Class of 2013: Freshman Blog

I thought about writing this entry a week ago.  However, I just didn’t know how to put what I was feeling into words.  A part of me was coming to the realization that home would never be home again after you’ve left it for a significant amount of time.  Home becomes some interim place between where you were and where you will go next.  It’s as if you try to relive all your old ways, memories, patterns like it’s a movie you’ve seen a million times.  But once you come back, it plays in black and white, and no matter how familiar all the lines are, something feels distant.  Last week, I couldn’t care less if I didn’t come back for years.

A lot changed from last summer to this.    This summer I said good-bye to a lot of friendships, many as old as elementary school.  To be honest, I couldn’t tell you what went wrong.  The thing is when move away, you hope it’s the memories of the times you spent together that will keep you close.  However, the experiences you have when you are apart inevitably cause you to change, and some friendships just can’t bare that weight.  A year ago, I thought those friendships would last forever, and, now, they have come to an end.

In the few days before I left, it finally hit me, I was home all along this summer.  Suddenly, I was met the same feelings I possessed before moving to Hopkins one year ago; a stomach full of fear, sadness, and anxiety.  Saying goodbyes are always hard.  Last year, I knew that I would be home in a matter of months, but this time that certainty isn’t present.  I bought a one-way, without the slightest notion of when I would come back.

Upon my arrival to the Chicago Midway airport, I discover that the seating at the gate for my flight to Baltimore was full, so I wandered to find a gate with some open seats.  I found an open chair, and thinking nothing of it sat down and relieved my back of the excruciating pain my carry-ons were producing.  Then I glanced up, and the sign above the gate read Minneapolis, Departs 11:50 AM.  Then I thought if I had a blank ticket to go anywhere in the world, where would I go?  There I was in the Midway airport, almost exactly mid-way between Minneapolis and Baltimore.  Would I turn back and return to a place where the faces, places, and feelings are familiar?  Or would I carry on to a place that I love, but at the same times elicits all these feelings of fear, giddiness, and anxiety?

But then I thought, I felt the exact same way last year.  There were moments in the early part of my freshmen year that I would have given anything to go home.  Of course there are moments of apprehension, and loneliness, anxiety, and nausea.  Things always get better.  So I finished my lunch at the Minneapolis gate, then wandered back to the gate to Baltimore, knowing that I couldn’t give up Hopkins, no matter how much I would miss Minnesota.

After to returning to Hopkins, I was filled with excitement, butterflies, and an unexpected and unwarranted surge of energy.  It felt good to be back.  But after my first night in my room, I woke up startled early in the morning.  Something was missing.  I glanced to the foot of my bed, to realize that my twenty-pound, oaf, and blob of cat, Pantaloons, was missing.  There are always things and people you have to leave behind, and that’s the hardest part.  But you have to learn to find the things that make this new place home.

I have always had some issues with guilt. Maybe it’s because I was raised Catholic and Sister Joelle would just not leave me alone. Maybe it is because I have been so privileged. Either way, every time I return to Baltimore I am greeted with a huge reminder of my good fortune.

The train ride into Penn Station provides a window into abandoned houses and empty lots. They are painful showcases of the severe inequality in Baltimore (and really nationwide). The minute one steps off of the train and into the train station, they immediately see the picturesque Baltimore, with monuments and universities (University of Baltimore).  A cab ride to Hopkins will lead you past pretty town homes and you’ll arrive on a thoroughly gorgeous campus. Here, it seems like there are people from every corner of the earth. From the campus’s beauty to its promise of innovation and education, there really is an energetic feel on campus (except for Sunday mornings).

To drive further along North Charles Street, you’ll see Loyola and Notre Dame College and Goucher. They are all beautiful schools removed from the ugliness of poverty. But for as much time as I feel like I’ve spent exploring Baltimore this past semester, in some respects, I haven’t seen it at all. The swanky shopping in Federal Hill is a huge step from Canton. Tourist friendly Inner Harbor clashes with many parts of East Baltimore.

Barack Obama has called for service. Many Hopkins students (myself included) participated in the President’s Day of Service in September. But is that really enough? Sure, I donate canned goods during the holidays and add a dollar to my bill at CVS. But none of that offers any real insight into the problems our nation is facing. And I can watch the Wire and listen to Baltimore rapper Bossman, but I won’t know anything until I make a real effort.

Many students on campus are ahead of me in their volunteer work. Some are involved in the wonderful Tutorial Project and others are active in the various student groups dedicated to the community. So instead of a New Years resolution to lose the “holiday weight” I gained at home, I am determined to start seeing the real Baltimore by way of volunteering. If my background check is cleared (fingers crossed) I should be volunteering at the Baltimore Child Abuse Center.

Don’t get me wrong,I honestly feel 100% safe at Hopkins and in the surrounding areas. For a more in-depth blog post about security, see this one from Daniel. I’m beginning to understand that Hopkins’s location is a bonus. Instead of the idealized college on a hill in New England, Baltimore provides out of the classroom reality for students.

Thanks for reading!

Tyler

P.S. I know that y’all love photos of me but since my official photographer is not coming back for intersession, you are out of luck. Try TMZ, though. They usually post photos of me daily.

Hey y’all! It’s reading period here at Hopkins, and all of us have been studying for finals—that’s not too say that everything is static here on campus. It’s really beginning to feel like the holiday season!

As a Texan, I am eager to report that Hopkins’ first snowfall occurred this past Saturday  (Exclamation mark times infinity!!!). Surprisingly, my mom called me a week earlier telling me it was snowing in Texas of all places! Dang it, Dallas, you beat us to the chase. That it was snowing Texas of all places before Baltimore is beyond me—of course, that would happen when I no longer lived there. Thanks, weather.

Anyways, the snow was absolutely beautiful! Large, fluffy snowflakes blanketed the trees, the lawn of the quads and the roofs of buildings on campus. None of that messy ice stuff that we used to get during Texan winters. The view from our dorm windows was without a doubt postcard worthy. (See Greco’s blog post—he is a photography superstar!) My two other warm-climate-accustomed friends, one from New Orleans and another from Los Angeles, were faced with the overwhelming dilemma of footwear choice in such weather. Now this is quite the serious conundrum: Rainboots? Ugg boots? No boots? Kimber, the New Orleanian, decided on the very weather-appropriate flip-flops (also known as Option #3: no boots). We tried to act snow savvy, but a combination of our mixed-up footwear, conflicting outerwear, and Californian Kelly’s inquiry of “Do I carry an umbrella in the snow?” suggested otherwise.

In addition to the fairly early snowfall, the fifth annual “Lighting of the Quads” ceremony on Monday helped usher in the holiday season and spread holiday spirit here on campus. Many students came together in front of the MSE Library to enjoy hot chocolate, cider, and donuts, as well as listen to holiday jingles sung by a few of our many amazing student a cappella groups. Everyone watched as President Daniels ceremoniously “flipped the switch” to turn on the holiday lights that now illuminate the quads. What a cool tradition!

Monday was also our last day of classes. There’s been a lot to do in terms of final papers, final portfolios, and final exams, but I’ve realized that these final evaluations are necessary in ensuring that we are prepared for our second semester courses.

I wrote my final paper for my Introduction to European Art History class on this crucifix (Crucifix with Mourning Virgin and St. John the Evangelist, artist unknown, c. 1270-1290) and learned so much in the process. I hadn’t written a major research paper since my junior year of high school, so it definitely required me to review the whole research paper format and learn the somewhat different procedure for writing analytical art history papers. It took me a while to get in the groove of how to do research for a paper, but once I did, I found that I actually enjoyed the process. Here is a picture of the crucifix that I chose to write about:

It is housed in Baltimore’s own Walters Art Museum, and it was awesome having such accessibility to this remarkable piece of art.

That’s all I’ve got for now. Thanks for reading and until next time… -BK

Hey Hey Hey! I’ve been getting numerous emails, calls, telegrams, urging me to update this blog. I am sorry boos! However, there has been an unfortunate event. A tragedy among technology. My dear, dear computer has died. No, not just died. My computer has gone out with a bang.

Imagine this. But worse.

Darla, as I liked to call my majestic computer, is no more. I still remember the day I brought her home from the Apple Store, all new and clean. The potential hours wasted on her Photo Booth application still not yet evident. Darla and I were attatched at the power cord and we shared two good years together. But now, thanks to inappropriate placement on a dorm floor and a particularly spikey stiletto, our time together was cut short.

So please excuse my late post! I am in the mourning process and would have to relive the seven stages of grief/am computerless until a pretty little package comes!

Now that I’ve updated you on my technological saga, I must
talk some more about myself! I know, right? Just in case you haven’t heard enough.

The weekend before Thanksgiving break, I was lucky enough to
go see the Peabody Conservatory (you MUST see Greco’s photos- here!) While I’m
sure that I could have occupied myself marveling at the beautiful spread they
got going on down there, I was in the process of completing my transition into a
cultured collegiate.

That’s right, you heard me. Tyler Dougherty, the girl who
lives her life by the rules of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, went to see an
opera.Cosi. That’s short for Cosi
fan tutte for all you non-intellectuals out there.

Okay, so yeah right, I know nothing about any opera except
for Madame Butterfly because it was referenced in a movie I’ve seen. But let me
have my fun. The night was so Classy with a capital “C.” We took a taxi, wore
clothing that did not include denim, and were all cultured. I even saw my
professor there!

The opera was very high quality and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I also enjoyed the special price of tickets for students ($10!?!).When I think about all of the worthless
things I have purchased for $10 in the past (a hamburger at a Phillies game),
the value of my opera night is that much more amazing. So thank you, Johns
Hopkins. Here’s to you for making me look like a classy lady. At least for one
night.

So one of the questions that we get asked a lot in the forums involves transportation on and around the campus. It make sense because parents want to know how their children can get home on the weekends or holidays and the students want to know exactly how they’re going to be able to get around the city and maybe sometimes to other states if they want to visit their friends. In this post I’ll talk about transportation on the campus such as the JHMI Shuttle as well as transportation that is near the campus available for students to use to travel to other states.

Transportation on campus is an amazing thing. There are several primary ways you can get around the Hopkins campuses one of which is completely free for students. The Johns Hopkins Medical Institution (or JHMI) shuttle is a shuttle which runs between the Hopkins Homewood campus, Penn Station (Northbound and Southbound) as well as the Medical Campus. This is really great because as long as you ensure that you get to Penn Station with enough time before your train (or bus) leaves you’ll be able to get there for free! The shuttle posts its schedules online via the parking and transportation website which allows the students to plan how they’re going to organize their transportation accordingly. It’s also very useful because if you get involved with research on the medical campus you can get there without having to know where you’re going (like you would in a taxi) and you also don’t have to pay.

Another awesome way that you can get around areas in Baltimore or near Baltimore is through the CollegeTown bus network. The CollegeTown bus is also completely free for students and just as with the JHMI Shuttle you swipe your card once you get on the bus and then you can go to any one of the numerous stops the bus travels to. Some of the popular places include Inner Harbor to the South and Towson to the North. This bus also posts its schedule online so the students can determine how they’re going to get to Towson or Inner Harbor on the weekends. For more information about the CollegeTown Shuttle including where it goes and when it leaves the Homewood campus, visit their website. I personally love the CollegeTown shuttle because there are so many places around Baltimore that you can go and not paying for it makes it even better. The CollegeTown Shuttle isn’t just available to Hopkins students; students from other colleges in Baltimore have the ability to utilize these transportation systems as well. This helps because I have some friends that go to University of Maryland, College Park and if we wanted to meet up they’d be able to get to my campus or Towson or Inner Harbor for free and not have to worry about where they’re going. Also if you’re planning on going somewhere within 1 mile of the Homewood Campus late at night and you’re worried about the area you have the ability to call the Security Van which will drive you from campus to a location of your choice or from a location of your choice back to campus. This is also great because you can go somewhere with all of your friends and since it’s a huge van you can all travel back to campus together. Some students actually use the shuttle if they want to get somewhere that’s relatively close to campus when it’s raining. I’m not saying I do this, but it’s something that’s available.

Signs like these tell students where the CollegeTown Shuttles will pick them up/drop them off. It also helps people in the area to find key tourist points in Baltimore.

Aside from the private transportation available to Hopkins students there are also several different ways you can use the public transportation available to Hopkins students throughout the city of Baltimore. There are of course Taxi Cabs all throughout the city that you can use to get from campus to Inner Harbor. Taxis often stop outside or go near the Homewood campus so it’s not hard to get from campus to wherever you’re going. Using a Taxi to get to Baltimore Washington/Thurgood Marshall Airport can get a bit pricy but there are alternatives offered during the holidays for students. Similar to the Security Van service available to students during the holidays one of the offices on campus (I’m pretty sure its Student/Residential Life) offers a van service which will get you to the airport, and all you have to do is go to the Residential Life office in AMR II and buy a ticket for 15$. I’ve never been to the airport so I don’t know much about where it is but I can tell you it’s definitely much more than 15$. From BWI you can fly out to any airport in the country and you can book your tickets online as soon as you know when you’re planning on leaving/returning. Most students figure out when they’re going to leave and return after they find out their midterm/final dates for the holidays. Personally I was unable to leave until Tuesday morning (the dorms close at 6PM on Tuesday night, by the way) because I had a midterm on Monday and another one on Tuesday. I know that most of my friends (actually most of the student body) were gone before Monday and most professors know that stuff like this happens so they don’t do much in class on these days. The registrar’s office posts the exam schedule for finals early in the year so it’s easy to get tickets for Winter Break. The whole process repeats itself for the spring semester where students choose when to leave for spring break based upon their exam schedules and the final schedule will be posted by the registrar’s office towards the middle of the spring semester.

Here’s a picture of a Bolt Bus (see below) right where it picks up its riders in New York City @ 33rd and 7th Aves.

The final method of transportation I would like to discuss is my personal favorite: Bolt Bus. Bolt Bus is a transportation service that is fairly new and consists of busses that travel between major cities on the east coast. There are busses that will take you to Boston, New York City, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. The busses leave from train stations so it’s not that hard to find out where they are. The bus that leaves from Penn Station in Baltimore only goes to NYC but I’m sure there are other ways of getting to Philadelphia and Boston. Not only are the busses extremely comfortable and the rides don’t take that long, but the busses have power outlets and free wireles
s which not only makes the ride go much quicker, but it allows you to get work done on the way there. If you book your tickets far enough in advance you can get prices as low as 2$ for a one way ticket. Up to a week before the tickets hit their max price at about 20$ for a one way ride. This is still a really amazing price. Two weekends ago I went to visit some of my friends from high school and I met them in NYC. The transportation for the whole trip cost 40$ total! Once I met my friend Tim in NYC we went back to Hoboken where he goes to school (at Stevens Institute of Technology for Electrical Engineering) and in case you’ve never been to Hoboken or don’t know where it is, it’s right across the Hudson from NYC so you have the most amazing view (especially at night!). Below is a picture I took on my BlackBerry when we were heading back to the city when I was leaving.

I’m sure you can imagine how amazing this view is late at night.

Lastly I would just like to say that even though I’ve had more fun than ever in my first 3 months at college, it feels so good to be home. You may think that once you go to college you forget how to live your life at home and how to drive, etc. but you actually don’t. When I got home it was like I picked up right where my home life left off. It was also awesome to hang out with all my high school friends again because no matter where I go I’ll never find people who are as unique as them. Even though this break only lasts for about 5 days it’s great to see everyone again. Yesterday I visited my old high school and I got to see all my friends in the grades below me as well as all of my teachers and there really is no better feeling than seeing old friends again. So to conclude there are many ways to get around on campus or to places that are near the campus or even to major cities that are relatively close to Baltimore. I’m actually sure there are many more than I’m unaware of at the moment. So my first video is another funny video about pets and involves a dog that pretty much can’t rollover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxdPYCc_1mU . My second video (explicit language warning) is about some of the people that come to the Jersey Shore in the summer. This video was filmed at the beach in Seaside Park (which is about 30 minutes from me) and wasn’t staged at all, some guys just got a video camera and started recording. This is one of the funniest videos I’ve found in a while and I can’t believe it’s real: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5weU2olAl-E . Enjoy and I’ll see you all in two weeks!

Before I launch into my spiel, I want to say that it’s been both fun and interesting to meet prospective students during these past two weekends at the open houses.  Between the two of them, I believe we had over 1,000 visitors come onto campus, which is really neat, if you think about it – especially since so many visitors covered so great a distance to come visit.  I met prospectives and families from California, New York, Massachusetts, and even Alabama, among other places.  Truthfully, I hope everyone enjoyed their visit to campus and that they left with a greater understanding of what Hopkins is really all about.

At these open houses, one question came up more than I thought it would: the security of students on campus.  This is indeed a question that deserves attention, given Hopkins’ size and location, and I’d like to try to offer a proper response at this point.  Before I dive into the specifics of what measures the University takes to ensure the students’ safety, I would like to explicitly say that I personally have never felt uncomfortable or unsafe in the neighborhoods immediately surrounding Hopkins or on campus (or, luckily, in Baltimore).

One thing about Hopkins that’s neatest is how it’s a traditional university nestled in an urban area.  That’s also what makes the University unique and is a primary reason for my appreciation of the campus’ physical plant.  However, the University’s urban integration, while possessing some great (and, in my opinion, aesthetically pleasing) traits, has inherent risks, especially given Baltimore’s admittedly high crime rate, inter alia. Putting thousands of primarily middle and upper-class students into the near-center of a struggling city doubtless carries risks.  To counteract this, Hopkins has taken an admirable – and I argue sufficient – number of steps to ensure on and off campus security.

At Hopkins, there are three main branches of security: a contracted force, Allied-Barton Security, whose presence on campus is noted by their florescent shirts/jackets (depending on weather); a Hopkins-employed security force, seen in their grey and blue uniforms; and off-duty Baltimore police officers.  These entities are listed in order of their prevalence on campus: one sees Allied-Barton with far greater frequency than off duty BPD officers, but they are all around without fail and will respond to student distress calls quicky.  Both Hopkins Security (lovingly called ‘Hop Cops’) and Allied-Barton employees are unarmed; the same cannot be said for BPD Officers.

[Allied Barton Security Patrol, Charles St.]

The presence of these security forces is not limited exclusively to campus: Hopkins security often conducts community patrols, Allied-Barton stations guards at street corners around the campus, and, of course, the Baltimore Police Department maintains a presence throughout the city, though especially in Hopkins-ish areas.  Community patrols are especially vigilant during the weekends, when students venture from the dormitories to visit friends/attend parties that are off campus.

[Typical Hopkins Security Patrol Car]

In addition to sheer manpower, the University has taken impressive action to ensure student safety by the implementation of various technology – the coolest among these devices, a gunshot detection system on and around campus; the most ubiquitous, security cameras and blue light alarms.  In 2008, Hopkins launched a gunshot detection system that covers both the campus and the surrounding neighborhoods, which are home to many Hopkins students and faculty members.  The system uses a series of microphones that recognize the acoustic signature of a gunshot and then alert the authorities of its location.  I happen to think this is pretty neat.  Additionally, Hopkins has a system of speakers on campus that can be used to relay information loud enough for all to hear on and around campus (for Southerners and Midwesterners, think tornado siren meets microphone).  Also on campus are many, many blue light alarms.  When activated, these emit a loud siren and a bright, blue strobe light to draw attention.  Authorities are also alerted that someone is in distress.  These alarms are monitored by at least one security camera, allowing Hopkins security to monitor the activated alarm until help arrives.  Security cameras line Charles Street, as well as the campus, and their efficiency is aided by software that can detect criminal activity or people in distress and then alert authorities.

While the immense amount of manpower and technological investments are remarkable and impressive, Hopkins Security gets the small things right, too.  Between the hours of 5pm to 3am, Hopkins offers an Escort Van Service, which is a fifteen passenger van in Hopkins livery that will pick up students within a 1 mile radius of campus free of charge.  (It’s especially nice when it’s raining, I might add.)  If a student is off campus and needs help, Security also will take great pains to ensure that student receives the help he/she needs.  For example, this Labor Day, I was in New York, attending the US Open.  I took Megabus because of thrift, and was to be dropped off in White Marsh at 1am.  I called taxi companies that night at 7 to orchestrate a pick-up, but no companies would make the trip at that hour.  Getting concerned, I called security.  The woman at dispatch, who, if she sees this, is AWESOME, took my information, stayed on the line, and connected me to a car service in Towson.  She arranged for my pick-up in WM, staying on the line until everything was done.  Need I remind you that this was on a Federal Holiday?

I hope that this addresses any concerns that might come up while considering Hopkins.  In my college hunt last year, I looked primarily at urban universities, and security was a legitimate concern.  When you step on many campuses, you feel safe, but the amount of attention and effort paid to security here is unparalleled, I feel.  And trust me, if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be complimenting it, as I have a vested interest in my security on campus. :)

Until next time,

Okay,
so before I got to B’more, I was all about the city. I googled the heck out of
it, bought a Lonely Planet guide, did some youtube research on Baltimore club
muzik. I was all ready to explore and integrate myself all up in Baltimore
life. Well, one weekend turned into two, and two turned into three, and by a
month into my time here I had hardly been anywhere in the city.

Sure,
I saw Inner Harbor and bought myself an Orioles tee (I still love ‘ya Phils!),
but my exploration of the city was pretty much limited to a six block radius of
Hopkins. Honestly, campus life can get you so caught up like that Madonna song. But you’ve got to break free!

This past weekend I made sure that this break happened. The NY Times travel section has an awesome article here on the cool things you can do in Baltimore in just a little bit of time (perfect for a long weekend college visit!). When I read the article and realized that I had not been to any of these attractions, I decided to change it. Like pronto. So, on Saturday, I left my homework in a heap on my unmade bed and went off with a friend to explore.First, we made it to the extremely close neighborhood of Hampden (thanks Mandy for the scoop). Hampden is a really short walk from Hopkins, and the walk there includes a really nifty (yeah I said nifty) combination of older homes and cute/artsy yards. The first thing I saw there was a cute bakery where I bought birthday cupcakes for a close friend (Happy Birthday Jenny)! Inside the bakery, I had trouble understanding a lot of the accents- everyone seemed like a regular there!

Here’s Jenny Celebrating on Her Birthday
Me at the Paper Moon Diner

Then, we went to a whole row of vintage and antique shops. You  know, the kind of places that take days to truly explore. One, Earth Alley, was especially interesting. There were also cool bath shops, an amazing used book store, and best of all more dessert shops!

For my friend’s birthday dinner, we went to the Paper Moon Diner, which is absoloutely amazing. The designs are funky and original and it is really hard to describe, so just click the link to their website.

Paper Moon Diner Lupe

Today, despite the massive amounts of homework I have, I am headed off to a Lupe Fiasco concert at Towson center which is just a short cab ride away (public transportation is a viable option, but I am running super late trying to finish this blog! Ack!). So, this weekend has been the weekend of B’more. Next, I am going to try to put on my granola Jane personality and try out the Jones Fall Trails bike paths (very, very close and also mentioned in the NY times article).

Now that I started my exploration, I can’t wait to discover other neighborhoods like Fells Point and Little Italy. More is definitely to come! Just know that “Balwmore” has such an interesting array of old and new, hipster and hip surgery recipients.

So, until next time! And if you never hear from me again…… it is because Lupe spotted me from afar and whisked me away. I hope you understand.

Recently, Hopkins hosted high school counselors from around the country/world as part of the NACAC (National Association of College Admissions Counseling) convention held here in Baltimore.  Odds are one of your counselors was here or was invited.  Several thousand came to Baltimore.

Since I’m involved with Hopkins Interactive (obviously…), I, along with other HI members, was invited to meet what seems like a majority of your counselors (tons).  They asked, they asked, and they asked questions about Hopkins.  Many asked about academics, others about housing, others yet about dining, etc.  But a great many asked about Hopkins’ social scene, relating their questions back to a stereotype about Hopkins that they’d heard: Hopkins is too intense, and there’s no room for play, etc.

Since fielding these questions, I’ve been thinking about the social scene here at Hopkins quite a bit.  There’s no denying it: First and foremost, Hopkins is a place where people come to study.  It’s not a party school.  But there’s one incident that made me take pause: This weekend, as I was heading out to a party, I saw people doing homework on a Saturday night.  Casually, of course, and in a social setting, but I still saw homework on a Saturday night (I’m not talking at like 5, either). Frankly, I didn’t know what to say, and I began to question the social life here and how good of a fit I am at Hopkins.

It’s been several days since that night, and I’ve had some time to think things through and become level-headed.  While studying is doubtless critical (c’mon: I go to Hopkins, guys), I come from an upbringing/culture that placed equal importance on social life.  Accordingly, it’s absurd for me to consider studying on a Saturday night without exigent circumstance.  I represent one branch of the figurative social scene at Hopkins, I believe (no, there aren’t any castes, etc :)).

At the other end, there are some students at this school who reap great satisfaction and reward from high marks, and these students seriously work for their grades  There’s no denying that kind of student goes to this University.  But there’s no denying that this kind of student’ll be at any Top 20 University, regardless of what a particular university’s guidebook says, which is something I had to realize.

It’s not like there aren’t activities for the, umm, less studious here.  There are; I can testify to that.  So can my roomie.  So can all of my friends.  So can that guy I saw on Saturday night.  And that girl (thattt girl) absolutely can.  It’s just a matter of preference, I’ve found.  If you’re into a more party-oriented scene, you can find it at Hopkins (I promise); just don’t be prepared to find Ole Miss.

[The Geico Cave Man; I saw him Labor Day weekend at the US Open]

To address concerns on Hopkins’ intensity, my academic experience hasn’t been overly intense.  For example, I find time to write this post during midterms.  If that’s not adequate testimony, I don’t spend more than two hours per night on average with assignments, barring, of course, the occasional massive reading assignment.  I also just got out of a 3 hour poker tournament.  Is the homework manageable?  I think so.

Certainly, there have been instances when I didn’t know how well I fit in at Hopkins because of what I wanted in a social scene, like that time a few nights ago.  But those were only instances, not prolonged events, and these instances have absolutely not come to define my time here.  In fact, I’m grateful I’m here, really.  And, more importantly, I’m happy.  Finding a college is, in some senses, like a relationship (no, I’m not Dr. Phil; don’t think it…): Even if the two parties are the right fit, questions of compatibility will always briefly rise.

Until next time,

Daniel