Caught in Between

AS.990.990(01)-Off-Campus Study III

 

Posted by Jessica K.

Sometimes I wake up in Geneva and think I’m still dreaming. Perhaps it’s because for months I knew I was going to be in Switzerland for the semester and so it sometimes feels weird that I’m finally here. However, I don’t think that’s entirely the reason why I feel like I’m dreaming because as I go through out my day I keep thinking about how I must still be dreaming. It must be because Switzerland often seems like a giant fairytale in itself so I feel as though I’m just one of many characters in a fairytale entitled Switzerland, or Suisse, or Svizzera, or Schweiz, or however you say Switzerland in Rumantsch.

 

This country oftentimes doesn’t make sense to me. In comparison to Brazil, it really doesn’t make sense. And sometimes it makes too much sense that it doesn’t make sense. For example: the crosswalk button when pressed will actually change the stoplight to red and backup traffic, the public transportation system is run on an honor system, the trains from city to city never fill up and are always exactly on time and exactly the same price, the streets are not filled-up with chain restaurants (nor trash) and are instead filled up with local chocolate stores, and for some reason it’s practical for nearly all advertisements to be for watches. 

Other times I just stop and look around and feel as though I’m in a fairytale setting: kids are free to play on the streets, the alps are on the horizon, the buildings are centuries old, one of my classes is taught entirely by World Health Organization lecturers, etc.

 

This fairytale that I am in was definitely not written by me. In my fairytale I wouldn’t have gotten a stomach flu last week (nor have passed it onto my roommate), nor blanked on a French test, nor had hundreds of readings and French verbs sent my way. If I wrote the fairytale my closest friends and family would be here (my dad would have definitely gotten to see the awesome Swiss Transport Museum I went to yesterday, my mom would have walked along the lake with me, and Matt would have shared fondue…), the world news would not be as depressing as it is, and this country would not speak 8,942 languages and dialects (a slight exaggeration), and the prices would not be so, so high (although $ may be what rungs the fairytale). And so maybe Switzerland is not the perfect fairytale, but it’s pretty darn close to it.

 

Next blog: A little about my accelerated six-week classes, my internship starting in March, snowshoeing on my 21^st birthday weekend, and spring break plans. Stay tuned!

Photographs: 1, 3, 4: Luzern, Switzerland

Photographs 2: The "beach" on Lake Geneva (taken on my morning run).

Public Health....is awesome!

I have been fortunate for the public health major at Johns Hopkins. In high school I thought that picking a major would be one of the biggest challenges that I would face in college. I knew I wanted a smaller school and an interdisciplinary major. However, I found that those two “wants” were sometimes hard to find within a school. Johns Hopkins has given me that combination. In the United States, there is a recent shift in demand by students for a more interdisciplinary education. And a shift for majors that are more “relevant” to the real world. As a result there has been a national shift in curriculum to an interdisciplinary approach. I am definitely one of those students who needed an interdisciplinary major.

I would like to think that Johns Hopkins is at the forefront of this shift and that it shows. The three most popular majors on the Homewood campus are all interdisciplinary: public health, international studies, and neuroscience. And another interdisciplinary major was just introduced that I think will jump in popularity in the coming years: global environmental change and sustainability.

For the case of simplicity, I’ve broken up this blog into answers to two sections…

What does the public health major give its students?

Well the easiest way to answer this question is to check out the public health major checklist (click here: http://www.jhu.edu/advising/checklists.html), since by far the greatest thing the major gives is a great range of courses. You’ll notice that the public health major is divided into two tracks natural sciences and social sciences. About two-thirds of public health majors are natural sciences majors. Most natural science public health majors attend on applying to medical school (or at one point thought they wanted to go to medical school…). However, there are other natural sciences major that do not attend to go to medical school and just have more of a science-mind. For me, I’m a social sciences public health major.

All public health majors are united by four public health classes: The Environment and Your Health, Fundamentals of Health Policy and Management, Biostatistics in Public Health, and Fundamental of Epidemiology. These courses give a general understanding of four key areas of public health. They’re also a great place to meet other public health majors and to just get a general understanding of what public health is and what it entails. Other requirements that both majors take are Biology and Calculus. The other thing that unites public health majors is the requirement that at least 15 units of courses (equal to 10 Homewood credits) must be taken at the Bloomberg School of Public Health during your senior year. Most older public health majors I have talked to LOVE these courses and say that despite the shuttle ride to the other campus, that these courses are often their favorite classes. This is because you can take classes that are less general and more particular to your interest in public health, you can a feel for what graduate school is like, and you are surrounded by other students in your courses who are usually much older with tons of experience. Seriously, I’m psyched for my next semester when I get to take classes there. Public health majors—both natural and social sciences—are also united with the opportunity to do a rather long honors thesis if they have a GPA of 3.3 within their major. The public health major also gives its students the opportunity to apply to a one-year accelerated MHS (Masters in Health Sciences) in Epidemiology (just added this year), Environmental Health, and Mental Health. Students can apply for these masters at the end of their junior year.

So what sets natural sciences apart from social sciences? You’ll see on the checklist that social sciences majors pick two disciplines. Three courses from one department in Group A (Anthropology, History, Psychology, Sociology, or Africana Studies. And three courses from one department in Group B (Economics, History of Sci/Med/Tech, Political Science, and Geography & Environmental Engineering). Along with these social sciences courses you take three social sciences electives.

Personally, my two emphases are Sociology and Geography & Environmental Engineering. I picked these two simply because the classes I was most interested in happened to be within these two areas. You begin to realize through taking these classes that health can be tied into so many departments within the Homewood campus and begin to develop a better perspective of health. Sociology in particular has made me question how we think of health within a society.

Public health academic advising is also great. We have three full-time academic advisers located in the Greenhouse who are all very wiling to help you (and calm you down) about thinking about the scary future. You’ll have to meet with them every semester to figure out the schedule, but they are always willing to meet throughout the semester whether its to discuss recommendations or a class that you may be struggling in. I’ve had a great experience with my adviser. The public health studies program also sends us weekly newsletters of public health opportunities and announcements to keep all the majors in the loop. And recently they created a LinkedIn group to keep us connected with alumni.

I hope by now you can tell that the social sciences public health major is truly interdisciplinary. There is no public health department simply because the professors I take classes from are coming from all different areas of the campus. I’ve really never hated a required class that I’ve had to taken. And with so few required classes and so many options within emphases, I actually have had a harder time deciding limiting my choices each semester. 

What the public health major has done for me?

Opportunities. (Is the easy one word answer.)

But seriously…when I visited colleges I kept telling my mom that I did not want a school to define who I was. I don’t know why I was so hesitant about this since now I realize that every school will shape you in someway. I have a hunch that public health will follow me into my career; even though by no means does everyone end up going into the field they majored in during their undergraduate years. Taking these courses has made me question how countries develop, the best “paths” for countries to develop in, and why some people are more unhealthy than others and what social forces may be at work to have done this, etc.

I’ve been amazed by where the public health major has taken me.

I spent my freshman year taking public health classes and figuring out whether or not that the major was right for me. Over that summer I tried to get my foot in the door of public health by interning at my local health department working on the CHIP project and also interning at a maternal health consortium. During the fall of my sophomore year I started working at the Center for a Livable Future as a research assistant on work study. It was here that I started learning about food systems in the United States. I absolutely love my job at the Center for a Livable Future and love being surrounded people that are so committed to fixing modern agriculture. During my summer before junior year I decided to get more involved with epidemiology and went on a grant-sponsored trip that I got through the public health studies program in Vitoria, Brazil. I worked on an HIV/TB co-infection study that a Hopkins professor was working on there.  Into the fall I decided to do for-credit research on TB research with the same professor on a literary review of TB/smoking articles.  And where am I now? Studying abroad in Geneva, Switzerland on a Boston University program where I not only get to take some public health classes (and French), but I also get to intern at the Worl Health Organization and work on the Global Health Burden report from March until the end of the May. And I’m not even done with my major!!!! Who knows what’s next…

Additionally I’ve gotten involved in extra-curriculars. There are a lot of public health groups on campus like Public Health Student Forum, Project Health, and Epidemic Proportions.  Check out the link to the public health program below to read about these groups. I was co-president of Public Health Student Forum in the fall and hopefully will continue next fall—currently our group runs a Public Health Awareness Week and is now planning for Johns Hopkins’ first undergraduate conference in public health that’s debuting in April.

My advice is just to explore. Especially explore the opportunities that the Bloomberg School of Public Health has to offer. So many professors are looking for undergraduate help and love to share their passion for public health with others.

Lastly, the public health major has given me some of my best friends. Although I definitely still have friends in other majors, I’ve realized that some of my best friends are public health majors. Many of us just “click” because we have similar interests. 

So you ask me what I plan to do in the future? Well I still don’t really know. My opportunities have helped me narrow things down, but all I really know is international public health is my love.

I should also mention that public health has a newly updated spiffy website: http://krieger.jhu.edu/publichealth/

AS.990.990(01)-Off-Campus Study II

Posted by Jessica K. 

First off, happy end of 2009!

I decided that I'll continue with the 990.990 title for all of my study-abroad related blogs in order to keep a standard theme. Anyway, I've been asked a lot about why I decided to study abroad in Switzerland and just about study abroad at Hopkins in general. So, I decided to write a blog about it. I should mention that study abroad is a very personal choice. Also, that last November, JHU_Jackie wrote a great blog that included the seven easy steps to study abroad. I encourage you all to check it out, because it not only provides some helpful tips but organizes the process, I've decided to not discuss the process, but rather just a few key areas.

- I'm a prospective student and I have dreams of studying abroad. What should I be doing?

I should introduce the topic by saying that a lot of prospective students ask about study abroad. And I just want to say that prospective students should not be overly stressed about knowing what country they want to go to or about finding a program ASAP. As a prospective student, my personal words of advice are to just make sure that the universities you are applying to have some sort of study abroad office. However, don't pick a school because of one study abroad opportunity that one particular university offers that at the time seems interesting. Also, don't pick a school because a huge percentage of the junior class study abroads-this statistic shouldn't influence your decision. Again, personal opinion.

 Once enrolled in a university, my personal advice is during your first few months,to mention to your academic advisor that you are interested in studying abroad and you want to make sure you clear a semester free. For me personally this was rather simple because I knew what I wanted to major in right away and I don't have too many major requirements. However, for people in engineering or who are pre-med, it can be a little harder. Nevertheless, some of my best friends who have studied abroad have ranged from engineers to double majors hoping to apply to med school. You can make it work. However, sometimes there are sacrifices that have to be made--you may have to take a course a year early, take a class during the summer, etc. If you are interested in learning about the programs out there then go to one of the freshmen study abroad information centers that the study abroad office at Hopkins puts on. 

- How do you find a study abroad program at Hopkins?

I'm going to be honest, it's not as easy at Hopkins than it is at other schools. In some ways this is because Hopkins keeps the door wide open for study abroad exploration. If I was a student at Duke, for example, chances are I could go to the fancy Duke study abroad website, see that the university offers dozens of programs, and find a program just within that site that satisfies my interests. Hopkins doesn't have a fancy study abroad website, well, not yet. 

However, Hopkins students, like Duke students, have the option of participating in their own university's sponsored programs abroad. But there are far less of these programs than at say Duke or Boston University. Some of these Hopkins sponsored programs include a junior year abroad at Sciences Po in France, a Johns Hopkins in Spain program, a junior year abroad at the SAIS Bologna Center in Italy, and a Berlin Consortium for German Studies program. And well, those are all the Hopkins semester programs that I know of.

Because Hopkins does not offer too many of these programs, the majority of students participate in external programs offered by other universities, organizations, or study abroad providers. And this is when the pile of brochures from study abroad providers like CIEE and IES start piling up and from direct enrollment programs through other universities like London School of Economics and University of Glasgow. And then you start hearing about Semester at Sea and you might become overwhelmed.

 Luckily, the study abroad office provides many of these brochures and also keeps binders of reviews of programs that previous students have gone on so that one can get an idea. The exciting thing about this is that although there are a few more popular programs that Hopkins students go on, chances are that you will be the only Hopkins student on your program or one of just a few, simply because there are so many programs to chose from. This is exciting because you'll be able to really just go out in the world and explore. 

I should mention that you need to be somewhat proactive through this process. Study abroad is an opportunity that one needs to somewhat seek out. Yes, you'll get support, but you need to take the initial steps.

- How do you pick a program?

This is a personal decision. And I'll try to be brief. Personally, I never thought I would pick Switzerland as the country to live for four months in. I really thought that I would end up in Southeast Asia (and I think my friends and family did too). Ididn't see a huge desire to go to Europe, but after I factored in a few of the criteria that I was looking for, I realized that studying abroad in Geneva was the best choice for me. Here are a few things I would say to consider...

Language: I wanted to be able to begin French and most programs in French-speaking areas required prior French-language experience. So, think about what kind of language immersion you want--do you want to go to an English-speaking country? Do you want to continue a language you are already great in and become fluent? Or do you want to start new?

Living arrangement: I spent over two months this past summer in Brazil on a research grant. In reflection, I give myself a pat on the back for going out there without the assistance of a program, without any other Americans, and living with natives. I had an excellent living arrangement in Brazil, however I decided I didn't want a home stay experience this time around. For the Geneva program I will be in apartments with other American students. This was completely a personal decision. I have friends who have had amazing home stay experiences and that has helped them tremendously understand the culture and language.

Courses: Yes, there is the word study in study abroad. So, look into the courses that you'll be taking for each program that you are interested in. I know some people who have picked their program to get away from their major. And others, like me, who have picked their program to allow them to continue classes related to their major. Make sure that there are classes that interest you and are taught in a way that you'll enjoy. My program will allow me to have an internship for credit, which I think will help me in the long run.

- How much does it cost?

One of my biggest worries for picking the program that I picked was the cost. I picked a program by a U.S. private university (in this case, Boston University), which are oftentimes more expensive. On top of this, I was picking a program in one of the most expensive countries in the world (as someone who is used to going to less developed countries, I know this will be a shock). All payment for study abroad programs at Hopkins goes through Hopkins. For external programs, the cost is the program fee (given by the organization, provider, or university) and on top of this a 12% of Hopkins tuition study abroad fee for keeping you as a matriculated student at Hopkins. In addition, you'll have to consider additional costs like traveling and sometimes even board which may not be included in the program fee.

The good news is for financial aid students all of your financial aid is transfered over (besides for work study) and used to pay for the program fee. The additional good news is that for many programs, especially ones not in Europe, this cost is actually less than a semester at Hopkins. If you're a non-financial aid student, this simply means you will pay less! If you are a financial aid student, then your financial aid package will oftentimes be adjusted so that you still have the same cost as a Hopkins semester. 

For financial aid students that are looking at programs that may be slightly more expensive than a semester at Hopkins (especially with the 12% added fee), look for scholarships. I was very fortunate to have received generous merit and financial scholarships through Boston University for my semester abroad. Because of this, the semester, even though in Switzerland, will financially not affect my family more than a semester at Hopkins.

Until next time,

Jessica

AS.990.990(01)-Off-Campus Study

Posted by Jessica K.

I honestly cannot believe that it's the day after Christmas. As I said in my last post, I came back to Hopkins and looked at my calendar and was startled by the fact that I was in my last full week of class. I tried my best to buckle down and get my 60+ pages of writing done in the two weeks that I had. And I did. I worked my hardest without losing my sanity and though I didn't get all the grades that I wanted, I know that I tried and that's what really matters. In the end, I relate to many other SAAB members, especially the upperclassmen, who seem to be glad that this semester has wrapped up and are ready for the new year.

I stayed at Hopkins until the very end. I think Baltimore just didn't want to let me go since the day I was expected to leave ended up being the same day as the snow storm of '09. So I stayed on campus and enjoyed the day with senior public health majors who were still on campus since they take Bloomberg School of Public Health classes, which are on a different academic calendar.  I also observed Baltimore's inability to know what to do with 18-inches of snow. Let's just say that I don't think plows or salt are in the city's budget.

The next day my mom drove down, helped me finish packing up my room, and moved me out. And now, well, I'm back in New Jersey surrounded by a pile of stuff as I try to sort it until piles--stuff for Hopkins (next year), stuff for Geneva (next semester), and stuff just to put away. I was looking forward to a relaxing time back in New Jersey, but I think that this unpacking and packing and cleaning process will keep me busy. And if that doesn't, then I'm sure these tasks will: finishing up my research work, reading, hanging out with friends, trying to figure out ideas for the summer, and whatever other miscellaneous tasks come my way: going to the Swiss consulate, the DMV, etc. You think as a student that winter break would leave me with an empty to-do list, but it has seemed to have done the opposite.

It may have finally hit me that I won't be returning next semester. I think it's been the combination of saying "goodbye" to my room, friends, the admissions office, co-workers, etc. combined with logging into ISIS (the website that allows students to check billing and financial aid, register for classes, view grades, etc) and seeing my 'schedule' for next year. Now instead of my usual semester's list of five courses it simply says: AS.990.990(01)-Off-Campus Study.

I really do not know what's in store for me next semester. All I know is a typical spring semester at Hopkins--filled with cherry blossoms, lacrosse games, and Spring Fair--will quickly be replaced with a semester in Geneva, Switzerland. I keep hearing that study abroad is a great opportunity, a transformation, an eye-opening experience, etc. But only the future knows what this means for me in particular. In my next post I'll write about the study abroad process at Hopkins--with a personal twist.

- Jessica

"Because, because, I am the wizard of ooh's and ah's and fa-la-la's..."

Posted by Jessica K.

 

So my mind is really not here right now. I quickly dived right out of Thanksgiving mode into my last full week of classes this semester. Right now I feel like my mind is in the rice paddies of Cambodia investigating just how the landmine situation there can be reexamined through a gender lens. And in a few hours it may, or well hopefully, will be in Brazil looking at why in the world as countries develop they seem to feel the need for mega hydroelectric power plants. On Monday, I'll be looking at the relationship between smoking and tuberculosis. In actuality, my mind is in the library right now forcing my hands to write, write, write (or well research, research, research)...in hopes of hitting 60 pages in the next two weeks.

All I know is that I'll be writing, writing, and writing some more. And well, you see, I'm all about the word play.

P.S. Because this really wasn't a blog, read a blog I recently posted about farrowing cages for work (my mind really is everywhere): Is Confinement the "cruelest manifestation of factory farming?"

 

A Reflection

Posted by Jessica K. 

I visited Johns Hopkins for the first time during the fall of my junior year in high school. Although my mom by June of the next year had decided that every school was beginning to look the same and blend together, I still have a few distinct memories of each college that I visited. My memories of Johns Hopkins are as follows: I remember eating lunch in Levering and listening to a group of students discuss physics; I remember on the tour passing by Mattin while a student ran by and yelled, "I haven't slept or eaten in over 24 hours.... I love Hopkins"; and more importantly, I remember concluding the tour in Shriver Hall (since back then there was no Mason Hall), looking around at the largely empty Shriver Hall and hearing about how Shriver Hall is where the freshmen grade unites during orientation and, as a result, the start of the 4-year Hopkins experience begins. At that moment, I really couldn't think of myself as one of those freshmen in Shriver Hall. I felt underqualified for a school like Johns Hopkins and probably was thinking of more short-term worries of mine: an upcoming test, soccer game, or event. I had no idea at the time that my boyfriend would be applying to Johns Hopkins early decision just a couple months after that visit; I had no idea that I would apply early decision the following year; and I definitely had no idea that I would be joining the class of 2011 in Shriver Hall. Nor could I never have imagined that I would be doing what I am doing now, beginning to pack up my room for an adventure in Switzerland next semester and going on a "congratulations dinner" for my boyfriend who, as I found out yesterday, will be continuing his academic adventure in London next year.

Last week, I enjoyed Sean Astin's speech in Shriver Hall (I've also enjoyed Elizabeth Edwards and (well, maybe) Michael Steele's speeches in Shriver this year as part of MSE Sympsoium). During the speech, I couldn't help but try to imagine myself in that same hall four years earlier. I wondered what I would have answered if I was asked what the next four years would bring for me. Well, you may say, that is life, an unplanned adventure of some sort. But really, so many of my memories are from opportunities that I have gotten at this school or from friends that I have met at this school. Every week, as part of my role as an Admissions Representative, I interview a prospective student and I commonly get asked about the opportunities at Hopkins and I constantly think about where the student I interview will end up and think about the crazy four years they have ahead. 

And so I end my reflection...until next time...

- Jessica

Public Health Student Forum

Posted by Jessica K.

A couple of weeks ago the students of Student Admissions Advisory Board, including yours truly, were asked to brainstorm ways to improve Hopkins Interactive. We're always looking for ways to improve and expand. Last year, we had the same brainstorm and I suggested the idea of the Academics Blog (http://hopkins.typepad.com/academics/), a blog with the goal of featuring a blog on every major and minor at Hopkins. This year, I un-creatively thought of following the same idea, but in a Student Activities blog instead--a blog with a collection of blogs written by the presidents of student groups aimed towards prospective students.

I'm constantly asked during prospective student interviews and during open houses if the campus is involved. And I will admit that it's sometimes hard at 9 am at a weekend open house to say, "YEAH! Hopkins students are incredibly involved!", especially because the entire campus looks abandoned and so instead I have to describe that the campus is actually lively during the week days and during hours when the majority of college students are actually awake. I do not lie, Hopkins students are involved and I hope that the creation of the Student Activities blog not only shows the tremendous extra-curricular involvement at Hopkins, but the diversity of these activities as well. 

So, because I've now burdened my fellow Student Admissions Advisory Board with the task of getting in contact with the presidents of groups at Hopkins next Spring (when I'm conveniently abroad in Geneva), I've decided to help them by writing one of those student activities blog one group that I'm currently co-president of...Public Health Student Forum...so here goes...

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Group: Public Health Student Forum

Category of Group: Special Interest

Year Founded: 1998

Name: Jessica K.

Position: Co-President

About the group: Public Health Student Forum was originally founded before the public health major debuted as a major at Johns Hopkins in 1998. A sophomore at the time organized an information meeting where seniors spoke to students interested in public health. The forum was essential to moving public health into the public's and Dean's eyes and stimulating the idea of public health studies. The original purpose was to show interest for a public health major at Hopkins. Did it do it's job? Yes, as a major, public health has grown every year since and, rumor has it, is now the biggest major at Johns Hopkins. The current mission of Public Health Student Forum is to unite students with an interest in public health and to share this interest with others through the planning of events. The group is made up of a general board and an executive board. The executive board meets weekly and general assemblies are held for the general members bi-weekly.

Events: During the year our main events are Public Health Awareness Week and the Public Health Undergraduate Conference. Along with these two main events, we hold general assemblies that have information sessions on research opportunities, study abroad, and courses. We also hold a few speaker events throughout the year. 

This year we just finished our third Public Health Awareness Week. Public Health Awareness Week is a week on campus that is meant to teach the Homewood student body what public health is and that it really affects us all. This week we designated our week to Personal Health Day, Health Policy Day, Urban Health and Infectious Diseases Day, International Health Day, and Environmental Health Day. We had a major evening event on each night from an International Health Fair and Potluck Dinner that featured nine groups including many multicultural groups to speaker events on Baltimore, obesity, and healthcare. We also held a power plant tour.  Our events during the day include trivia events, free drop-in workout classes, and information on volunteering.

This year we will be having our first ever (and perhaps the nation's first) undergraduate conference in public health. We have been working closely with the undergraduate program to hold a conference in Charles Commons on April 16th. The planning for one day is a bit overwhelming at times, which includes applying for grant money, receiving and selecting students from a call for abstracts, recruiting faculty and those involved in career services to attend our event, and much much more. The goal of this is to hopefully have not only a successful conference, but one that can grow and be continued for years to come.

Why I got involved?: I'll admit that I didn't know what I was getting myself into freshman year. On top of that, the group has really grown and changed its mission. Joining the group has given me the chance to meet some of my closest friends. Although we all have one common interest, our executive board is diverse in terms of natural sciences and social sciences and year. Many of the people I wouldn't be able to have met otherwise. On top of this, it's given me a relationship with the public health advisors. The general assemblies, which often are used as time to hear about the opportunities that other students have had in public health, have taught me about the opportunities that are out there.

Can freshmen join?: Yes, yes, yes! Freshmen are invited to become general board members and attend general assemblies. However, for those committed to public health, we typically choose two freshmen in September to join our executive board as freshmen representatives based on an application. The point of freshmen representatives is to expose them to how the executive board works so that they can continue their leadership in the group later on. Freshmen representatives are responsible for general executive board tasks like assisting with public health awareness week, spreading the word about the group to other freshmen, giving the rest of the board any advice, and whatever odds and ends come our way.

Working at Hopkins

Posted by: Jessica K.   

So for the past week I have been telling myself that I need to blog, but when I asked myself what I should blog about, I couldn't come up with an answer. I was told in middle school English class that writer's block doesn't exist, to just write down your thoughts and that you'll get somewhere. I don't know if I truly believe this..

...but luckily I finally decided (yes, at midnight on a Monday night, even though I promised myself a full night's sleep) to write about working at Hopkins. It wasn't until thisyear that I realized how much of an impact being able to work at Hopkins has done for me. You're always told to seize activities in college, but you are never told to work in college. I don't think most prospective students when they envision college envision being a part-time worker. However, maybe they should. So, yes, this won't be the most exciting blog, but I hope that it persuades any prospective student who may be reading this to at least consider working in college.

For anyone who doesn't know, I currently work as a research assistant at the Center for a Livable Future at the School of Public Health. My freshman year I started working at the AMRII Housing Office. Then over intersession I started working full days at the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, where I continued working for the rest of the Spring semester. I started working at the Center for a Livable Future in the fall of my sophomore year where I work ten hours a week.

Why would you want to work in college?

- There are obviously the financial reasons for working in college. I didn't realize it when I got here, but there is some spending that isn't covered by Hopkins tuition. Such as printing at the library, eating out, and traveling back home. It also is really nice being able to actually pay on your own for Christmas and birthday presents. In short: it's really nice to not have to ask your parents for spending money. Please don't think that the only people that work in college are people that "have" to, this is absolutely not true.

- There is also the time management component of it. Working really allows you to have more structured commitments in your schedule. As someone who was used to long practices after school and morning meetings (and as someone who decided last minute not to do track in college), work really helped me have a more regular schedule.

- Working at the SPH (and doing research for credit there) has really allowed me to take a break from the Homewood campus. I am able to surround myself with adults and get away from the bubble of students that make up Hopkins. I love having a group of adults (this includes professors) who are able to give me advice from people that have already been through the undergraduate years (and of course build connections).

- Work Study - According to Hopkins Financial Aid, approximately one-third of Hopkins students receive FWS funding. Federal Work Study is one way that students can work on or off campus. It's a form of financial aid for students who demonstrate need. The federal government allocates the funds to the university to pay a portion of a student's salary. Traditionally 70% percent is split as federal share and 3% as employer funds. The maxium award is $2,500. However, if you go over your employer can decide to continue paying you at 100%. Work study is a great for employers to be attracted to hiring students and although it's still easy to find an on or off-campus job that is non-work study, employers definitely like hearing that they only have to pay 30% to have a student work for them.

- It's great experience. Honestly, it's great being able to see your field of study at work in the real world and  be able to get "work experience." There are simply somethings that you can't learn in the classroom.

How do you get a job?
-Student Employment! Honestly, student employment is a great resource. They host a job fair in the fall open to all students that is open to on and off-campus employers. This is how I found my first job at the Housing Office. Throughout the year, Student Employment Services office also maintains a database of available jobs that is accessible on their website. Student Employment also maintains a temporary job e-mail server that will e-mail out any temporary jobs that they hear about (usually something for just a few hours during one week), so that if a student doesn't feel like committing to a year-long job, they are still able to earn some money during the semester if interested.

For more information on all things student employment, check out the student employment's Student Handbook: http://semps.ses.hsa.jhu.edu/stujob/student.cfm

Anyway, that's all for now. I know, not the most exciting blog, but I hope it was helpful for someone out there.
 

Indecisiveness

Posted by: Jessica K.   

This is my attempt to blog before October rolls in.

I have decided that I'm one of the most indecisive people that I know. And yes, I consider myself as someone I know. And given that people often underestimate the extent of their own traits, I am going to conclude that I am the most indecisive person that I know. Now, sometimes I don't think it's a big deal. For example, when I can't decide where to go out to dinner, there's usually someone else that is proactive about it and can make a decision on the spot. I don't know if I was always this way, but recently I have been able to notice it more and more. Here are three examples of how my indecisiveness has influenced my college experience so far in my junior year:

I. Courses

It took me an abnormally long time to decide on my course schedule this year. It wasn't because I hadn't been looking. I had registered for classes with everyone else. I also made a three page single-spaced document of courses that I could possibly want to change into. My major may just be the most interdisciplinary major at Hopkins only encouraging my indecisiveness. I was studying the Sunday before the add deadline and realized at 1 am that I wouldn't be happy with my current schedule, so what did I do? I logged into ISIS and went from 16.5 credits to 12 and e-mailed my advisor saying, "Help!" Nevertheless, I'm happy with my schedule now:

-Macroeconomics: There are a few classes that are on my mental list entitled "Classes That I Must Take Before I Graduate." This is one of them. Yes, it is Macroeconomics. I do not need it for my major. Yes, public health activists often don't agree with economists when it comes to development. Yes, I do not understand money. But really, this is the reason why I'm taking it. And if I don't at least try to make an effort now to understand why countries make the monetary and fiscal policy decisions that they make, I never will.

-Research: I decided rather last minute to add for-credit research with Dr. Jonathan Golub, the epidemiology professor who oversaw my grant for this summer. I helped him over the summer with a thirteen page enrollment form on a tuberculosis/smoking study. I have just finished that up and moving on to performing a literary review on every single article published on tuberculosis/smoking for a 2011 Surgeon General Report that he has been asked to draft by January. By the end of the semester, I will write a long essay on all that I have learned from research. This now means that combined with my paid research assistant position, I am at work at JHSPH for more hours on average than I am in class on the Homewood campus.

-Introduction to Global Health: A course that I have been wanting to take, but that I thought wouldn't fit into my schedule. The class is taught by a JHSPH professor, Dr. Tielsch, and it actually on the quarter system, meaning that it ends on October 27th. So, double the hours of class for now, a midterm next week, and a final at the end of October. However, the course covers everything--mortality rates, Millennium Development Goals, worms, and more!

-Water Resource Development: When I saw that Professor Wolman was teaching a course on water this semester, I immediately was interested. I didn't care that it was an Environmental Engineering class or that it was 400-level or that it required permission to enroll. I quickly e-mailed and got permission to register. For those that don't know, Professor Gordon or 'Reds' Wolman is the son of Abel Wolman. Ever wondered why we have a freshman dorm named Wolman? Abel Wolman is a big name in public health since he worked for decades and basically pioneered a chlorination of drinking water movement in Baltimore, which then spread from city to city throughout the nation. His son is now my professor at Hopkins and is also a 1949 alum of Johns Hopkins. The main portion of this course will be working on a 35-page research paper of our choice. My paper will be on comparing the Three Gorges Dam in China with the Itaipu Dam in Brazil and Paraguay in terms of their role in development.

-Gender and Development: It is rare at Hopkins to take multiple courses with one professor. This is an example of that. This course is taught by Professor Agarwala in the Sociology department. I took her Issues in International Development course freshman year. It was definitely not the easiest course that I took, but definitely opened my eyes to the conflicting theories within development. This year's course is on how gender plays a role in development. The main point of the course is to imagine how we would go about developing our ideal society. For example, would you have maternity leave in your ideal society? Surprisingly, the United States has decided to not federally recognize maternity leave as a right. This course will also have a term paper on a topic of our choice.

It definitely won't be my easiest semester, but it definitely will be the semester where I'm interested in all of my courses.

II. Study Abroad

"So, where are you going next semester?" I have gotten this question asked to me over and over. Since forever I have wanted to study abroad. I love to travel, so there basically was never a question. However, since forever I have also never known where I was going to go abroad. You literally can study anywhere in the world. And for me, study abroad is a huge opportunity and I didn't want to pick the 'wrong' country. If someone gave me an airline ticket to anywhere in the world. I would have it go to Japan, without a question. However, that doesn't necessarily mean I want to study abroad there. Study abroad means taking classes, traveling, and language immersion. I also have a love for developing countries (especially Southeast Asia) and am one of those people that constantly thinks about opportunities like Peace Corps. I also feel like every single public health major around me is going to South Africa. However, I decided that I didn't know if I actually wanted to study in one of these countries and I decided that after my adventure in Brazil for two months, that I would rather be surrounded by students than in a home stay environment. As you can tell, I've been thinking about this A LOT. I never really thought of going to Europe. I distinctly remember laughing after my grandpa told me, "Where you haven't been to Europe, have you? Then that's it." I also remember telling my dad that my goal in life was never to go to a football game and to never go to Europe. Given the fact that my dad travels to Europe every other week, I think he was offended.

However, I have decided to go to Geneva, Switzerland next semester. I will be part of a Boston University public health internship program. I will have four weeks of French class and an international health course followed by eight weeks of a full-time internship while taking a course on international organizations. I currently am working on my visa application which involves writing an essay about my future plans, getting a money order, getting 14 passport photos, copying bank statements, copying my high school diploma, creating a resume with biographical information, filling out a seven-page application, and making multiple copies of everything. The process is expected to take three months. This is just the beginning of learning about the quirkiness of Switzerland.

III. Going Home

I am even indecisive about small things like deciding whether or not to go home last weekend. My brother for a while was encouraging me to go home for my mom's birthday, so that we could all see a Yankees vs. Red Sox game. It took me a while to finally decide to buy the train tickets. But sure enough, last Saturday I presented at the NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling) conference with Admissions Daniel, Lauren, Mandy and Josh, and hopped on a train. I completely surprised my mother, "What are you doing here?!", went out to a great dinner with my mom and brother, and went to the new Yankee stadium to see the Yankees clench the American League East Division, get their 100th win, and sweep the Red Sox. Sure, it made for a lot of catching-up on Monday, but I am so glad that I was able to wish my Mom a happy birthday in person.

Phew... Well, I think that's all of my indecisiveness for now. Next week brings with it two midterms, so it's definitely time to hit the books. Look out for another post in two weeks.

-- Jessica

P.S. On a side note, I am also blogging for work for the Center for a Livable Future. Check out a couple of my blogs here: 

* "Do ‘Danes know best’ in responsible use of agricultural antibiotics?"

* "Edible Education"

P.P.S. Check out this article published in The Baltimore Sun today about social media. Daniel, Mandy, and I are quoted...yay! 

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Just a quick update letting you know that this blog, "Caught in Between," has recently gone through a new change with the new school year. In addition to myself, this blog will now feature two public health sophomore majors: Dominique D. and Lauren B. We decided to keep the title of this blog since we're all still in the in-between years of our undergraduate years. Enjoy the two new perspectives and the dinosaur theme!

To read Dominique's freshman year entries: http://hopkins.typepad.com/2012ksa/dominique_d_/
To read Lauren's freshman year entries: http://hopkins.typepad.com/2012ksas/lauren_b/