Class of 2014: Freshman Blog

Last night was the first time I had ever woken up in Washington D.C. and not known why I was there. Wait, wait! It’s not what you think! Let me explain…

I spent all summer at Hopkins taking classes and working at a lab downtown at the School of Medicine. By the time August rolled around, I hadn’t really been home for about eight months, so as soon as I was done with my second set of summer finals (I know…summer finals…yuck), I hopped a plane back to Houston. The next ten days were a whirlwind of friends and family. My last full day there was spent on the beach (the sandy one in Galveston, not the grassy one at Hopkins!), playing soccer in the sand and Frisbee in the 89°F water. But the time came to leave home and go back Home(wood), so I got on another plane…destination, Baltimore…

When I got off the plane at BWI, everything seemed fine. I went to baggage claim and got my stuff. I headed out the doors and followed the signs to the left, where a bus that said “AMTRAK/MARC” pulled up and took me to the BWI train station. This is where my misadventure began.

I walked into the station and asked when the next MARC train heading to Penn Station would be taking on passengers (the MARC train is preferable to Amtrak only because it costs like four dollars to get to Penn from BWI, compared to the Amtrak which costs around twenty dollars). He replied that it would be about an hour. I was tired from a long day of travel, so, having no interest in waiting that long, I tearfully parted ways with my twenty-dollar bill. He handed me a ticket. This train was arriving in five minutes. HINT: My first clue should have been the ticket.

My second clue should have been that he told me to cross the bridge to the southbound side of the tracks. But I wasn’t paying attention, because I was exhausted and I just wanted to get back to school.

The train arrived and I, a little suspicious of my whereabouts, asked the conductor if this train was heading to Penn Station. “Yeah,” he said curtly. I persisted, “Penn Station…in Baltimore, right?” “Uh-huh.” Satisfied, I got onboard and lay down across two seats. Before I knew it I was asleep. I woke up to the sound of the conductors voice over a speaker in my car. “…(unintelligible)…Wash…(unintelligible)…D.C.!” I bolted awake. “WHAT???”, I shouted, causing the girl and her mother (who were wearing matching Georgetown hoodies) in the seats directly in front of me to jump halfway to the ceiling.

I disembarked, and found myself in what was unmistakably Union Station in Washington D.C.

I looked at my ticket, lo and behold it said: “TO–WASHINGTON D.C. (UNION)”!

I felt so betrayed! I had been misled to believe that I was going back to Homewood, and there I was walking behind two Hoyas in the nation’s capitol.

I began telling my story to everyone wearing an Amtrak uniform. Luckily, Amtrak’s headquarters is at Union Station, and my story reached the ears of a corporate higher-up who took pity on me. Turns out, he’s a Hopkins alum who now works for Amtrak and teaches Marketing classes at the Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business. A train to Baltimore was just leaving, and he was supposed to be on it as well. He spoke to the conductor for this train and got me on for free! I thanked him and we parted ways–him (I can only imagine) to the super-fancy-special-private car for Amtrak executives, and me to Coach.

Finally back at Penn Station, I walked outside just as the JHMI shuttle was rolling up. I got on and it dropped me off at Charles Commons.

So I guess there are a few morals to this story…

First: Check your ticket. Do it right now.
Second: B’More is NORTH of BWI; D.C. is SOUTH of BWI…if you’re on the SAME SIDE as the ticket office, the trains go NORTH.
Third: Hopkins alumni are friendly, helpful and EVERYWHERE.
Fourth: The JHMI Shuttle is your friend. It will never forsake you. Say thank you to the driver when you get off.

Stay classy, Johns Hopkins.

GO HOP!

Welcome to my new blog site: Talk Nerdy to Me! My cousin had a t-shirt with “Talk Nerdy to Me” on it and I thought it was clever, funny, and academic, which are three things I like to think I am (though my jokes could use a little work…) . This means that this will be my last post appearing on the Class of 2014 blog (feel free to shed a tear or two). From now on, you’ll find me here: http://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/sydney/.

Though my new blog is nerd-inspired, this first blog isn’t. A girl has to shake things up sometimes. I’m going to write about a big milestone for me that happened just a couple weeks ago: running a 5k.

Now, in high school, I was pretty athletic. My freshman year, I made varsity swimming, and my team was the top team in the conference. I was varsity the next year, too. I also ran 5k’s and did a couple triathlons. But then, a little set-back happened.

One summer, my friend accidentally knocked me down the bleachers at a football game, and like Humpty Dumpty, I went tumbling down. After some doctors and some MRIs, I was told I have herniated back discs. My best way to describe it is if my spine was made of Oreos, a couple of mine would have the cream filling squishing out. Needless to say, my messed up Oreos made me unable to swim varsity anymore, unable to run, and in all honestly, unable to do any hard-core working out of any type.

During this school year, I used the elliptical at the gym and found that it didn’t hurt my back, so I started to rebuild my strength on that. And eventually I built enough strength to try to run again. And here I am, already completing a 5k.

Sure, I’m much slower than I used to be, but I feel really accomplished to have gotten this far. The main reason is because at school, I realized how important it is to stay in shape. A lot of people blame school food for the freshman 15, but in all honesty, it does have healthy options. In reality, it all comes down to being an adult and making healthy choices for yourself, and a healthy choice that I have made for next year is to get up in the morning and run or use the elliptical before class. Now, I’m not sure how well I’ll be able to stick to it, and it may change to nights because I’m not really a morning person, but just a word to the wise: there are a lot of changes in college, one of which being you are in charge of yourself. Make sure you treat yourself right. :)

Post-race...

Anybody familiar with the weather, which I sincerely hope is everyone, knows that a storm can come sneak up at a moments notice and disappear just as quickly.  Many things in life follow along with this pattern, and because of that it is vital that we become accustomed to rapid changes in our lifestyle, then rapidly being switched back.  For example, when I was moving into camp, not much time was given to become accustomed to life there, and as soon as you grew to a regular routine, it was time to go home and suddenly you were back to the lifestyle you had before leaving.

The view of Newport, RI from the upper boat deck.

Going to school is surprisingly similar.  The first semester comes as a bit of a shock to the system.  There are countless new faces around you, a new room, different rules from home, more freedom and independence.  By the time second semester rolls around, you’ve made your friends, you have a group you are comfortable with, know the routine and know what to do and when.   But second semester does not last forever, and eventually the time will come to move back.

That being said, from my experiences, I’d like to pass down a few words of wisdom to help out when dealing with these rapid moves.  First, don’t let them sneak up on you.  When you are getting everything ready to leave for school, don’t wait until the last minute to start thinking of what to pack, only to realize that you still need to shop or that you get there and forgot something important.  Start a list early, and add to it as you go about your planning.  This will help when you finally move in, and can be confident that you don’t need to be doing any last minute shopping and can know that you have all you’ll need.  The same applies for when you are ready to leave–when you determine you no longer need something until you go home, pack it.  That way when move out day comes, you’ll be able to say your goodbyes without having to worry about packing and such.

Second, I’d recommend you keep an open mind towards meeting people.  Everywhere you go will come with a different group, whether it be school, camp, home, etc.  Don’t go in with that attitude of immediately missing your home friends.  By the time you experience your new place and meet new people, you’ll be comfortable enough without them.  Be accepting to people and keep in mind that many of them are in the same situation as you are, new and confused.  Bond over what you have in common; explore together or learn from their experiences.

Finally, if you find something you enjoy, make a mental note of it but continue to try new things.  One thing which I do regret about freshman year is that I stuck pretty much to the same three or four places for eating and such and only towards the end of the year did I begin to branch out more.  I liked the places I went to, but never got to experience other enjoyable places until the end.  Once you’ve tried a variety of places, you can determine which are the ones you’ll continue to frequent and this will lead to a diverse and fun experience.

I hope this was helpful, and that you’ll keep some of these tips in mind for the next time a storm shows up on your radar (wow, that was really cheesy…sorry).

Thanks for reading,

Nick

Current track: H*A*M by Jay-Z and Kanye West

P.S. This will be my final post in the Class of 2014 Freshman Blog, seeing as how I am entering into my Sophomore year.  Thus, all my future posts will be in my own blog, http://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/nick/. Enjoy!

“Read a book!” If you had suggested I do that during my senior year of high school, I probably would have laughed in your face.  It’s not that I wasn’t a good reader—come on, I was in the highest reading level in 2^nd grade!—it’s just that I didn’t enjoy reading as a pasttime.  The idea of sitting down and reading a book was less appealing to me than the thought of staring at a blank wall.  Then again, why should I have enjoyed reading?  It’s not like I’d read anything good since Goodnight Moon.

Everywhere I went I would see people reading, their eyes glued to their books.  “What on Earth is so interesting in there?!” I wanted to shout.  On the outside, these people looked uninspired…little did I know, they may have been watching a phenomenal book unfold inside of their minds in the form of a zillion vivid and magical little pictures that, when put together, could surpass even one of Hollywood’s greatest films.

The book that changed everything

Today, I am an avid reader.  How did I get this way?  Well, it all started with one little book.  Ok, maybe “little” isn’t the right word; the book is over a thousand pages long.  Gone With the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell.  When my mom recommended it to me the summer after my senior year, I reluctantly agreed to give it a try.  As I read the first couple of pages, all I could think about was the pain in my wrist from holding this gigantic novel, which seemed to weigh more than I did.  As I flipped through the first few pages, I still didn’t know that I was reading my way into a brilliant and extravagant world of glowing orange sunsets, endless cotton plantations, ancestral soil, ornate dresses, gorgeous southern belles, war-ridden gentlemen, a vast supply of gold, and, the inevitable, poverty and dirt.  Once I entered this world, there was no getting out of it.

It's pretty thick...

My parents had to tear me away from the book so we could have family dinners.  I’d miss episodes of my beloved TV series, “The Bachelorette,” because Scarlett O’Hara’s quest for love was a lot more entertaining.  Long story short, I found the secret ingredient that makes reading enjoyable—a well-written book.

After Gone With the Wind, I decided to listen to all of my mom’s future book recommendations—even if those books were a bit different from the ones I’d previously enjoyed.  She handed me The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins.  This young adult science-fiction novel about a post-apocalyptic society in a made-up country is the last book I could have ever imagined I’d read after finishing all of Augusten Burroughs’ eccentric memoirs.  I loved it.  When I finished it, my adventure was far from over; that book was only number one in the Hunger Games trilogy.  After Catching Fire, and Mockingjay, I was eager to read a fourth.

Augusten Burroughs is my favorite author

If I hadn’t tried something new, I would never have understood how much pleasure and excitement books could bring.  My life, my vocabulary, and my imagination have all been enriched by this new passion, and all because I gave it a try.  Reading books always looked dull and tedious, but guess what I’ve learned?  Don’t judge a book by its cover.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This will be my last post on the Class of 2014 shared blog.  I am moving onwards and upwards and I now have my very own blog page: http://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/lucie/. “The Lucie Show.” I will post all future blogs to that new site. Check it out and tell me what you think!

JHU_Lucie’s reading recommendations in no particular order (you can thank my mom for this list…)

1. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
2. Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
3. Look Me in the Eye by John Elder Robison (Augusten Burroughs’ brother)
4. Dry by Augusten Burroughs
5. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (definitely don’t judge this book by its cover)
6. Possible Side Effects by Augusten Burroughs
7. A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs
8. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
9. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
10. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
11. All I Can Handle by Kim Stagliano
12. Sit, Ubu, Sit by Gary David Goldberg (see my blog titled “The Screenplay of My Life” for more information about this book)
13. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
14. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
15. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
16. The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Definitely see the movie too!)
17. Room by Emma Donoghue (Thank Julie Rebecca Leff esquire)

Pre-Orientation week! From the left is me, my boyfriend, and two of my best friends (I met all of them during Pre-O!)

I’m excited to announce that I now have my very own blog page, Life Without Sound (thanks JHU_Joe for all the amazing tech work!). So in the future, you can find me here: Life Without Sound. You may wonder why I chose that to be the title of my page – well, as most of you know, I am deaf and I would say that I experience life at Hopkins from a very different perspective. It’s been a year since I moved into Wolman Hall on 6th floor east and I have not yet fully written about my experiences as a deaf student at Hopkins. Since the very beginning of Pre-Orientation (which is like, the best week ever FYI), I’ve received many questions about my experiences at Hopkins and life without sound. So here goes:

Have you had any negative experiences pertaining to your hearing at Hopkins?

Surprisingly, none. And I say “surprisingly” because I was extremely anxious about being accepted before coming here. I was lucky enough to attend a high school where the community was very close and supportive. I was unsure whether Hopkins would be like that too. I’m happy to say that Hopkins has gone far and beyond my expectations. My friends are truly some of the best people I’ve met and several of my professors have been quite accommodating too.

What challenges do you face in the classroom?

A lot. I have more difficulty in math and science courses because teachers tend to use the blackboard often to write out equations, draw graphs, etc. A common occurrence is that professors tend to turn around to explain something on the board, with their backs facing me. When that happens, sounds go off. I can’t see their lips anymore and I miss everything they say. The interpreters can’t really help in this situation, because the professor is wildly pointing at points, shapes, and lines, and there’s no time for me to quickly look back and forth between the interpreter and the professor. I get reallyyy lost. With that being said, another challenge is often missing random things the professor says. For some of my classes, I need note-takers to have an extra set of notes so I can find all the gaps in my notes and fill them in. It can be a bit frustrating especially if you’re a person who’s very particular with your notes (like me).

As you can probably guess, those aren't my notes (they're my friend's...sorry Katherine!) - needless to say, I got notes from someone else!

But doesn’t the extra time you invest in your studies like reading over another set of notes help you study?

No. It’s not extra time. Rather, it’s time lost. It’s more of catching up to do, trying to fill in what I missed. Then I have to actually understand the material. While I’m busy catching up, others are reviewing or studying their material. So it can be a disadvantage sometimes.

Then what is an advantage of being deaf?

Being able to sleep really well at night or just simply turning all sounds off.

Why did you choose to attend Hopkins, a hearing university, instead of a deaf university? While I have nothing against deaf universities, I looked at hearing universities because I went to a hearing school and I was also raised in a hearing family. I also felt that I would miss out on all the opportunities Hopkins offered and I wanted to take what I could get. I applied early.

Do you ever wish you didn’t have interpreters? Eh. Sometimes. Because the university provides me with two interpreters, they are scheduled to attend my classes. So, it’s not wise for me to skip class.  And yes, I like to skip class (but I don’t, I swear). I realized that in a way, it’s a good thing to have interpreters because I’m forced to go to class and in the end, it helps me because I never miss anything. Additionally, I’m really grateful to the university for providing me interpreters (for free!) so I will take what I can get. I also have a unique relationship with the interpreters and they’re really great people. They’ve always been advocates for me and I can always send them an e-mail/text whenever I can’t attend classes such as when I’m sick (I do get sick, I swear) or late. The worst is being late, though. I try not to put my interpreters in that position. Imagine them awkwardly sitting up in the front of the class with hands folded in their laps, having no one to sign to.

Matt and I!

Do your friends know sign language? Some of them do. Especially my boyfriend (he’s hearing), who is almost fluent in sign language. But the majority of my friends don’t sign because they’ve found that I can lipread them well (to the point where they don’t even use their voice when talking to me – this one goes to you, Matt!).

Signing "awkward"!

What’s the disabilities office like at Hopkins? Extremely accommodating. They assist all kinds of students and the director of the office is very, very friendly. Dr. Mosser is actually also a freshman advisor – if you have him, you’re lucky!! You can visit their website here: http://web.jhu.edu/disabilities. And yes, that’s an “O” in the American Sign Language alphabet on the front page of the website.

Can you drive?

You know, I really don’t know why people ask me that! Yes, I can and no, you don’t have to be able to hear to drive. You do miss the sirens and horns (you should be checking your rearview and side mirrors often anyways), but if you think about it, driving is mostly visual – there’s blinkers, stop lights, signs.

What about fire alarms going off? Especially when you’re asleep?

Hopkins is pretty much equipped with visual fire alarms in many of the buildings. I’m not too concerned about that; plus, I’m often always around other people and I pretty much get the message if a fire alarm goes off…Hopkins was also very accommodating in regard to my dorm – they installed strobe light fire alarms so that it will wake me up if I’m sleeping. I can’t guarantee if that works though – I haven’t experienced it yet. The four times the fire alarm has gone off in Wolman, I was somewhere else! I also basically had #1 in the lottery for dorm selection (maybe I should add that to my advantages of being deaf list) because they had to know which room in advance so they could install the fire alarm system which takes awhile. Needless to say, my suitemates were delighted to get our first choice!

My lovely suitemates for sophomore year!

Is there anything you regret not doing at Hopkins? I would say not much. Though there are a few things that I do wish I could have done/do at Hopkins. I regret not being in a lot of clubs. The time I devote to my work is a lot more than others since I have to do more catching up and extra work. It’s also difficult to be in social groups where there’s a lot of talking and activities. It’s really hard for me to follow what’s going on. I’d also love to be a tour guide because I could just share everything about Hopkins and why I love it so much. But it would be too hard for me mostly due to visitors asking questions in the crowd – I wouldn’t be able to hear them/lip read that far away. Plus I can’t really walk backwards.

What advice would you give to incoming freshmen? Based on my experiences, be vocal. Stand up for yourself and get it done. Talk to professors or TAs if you need help. I was a bit hesitant asking for help and I should have done that in the beginning of freshman year. They help you more than you expect. It can sometimes feel uncomfortable or intimidating, but don’t let that get into the way.  And, if you think that the disabilities office can help you (anything from visual aids, extended time on exams, note-takers, etc.), then ask. They are very discreet and respect your privacy. Bottom line: stand up for yourself.

Well, I think that’s just about it. That’s what life at Hopkins is for me.

For the past 5 weeks, I’ve been in the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania working at a camp teaching leadership training to Jewish teens between the ages of 15 and 17.  It is a program which I attended before my junior year in high school, and it has been an honor to come back as a staff member.  Through this experience, I have grown in several ways and have had my experiences at Hopkins come in handy several times.

The McOcho

1. Late nights during finals week are nothing.  Yeah, you may stay up late a few nights a semester before a big exam, but when you are the sole staff member in charge of 25 teenage boys in a bunk for 5 weeks, its like having a calc final every morning and pulling an all nighter for it every night.  They are exhausting.  They stay up until 3, knowing perfectly well that they have to be up at 7:45, but complain every morning anyway.  You’d think that by week two they would catch on, but no, they did not.

2. People seem to have a very, very difficult time setting up projectors.  As a future computer scientist, I was always the go-to guy for projector set up.  It really is astonishing how people can’t figure out where the one cord on the projector plugs in to the computer.  It doesn’t take a degree to figure that one out.

3. Campus food  > camp food.  Don’t complain about dining hall food at Hopkins, it is exponentially superior to camp food in every way.  If you’ve ever read my blogs, you know I love food, and its been difficult here to get proper nourishment (see the McOcho picture, taken on my day-off trip to McDonalds).

Chillin in the kiddie pool

4. Kiddie pools make everything more fun.  This is true both at Hopkins and at camp…hence the purchase of a $20 blow up pool for next year.

5. 3G is your best friend.  You never truly appreciate something as simple as 3G service until it becomes like a unicorn, you’ve heard it exists around camp but you’ve never actually seen it.

It may seem like I don’t like it here, but don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love it.  The people are fantastic and the experience has been amazing.  The negative aspects of the camp are things we can bond over and crack jokes about.  It overall has been a growing experience, and many things I have gained from here will help me as I move into my sophomore year at Hopkins.

Thanks for reading,

Nick

Current track: Pon De Floor by Major Lazer

Woodpeckers.  Those birds used to drill their long, sharp beaks into the wooden boards on the outside of my house.  They’d show up occasionally and the sounds they’d make would reverberate through my house, body, and brain.  They sounded like power tools.  A nuisance.  Rather annoying, actually.  The light gray paint on a few of the wooden planks was starting to chip off.  Sometimes, when we heard the birds pecking away, we’d just ignore them (that was hard, because they were really irritating!) Other times, we’d get so fed up that my dad would climb onto the roof and attach one of his many bandanas to a pole (he even made a scarecrow once)—in the wind, this rag would whip against the side of the house and scare away any woodpeckers at work.

Me smiling in a kayak because I'm successfully avoiding woodpeckers!

The summer before I went away to college, my parents decided to fix up the outside of the house.  Most of the boards were replaced, every single hole was filled, and the entire house was painted a darker gray.  We hoped that this darker color would be less inviting to the woodpeckers—maybe they’d leave us alone now.

Well, it worked for a little bit.  But then, just this morning, we had an unwanted visitor.  I was sitting in my kitchen enjoying a delicious breakfast waffle.  All of a sudden, I heard a loud series of patters.  My dad ran outside just in time to catch the flutter of the wooderpecker’s wings as it flew up and away into the treetops.

“You better get out of here, Bro!” My dad called to the bird—as if speaking to it colloquially would help his case.  The woodpeckers were back.

So, I bet you’re wondering…what extended metaphor could JHU_Lucie possibly be trying to create with these long-beaked, feathery flappers?

Don't worry, be happy! :) --photo by JHU_Joe

I associate woodpeckers with the people in life who simply detract.  Those who act as deterrents or degraders.  A woodpecker could be the girl in your homeroom who made a mean comment about your shirt.  A woodpecker could be the boy at lunch who wouldn’t invite you to sit with him and his friends.  A woodpecker could be the professor that gave you three exams in one week, or the boss that made you fetch her a coffee and later asked you to return it, claiming there was too much soy milk in it.

We’ve all probably been targeted by a woodpecker throughout high school at one point or another.  They’re unnecessary and irritating, but they’re there nonetheless.  My house needed slight repairs from the damage of the woodpeckers, just as you yourself might need some “re-patching.”

Making the transition from high school to college is the perfect time to make these renovations.  Fill in some of the cracks and apply a fresh coat of paint.

Stay away, woodpeckers!!!!--photo by JHU_Joe, again

So, where am I going with this?  Well…just as the woodpecker returned to my house, woodpeckers will most definitely come back to you.  Going off to college doesn’t mean you’re moving to Australia, where there are no woodpeckers (side-note: Australia does not have woodpeckers and nobody knows why!)  Then again, maybe you are going to Australia—to the University of Sydney—where you won’t ever stumble across those pecking pains.  What you will find, however, at any university (yes, including JHU) is the human version of woodpeckers.  Those detractors, deterrents, and degraders.  They’re out there.  Now, I’m not sitting here telling you that Hopkins is full of them (because it most certainly is NOT), but going to college means entering the real world, and entering the real world means opening yourself up to woodpeckers.  Be ready to overcome whatever social and/or academic challenges these woodpeckers may throw at you.

How should you go about this?  Just as we fixed up our house, you should tend to yourself; make sure you’re not scarred from any past peckers.  Making relationships, building confidence, acquiring new knowledge, involving yourself beyond the classroom, and immersing yourself in your environment will help to fortify your character and make you less susceptible to long-term woodpecker damage.  Then what?  Maintain!  Work hard to quickly patch up any fractures, always have a can of fresh “paint” handy, and be ready for whatever flies your way.

Hey y’all! I’m home chilling in my bedroom and I started to think about how my dorm room even compared to it’s magnificence. Then I realized I did a pretty good job at adapting my dorm room to have the same homeyness as my real room.

Below is my sanctuary. Pepto Bismol pink and all. When I decorated it, I was going for a pink, black, and white French theme…the only part of it I really got a tight grip on was the pink part.

Now, here I will present the evidence from my real room that shows how my dorm room stemmed from it (and if you haven’t seen my dorm room, go to the Hopkins YouTube page and check out my crib!) These are the things that made Hopkins seem like it was my home away from home.

Exhibit A: Audrey Hepburn

Audrey (yes, we are on a first name basis) sits in a huge frame right above my bed at home. At school, I got a big poster of her, but decided not to get a frame.  The poster was big and pink, so Audrey livened up my dorm room.

Exhibit B: My Jewelry

My nonnie gave me that jewelry box when I was little and it is packed to the brim. What is packed that heavy in my dorm closet? My jewelry box on a hanger. Lots of stores are selling hangers with lots of little compartments for jewelry. It is a real space saver…so I got to bring a lot of jewelry!

Exhibit C: My DVDs

I love movies a lot. A lot a lot. What did I do in college? Honestly, I only brought a couple, but between everyone on the floor, there were tons of DVDs. Everyone on my floor was cool on sharing, especially Christine, who had every movie knownst to man.

Exhibit D: YEA PACKERS

Self-explanatory.

As you can see, it was easy to make my dorm room a home. All I had to do was bring a little bit of my real home with me. :)

My freshman dorm - cleaning isn't really my strong point.

With only 27 days left until my highly anticipated return to the Charm City, I have already started packing for my move back in to Hopkins. I have loved being home here in Ridgewood with my friends and family, am having the best time at my internship at Teen Vogue, and got some much needed relaxation this summer – but I am ready for the school year to start again. I miss my friends from Hopkins, have the perfect schedule of classes lined up for Fall Semester and am positively itching to be back on campus again. August 21^st really just can’t come soon enough.

Organizing what stuff will be coming with me down to Baltimore got me thinking about what items were really essential to my existence as a college student. I remember worrying last August about matters like would I have enough staples in my room, wondering what items I would need to get me through this upcoming year. With two semesters of college behind me, I have finally figured out what I need to “live on my own”.

So, to help give you perspective/incoming students some direction in your pre-college shopping, I have decided to dedicate this blog to 10 Things in my Dorm I Could Not Live Without.

1. Rain boots.
   

   Thanks to these, puddles were never an issue while walking to class.

   Girls this one is mainly directed at you, but fashion-forward guys, pay attention. There is no worse feeling than sitting in lecture, unable to concentrate because you are thinking about the on setting hypothermia in your cold wet toes, or how you just ruined that new pair of shoes in the rain. Invest in a pair of rain boots prior to your arrival, and you (and your feet!) will thank yourself later. Along the same lines, make sure you bring a waterproof coat as well.

2. Picture frames. Although my adjustment to Hopkins and college life in general was about as smooth as possibly imaginable, there were times that I felt homesick and really missed my loved ones from home. I found that decorating my room with pictures of my friends and family not only helped me with adjust to being away from them, and also made my dorm room feel cozier and more like my own. So make sure to take some time before you leave to flip through some photo albums and pack a few of your favorite pictures to put up in your new room.
3. DVDs. Having movie nights with friends is one of my favorite ways to relax at college. Bring a few classics from your family’s DVD collection, because there will be the odd Friday when no one feels like going out and a night in watching Step Brothers seems needed. Popping in an episode of Sex and the City was one of my favorite ways to take a short study break – the episodes are the perfect length of time to regain the mental strength needed to get back to the books.
4. Jansport backpack.
   

   Some of my favorite picture frames.

   Some of my friends have the supernatural ability to fit their laptops, textbooks and notebooks into these tiny, cute shoulder bags, but I have never mastered that art. I need a giant backpack to fit all of my stuff and I am not ashamed to say I love it. Though not particularly chic, the practicality of a backpack really just cannot be beat so I highly advise you all to bring a double-pocketed backpack with you to school.

5. iHome. I set up my iHome speakers in our suite’s bathroom so I could rather inconsiderately blast music while I showered. My best friend and suitemate Amanda can attest to the fact that I am quite the shower singer.
6. Blow-dryer. In those chilly Baltimore winters, it is impossible for girls to go outside with wet hair, so I highly advise investing in a blow-dryer so your hair does not freeze (fact: that has happened to me).
7. Surge protector. In my epic Bed Bath and Beyond trip last August, I purchased a long surge protector with seven different outlets. I proceeded to place this under my desk at school, and though I only realized it in retrospect, it was an integral part of my existence. In it, I plugged my cell phone and laptop chargers, my lamp, my blow-dryer and my iron. With the way dorm furniture is often set up, it can be difficult to access wall outlets, so a surge protector with several outlets is a complete necessity.
8. Nalgene.
   

   My favorite DVDs.

   The best way to stay hydrated in college is to carry around a reusable water bottle with you so you can refill it at any water fountain around campus. I never left the room without my Hopkins Nalgene.

9. Mattress pad. I can honestly say that my college existence was significantly happier, because of the wonder that is my mattress pad. Nothing makes me grouchier than having a bad night’s sleep, and the airy perfection that I slept on every night ensured that never happened. My advice is that if you are going to splurge on any pre-college purchase, treat yourself to a really gorgeous mattress pad. You will be thanking yourself all year long.
10. Bounce dryer sheets. Although I can never get my laundry at school to smell as good as when my mom does it for me at home, using Bounce dryer sheets definitely helps. My best friend Amanda insists on putting five dryer sheets in per load because she wants her towels and clothes to smell “delicious” but I find one or two usually does the trick.

Dear Summer Before Senior Year Marina,

My very last Winter Formal :(

I know that right now you are feeling frustrated. You have just spent a month in a writing program at the school you dreamt about for years and just realized that it is not only far from a dream school, but it is a “nightmare school.” While you feel more confident than ever about your writing skills, you’re unsure as to whether you should plan your entire life around a career in the field, or focus on your second love, Science. You’ve been pouring over the websites for a number of top schools, and the only feeling you get as you scan their virtual tours or read their Student Ambassador testimonies is nausea. The Common Application was released the first of this month and your parents have encouraged you to make an account. Every single day since. You took a look at the Application and became so intimidated by the sheer number of tabs that you shut your computer and went for a run, seven miles away from your dorm room. You feel like the only life skills you are gaining during your stint in Providence are the ability to purchase more clothing than can fit in any of your suitcases and a thorough knowledge of drug culture thanks to Junky, Naked Lunch, Girl Interrupted, and The Bell Jar. Your mother called to tell you your AP scores but she was either so enthused or enraged that you weren’t sure if she said “Five” or “One.” You are confused, weary, discouraged, overheated, and bored and you have absolutely no idea how to even begin the baffling task of applying to college.

Ski Team Girls during my last season; I'm second from the left.

I’m here to tell you to take a deep breath. Drink a cool glass of water. Do a few yoga poses. Eat a bowl of vegan ice cream. In the next four months, YOU, somehow, by some sort of fairy dust or flick of a wand: prepared applications to over 15 schools; applied early decision to one; had several interviews during which the most awkward thing was introducing yourself to someone who was not your interviewer and the best was talking for three hours about school traditions and getting to skip all of your afternoon classes; didn’t even have to wake up early to check your SAT scores because you’d already been awake for half an hour to get to crew practice; bought a college sweatshirt and wore it religiously; realized that there is nothing on earth you’d rather be doing than medicine;  and received an email with “Congratulations” in the subject line. While all of these momentous events are happening, please don’t forget to do a few of these seemingly mundane things as well: always get your Collegetown Bagels coffee card stamped, take the time to write a few pages each week, hug your friend Victoria every time you see her and every time you say goodbye, practice walking in heels, set your alarm five minutes earlier, and wear crop tops more often while your BMI is still 17. When you’re sitting in your kitchen two years later feeling old and lame, you’re not going to remember what the prompt for your Hopkins supplement was, but you are going to remember how much fun you had turning Mr. Woodward’s first period Biology class into a breakfast buffet every day of the week. You will have to struggle to recall your SAT scores, but you’ll definitely be able to relive the moment you put your keys onto your Senior lanyard. The days spent filling in your date of birth and parents’ education information will meld into the nights you spent at Cornell with your friends and the sunrises you watched come up over Cayuga Lake from your seat in a freezing, green racing shell. You may think that you have only one chance to apply to college, but you also only have one chance to be seventeen, to experience the fall of your senior year, to spend continuous time with the friends who will, in a year, become long-distance for the rest of your life.

Rowing!

I’m not going to tell you to not mess anything up simply because you won’t. I wish I could tell you to savor the feeling of waking up at 5 AM in your real bed or buying your first item for college (a hot water heater). To scream until you’re hoarse at the Slightly Stoopid concert in Philadelphia that you and your best friend snuck out to the week before your birthdays. To take more pictures of the people you love and to plaster your walls with them so you never forget even a freckle on one of your best friends’ faces. In the next two years you are going to meet so many incredible people; you are going to discover a field of study that answers all of the questions you’ve been wondering about your entire life; you are going to do your own laundry for the first time besides summer camp; you are going to receive a A+’s and F’s; you are going to drive 340 miles from Baltimore to Ithaca, all by yourself; you are going to lose one of your best friends; you are going to fall in love, with a school, a major, a sorority, a city, and a boy. I promise that even though what you feel right now is frustrated, there are a million other feelings for everything that happens in the next two years. When the times comes, you won’t need to worry about how to feel, so your job is just to put everything you can into that last slalom race, clean your room a couple extra times, and find an incredible dress for Prom. This is the last time in your life when things will feel slow; right now you’re a train picking up speed and it won’t be until your freshman year of college has been over for three months that you’ll realize that there is no “off” switch.

Sincerely,

Sophomore Year of College Marina