Why Hopkins: Admitted Student Blog

There’s something magical about free t-shirts, right? No matter where we are or where it’s from, everyone could always use one, and everyone always wants one. And what better reason to choose a university than the abundance of free T-shirts you will get?

As a freshman, you’ll be bombarded with t-shirts from student groups, academic departments, and many school-wide events. Let’s take a look at a year at Hopkins, all through the free t-shirts you can receive!

The year begins with Orientation, which begins in late August, and continues through the first week of school. Freshmen move in, learn how to navigate their way around campus, and also get to attend some cool events, like an Orioles game and a trip to the Inner Harbor, with passes to places like the Aquarium and the Viewing Deck of the Baltimore World Trade Center.

After the Convocation ceremony, your Class of 2016 banner (which will be designed / voted on by members of the Class of 2016 this summer) will be unveiled and hung in the library along with the 2013, 2014, and 2015 class banners.  Each member of the Class of 2016 will receive a Class of 2016 T-shirt with a picture of your banner on the back.

One of the last Orientation events is Dorm Wars. Every floor (or house, if you live in the AMRs) form a team, and compete against all the others, and get free t-shirts in the process.

In 2009, when President Daniels was inaugurated, he started the tradition of the Presidential Fun Run, a 2.5K non-competitive race.

To bring in the fall, ResLife (Residential Life) has fall cookies and cider and other treats, along with free Fall Fest t shirts to advertise the various fall events like Scary Movies on the Beach and a Haunted House.

Formal sorority and fraternity recruitment happens at the beginning of spring semester. Students in sororities and fraternities get plenty of t-shirts during Recruitment.

Each year we celebrate the birthday of Johns Hopkins on Commemoration Day and those who come wearing Hopkins apparel get a free shirt (sometimes there are free hats/scarves too)!

Lacrosse Season is a big deal at Hopkins. Our sport shirts have “The Nest” written on them (get it? Blue Jays, The Nest…”) The gym gives them out for free each year and students wear them to lacrosse games, and just in general.

At Hopkins, we have our Homecoming in the Spring (during lacrosse season). Many different student groups will design their own T-shirts to wear to the homecoming game.

One of the biggest events is Spring Fair, which occurs at the end of April. This is a student organized weekend of fun, with events including a concert (Passion Pit is headlining this year), the Freshman Quad covered in food vendors, a Beer Garden (for students 21+) in front of the President’s House, and a kid’s section.

In addition to campus events, various student groups also have free shirts:

But it’s not only events and student groups! Some academic departments, programs and labs also have t-shirts!

As a final word of advice, be sure not to bring too many of your high school t-shirts to Hopkins – you’re going to need to save room in your drawers for all of these free tees!