New Blue Jay on the Block

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Hello there, Hopkins Insiders! My name is Janice Heitsenrether and I’m very excited to have just recently joined the Johns Hopkins undergraduate admissions counseling team. Though I am new to the university, I am not new to college admissions. I have worked for over 12 years in admissions at my alma mater, Goucher College, which is a small liberal arts college in suburban Baltimore. I do have the privilege of being one of the only admissions staff members who is originally from Baltimore so I’m excited to have the opportunity to not only promote Johns Hopkins but to share with prospective students all that my amazing hometown has to offer to them as college students. I love that Baltimore is a HUGE college town and home to many other colleges and universities. There is so much for college-aged students and young professionals to take advantage of in Charm City, whether it’s taking in a Ravens or Orioles game, dining out at one of the many fantastic restaurants that are scattered throughout the city, or seeing a play or concert at one of the many venues that are here…some of them just steps from the Hopkins campus!

So far I have truly been impressed by how welcoming and down to earth everyone is here at Johns Hopkins. Although it is a world-renowned academic institution, the members of this community are very approachable, personable, and helpful. One of the things I appreciate most about Hopkins is that even though we draw students from all over the world, there is a true commitment the university has to its “backyard.” We bring in some of Baltimore’s best and brightest high school students through our Baltimore Scholars Program and I love that Hopkins runs the largest tutoring program in the city of Baltimore.

I was a French major in college and spent the fall semester of my junior year studying abroad in Paris, so I can really appreciate that over 500 Hopkins undergrads studied abroad last year, in over 30 countries! Our students definitely appreciate that as much as there is to learn here on the Homewood campus, there is still much that folks in other parts of the world can teach us. And there is so much to learn about yourself by getting out of your comfort zone and immersing yourself in a different culture and possibly a different language, even if it is for just a few weeks or months. Hopkins students definitely seem to learn by DOING, whether it’s through research, internships, community service or study abroad.

My recruitment territory here at Hopkins includes Ohio, Wisconsin, Wyoming, North and South Dakota, Montana and Idaho. I am also responsible for the applications for students from much of Asia. I’m really looking forward to getting to know some of the students from these regions and learning about what they can contribute to the Hopkins community. I hope that if any of you reading this blog are from these areas that you will write in with any questions you might have, or at the very least just say hello and introduce yourself to me.

When I’m not busy reading applications from prospective Johns Hopkins students (which is what I’m doing with most of my time these days!) I enjoy spending time with my husband, John, and my daughter, Claire. Most of my family members live in Maryland so I enjoy spending as much time with them as I can. Though I live in the suburbs of Baltimore, I try to get into the city as much as possible. Fells Point, Hampden, and Harbor East are some of my favorite neighborhoods. I love the performing arts and enjoy going to the Hippodrome and Center Stage, both here in Baltimore, to see productions. I’m not exactly the most sports-oriented or athletically-inclined person, but I do enjoy supporting the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles and I can’t wait until the lacrosse season starts up so I can go to my first Blue Jays game!

Again, I’m just really excited to be here at Hopkins and I look forward to reading lots of applications in the coming weeks and getting to know a lot of prospective (and admitted!) Hopkins students.

In Their Own Words: Counselors on the Application Process

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Hello from Mason Hall! I hope those of you affected by Superstorm Sandy are recovering and finding relief. With the Early Decision deadline behind us (unless you were impacted by the storm, in which case you have until Tuesday, Nov. 6th to submit your application) and the Regular Decision deadline swiftly approaching, we Insiders thought it would be fun to gather some advice and reflections on the application process from our counseling staff. Read on to learn what Shannon Miller, Katie Rieder, and John Birney do when they need a break from work, what grabs their attention in an application, and what they wish they had known when they were in your shoes.

1) What really piques your interest when you’re reading a file? What gets you most excited about a student?

Shannon Miller: The part of the application that piques my interest the most is definitely the essay. This is the part of the application where I feel like I REALLY get to know the student who I have been reading about in all of the other pieces. It is where I get to hear his/her voice and imagine him/her on our campus. I know the student is a fit for us when after reading the essay I can see them in one of our classrooms, imagine them as a great roommate, or picture them giving back to our community.

Katie Rieder: Students that are passionate, and that passion is palpable in their application. It doesn’t matter what the student is passionate about – it could be jump roping, building robots, or being in beauty pageants. But if I find myself wanting to know more because the student is so excited about it, that’s a very good thing.

John Birney: While academic achievements should be applauded, I’m really excited when I read students who are committed to being involved in various activities, and taking on leadership roles within them. Student-life is such a large part of what makes a school and its campus special, I do try to find students who will continue to make a positive impact on our campus by enhancing the various activities that excite them.

 2) If you could talk to your 17 year old self now, what is the one piece of advice you would give yourself about applying to college?

SM: Start earlier – I was a parent’s worst nightmare. I didn’t visit colleges until after I knew where I was admitted, and then we did a whirlwind tour of 7 colleges in 3 days. When it came to the application, I was THAT student submitting everything the night before the deadline. Now, don’t get me wrong, I LOVED my college experience (and definitely wouldn’t have changed it!), but the whole process would have been a lot easier and a lot less stressful if I had put a little more effort into it. I am NOT saying that you should be starting the college hunt in 7^th grade, or that you need to have your final list by 9^th. What I am saying is that during your junior year, you should start thinking about what you like, and how schools can match those interests, both inside and outside the classroom. Maybe, visit a few local schools – one large, one medium, and one small sized – to see where you feel comfortable. Then you can branch out further during the spring and summer, so when you go into your senior year, you have a solid list of where you want to apply. This will also allow you to focus on the application a bit earlier…maybe get some ideas rolling for that essay before the school year even starts. We all know that the fall of your senior year can be a bit crazy, so if some of the basic application stuff is already done, you can enjoy it a little more!

KR: Breathe.  It will work out.  And look forward to buying all new clothes. People dress very differently for college on the East Coast vs. the Midwest, where I grew up. That part of freshmen year was really fun.

JB: So much has changed since the days I applied to college! I would encourage myself to ask a lot of questions about what I really desire in a college experience, and then apply that to the vast amount of research that is available now, that wasn’t available then. Once I figured out my college choices, I would seriously consider applying Early Decision to my first choice school.

3) You’ve been reading applications for eight hours straight and you have one hour of “me time.” What do you do?

SM: It all depends on how I am feeling. Sometimes I will curl up on the couch and watch one of my favorite TV shows, sometimes I will go for a run, sometimes I’ll meet my friends for dinner, and sometimes I’ll go shopping. The one thing I do know about my “me time” is that I will definitely NOT be sitting by the computer…I need that time to give my eyes a break after all the reading I have been doing!

KR: Return all the clothes that I didn’t like/didn’t fit that I bought during an online shopping spree, which occurred while reading for 8 hours straight the week before. I obviously have a deep-seated shopping issue (see my answer to #2). I’d probably also make a nice dinner.

JB: Watch a Hopkins sporting event. It’s great to watch our competitive teams consistently win over our conference rivals – all while suppressing the memory that there are still more applications to read!

 4) Choose one of the Common App essay topics. Write the first four sentences of your response to this topic.

SM: “Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.”

I overheard my mom talking to my dad – “the washing machine is clogged AGAIN…this time, with pizza crust. I just got all of the noodles out yesterday!” My sister, Catie, sat in the hallway crying, not knowing any English, and definitely not understanding why my mom was so frustrated. Of course, Catie put her leftovers from dinner in her pockets. Where else was she supposed to hide them?

JB: “Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.”

I’m not someone who cries. That’s not to say that I never have, or never will again, it’s just that shedding a tear isn’t on my daily list of things-to-do. At the birth of my first son Jack, I cried (more like a sob).  When my second son Carter was born, there I was weeping again. I cried when I presented my sister at her wedding; I even shed a tear at the when I hear the “Christmas Shoes” song. I’m learning that crying is really not all that bad, and recently, I cried at work.

See? Counselors are human too. They take shopping  and sports breaks, have things they would change about their college processes, and have interesting stories to share!

Best of luck as you complete your applications, and check back soon for more exciting news from Homewood!

 

 

 

Meet Our New Admissions Counselor: Monique Hyppolite

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Hello Hopkins Insider readers!

My name is Monique Hyppolite and I am the latest addition to the Johns Hopkins Admissions team! I am extremely excited to be a part of Hopkins admissions and to learn even more about this amazing university and its students! Last Friday at the Students Activities Fair I got taste of how involved and active our students are not only on campus but in the community as well. 

A little bit more information about myself: I am a native New Yorker; I grew up on Long Island’s South Shore—when people hear that I’m from Long Island the first thing they usually say is “Oh really?! You don’t have the Lawwwwnguyland accent”…it never fails! I am a proud 2011 graduate of the University of Connecticut (GO HUSKIES!) where I earned a Bachelors of Science in Allied Health Sciences with a minor in Psychology. As an undergraduate I worked in the admissions office at UConn, which is where I first discovered it as a possible career path. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel with some of the admissions counselors (usually during the spring semesters) to meet accepted students and their families and talk to them about my experiences as a student. I was also fortunate enough to have professors that were flexible which allowed for me to go to Los Angeles, Dallas, San Francisco, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale and a couple of other places during my four years working in admissions. I saw a career in admissions as a way to travel, talk to different people from all over and help prospective students explore the options that exist for them beyond high school. I failed to mention earlier that my career goal going into college was to become a Physical Therapist; needless to say life has led me in a different direction!

 

Having worked at the University of Maryland before coming to Hopkins I have had a lot of different experiences beyond working in admissions as an undergrad. I am hoping to not only develop professionally but also bring a new perspective into the office! In the past couple of weeks I have really settled into my new home in Mason Hall with the help of my new colleagues.  I can’t wait to get on the road and recruit future Blue Jays!

A Heartfelt Farewell

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A little over a week ago I celebrated my 9th anniversary in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at Johns Hopkins University. Sadly, that will be the last milestone I reach in my professional career here at Hopkins. At the end of this week I will enter Mason Hall on the Homewood campus for the final time as an employee. In one of the most difficult decisions I have made in my life, I have resigned my position as Associate Director of Admissions and accepted a new position as Director of Communications for the Office of Admission at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

I never really expected to be writing a farewell Hopkins Insider blog entry, but this summer I received a couldn’t miss professional opportunity that will enable me to take my admissions career in a new direction. Though I have immensely enjoyed being an admissions counselor, at this point in my career I want to focus more on my interests in communications and marketing. This new position allows me to remain in the field of higher education and still involved in issues of undergraduate admissions. My new primary focus will be on the development and delivery of a distinct and cohesive admission message for Emory via a multitude of communications platforms. In so many ways, I am able to take my career in this new direction because of the work I have done at Hopkins—and specifically this blog—and for that I am eternally grateful.

Saying farewell to my second home is not going to be easy. Since making my decision to move south there has been a lot of time to reflect. Such a big move professionally leads someone to look back at when it all started. Growing up I never dreamed of being a college admissions professional and even after graduating college it did not seem to be in the cards. But after disliking my first career choice I looked back on my college years and realized the most fun I had was being a campus tour guide. Then I began to look at my strengths and talk to people who knew me well and two themes became apparent. First, I was a good talker, and second I knew a lot about searching for the right college. So what started as an experiment back in January 1999 when I got my first admissions job has turned into a career, and one I truly love.

I was drawn to the cyclical tasks of a college admissions recruiter and evaluator: recruitment travel, on-campus programming, and application review. I got to use my talent as a strong speaker and I got to engage with the counseling aspect of the profession. As I transitioned to Hopkins I still had passion for these admissions roles but I also began to expand my connection to the areas of communications and marketing. While each year passed and an experiment in a new profession became a career, my reasons for enjoying this career evolved. Finally, in a reflective moment this past spring I realized the parts of my job that I initially was drawn too were not the same tasks that motivated me and therefore a change was needed.

The leadership at Hopkins has allowed me over the past nine years to experiment and explore greatly in the field of communications, especially as it relates to incorporating new media (a.k.a social media) platforms into the traditional recruitment and retention plan. This exploration began with the launch of this Hopkins Insider blog in December 2005, then blossomed with the expansion of Hopkins Interactive, and now represents one of the most comprehensive social media programs for a university in the nation. Nearly seven years ago I wrote in the first of my over 300 blog posts – Who and What is the Hopkins Insider? –

The Hopkins Insider blog is one part of this new endeavor – consider it a behind-the-scenes look at how Admissions works at such a highly selective institution. Over the coming weeks and months, this blog will give you access into the often confusing and hidden operations of an Undergraduate Admissions office as well as provide you with a resource for asking questions. This will become your personal window into the application review process and you will become connected to the personalities that make up the Admissions selection committee.

I didn’t realize back then what I was starting would become a major component of the everyday work of a college admissions office. Admissions blogs that provide a transparent and accessible connection to the inner working of the selection process as well as other forms of social media outreach by formerly reclusive admissions staff is not only commonplace, but now expected. I am proud that we were ahead of the curve at Hopkins, and that as I depart for a new challenge I leave the Admissions Office with a true legacy and a game plan for remaining at the top of the heap.

The other component of reflection is what I will miss after my departure. This is much harder for me to write about as I will miss so much and thinking about that yields a ton of emotions. (Yes, tears will be shed as I write this.) I will miss the university and the community that exists at Homewood. Hopkins has a great advantage over so many other urban institutions in its physical location and design. The majesty of the Homewood campus breeds an engaged populace and caring community, and even as the campus has expanded during my tenure it is constantly reflecting on how to continue to connect community. (Just check out the new Brody Learning Commons.) I will miss the friendly nature of Homewood: from the people in Levering who always say hello when I go to get a sandwich or drink; to sitting in the Nest rooting on the Men’s Lacrosse team to victory; to the staff at PJ’s during Taco Tuesday; and to the Hop Cops who are always fun to chat with. I will also miss greatly the professional staff I have gotten to work so closely with outside of Mason Hall. There are so many passionate and intelligent members of the staff and faculty at Hopkins who aided me in my growth, stimulated me with their creativity, and taught me about the inner workings of a prestigious institution of higher education.

I will also greatly miss my colleagues in the Admissions Office. You all have become much more than colleagues. You are my friends. You are my mentors. You are the people who inspire and challenge me, and you are the people who have most enabled me to grow professionally. I will cherish so much from the experience we have shared, the lessons we have learned together, and all of our collective successes and failures. As I fear I will miss out on certain people, I do not want to single out any one individual in this blog but rather thank all of my colleagues past and present, as each and every one of you has left a mark on me personally and professionally.

It is also sad to leave behind the prospective community, the students and families I work with in on a daily basis educating them about Hopkins and assisting in navigating the sometimes confusing admissions selection process. Though this community changes year to year and I never really get to know these people in an in-depth way, I feel much of my enjoyment over the past nine years stems from the connections I have with prospective students and applicants. In my new job I will be working closely with a prospective community again, one that is quite similar, but my engagement will be different. I will miss visiting a high school and chatting with a small group of students about the humanities at Hopkins or how residence life works. I will miss standing in front of a thousand people at an Open House acting as a “cruise director,” providing advice on how to best navigate their day. I will miss using a bullhorn on Decker Quad during SOHOP, or driving a golf cart along St. Paul’s Street after midnight making sure everyone is safe. And I will greatly miss writing entries for this blog.

Now I come to the part of this farewell blog that I have been dreading; how do I say goodbye to “my kids”? I often use that phrase to describe the Student Admissions Advisory Board (SAAB), the group of Hopkins students I have advised and who have been instrumental in all things Hopkins Interactive related. When I started at Hopkins I never imagined that a group of current students making up an admissions volunteer group would be the most significant part of my job. But when I reflect the most significant memories tend to always involved SAABers past and present.

About a year and a half ago I posted a blog called the “SAAB Legacy” where I discussed the impact that a group of past SAABers had on me. I concluded that blog by writing:

These 13 special students have meant the world to me and I consider them in many ways my children. I will look after them for as long as I can, and will provide them with any assistance they ever need. They have inspired me, they have challenged me, they have made me laugh, they have made me cry, they have displayed true creativity, and they have in the end created something memorable and unique. They have kept me in the loop and allowed me to be a small part of their successes. They have left a true legacy.

By overseeing SAAB I have learned leadership skills, I have been challenged to make difficult decisions, I have managed diverse personalities, and I have developed cardinal organizational rules that assist in project management. I will be bringing all these skills with me to Emory and I know my experiences with SAAB will lead to success in my new endeavors. But I will also be bringing with me a collection of memories that I will reflect on when I need inspiration. (I really wish someone would create an actual Dumbledore pensieve as that would make this so much easier.) I hope “my kids” realize what they have meant to me and I hope the followers of Hopkins Interactive realize how uniquely special Hopkins students can be.

Some may read my emotions and not understand them because they see this just as a job and the natural progression of moving from one job to the next. However, this has never been just a job to me and the people I am leaving are my second family. I am eagerly anticipating this next professional challenge, but it is hard to close the book on my time at Hopkins. Though Hopkins is not my alma mater, I have spent nine years here and feel more of a connection to the Blue Jay community then I do to my actual alma mater. Despite moving on, I plan to continue to sing the praises of Johns Hopkins University and look forward to future events such as a hopeful lacrosse championship next Memorial Day.

One Hopkins-related item I surely will continue to follow while in Atlanta and encourage you all to do so as well is the Hopkins Insider blog. I am leaving the blog in truly capable hands and expect great entries in the future. There will now be four full-time Admissions bloggers who will continue to provide a personal window into the admissions process at Johns Hopkins University. But more so these four different personalities will cover a wide-range of issues and provide a more comprehensive array of topics than I was ever able to do back in the day. From Shannon you will learn from a seasoned admissions professional as she enters her eighth year at Hopkins. From Laurin and Ardi you will shadow the experiences of admissions counselors in their first professional year, who also both happen to be recent JHU graduates. And from Shelly you will hear from the main contributor to the Admissions Office’s current communications and marketing efforts. Truly capable hands!

When thinking of how to conclude this final blog entry, unfortunately, words fail me. I will just say thank you to everyone and you all will be sorely missed. I hope over the years I have assisted you, I have advised you, I have motivated you, and on occasion made you laugh.

Cheers!

1, 2, 3, 4…I WANT MORE

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Aaaaand I’m back.  For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Ardi Mendoza.  I have the pleasure of being the newest addition to the admissions counseling staff at Johns Hopkins University.  I am a 2012 graduate of JHU, where I majored in neuroscience and have a minor in Spanish for professions.  As the title of this blog suggests, I’m ready for a few more years at Hopkins after just finishing the last four and am very lucky to be hired back as a new admissions counselor.

To start things off, like my colleague and Class of 2012 graduate/new admissions counselor Admissions_Laurin, I too have an interesting story about my name.  To clarify, my first name, Ardi, is not short for anything (no Arthurs, Arturos, or even the shorter, but often proposed, Artey).  I got my name from my parents, Ramon and Dulce, who took the first letters of their first names and added them together.  Always thinking ahead, they didn’t want my name to just be two random consonants, so they added the A and I vowels to preserve the sound RD and add some character.  Because of that, I’ve always been fascinated by the history and reasons behind names (onomastics for all those vocabulary buffs out there).  It certainly helps to be working at a school with a name history as rich as mine, JohnS Hopkins!  (To find out what that history is, you can check out http://apply.jhu.edu/facts/history.html.  Also, to make sure you never forget it, read this blog written by JHU_Lucie: Once and For All.)

I am originally from Waldwick, NJ, a suburban town in northern New Jersey.  After graduating from the local public school in my town, Waldwick High School (Warrior Pride!), I came over to JHU in fall 2008.  As a neuroscience major, I was able to learn all about the intricacies of the human nervous system and the nervous systems of other living organisms from an amazing faculty.  I took some incredible classes on some of the big topics in the neuroscience field today such as Psychopharmacology, Diseases and Disorders of the Nervous System, and Neurobiology of Learning and Memory.  I also had the opportunity to research the effects of different genes and their associations with brain degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

However, not all my time was spent in science labs.  I took Spanish classes throughout my four years at Hopkins and was able to study abroad for a summer in Salamanca, Spain.  After spending 5 weeks at one of the oldest universities in Europe, the University of Salamanca, my friend and I took 2 weeks to travel around to 8 different countries (Italy, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, England, Portugal, and back to Spain).  For anyone who follows soccer, that was the summer of 2010, when I got to watch Spain win the World Cup in Barcelona, Spain.  To this day, I still remember the packed Plaça d’Espanya with flags waving and fireworks going off (I also may have jumped in a fountain or two with the locals during the celebration).  With these experiences, I was able to start a Spanish internship in the Esperanza Center in Fell’s Point, Baltimore, where I translated for medical professionals and helped patients find ways to finance their treatments.

My experiences at Hopkins went much farther than just the classroom.  Here at JHU, I was a member of the Student Government Association (SGA), where I was a class senator the first two years, class president my junior year, and executive president of the SGA my senior year.  Along with that, I was a member of the fraternity Sigma Phi Epsilon here on campus and did a little acting as well.  Much of my time was spent at the admissions office, where I volunteered as a tour guide in our Blue Key Society, a prospective student host for our Hopkins Hosting Society, and a student interviewer for our Admissions Representative Program.  I even wrote a guest blog or two for Hopkins Interactive; one of which can be found here: The Hopkins 500: One of the Many Myths About Hopkins.  Eventually, I worked for admissions as a member of the Public Relations staff and as an intern for the admissions officers in the spring of my senior year.

My time at Hopkins was a fantastic college experience, filled with friends and memories that will last me forever.  I lived in AMR II Baker House my freshmen year with a group of people who became my closest friends throughout college.  We were involved all over campus, and through them, I was able to experience everything the campus had to offer.  MSE and FAS Speaker events, a cappella concerts, club sports events, lacrosse games in the spring time, Spring Fair weekends…we did them all.  Years later, I know I will still be close to all of these people and come back to campus to attend all these events with them.  But for now, I’m really excited to have some more time to do it all again, especially since my sister is now here as a rising sophomore.

With my involvement in the Hopkins Insider blog (and through my twitter role…follow me @Admissions_Ardi), I hope to present a useful perspective of the undergraduate experience that readers might not necessarily get everywhere.  Being a recent Hopkins alum, I can really talk about everything that goes on here from both my own memories and from my sister’s experiences (hopefully, I can rope her into writing a blog or two).  Like Admissions_Laurin, I too hope to provide another important a view of our school: the life of a Hopkins grad, including work life, future plans and aspirations, and how I plan to translate all of my great experiences at Hopkins into new post-grad experiences.  I look forward to writing for the Hopkins Insider and helping all of you in the admissions process.

Home Sweet Home(wood)

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Hello there, Hopkins Insider readers! My name is Laurin Wolf, and I’m the newest addition to the admissions counseling staff at JHU. I’m so excited to be part of the team and to help represent my alma mater. Yes, I’m also a proud 2012 graduate of Johns Hopkins! Over my past four years on the Homewood campus, I completed a degree in the Writing Seminars, met a lot of amazing people (some of whom will be my friends for life), and learned a lot about myself. I also went on many adventures in Charm City, where I learned important life skills like how to eat a crab.

Here’s a little bit about me: I’m from a small town in Minnesota, where lakes, ice hockey, and the Mall of America reign (and no, I don’t think I have a Minnesota accent, although some people disagree). My name is really, actually spelled L-a-u-r-I-n (I’m named for my paternal grandfather, who went through almost his entire life never knowing the correct spelling of his own name). I feel a deep kinship with our founder, Johns Hopkins, as I have no doubt that he, too, was constantly having to confirm the spelling of his first name (“Yes, yes, you heard me right… that’s Johnssssss Hopkins”).  As a student at JHU, I was a member of a sorority, served on the staff of a literary publication, joined a community service/running club in downtown Baltimore (you can read my Hopkins Interactive guest blog about that experience here), studied abroad in Barcelona, held multiple internships and, as you might have guessed, hung around the Admissions Office a lot! I was a Blue Key tour guide, an Admissions Representative, and a student worker during my four years here. When I found out about the open Admissions Counselor position, I was totally psyched. The job combined many of the things I was looking for in a career—the opportunity to meet new people, see new places, and use my writing skills—AND I would get to get to do all of this on behalf of the school I loved. Plus I would get to spend even more time with your favorite bloggers Admissions_Daniel and Admissions_Shannon—and who wouldn’t want that?!

Like the rest of the counselors here in the office, I’ll be hitting the road in the fall for recruitment travel and I am thrilled about this aspect of my job. That’s because I’ll get to meet some of you in person!  My territory will include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming. You’ll start seeing more and more of me on this site, as another part of my role in the Admissions Office will be overseeing the fantastic group of students who contribute to Hopkins Interactive, more formally known as the Student Admissions Advisory Board (SAAB). I’ll also be supporting the Admissions Representatives with my colleague (and fellow Hopkins alum!) Dana Messinger. I have a feeling that every day in this office is going to be a little bit different, and that makes me even more excited to be on board.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve given my first solo information sessions in front of groups of prospective students and their parents. It was a little nerve-wracking at first but mostly a lot of fun! I love engaging with people and I could probably talk about JHU for 5 hours straight (though that would be a little boring for my group and exhausting for me). My next challenge is to figure out ways to make my info session my own and discover my unique voice when I’m up in front of a crowd, while still dispensing all the key points. As a Writing Sems major, this is something I’ve worked on a lot, so I’m looking forward to putting those skills into practice in a new way. I’ve also been busy planning my first trips and learning more about the ins and outs of the office. I’m going to a conference for local admissions counselors at the University of Delaware at the end of the month, where I’ll have the opportunity to meet some of my colleagues from peer institutions.

In addition to sharing my musings on the life of a first-year Admissions Counselor, I also hope to give all of you readers some insights into the life of a recent Hopkins grad living in the city and taking on the “real world.” I expect that this transition will provide moments of triumph, frustration, and downright hilariousness (much like my freshman year of college, actually)! For example, all three were rolled into one incident late last week when I found myself standing on a rickety set of plastic drawers wearing a pair of platform high heels, desperately trying to detach a faulty smoke detector whose incessant beeping threatened to keep me awake all night. Granted, it was probably not the safest choice I’ve ever made (don’t try this at home!) but I think it was a good use of my Hopkins-learned ingenuity. Next order of business: befriend a giant, or at least someone with a ladder. As silly as all of this may sound, I hope that my quest to find balance and happiness in my LAC (Life After College) will be interesting and useful to you, too.

Well, the summer heat is certainly on here in Baltimore, but it’s nice and cool in Mason Hall (it’s actually freezing—I’m wearing a fleece jacket and a blanket as I type this! That’s one aspect of office life I haven’t yet adjusted to). Come visit us if you have a chance (there’s still time to check out a Hopkins Preview this month), and enjoy the rest of the sweet summer. Until next time…

Meet Your Admissions Counselor XI: Calvin Wise

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Name: Calvin Wise

Region: Maryland (all counties except Howard, Prince George’s, and Anne Arundel), Washington State, and Oregon

Educational Background: B.A. in Economics from St. Mary’s College of Maryland

JHU Start Date: August 31^st 2011

Years in Admissions: This is my 3^rd year.

Why did you choose to go into college admissions?

I wanted to work in a profession where I could make a difference.  Every day, I get to help students through one of the most difficult processes they have experienced to date.

What do you like best about working in admissions at Johns Hopkins University?

Here at Hopkins, I have the opportunity to evaluate some of the most interesting students in the country.  It’s very exciting to see them bring their potential to our campus community.

What is your ideal set-up for reading applications?

My ideal set-up consists of a hot beverage, my iTunes, and close proximity to the kitchen.

What do you do when you need a break from application reading?

When I need a break from reading, I like to exercise.  It always clears my mind so I can refocus.

What is one of the quirkiest things an applicant ever did with their application?

For the JHU supplement question #2, a student once listed all the different quirks about herself.  I thought it was funny and unique.

What makes an application essay really stand out for you?

Essays that really show an applicant’s character and personality stand out the most to me.  The goal is to read an application and feel like I know the student without having met them.

What is the funniest thing you’ve overheard or seen while at Johns Hopkins?

During an information session I was giving, I saw Santa Claus walking through our lobby.  Pretty amazing.

If you could take a class at Hopkins, which one and why?

I would take the class Baltimore and The Wire because it focuses on one of my favorite shows.

What is your favorite place on the Homewood campus?

My favorite place would be the fitness center.  It has everything I need to work out and there is always a pick-up basketball game going.

If you could teach an Intersession class, what would be the class name and description?

Peter-topia: The Political and Social Significance of Family Guy. Using the popular television show Family Guy as our focal point, we will closely examine popular culture references.

What is the craziest question you’ve ever been asked while recruiting for Johns Hopkins?

A student once asked me if we performed background investigations on all of our applicants.

If you could be a student at Hopkins for a day, what would you look forward to most?

I would look forward to meeting new people.  Our campus is full of students from all around the world with different backgrounds.

If you could join any Hopkins club or organizations, which one would you join?

I would join the Multicultural Student Volunteers of course!  MSV is an organization that assists the Office of Admissions in recruiting and enrolling a diverse incoming class.  My reason for joining MSV is not because I’m partial (well maybe).  It is because MSV is a group that combines students from all of the different backgrounds represented on our campus.

What song or book or movie makes you think of your college days and why?

The movie that makes me think of my college days is definitely Wedding Crashers.  It came out on DVD during my freshman year and we watched it literally every day.

If a movie was made about your life, who would play your part and why?

I would have to say Will Smith because we have similar personalities.

Meet Your Admissions Counselor X: Chloe Rothstein

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Name: Chloe Rothstein

Region: Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming and Mexico.

Educational Background: B.A. in Political Science and a Spanish minor, Stanford University. In the process of attaining a M.S.Ed in Higher Education at the University of Pennsylvania.

JHU Start Date: July 23, 2007

Years in Admissions: 4 ½

Why did you choose to go into college admissions?

I like trying to envision how young people will contribute to the Johns Hopkins community and, moreover, how attending JHU might have a longstanding impact on that individual and his or her family and community. It is also fun to try to get to know someone via an application, especially after meeting face-to-face, and picture him or her on campus.

What do you like best about working in admissions at Johns Hopkins University?

My two favorite things are that: 1) we have a ton of current students working in our office and get to learn so much about the university through them and 2) that we have a lot of flexibility to advocate for the students we most admire during the admissions process.

What is your ideal set-up for reading applications?

My ideal set-up for reading applications is settling down in my comfy clothes at my desk at home for a day of reading applications. I love being near the kitchen so I have access to plenty of tea and whatever snacks I need to get me through the day.

What do you do when you need a break from application reading?

I usually check exciting new Facebook posts, do another admissions project or go to the gym for a quick break.

What is one of the quirkiest things an applicant ever did with their application?

Once someone sent a pair of bedazzled jeans in as part of their application!

What makes an application essay really stand out for you?

Essays that make an application stick out from all the others I read in a day are usually genuine, to the point and employ detailed visuals to get the main point across. Showing is always better than telling. If the admissions counselor puts down your essay feeling as though he or she really has a grasp of who you are you have definitely succeeded.

What is the funniest thing you’ve overheard or seen while at Johns Hopkins?

Meeting 30 students to blow up 600 balloons at 3 a.m. in order to decorate before our admitted student program last year was pretty awesome. We had a lot of fun. See an attached picture!

If you could take a class at Hopkins, which one and why?

Adam Sheingate teaches a really interesting course in the Political Science Department called “Food Politics.” I had the opportunity to sit in on this course during our admitted student program last year. Prof. Sheingate was a really captivating speaker and gave a brief overview of the course that covers genetically modified food, international conflicts over agriculture subsidies, food safety and obesity.

What is your favorite place on the Homewood campus?

One of my favorite things about the Homewood campus is that although you have all of the amenities of a city, there are a lot of spots on campus where you feel as though you are miles away from urban living. One of my favorite spots is on the two-mile loop that surrounds campus; there are so many trees and on parts of it you essentially feel as though you are in the woods.

If you could teach an Intersession class, what would be the class name and description?

How to survive post-dining hall and pre-cooking skills: the most delicious instant meals of Lean Cuisine, Amy’s, Evol and so many more…

What is the craziest question you’ve ever been asked while recruiting for Johns Hopkins?

Last year while I was on the road a student asked if Hopkins had a medical school!

If you could be a student at Hopkins for a day, what would you look forward to most?

I would love to be a freshman for the day and eat dinner at FFC, where all freshmen dine. It has an unlimited dessert bar :-)

If you could join any Hopkins club or organizations, which one would you join?

From Classroom to Community

What song or book or movie makes you think of your college days and why?

Dancing to Usher’s “Yeah.”

If a movie was made about your life, who would play your part and why?

Lisa Loeb because she’s quirky, fun and I’m her doppelganger.

Want to know even more about Chloe Rothstein? Re-visit some of her past Admissions Staff Profiles: January 31, 2008, March 10, 2010.

Meet Your Admissions Counselor VIII: Bryan Nance

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Name: Bryan G. Nance

Region:  Delaware, New Jersey

Educational Background: B.S. Sociology, Norfolk State University; MPA, University of Delaware

JHU Start Date: 12 September 2011

Years in Admissions: 12

Why did you choose to go into college admissions?
I enjoy working with young people and in learning organizations.

What do you like best about working in admissions at Johns Hopkins University?
I enjoy interacting with really cool students.

What is your ideal set-up for reading applications?

What do you do when you need a break from application reading?
I am currently engrossed in reading the Hunger Games series. (I hope to finish the first book before the movie is released)

What is one of the quirkiest things an applicant ever did with their application?
Once an applicant sent a life sized 6-foot cutout of himself.

What makes an application essay really stand out for you?
When I get a chance to understand who an applicant really is and how they will fit into the Hopkins community.

What is the funniest thing you’ve overheard or seen while at Johns Hopkins?
I once heard two physics majors describe a hockey goalie as a quantum singularity.

If you could take a class at Hopkins, which one and why?
I love physics! I read Brian Greene for fun. (I don’t always understand it…) I would nevertheless take Condensed Matter Physics.

What is your favorite place on the Homewood campus?
Decker Quad… Where else can you watch live Quidditch matches?

If you could teach an Intersession class, what would be the class name and description?
BBQ for Dummies. Because EVERYBODY needs to know how to smoke something on a grill.

What is the craziest question you’ve ever been asked while recruiting for Johns Hopkins?
Where is Johns Hopkins located? (I was less than 10 miles away from campus when asked that question.)

If you could be a student at Hopkins for a day, what would you look forward to most?
Intellectual discourse.

If you could join any Hopkins club or organizations, which one would you join?
Blue Jay ROTC Battalion. As a former Army Officer I bleed black and gold.  “Go Army, Beat Navy”. I would also join the Black Student Union. Their description says it all: “To stimulate Black unity, respect, and self-consciousness.”

What song or book or movie makes you think of your college days and why?
Glory Days by Bruce Springsteen.  Because no matter how great it was, you can never go back again.

If a movie was made about your life, who would play your part and why?
Captain Kirk would play me because he beat the Kobayashi Maru. Like him, I don’t believe in the no-win scenario. “No win. No Glory.”

 

Meet Your Admissions Counselor VII: Shannon Miller

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Name: Shannon Miller

Region:Alaska, California, and Hawaii

Educational Background: Gettysburg College, Spanish Major

JHU Start Date: August 8, 2005

Years in Admissions: 6 ½ years

Why did you choose to go into college admissions?
As an undergraduate student at Gettysburg, I absolutely loved volunteering and working in the Admissions Office. When I graduated, it seemed to be a logical next step. After talking to a Gettysburg grad who worked at Hopkins, he let me know he was leaving. He offered to put my resume in for the position, and the rest is history.

What do you like best about working in admissions at Johns Hopkins University?
The thing I like best about working in admissions is interacting with current students. When you get firsthand accounts of their research projects, team accomplishments, new groups being started, and weekends in Baltimore, it makes it that much easier to talk to and find prospective students that will be a fit for the university. Beyond that, their vibrant personalities and entertaining stories can always put a smile on your face!

What is your ideal set-up for reading applications?
I am currently still working through this – since I moved this summer, I am trying to find a comfortable reading space. Right now, I am at the dining room table with my big monitor and some Hershey bars.

What do you do when you need a break from application reading?
Depends on the day – bake, go for a run, eat ice cream with hardshell, do some online shopping.

What is one of the quirkiest things an applicant ever did with their application?
One of my first years here, the applicant put their essay in their old, smelly, dirty running shoe…this was when our application was on paper, so I had to dig it out. Needless to say, I much prefer reading online.

What makes an application essay really stand out for you?
When someone takes an everyday topic and makes it their own – don’t start your essay with something like “The most inspirational person in my life is my mom,” or “Interact has been my most meaningful activity.” I know you can be more creative than that!

What is the funniest thing you’ve overheard or seen while at Johns Hopkins?
One time, a Hopkins student asked me if a Salutatorian was someone who rode horses…sometimes the brightest of students can say the silliest things!

If you could take a class at Hopkins, which one and why?
Food and Dining in the Ancient World with Professor Roller – I love food and am fascinated by classics…I wish I would have taken more classes in this area when I was in college.

What is your favorite place on the Homewood campus?
The Archaeological Museum – I feel like every time I visit, I discover something new.

If you could teach an Intersession class, what would be the class name and description?
Baltimore Bucket List: Things to Do While You Are a Student in Charm City – Feel like you’ve been caught up in academics and activities on campus? Haven’t had the time to get out and explore Baltimore? Now is your chance! Every class involves a field trip to explore one of the many great things this city has to offer. (FYI, Restaurant Week is during Intersession.)

What is the craziest question you’ve ever been asked while recruiting for Johns Hopkins?
“I only have two F’s on my transcript – you said extracurriculars were really important though, right?”

If you could be a student at Hopkins for a day, what would you look forward to most?
Eating at the FFC – who doesn’t love a buffet and dessert with every meal?

If you could join any Hopkins club or organizations, which one would you join?
Spring Fair Committee – I really like organizing, they get awesome gear (yay free t-shirts!), and you get to drive a golf cart for the weekend. Also, rumor has it there is free food (another thing you will love in college!)

What song or book or movie makes you think of your college days and why?
Brittany Spears – I’m A Slave For You – One of my roommates got a web cam so she could talk to her friends from home while at school. Instead, late one night, we thought it would be a good idea to make a music video for this song. It was classic.

If a movie was made about your life, who would play your part and why?
Tina Fey – I think she would do a good job of rocking a mullet, just like I did growing up.

Want to know even more about Shannon Miller? Re-visit some of her past Admissions Staff Profiles: January 17, 2006, February 4, 2008, March 15, 2010.