On A Clear Day

Name: Sheila Tinn-Murphy

Parent of: Jackie Murphy - JHU Class of 2010

Hometown: Madison, CT

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

Congratulations to those that have discovered one the best interactive sites for incoming college students. I am the proud mother of Jackie M, see Murphy's Law Gone Right, a blogger on this site.

When reflecting on our college search for Jackie, our eldest child, I would say that it was a process that both my husband and I truly enjoyed.

Jackie clearly expressed to us what she wanted in a college. She wanted to be challenged academically, she wanted a very good sports team to root for, she wanted diversity and she wanted to be in an urban area. My husband and I checked our schedules and came up with about a dozen schools on our list.  With two other children at home, we decided to divide and conquer.  Jackie and I took a trip to Maine to see two small schools, and did many local day trips to schools in driving distances from our Connecticut home. Once on tour, I tried to stay in the background and not ask embarrassing questions, and let Jackie take in the atmosphere of each school we visited. She liked a couple of the schools, dismissed some, so our search continued. I did not know if we would ever have that moment of Zen, or if she would have a sense that even one particular school was the place she could see herself living for the next four years.

During the summer, I planned a 3-day trip for my husband and Jackie to visit a total of five Philadelphia and Baltimore area schools.  When they returned home, I will never forget Jackie's reply to my question, "Well, did you like any of the schools?"   That spark that you hear about when someone has a defining moment lit up the room when Jackie solemnly said, "I really liked Johns Hopkins."

I asked her to tell me the reasons and she remarked on the beautiful campus, the wonderful tour, the great philosophy program, the Division 1 lacrosse, and the quaint city of Baltimore. She had come home from this trip knowing her first choice of schools was JHU.  Although we did visit more schools, Hopkins remained her top choice and she applied as an early decision candidate.

We were all on edge on the day Jackie was due to receive her decision. I was in NYC at the Metropolitan Museum of Art having lunch in the cafeteria when I received Jackie's excited call relaying the great news. I was so happy for her that I started crying.  I then called my mother, who also started crying. It was an emotional day for all of us and one I will always remember. After Jackie's hard work and efforts in high school, and the tremendous dedication she put in to her college search, the day was finally here.  I think Hopkins and Jackie made a great decision.

On another note, once Jackie was accepted, she was sent a link to the Hopkins Interactive Site, which I fell in love with immediately. Not only did I find Admissions_ Daniel's blog wonderful, amusing and informative reading, but the student blogs really helped me feel assured that my daughter would be among a great group of kids with diverse interests. I'll admit that I followed all of the blogs and relished each new post. Who would not be impressed with blogger Michelle's excited tale of observing brain surgery? I prepared lists of restaurants the bloggers suggested and took down notes of what to bring to school your freshman year as I headed off to  Bed, Bath and Beyond.  At the end of the summer when the bloggers were signing off, I posted a thank you to them, never expecting that my daughter would one day be blogging for Hopkins. I, of course, never imagined that I would be joining the ranks of bloggers too, but that is the kind of institution JHU is, allowing you to get involved in a number of ways whether you are a student or a parent.  Ah, it makes me want to go back to school again.  Do they give tuition breaks to students over 50?

Comments

[Daniel Creasy]

Sheila, Thanks for the wonderful blog and positive comments about Hopkins Interactive and the Hopkins Insider blog. It always brings a huge smile to my face when I think about Jackie using Hopkins Interactive to confim that Hopkins is the right place for her, and using it over the summer to buy the right stuff for her fresman year. Cheers!

[Jackie]

Haha, I'm pretty sure I used "On a Clear Day" as one of my titles too! Try again, apparently great minds think alike.