Class of 2014: Freshman Blog

This very day, the Hopkins Interactive Forums thread entitled, “Meet JHU_Noah” was deleted as a consequence of several irreconcilable damages to its source code sustained during the Great Fall Semester Server Malfunction of 2010. Here, we mourn and celebrate the legacy of the brave prospective applicants who threw caution to the winds in their indefatigable quest for answers. Here, we honor of the twelve-hunred and sixty-three views it gained before its untimely demise. Here, we post in memoriam…

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JHU_Noah:

Howdy, y’all!
My name is Noah Guiberson, and I am from Houston, Texas! I am double majoring in Molecular & Cellular Biology and Neuroscience, and I will be pursuing an MS in MCB in my fourth or fifth year, depending on how things shake out.

Why Hopkins
Succinctly, one of the many reasons that I chose Johns Hopkins is this; that when it comes to Biology and Neuroscience, there is no university in the world that is as prestigious and that has been nearly as consistently productive as Hopkins. I decided that I could suffer through questions like, “What is John Hopkin?” and “Why in the world was this guy named Johns?”, in order to be a part of the most legendary congregation of scientific aptitude in the history of modern medical research.

My Classes
These are the classes I’m taking this semester, as well as those that I will be taking next semester:

Fall:
Gen. Physics I for Biological Sciences
Gen. Physics I Lab
Calculus II for Engineers
Intro. Chemistry I
Intro. Chemistry I Lab
Introduction to Neuroscience

Spring:
Gen. Physics II for Biological Sciences
Gen. Physics II Lab
Probability & Statistics for the Life Sciences
Intro. Chemistry II
Intro. Chemistry II Lab
Cognitive Neuroscience

My Extracurriculars
These are some of the things I’m involved in most heavily on campus, thus far:
Varsity Soccer: I play Goalkeeper for the Men’s Soccer team. I love the game, I love the team, and I really love our fans. We draw an enormous number of fans to our games for a DIII program, and the atmosphere in Homewood Stadium on the night of a game is electric.
Student Admissions Advisory Board (SAAB): I applied and was accepted to SAAB because I want to help guide prospective Blue Jays toward making the right decision: applying to, and subsequently enrolling at, the Johns Hopkins University. The members of our group (my SAABuddies) are wonderful. It’s great to be able to play a role in shaping the next, best classes of the University I love.
Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC): I joined SAAC in order to be a part of the Athletic Department in a way that a normal Student-Athlete cannot. There are aspects of an athletic program (on the level of our institution, the Centennial Conference, as well as the NCAA) that Student-Athletes must be involved in. To paraphrase Machiavelli: in order to understand student-athletics, one must be an Athletic Director; but in order to understand what is needed to direct an athletic program, one must be a Student-Athlete.

Where I Live: WOLMAN HALL
I LOVE WOLMAN! At first, I wanted to be in the AMRs. But as luck would have it, I ended up on the 6th floor of Wolman East, and I can’t imagine that I ever wanted to be anywhere else! The A/C was a godsend during the first month of the semester. Of course, it also helps that I live in the biggest freshman room, by floor space (220 sq. ft.; It is enormous.). I have also grown to love living off-campus (well, across the street from the front gate), and my RA has become a really good friend of mine. To be honest, I think of him as a mentor. He and I have nearly identical aspirations, and it’s been great to have 24/7 access to someone who’s been through it all. It just goes to show that your RA can be more than your mom-away-from-home.

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JHU_Noah:

Hi Rachelle!!!
First and foremost, let me thank you on being the first person to ask me a question on my little part of the forum! It’s kind of a big deal for me!
I love being a Neuroscience major! My first Neuroscience class was Introduction to Neuroscience with Professor Hendry last Fall. He’s the best lecturer I’ve ever encountered, and he’s extremely accessible. He also teaches Nervous System I & II, which are two of the three core Neuroscience courses (along with Cognitive Neuroscience).
It’s a pretty rough major, in the sense that the material is really advanced and the classes are pretty difficult, but you’ll find that your comprehension of the concepts and your ability to study effectively will gradually outpace the rigor.
A big part of both the Neuroscience Program and academic life at Hopkins in general is undergraduate research. As a Neuroscience major, you’ll have to complete 9 credits of research. One of the (many) wonderful things about this University is that the community eagerly accommodates undergraduates who want to pursue research. I started research this semester as a Freshman with the Johns Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineering’s Neuroregeneration program (NeuroICE).
All you have to do is be proactive; figure out what kind of research you’d like to participate in, make a list of labs you’d like to work in, narrow it down to four or five of your favorites, and send an email to each introducing yourself and indicating your interest in their work. Responses can range from, “Come on in and see us!” to “Sorry, but our lab is saturated at this time. We cannot take on any more undergraduates. Good luck!” But don’t be discouraged, put in the work and you will find a lab.
(This is a blog I wrote about finding research: http://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/2014/2011/02/research-quest-research-queries-nothing-gets-you-going-in-the-morning-like-a-good-ol-fashioned-protein-assay/)
Another great thing about Neuro is that there are a lot of us, so there’s bound to be somebody studying for your exam in the FFC with whom you can study.
I really do love every second of it. My first Cognitive Neuroscience midterm is today and I’ve been studying like crazy! It’s a really great class, and a really great major!
I hope that answered your question well enough!

Eri:

Hello Noah,
My name is Eri and I also applied to Johns Hopkins for the 2011-2012 semester. I am wondering how the Molecular and Cellular Biology part of your double majoring is going and what classes you plan to take on in your sophomore year.
Thanks,
Eri

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JHU_Noah:

Hey Eri!
It’s going really well! Right now, there isn’t a lot to do for Mol/Cell because I have to finish Chemistry before moving onto Orgo and Biochem –– the two classes that really open up all of the upper level Biology courses. I’m staying in Baltimore this summer to take Organic Chemistry 1 and 2 as well as Orgo Lab. Then, I’ll be able to take Biochemistry next Fall and Cell Biology next Spring.
The way I have it currently planned out, my Fall semester will consist of:
Nervous System I (3)
Biochemistry (4)
Biochemistry Lab (2)
Research (3)
Honors Single Variable Calculus (3) [I wanted to take this class during my freshman year, but I got really sick and had to drop a bunch of classes]
My Spring semester is a little foggy, in that I don’t know exactly what I’ll be doing…BUT this is my best guess:
Nervous System II (3)
Cell Biology (4)
Cell Biology Lab (2)
Research (3)
(Probably 3 or 6 distribution credits; classes TBD)
I hope that helped!

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Eri:

Thanks that actually helped a lot!

I know that JHU uses a Pass/Fail system for the first semester. Would you recommend using AP credits to take more “risky” advanced classes or is it more beneficial to take more background classes before that?

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JHU_Noah:

Well, that is very much an individual decision. If you feel like you have already have a solid grasp on the material you’d be skipping by placing out of a class like Chemistry, taking Organic Chemistry under covered grades might be a good idea. But, while it may be tempting to just take the credit and move on to a more advanced topic, remember that your grades will not be covered second semester. If you’re not ready to take a class like Orgo right out of the gate, you might want to consider retaking Intro. Chem. However, these are all things you can discuss at length with your academic advisor–they’re all extremely experienced with this sort of thing and will be able to help you work out the best possible plan for your Freshman Fall.
Now, a bit of personal insight:
I was an IB kid, and I did well enough on the IB Biology Exam to receive credit for Biology I & II as well as Biology Labs 1 & 2. (A guide to the AP/IB scores that merit credit at JHU can be found here: http://apply.jhu.edu/apply/apib.html) I took the credit, but it turned out not to matter. Believe it or not, General Biology is not a required class for either the BS in Mol/Cell Bio OR the BA in Neuroscience, provided that you choose the Cellular & Molecular concentration. General Biology is required, however, if you are pursuing the BA in Biology or the BA in Neuroscience, provided that you choose the Cognitive or Systems concentrations.
So, it depends. Find out what your desired major requires and weigh your options with the help of your advisor.
Since you’re interested in Mol/Cell, this is the link for the Mol/Cell major requirements: http://www.bio.jhu.edu/Undergrad/BSProgram.aspx
And, just for kicks, this is the link to the Neuro major requirements: http://krieger.jhu.edu/neuroscience/undergraduate/major_req.html
I hope I’m two for two in terms of helping you out!
Let me know if you have any other questions!

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Eri:

Thanks so much!
Yep, 100%
It is so nice that Hopkins offers a site for prospective students to get real hand accounts from students such as yourself.
Again thank you.

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JHU_Noah:

I know, right?
You’re welcome!