Class of 2014: Freshman Blog

This week, the members of SAAB are blogging about their personal thoughts and reflections on the college admissions experience.  Now, of course not everyone that goes to JHU had the same – or even a similar – application process… But we do have one thing in common: for some reason or another, we chose Hopkins.

Scarsdale High School

Scarsdale High School’s competitive environment taught me to work hard.  I completed my assignments on time, took extra-credit opportunities, and studied diligently.  I was the vice president of my grade for two years in a row, and the president of the Scarsdale High School Drama Club throughout my senior year.  I was actively involved in 16 productions over the course of my four years in high school, including my role as director of our senior class play, Grease.  Despite my heavy extracurricular involvement, I always put my academics first.  Scarsdale High School has left me with an extremely strong educational background, as well as an incredible ensemble of faculty that continue to help and support me today as I venture into the world on my own.

I always knew that I wanted to go to a big university.  I loved the idea of being somewhere with a lot of school spirit where I could cheer in the stands during a huge sports game, all decked out in my university’s apparel.  When my final ACT score was in and my final GPA determined, my high school dean suggested I look at the websites of a few well renowned universities that accepted students with my general academic profile. I visited a few schools and didn’t fall in love with any of them during those preliminary visits (Hopkins was not one of the schools I visited then).  I decided to apply Early Decision to Cornell University because I liked the freshman dorm buildings and the idea of being in a Communications program.

me (on the right) playing Mercy Lewis in The Crucible

I also applied to Duke University, Emory University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Michigan, Washington University in St. Louis, Vanderbilt University, and Johns Hopkins University.  I received a “guaranteed transfer” option from the Communications program in Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (meaning, if I took a gap-year and took certain courses, or attended a different school for one year and took certain courses, I would automatically be accepted to the Cornell Communications program for the fall of 2011).  I decided that I didn’t want to take a gap year, and nor did I intend to enter a new school with the mindset of transferring one year later.  I began looking into my other options.

my co-director (right) and me (left) introducing our Senior Class Play - Grease!

After flights to visit a few other schools, I came to the conclusion that I did not want to fly to college.  I have a lot of friends who need to fly to get to their schools and none of them mind it at all – not wanting to fly was just a personal preference.  I love being semi-close to home and able to take a quick train ride to school.  I also wanted to go to a school in a big urban area where I’d have the opportunity to integrate myself into a new city and I’d always have a billion and one sources of entertainment.  My older brother is a junior at the University of Pennsylvania and loves it; when I visited, however, I thought that the campus was a little bit too integrated into the city for me.  I wanted to go to a school that was in a big city, but that also had that closed-off, safe feeling of a campus.  That is exactly what Hopkins has to offer.

the Hopkins lacrosse logo!!!

So, why did I choose Hopkins?  Have you seen the campus?  You’ll understand that rhetorical question if you’ve actually seen it.  It has, by far, the most beautiful campus of all of the schools that I visited.  Walking around the quads from day to day, I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to live in such a scenic environment where I really value being outdoors.  I also knew that I wanted to be at a school with a big social scene.  Now, most people told me to avoid Hopkins if that was what I was looking for; instead of succumbing to that rumor, I decided to test this theory myself by spending a weekend at JHU during my senior year of high school.  HA-HA.  No social scene?  They must be thinking of the wrong school, I thought.  That’s all a big rumor.  Oh, and the stuff about the school being only for rising doctors?—Wrong too.  Hopkins’ biggest major is International Studies.  And what I am here for?  I’m here for the Writing Seminars program.  I know aspiring psychologists, physicists, writers, producers, historians, chemists, linguists, philosophers, directors, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, biomedical engineers, economists, and geologists…the list goes on and on.

the Scarsdale High School Drama Club's cast of Beauty and the Beast

Most colleges cater to all of these studies as well – it’s simply a matter of which fits you best.  Test it out…visit schools…meet people…talk!  I honestly believe that everything happens for a reason.  For prospective students who are still taking their SATs/ACTs, I strongly recommend that you try both!  I took the SATs three times and my scores did not improve.  I was so set on figuring out how to tackle the SAT that I refused to even give the ACT a chance.  When my dean urged me to try the ACT, I ended up with a 35 – a score that went above and beyond any SAT score I had ever achieved.  Lastly, personalize your college search – do not let your knowledge of where your friends are applying influence you in any way.  As much fun as it might be to go to college with your best friend or your girlfriend/boyfriend, choosing a college should be a completely independent decision.

To learn more about Johns Hopkins, visit the Hopkins Interactive Website and read blogs about student life/majors/minors.  Coming soon—student activities blogs!