Life as an Eternal Student

Name: Leigh Lieberman

Class: Class of 2006 Graduate

Hometown: Delray Beach, FL

Current Residence: Princeton, NJ

Major: Classics

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Greetings from the Garden State!  Although I may have ventured far from the JHU Admissions Office, I certainly haven’t gotten away from the academic lifestyle.  Having graduated from Hopkins with a Bachelors Degree in Classics in 2006 and a Masters Degree in Classics in 2007, I am currently a first year PhD candidate studying Classical Archaeology in the Department of Art and Archaeology at Princeton (don’t worry – I’ll be wearing blue and white come the long awaited lacrosse game!!!). You can read some more about my research pursuits and travels while a Hopkins undergraduate in my Guest Blog entry, "Diary of a World Traveler," or about my experiences reading applications last spring in my Hopkins Insider Guest Author entry, "Introducing an Admissions Reader."  

I knew that after my well spent years in Baltimore I really wanted to be a student for as long as possible.  There’s something about the academic lifestyle – the people you meet, the ideas that pop up all around you.  It keeps me on my toes, and that’s the way I like it.  I really do see myself as a professional book-worm.  I feel that my time at Hopkins prepared me as well as a student could have been prepared for further work in academia.  My mentors at Hopkins, in the classroom, on the stage, and in the office, helped me to achieve my goals while I was there and prepared me to succeed in the future. 

Enough of the pep talk, though!  More to the point...

I’d love to tell you what I’ve been up to since relocating to New Jersey last summer.  You might be asking yourself what a graduate student studying Classical Archaeology actually does on a day to day basis.  In short, we read.  A lot.  We drink coffee.  A lot of coffee.  We always drink coffee when we read.  Oftentimes we read articles and books in languages that we wish we understood better than we actually do. 

The fun consequence of higher academia is that most disciplines are wholly international.  I’m going to need to read German, Italian, and French fluently, in addition to Ancient Greek and Latin, in order to do the research that my studies require!  Needless to say, there are several large dictionaries on my bookshelf in the library.  My department library is incredibly comfortable, a real necessity seeing as I have to spend a good deal of time there.  But, I still manage to frequent some of the quainter coffee shops, both on and off campus, whenever I need a change of scenery. I couldn’t abandon all of my Baltimore routines!

Being a professional student does come with some perks.  This past fall, I was part of a seminar that explored the art of divination in the ancient world.  Our sessions ranged from communicating with goddesses in the ancient Near East, to the role of lot oracles in early Christianity.  This interdisciplinary course also traveled to Greece for a week and a half in October to explore Hellenic oracular sites, all expenses paid! 

We began our journey in Athens, traveling south to Epidaurus and Corinth before heading north to Delphi, Dodona, and the Nekromanteion at Acheron.  Although I’d been to Greece before it was wonderful to be able to travel with such an enthusiastic group of people this time around.  I had never been to most of the places we visited, and traveling with a specific focus was also an inspiring experience. 

After returning to Princeton, we began working on our semester long research papers for the seminar.  As this course was part of a Princeton-Oxford Exchange Program, we invited students from Oxford University to a conference this past January, during which we all presented our diverse projects.  More than just being an academic colloquium, the conference allowed us a good amount of time to just socialize and really get to know one another.  Overall, I came out of this class with a great group of friends, both in and out of the classroom.

My nose isn’t always that close to the grindstone, though. In my free time so far, I’ve been tutoring high school juniors and seniors in preparation for the SATs.  It’s been fun to come at the college application process from a different angle this time around!  The SATs should by no means take over your life when you’re applying to schools – the test really is only one piece of the puzzle.  But for me, I’ve really grown to love being in front of a classroom and knowing everything there possibly is to know about the test.  Don’t get me wrong though – I couldn’t abandon my former glory days in the Admissions Office entirely!  I also frequently interview students in the Princeton area for JHU.  Talking to prospective students has always been one of my favorite aspects of the college admissions process, and after having such a wonderful time at Hopkins during my own time there, I can only hope that I am able to convey some of my enthusiasm now. 

Being so close to New York City also has its benefits.  There seemed to be a mass exodus to New York after graduation, so a good number of my close friends from Hopkins now call "The City" home.  As a former Barnstormer, I always meet up with my theatre friends, sometimes for an experimental theatre show, or sometimes just to eat things that make us feel bad about ourselves in the morning. 

I’ve got no complaints about life after Hopkins, save for the fact that the expensive train ride from Princeton to Baltimore has really limited the number of visits I’ve made to Maryland this past year. I do hope, however, to make an appearance at the aforementioned lacrosse game that is looming in the near future, where I will proudly don Blue Jay gear.  The cherry blossoms and the crab chips are calling my name too, but first, I’ve got to get some coffee.

Comments

[Mark Butt (Assistant Director of Admissions)]

Leigh - Hoorah! We miss you here!

[Daniel Creasy]

Leigh ...
...
YOU ROCK!!!