting in the living room with this gorgeous lighting to sitting in the darkness (with the light switch on the other side of the room) really fast. Sharon and I always have that awkward "Why are we sitting in the dark?" realization sometime around 6. Good times.

Who is your favorite one-hit wonder?
I have a lot of favorite one-hit-wonders. A really good one I re-discovered recently was LMNT's "Hey Juliet", which is phenomenal and everyone should go out and download it immediately. I'm also a big "Ace of Base" fan- they were more like "2 hit wonders", but I listen to "It's a Beautiful Life" as my "pump me up before big exams" song. Also, I love all of those mid-90s ones, like Jamiroquai (Virtual Insanity) and Semisonic (Closing Time). THEY'RE SO PROM!

Which famous person living or dead would you like to have a cup of tea with?
Walt Disney. I want to meet this amazing guy who took a dream for kids and turned it into a reality. I also want to ask him about all of the dirt. You never hear the dirt on that guy. SURELY in the construction of the most popular theme park in the world there was some good dirt, right?

What is your favorite quote?
I am a majorly huge Oscar Wilde quote fan. When I was travelling around Europe when I was studying abroad, his fabulous quote from when he was going through customs, "I have nothing to declare but my genius" always made me laugh when I saw Customs signs. Other gems of his:

I am not young enough to know everything.
Bigamy is having one wife too many. Monogamy is the same.
Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.

Also, I adore this quote by Kurt Vonnegut:   True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.

SO TRUE, KURT. So true.

Are you a dog person, cat person, or other?
Dog person, all the way. Dogs make you happy whenever you look at them- they're always smiling! Also, I'm allergic to cats so that makes the choice pretty easy.

What is your favorite game?
Taboo. I'm a freakin master at that game.

Who is your favorite TV villain?
The claw, from Inspector Gadget. "I'll get you next time, Gadget, next time".....that quote pops into my head throughout my life far more times than is normal.

Where is the one place in the world you would want to visit? 
I really want to go to Alaska and the Arctic circle and see the ice caves. The pictures I've seen are so breathtaking, I can't imagine what it would be like in person.

What is your favorite guilty pleasure?
Eating raw cookie dough and listening to really cheesy music (Hannah Montana's "See You Again", anyone? ITS GENIUS. Don't tell my classical/jazz boyfriend, ok? He doesn't know yet.)

To finish this survey, we will be stealing questions used at the end of every broadcast of Inside the Actor's Studio.  James Lipton, the host of the show, always finishes each interview with a questionnaire invented by the great Bernard Pebo.  Here goes:

--What is your favorite word?: Reminisce
--What is your least favorite word?: Droll
--What turns you on (creatively, spiritually, or emotionally)?: Really amazing chord progressions (The end of the Firebird suite, or "Straight Lines" by Silverchair, to give a classical and a pop example)
--What turns you off?: People who think only of themselves.
--What sound or noise do you love?: Orchestras tuning up. Especially pit orchestras.
--What sound or noise do you hate?: The sound of metal dropping, if it sounds like it's been dented.
--What profession would you like to attempt?: Tap dancer
--What profession would you absolutely not like to attempt?: Accountant
--If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?: "Your mom has been a riot the past few years"

To comment on any of my answers or just to share your views and continue the discussion, be sure to head over to my thread on the message boards or comment below!

OMGOMGOMGOMG

It’s been a VERY good week for 2nd interviews.

So, everyone, first- my amazing news. I’ve been selected as one of the 5 finalists for the Young Trustee program! It’s down to me and 4 other seniors at Hopkins to determine who will be named the sole trustee. Apparently my artsy interview went well- and now I have one BIG interview on March 9th, with the whole Board of Trustees. To prepare us for what to expect, we have a dinner scheduled next week with Jerry Schnydman, the Secretary to the Board of Trustees. Because we are now on the “Trustee” level of classiness, this dinner will be held at the Hopkins Club, a place where I didn’t think I’d be eating a sit down dinner until I made my first million. Awesome!

Also, I found out that my interview with Analytic Partners also went well, and they’ve invited me up to New York for a 2nd interview. That will be scheduled some time in March, so maybe I WILL actually have a job when I get out of here. Thank you, Career Center!

In addition to interviews, lots of other “No, really, you’re about to graduate” things are already upon me. First, lets talk about my Arts Certificate project. I’ve applied to receive the Arts Certificate in Theater, but before I get my fun certificate at graduation, I have to complete a comprehensive final project. Fortunately, I don’t have to conquer this alone, as 3 other seniors- Liz Eldridge, Mitch Frank, and Julie Sihilling- are also working towards their Arts Certificate in Theatre and we’ve banded together for our Showcase performances. I’m actually directing a show written by Mitch Frank that I’m SUPER excited about. It’s called “Midway Family Singing”, and in addition to directing the acting, I’m also serving as the musical director for the 5 “old-timey” Shape-Note songs present in the play. Haven’t ever heard of Shape Note singing? Well neither had I as of 2 weeks ago. It’s a form of group choral singing that gets its name from the fact that different notes of the scale are printed in different shapes to make reading them (and remembering their solfege syllables) easier. To get an idea of what kind of music I’m trying to bring to life, check out this recording of some genuine Shape Note singing, in a song entitled “Rocky Road” (the first  53 seconds aren’t actually words, they’re singing the pitches, just so you don’t think “By golly I can’t understand a word they’re singin!”)

Finally, my Woodrow Wilson Fellowship meetings are picking up in frequency as the seniors all meet to discuss our poster presentations. I consider myself extremely lucky that my lab necessitated a posted in December, so I am completely done with all of that stress. I’ve been selected by Ami Cox, the coordinator for the Wilson Program, to be one of the 3 Woodrow Wilsons to present a synopsis of my project at the final poster session, so that’s exciting. I’ll be the Natural Sciences presenter, and 2 other Wilsons who focused on Social Sciences and Humanities will present alongside me. The poster session is on April 11th, so I’ll definitely post more about it when that happens (and I have pictures!)

Enjoy your extra day of February, everyone!