Where have we been??

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If you know us, you know that I’m not a fan of the double punctuation mark. BUT (I’m also not a fan of needless capitalization, for the record) I think it’s warranted in this case. Many of our regular followers have probably been wondering where we’ve been for the past month or so. There are a few answers to that:

–holding events for admitted students

–reading transfer files

–traveling to different areas of the country to give presentations

–preparing for summer and fall visits

Those are just some of the fun things we’ve been working on during our little hiatus. But now we’re back and excited to catch you up on happenings in the JHU Office of Undergraduate Admissions!

Check back tomorrow for information just for transfer applicants, and keep reading soon for updates from the road, information on visiting us this summer, and random musings on admissions life here in Baltimore.

Thanks for your patience!

JHU Around the World: Turkey

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Welcome to JHU Around the World, a collection of my thoughts and musings as I travel the world representing Hopkins! I’m Dana M., and this is my fourth year back at JHU working in admissions (I’m also an alum – I graduated in 2001 as a Political Science major).  I have traveled abroad on my own and for Hopkins before, but this year, I am literally spanning the globe!  By the middle of November, I will have traveled to 8 countries on 3 continents, with 5 languages and 8 currencies.  Just don’t quiz me on what day or time it is, and I should be fine!

This is the third of several travel blogs I will be writing. You can read about my experiences in China here and London,  and stay tuned for adventures from France and the Caribbean.  Also, if you are from Paris, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad & Tobago or Jamaica, you can come hear me talk about Hopkins!

To RSVP an Explore Hopkins or Group Travel, click here:
 Caribbean

Istanbul is probably one of my all time favorite cities (and I grew up in Manhattan!).  When I realized I’d be traveling to to 8 countries, and 3 US cities (plus a return to trip to France in a couple of weeks), I was happy to see Turkey on the list.  Two years ago, I traveled to Greece and Turkey for JHU and was able to see some of the highlights of the city (the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Aya Sofia, etc).  Istanbul is often described as East meets West, and it is.  It is at once both exotic and foreign and incredibly cosmopolitan and European.  It’s a city I simultaneously feel both at home at and pushed outside of my comfort zone.  Sadly, my stay in Istanbul was much shorter than the last time, but I am plotting a summer vacation…..

I spent my birthday flying from London to Istanbul.  I’ve always been a big fan of birthday celebrations, so I can’t say this will be  my most memorable birthday of all time, but the hotel recommended a great restaurant when I arrived (one suggested to me two years ago by a separate hotel).  So I brought my book (Storm of Swords – or vol 3 of Game of Thrones), and set off for a great, late meal.

If you’ve read my previous blogs, you may have noticed my frequent comments on local cuisine.  I have always loved good food, so I packed my appetite and running shoes for this 4 week trip (I find it best to strike a healthy balance, especially on a long trip with so many varied and fabulous meals).  Turkish food is delightful.  It’s Mediterranean in flavor, simple, heathy, and absolutely delicious.

I spent my first full day in the city meeting with a great group of students at Uskadar and Koc.  At Koc, I was also able have lunch with a handful of Early Decision candidates (yay!) and do an evening case studies program with juniors and their parents.  I am the oldest of two and remember feeling completely baffled by the college process my junior year, so I actually enjoy trying to provide a little clarrity on such an important, dread enducing, and confusing process.  After the presentation, our Koc hosts – Larry, Didem, Asuman, Nilufer and Azziz – took the  four of us college counselors out to a Syrian/Turkish dinner (more food!).
I attended the CIS college fair on my second day in Istanbul. The fair didn’t start until 2pm, so Bridget from Colgate and I set off to bargain at the Grand Bazaar.  I had a whole plan of buying a soft, plush hammam bathrobe for my brother’s birthday this  month but was quickly thrown off track by the stalls and stalls of beautiful silk scarves.  I did look at some robes too, but felt oddly indecisive and paralayzed by the different styles and options (I was the goldilox of bathrobes!  Too long. Not soft enough.  Wrong color.  Too short.  It was terrible!).  I can’t say I’m a pro at haggling, but I am very happy to report that I bought some lovely scarves for myself and some other people (though, not my brother – any suggestions on a good gift?).

Sunday in Turkey was a free day for me.  I have been delighted to write about a number of sight seeing adventures, but for the most part, I have worked six or even seven days a week (with perhaps an hour or two in there to squeeze in a little adventure).  I had the option of either staying in Istanbul or flying early to Izmir and attending what I lovingly reffer to as a class trip to Ephesus, an active archeological sight.  Victoria from American Collegiate Institute in Izmir graciously planned a trip to this Roman ruin for any college counselor who was flying to Izmir a day early for their fair.  Having already seen some of the major sights in Istanbul, I opted instead to fly to Izmir early and head out with about 20 other college reps to see the ruins.

Admissions reps like myself spend a good part of their time giving presentations to students and parents, so when I say that we all thought our tour guide, Volcan, was fabulous, please know this is very high praise.  He has been giving tours there for 16 years and knows a lot about Roman mythology, the history of the city, and the archelogical dig and recunstruction going on right now.  More than that, he seemed excited to tell us about it.  I went into the trip know very little about the dig, but left with some great, did you know, facts.  For example:

1) Mark Anthony and Cleopatra honeymooned in Ephesus.  As a sign of respect to greet the guests of honor, citizens would throw red wine on the marble walk ways.  A red carpet is still of way of honorring an important guests.

2) Archeologists can tell the size of a Roman city bases on the largest theater in the city.  Roman cities would build their theaters to hold roughly 10% of the population of the city.  By dividing the seating surface (or tush area) of the arena by the size of the average Roman, archeologists can tell roughly how many citizens lived there.  Ephasus was home to about 225,000 people.

3) While Romans were welcoming to other religions, beliefs, and ways of life (there’s even a menorah engraved on the steps of the library), soldiers captured during battle were often sold as slaves or used as gladiators to entertain the people.  To protect the upper class from these gladiators with nothing to live for, the theater had a big mote in between the stage and the first row (the  VIP seats) that would be filled with fire.  Archers were also placed on the top of the arena to shoot down any gladiators that thought they might take out their captives with one dying leap into the first row.

Fun, right? (yes, I am a history nerd)

My last day in Izmir and Turkey was spent attending the ACI college fair.  The fair didn’t begin until after school, so a group of us headed to the bazaar to do a little more shopping (can you guess what I bought?) and have one more great meal, complete with baklava (yum!).  That night, I took a late flight back to Istanbul and headed out to Paris early the next morning.

Stay tuned for my report from Paris and don’t forget to register for Group Travel in the Caribbean.

JHU Around the World: China

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Welcome to JHU Around the World, a collection of my thoughts and musings as I travel the world representing Hopkins! I’m Dana M., and this is my fourth year back at JHU working in admissions (I’m also an alum – I graduated in 2001 as a Political Science major).  I have traveled abroad on my own and for Hopkins before, but this year, I am literally spanning the globe!  By the middle of November, I will have traveled to 8 countries on 3 continents, with 5 languages and 8 currencies.  Just don’t quiz me on what day or time it is, and I should be fine!

This is the first of several travel blogs I will be writing, so stay tuned for entries from the UK, Turkey, France and the Caribbean.  Also, if you are from London, Paris, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad & Tobago or Jamaica, you can come hear me talk about Hopkins!

To RSVP an Explore Hopkins or Group Travel, click here:
 London
 Paris
 Caribbean

 And now back to China….

This was my first trip to China, so in addition to meeting with a host of Chinese applicants, I wanted to see a little of the country (a little - it’s a VERY big country).

I landed in Beijing on September 16th after a VERY long flight.  I observe Rosh Hashanah and this is the first year I haven’t traveled home for either Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur (I grew up in NYC and my parents still live there).  Before leaving for China, I asked our wonderful Hillel director, Debbie Pine, if she could help me find a service in Beijing to attend.  Services in China were interesting.  It was a little sad to spend the holiday away from my family, but the group was so welcoming.  It was a mix of students traveling to China (undergrad and grad, plus one Temple Law School professor who helped catch me up on the fascinating and fast changing world of Chinese politics), Americans working abroad for a year or two, and ex-pats who have permanently moved to China.  After services, I was invited to Rosh Hashanah lunch at an Indian Buffet restaurant.  If you had asked me before I left my top ten predictions for dining, Indian Buffet would not have made the list; but I like stepping out of my comfort zone, and practicing something very traditional and close to your heart in a completely different way is part of what makes life fun.

After services and lunch, I ventured to Tiananmen Square and the night market with Leslie from Bard.  We were able to watch the flag lowering ceremony, which attracted a huge number of mostly Chinese tourists.  Tiananmen Square is close to a very lively, pedestrian-only shopping section with an evening food market.  They primarily served the more traditional dumplings and dim sum, but one stand had all kinds of interesting delicacies.

Both Leslie and I chickened out of trying anything and opted for a fantastic meal of Peaking Duck instead, a Beijing specialty.  My excuse was that I was keeping Kosher style on Rosh Hashanah, but really, I try not eat anything with a multiple of 4 legs or deadly stingers.  Call me picky.

I had one more day before joining up with my US university counterparts to hit the local high schools, so I opted to spend it visiting the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall of China. The Great Wall is one of the 7 wonders of the world, but I was ill-prepared to be in such awe.  It’s hard to explain the experience, but I was overwhelmed by expansiveness of it and how beautiful the surrounding Chinese and Mongolian mountain sides were.  It’s also quite a workout, and I wish I could have spent even more time there.  I don’t normally reference Nixon, but this was indeed a great wall.

After two days of sightseeing (and a good amount of time adjusting to the 12 hour time difference), I met up with Jason from Carnegie Melon, Drew from Case Western Reserve, Emily from Emory (easy to remember), Julie from NYU, Jon from the University of Rochester, and Grace from Wash. U.  I think admissions people are generally an outgoing bunch (we spend a lot of time talking to strangers!), but I feel very lucky to have had so much fun working (and laughing) with such an extraordinary group of colleagues.

We spent the first day meeting with students from Beijing high schools and the next three attending a conference with about 30 US universities and 50 Chinese high schools from across the country.  There are so many differences between the education systems in the US and China, that Chinese high schools sometimes have a hard time advising the students and parents about how to go about a college search and how best to present the student through the application process.  This conference was an opportunity for us to explain the best practices of college guidance and what we look for in an applicant; and for the high schools to ask questions of the process and explain to us what is happening in high schools across China (there is so much provincial variation!).

At Hopkins, we spend a lot of time carefully selecting an interesting, dynamic and diverse class of only 1,265 from over 20,000 applications, so we want to be extra careful that each and every applicant is authentic and that the students who show up on campus are who we admit (if we catch you lying on the application, your admission will be revoked). There are some Chinese high schools and applicants who hire agents to help the students get into US schools through the use of falsified transcripts and letters of recommendation, essays written by the agents, and sometimes even fake SAT or TOEFL scores.  This practice had the unfortunate effect of tainting many qualified and authentic Chinese applicants, and this conference was a very important first step in bringing the two sides together and creating a better understanding of the process. It was also an opportunity for me to meet with principals and guidance counselors around China and hear exactly what their college counseling practices are.

After Beijing, my group (minus Grace from Wash U) headed out for a whirlwind, 1 city a day tour of Shenyang, Shanghai, and Shenzhen.  In Shanyang, we got to take a tour of the Imperial Palace, which was originally the capital of China during the 1600s, and later became the Northern palace when the capital moved south to Beijing.  The Forbidden City in Beijing was modeled after Shenyang.

Our group was incredibly impressed by the questions asked of us in China.  I often describe Hopkins as a traditional college experience, and one student at Shanghai Pinghe High School asked what it meant to have a “traditional” US college experience – a very fair and thoughtful question.  All six of us answered that it means your whole life really revolves around the campus – you eat, work and play there.  College is often described as the best four years of your life, and that’s in part because your classmates, professors and advisors become your friends and family, the people you debate issues with, join a sports team or theater productions with, and collaborate on cutting edge research projects with.  For each student, the experience is different because, unlike in high school, you have the freedom to design your own curriculum and chose your own activities (we offer 370+ at Hopkins!).

We spent less than 24 hours in Shanghai, so I am sad to report I have no fabulous pictures of the sky line or great tales of adventure.  Jon described the city as landing on the moon – the buildings are so creative and futuristic – and I hope to return soon for a longer visit (and the opportunity to meet with more students!).

Other things I learned about China:
- Beijing is very crowded.  I grew up in Manhattan and am used to big city life, but Beijing has 22 million people!  A city of 6 million people is considered small or midsized in China, and the traffic reflects this. The subway system in Beijing, however, is cheap and clearly marked in Chinese and English. Next time I won’t take so many cabs!
- There is only 1 time zone in China, so in some parts of the country if gets dark very early at night.  In contrast, the US has 3 time zones, and some states, like Indiana, have 2 (which was very confusing for me when I was campaigning there in 2008).
- Things change very rapidly in China.  Our last city, Shenzhen, is only 32 years old.  Now a “small” city of 6 million people and almost as many bright lights, there were scarcely roads, let alone high rises, there 20 years ago.
- Most English teachers pick a Chinese student’s English name for them, which seemed a little unfair to me. At 13, I could have come up with a two page list of possible names for myself, so why would some adult, who is not my mom, get to choose for me?  Thankfully, many of the schools we visited let the students pick their own.
- If you go to the pearl market in Beijing, be sure to check out Fangua on the 4th floor (ask for Maggie and tell them Dana from JHU sent you!).  The pearls are exquisite, high quality, and in so many varieties.  The prices are very reasonable (we got a good discount), the staff is helpful and not the least bit pushy, and they had a cooler of soda, water and beer for shoppers, which Jason availed himself of while he patiently waited for Emily, Julie and me to finish oohing and ahhing.  I also learned I need to return with a much larger budget!
- The food is FANTASTIC.  I’ve always been a fan of Chinese food, but this trip has ruined me for at least the next 6 months.

Stay tuned for volume 2 of JHU Around the World, my report from London!

Postcards from the Road

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Important note: Before we commence with today’s blog entry I wanted to remind you that the Early Decision deadline is November 1 (just four days from the posting of this entry). For those of you applying ED to Johns Hopkins or still contemplating that decision, we have some very helpful resources on the Admissions website: The Early Decision Difference at Johns Hopkins.

Now back to your regularly scheduled Hopkins Insider blog post…

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Over the past two months my Admissions colleagues and I have scoured the globe meeting prospective students, parents, and guidance counselors in our efforts to recruit the next great class of Johns Hopkins freshmen. Whether a seasoned traveler or a Johns Hopkins rookie recruiter, we all have enjoyed getting to meet and chat with the potential members of the Class of 2016 and beyond. Since we all travel to different parts of the United States and abroad, we each have unique experiences and memories. This entry is a collection of short reflections on the fall 2011 recruitment travel season from myself and my colleagues. Enjoy these “postcards from the road”:

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

For the past four years I have had the opportunity to attend fairs organized by the American School Foundation (ASF) in Mexico City and sometimes in other cities throughout Mexico. American School Foundation schools are attended by international students, whose families happen to be living in Mexico, and by Mexican students as well. Each year the biggest is at ASF in Mexico City and usually the mascot from the Tecnológico de Monterrey, or Monterrey Institute of Technology in English, makes an appearance. Tec de Monterrey, as locals call it for short, has 33 campuses located in 25 cities throughout the country; however, the main campus is in Monterrey. The Tec’s mascot is a ram or borrego salvaje in Spanish. Last year I had a picture taken with the ram, but this year I was able to get a picture of him (or her?) signing one of our inquiry cards for prospective students! Check it out—it’s pretty funny!

Calvin Wise, Assistant Director
Region: Maryland, Oregon, and Washington

My name is Calvin Wise and this is my inaugural year here at JHU. As my first two months come to a close, I can honestly say I have enjoyed learning the Johns Hopkins culture, meeting great students, and inundating myself with all that Baltimore City has to offer. One of my new and exciting responsibilities for JHU is the travel territory of the Pacific Northwest. From October 12 through the 17, I visited the Seattle/Tacoma area meeting with students. I visited high schools, attended fairs, and conducted my first ever Explore Hopkins program. The food was great, the scenery was gorgeous, and the students possessed a sense of intellectual curiosity that we are looking for at Hopkins. Thank you for a great first impression Pacific Northwest and I’ll see you next time!

Sherryl Fletcher, Senior Associate Director
Region: Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio

Doors Open! Where is this Door?
College admissions travel has been a part of my professional fall season for 29 years and I always look forward to being in some of my favorite places in my former home state of Michigan, as well as Illinois and Ohio! As a Midwesterner, the start of the high school and college football season and the changing of the leaves mean that I have the chance to walk through many doors of high schools. I so enjoy the combination of conversations with high school students, counselors, teachers, and school administrators, along with many parents and Johns Hopkins alumni. Each event, whether it is an evening program, a high school visit, a counselor luncheon or a college fair, provides the introduction to new students who wish to know more about Johns Hopkins, a favorite topic of mine! I leave each program or event with the hopes that all will consider a visit to Baltimore, a tour of our gorgeous campus and conversations with our talented and super friendly students and faculty.

During my fall 2011 visits, I visited a high school in one of my three states (reminder for those with a short attention span: Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio!) and captured a picture of a beautiful door. Post a comment below if you know where this door is located!

Lunch with a View
Admissions travel provides opportunities to visit with high school students and college advisors in many settings. Chicago, an area with many great schools, presents the chance to visit schools in urban and suburban settings. The city welcomes all with an ease of traveling from school to school by foot or by car. Students connect with Chicago as well by traveling short or extensive distances to be a part of their high school community. Activities following the close of classes keep students engaged with a commute home in the midst of heavy sidewalk or street traffic. Yet regardless of the time of day or the wind, sun or snow in October, Chicago is one of the friendliest places to meet with students interested in Johns Hopkins!

A day of travel in the Midwest involves including a full day of high school visits with an evening reception or college fair. I try to meet as many students, parents and guidance counselors as a day will allow knowing an evening event for Johns Hopkins will include parents as well. With busy daily schedules, time for lunch is nonexistent. But if you are creative and an apple and yogurt will do, a stop at a Lake Michigan beach will be a perfect break for a light lunch with a stunning view!

John Birney, Associate Director of Admissions
Region: Connecticut and New York

Visiting New York City
New York City is sunny and warm…just the way I like it. Rainy weather in the City makes for terrible traffic, and trying to catch a cab is nearly impossible. I’m visiting during the first week of school—and my first visit was at 7:45 on the student’s first day. They didn’t even go to their first class…instead they came to see me! The students were well informed and many had visited the campus, which made my visits go really well. If all my weeks are like this, travel this year will be great.

100K miles
100,000 miles and counting. Yeah, you read that right—100K miles. In all my years of driving my territories, I’ve finally eclipsed the milestone. My favorite part of visiting Connecticut in the fall is the crisp weather and the changing leaves. I’m here after the big fall rains and the rivers are rushing and driving through a historic covered bridge offers a wonderful view. I do hope that all the interesting students I’m seeing decide to apply. If so, it’ll be a banner year!

Shannon Miller, Senior Assistant Director of Admissions
Region: Alaska, California, and Hawaii

Southern California
This fall, I spent two weeks in Southern California, where I conducted four Explore Hopkins programs, several mini-fairs, and 32 high school visits. My travel stretched from Santa Barbara to San Diego, with stops in Pasadena, Los Angeles, and Irvine. Prior to this year, I read for all of California except for the LA area, so it was great to visit the “new” schools in my territory. On my one free Saturday (we are SUPER busy when on the road!), while my colleague Sarah was sitting in snowy Colorado, I was hanging out in Disneyland. Visiting So Cal = Not a bad deal

Northern California
My Northern California swing this year was a quick one. In five days, I did three regional presentations plus high school visits, meeting over 200 students and their families! While this might have been a whirlwind tour, it was definitely a great one. Even though a city bus took the side view mirror off of my rental car (accidents do happen), the sun was always out (not common in San Francisco), and I was able to meet many talented students. I am looking forward to reading applications! Nor Cal Trip = Success.

Sarah Godwin, Senior Assistant Director of Admissions
Region: Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York (Long Island only), North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Wisconsin

I’m back from several weeks of travel and VERY happy to be back in Baltimore. One of my more “exciting” trips this fall was to Colorado. I had a super early flight on Saturday, October 8. How early is early? 5:20 a.m…if you zoom in enough on my boarding pass, you’ll see it! Yes, that would mean a 4:50 a.m. boarding time. Speaking of my boarding pass, banana and water—these are essential items I see a lot during travel season. It is important to stay hydrated and keep electrolyte levels in check. It is easy to get run down.

When I finally arrived in Colorado, my trek to the fair was a bit treacherous! As you can see, it was mid-October and there was a fair amount of snow. I stopped and snapped this photo, the views were phenomenal, even with the icy roads. Luckily, I made it to the fair that day and saw tons of terrific students on the Western Slope of Colorado. I really intended to take a picture of the fair and the some of the students I saw there, but once I arrived it was a frenzy of activity until the very end.  Thanks for checking in and reading my postcard from the road!

Daniel Creasy, Associate Director of Admissions
Region: Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont

My fall travel took me back to New England for the 14th straight year, nine years traveling for Johns Hopkins and five years for a different school. Travel in New England is lovely during the fall and not just because of the foliage, however I have written often about my excursions up north. Instead my tale is about my trip to New Orleans at the end of September.

Each year I attend the NACAC national conference for college admissions counselors, guidance counselors, and other professionals in the field of higher education. This was my 10th conference and what a joy it was to visit New Orleans for the first time. The food, the entertainment, the food, Bourbon Street, the people, the food, and oh yeah the food were all amazing. Yeah, the conference sessions and networking was enjoyable as well. The conference ended with a social event at Mardi Gras World that was enjoyed by all. Next year, the conference is in Denver and I am looking forward to visiting the Mile High City.

Tales of a Seasoned Traveler

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Today’s guest author is Rachel Cowan Jacobs, Associate Director of Admissions and coordinator of our International Admissions and Recruiting efforts. Rachel guest authored back in November 2009 with an entry dedicated to international applicants: So you are an International Student applying to JHU … read this! and also in March 2009 when she shared her Top 10 Things to do in Baltimore on a Freshman’s Budget. Today Rachel shares some tales of her fall travels both in the South and abroad.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I hit the road September 10, 2011; my first recruiting trip since November 2009.  I didn’t feel rusty but was mindful not to assume anything. Things were different though:

• I experienced my first full-body X-ray machine at the airport (I hadn’t flown in 14 months either) and had a brief “ah ha, so this is what the fuss is all about” moment.
• I had a moment of confusion when I approached the rental car center at the Atlanta airport. I didn’t remember having taken a train to the center the last time I was in Atlanta in September 2009.
• Two of the schools I went to for college fairs had us set up or served us a meal in a completely new or renovated buildings.

Some brief moments of confusion as I took in these new surroundings, but the many changes were exciting!  Alas, what did not change was the pleasure in meeting so many interesting and friendly students (and parents) at my college fairs and Explore Hopkins presentation.  The theme of my first trip was surely that the more things change, the more they stay the same.  (I do have a celebrity story too, in that I chit chatted with Mark Turgeon, basketball coach of University of Maryland, in the Atlanta airport.)

My two cents on a two-year absence from international travel.
Scanners at the United Airlines counter at Dulles International Airport made check-in for my morning flight to London Heathrow ridiculously fast. (Yay, United, for adding a morning flight to the UK.)  No need to even speak to a ticket agent.  I just scanned my passport myself and waited about five seconds for my boarding pass to pop-out.  Wow, so fast. With this new technology (at least, it’s new to me), is it really necessary to get to the airport two hours before an international flight?  I was practically the only person checking in at the counter.  Even the security line was pretty short (boy did Dulles improve its reputation exponentially when it moved its security line downstairs).  Maybe the other passengers were savvier than I in this regard and managed to sleep in later.  The train at Dulles to reach terminal C was very spiffy and fast. So far, my experience at Dulles made me think it has become a first-class international airport now. (If only its new Metro station were going to be underground.) But then, I got to terminal C and saw it is the same old sad Dulles in terms of décor, food, and shops.  In London, I was greeted by closed subway lines due to track work – something familiar at last!  I couldn’t help but notice the growth of American influences: TK Maxx is not a typo.

This 12-day, three-country trip was almost perfect in every logistical way: I made it to my school visits on time, no taxi driver tried to take me for a ride, and my iPad did not fail me.  But, I did fall victim to the Greek debt crisis because I was scheduled to fly from Athens to Thessaloniki on October 5, the one day that week that the airports would be closed due to air traffic controllers striking (as well as many other government entities and employees).

Thank goodness for my travel agent who easily changed my ticket to October 6 when my flight was officially cancelled two days before departure.  Greece was very considerate in that way, I must say.  How lucky I am that I just happened to have used a travel agent for this trip because I usually buy all the tickets myself. Phew!!!

On the road again.
Two days after returning from Europe, I was on a plane to Florida, having had just enough time to unpack, do some laundry, and repack.  No snafus for me on that five-day trip either.  And what lies ahead next week is a trip where I will visit six countries new to me.

Oh, the life of an international admissions officer!

While the counselors are away…

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Note: Today’s guest author is Shelly Placek, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions’ Web and Publications Marketing Specialist. Shelly has guest authored a few times in the past, once introducing you to our amazing student videographers and another time detailing her main role in our office as publications master.

It’s 2:00 p.m. on a Tuesday and I have a question for Admissions_Daniel. I pick up the phone and dial his extension. No answer. I trot over to the other side of the office. I’m greeted by a silent, lonely hallway lined on both sides by closed office doors.

“Hello?” I yell, my voice booming in the empty space. “HELLO??” No response. I panic. Where have all of the admissions counselors gone?

[Important note: That opening paragraph was exaggerated for dramatic effect. I know exactly where the counselors are—and if I have a question for Admissions_Daniel, I’ll just e-mail him and he’ll respond promptly from his ever-present iPad. (And the question was most likely American Horror Story-related and not urgent anyway.) Furthermore, if I had yelled down the hallway like a crazy person, at least a few voices would’ve yelled back, “What!? And why are you yelling?” because many of the counselors have student workers or volunteers who happily camp out in their offices and take care of things while they’re away.]

Anyway, back to my fake panicking. Had the zombie apocalypse come and taken all of our admissions counselors? Was it an office holiday that I didn’t know about (this has happened in the past—darn you, day after Thanksgiving!)? Nope—none of these things. It’s simply fall at the Johns Hopkins Office of Undergraduate Admissions and many of our hardworking counselors are on the road attending college fairs, visiting high schools, and giving presentations to get the word out about Johns Hopkins. (Explore Hopkins presentations are still happening throughout October—see if there’s one happening near you: http://apply.jhu.edu/visit/explorehopkins.html.) Soon the counselors will be back and begin the task of selecting the Class of 2016, but while they’re traveling around the country and internationally, the rest of us back here at the office are busy greeting prospective students and their families and speaking with them on the phone, planning events, entering names into our database, starting to process application materials, and doing many other things to get ready for the busy months ahead. All throughout the office, people are energetically and enthusiastically working to keep things running smoothly.

Many of you are probably prepping for busy months ahead yourselves. Maybe we can help. There’s still time to visit if you haven’t already: We’re holding Open Houses on October 22 and 29, plus you can come see us any weekday.

Already visited and decided Johns Hopkins is for you? We’re ready for your applications (and good choice, by the way)! See the application page for all the necessary information you need, or visit the Early Decision FAQ if you’re feverishly trying to finish your apps in the next two weeks. Stuck on your essay? Find some essay-writing tips and inspiration on our “Essays that Worked” page.

So, we hope to see you or hear from you soon—otherwise, our jobs get really boring. Happy fall from Mason Hall!

How To: A Road Map to Hopkins Interactive

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Today’s guest entry was composed by Lauren Carney, a Hopkins senior who will be graduating with a degree in Writing Seminars and Film & Media Studies at the end of this month. She has been involved on campus as tutor at the JHU Writing Center, a sister with the Alpha Phi sorority, and marketing leader of the JHU Film Society. Among multiple jobs and internships, Lauren has worked with Admissions for her entire college career. If you have been a frequent visitor to the Hopkins Interactive site for the last few years nearly all the design elements of the blogs and forums are the result of Lauren’s creativity and hard work. In fact, the design of the Hopkins Insider blog also stems from Lauren’s ingenuity. Hopkins Interactive and the Hopkins Insider blog would not be as successful as they currently are without the passion and drive shown by Lauren during her undergraduate years.

In the four years I have worked for the Undergraduate Admissions Office at Johns Hopkins University, Hopkins Interactive has come a long way. I’ve seen us move from a tiny, forgotten corner of the admissions website to our own dedicated, interactive domain. I’ve seen us grow in size from 12 students to nearly 30. I’ve seen videos produced, blogs become smarter, ideas become more creative and more in tune with our audience of prospective students. I’ve seen our work advertised by all departments at the university with pride and have seen us win national awards for our social media outreach.

In so many words, I’ve seen Hopkins Interactive become awesome.

I know it sounds like a “line,” but I honestly wish I had something like Hopkins Interactive to help me through my own college search four years back. If I were to go back and do it all over again, I would avoid doing random Google searches. I would avoid lurking on College Confidential, assuming I was getting quality and official advice. I would become more familiar with my schools’ own resources, asking questions directly from the source.

As I prepare to graduate and move on to the next chapter of my life, it’s hard not to think back to high school graduation and preparing for college. I want to leave you all with something besides a blog full of colorful pictures and stories about my friends – so here it is, the ultimate guide to Hopkins Interactive. No matter what your question, no matter what your concern, and no matter how willing you are to reach out to strangers over the internet, I promise there is an option for you out there to get your questions answered. This road map to the site will show you where all those options are.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned during these four years, it is that questions come in types. Click on the category that most appropriately describes the question(s) you have and we’ll help you on your way!

A) Academics

B) Day to Day

C) Baltimore

D) Extracurriculars

E) Myths and Misconceptions

F) Admissions

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A) Academics

First and foremost, there are the academic questions. Professor approachability, class size, time spent in the library, rigor of the curriculum, how hard is the average exam, what type of laptop or notebook or pen should I buy…we’ve heard it all. Seeing as we are a university, we know that one of your primary concerns will be academics!

If you have questions about academic programs of study (that’s bureaucratic speak for “majors and minors”), there is no better resource than our Academics blog. Hopkins Interactive has collected blog entries from every major and minor offered at Hopkins (excluding only a couple of the rarer programs) that are complete, interesting, and honest portraits of life as each major at this school. And an insider’s tip from the blog itself: check out the major you might have in mind. Then read one you’d never even considered. And then read all of them in between. There’s no telling which personal story might speak most closely to you and your own academic goals.

You can also get more information about faculty, special events, courses, and requirements from each department’s individual website. You’ll find links to all of the departments at the main websites for the Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and the Whiting School of Engineering.

And if you have questions about the student experience with academics, the Hopkins Forums is the place to go. Just take a minute to register and the entire place will be open to you! If you have a particular major in mind, check out the Meet the JHU Students section to find someone with that exact major (or close to it). There, you can ask them any question you’ve got. We also have a strictly Academics section for more general discussion about the academic climate here. Within that, you’ll find a subforum where you can address specific programs of study with our current students. You can ask us about where we study, lab courses, interacting with professors, what the typical class is like, our schedules…no subject is off-limits! (Well, except our GPAs. Gotta keep some personal things to ourselves.)

Here are just some links to our students’ forums threads, just to give you an idea of the vast number of majors we have represented!

• JHU_Peter, ’12 / Mechanical Engineering
• JHU_Sarah, ’13 / Biology and Spanish
• JHU_Tess, ’14 / History
• JHU_Joe, ’13 / Neuroscience and Psychology
• JHU_Saznin, ’12 / Public Health Studies
• JHU_Sydney, ’14 / Biomedical Engineering

And here are some of my favorite blog entries about academics at Hopkins:

• JHU_Allysa shares her experiences with learning resources at Hopkins, especially the TA (teaching assistant).
• JHU_Jessica blogs about the “Zelicof Family Dinners with the Dean” program, designed to allow students and distinguished faculty (like Dean Newman) to talk casually over dinner.
• JHU_Wafa talks about the research she does as a neuroscience major, while JHU_Noah gives us his “typical” day as an undergraduate research assistant at the Institute for Cell Engineering.
• JHU_Roxi shares a real and honest confession about how college academics, at times, is not always smooth sailing.

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B) Day to Day

Another important question we get from students and parents alike is about day-to-day life on campus, namely dorms and food. When I visited campus, I thought I was being shallow when I judged the beauty of the buildings, the comfort of the dorm beds, and the quality of the food in the cafeteria. But in reality, these are some of the most crucial parts of a college search. You have to choose a place where you can actually live and be happy, after all!

To go beyond your abstract idea of “college dorms,” watch current JHU students show off their rooms/suites in our Cribs video series. We’re really proud of this series, which we’ve been working on now for nearly five years. In that time, we have produced videos from every single one of our on-campus housing options (and also several from off-campus too) to give you the whole picture!

If you have any questions about the Hopkins lifestyle and our day-to-day experiences (or want to read through past questions from prospective students), check out the Hopkins Forums’ Student Life section. Specifically, here are some threads that might be useful to some of you:

• Best Campus Events
• Personal Finances
• LGBT at JHU

Most of our blogs are centered around student life as well – what we do here, who we do it with, and what our experience as a whole really looks like. By far, this is the best way to really imagine yourself at a particular school. Read stories from real current students and put yourself in their blue jay shoes! Some of our bloggers write on this topic with exceptional talent, so here are a few of the best entries:

• JHU_Lauren (that’s me) blogs about the annual Spring Fair on the Hopkins campus.
• JHU_Dominique ’12 talks about social life at Hopkins for someone who doesn’t drink.
• JHU_Peter recounts his experiences with the B’More Proud LGBT Leadership Summit, held on the Hopkins campus this year.
• JHU_Lucie gives her Five Favorite F’s (or things she misses about Hopkins during breaks).
• JHU_Miranda shares her perspective on life as a vegetarian at Hopkins.

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C) Baltimore

Committing to spend four years in a new city is a pretty big deal, so we’re also in the business of answering your questions about Baltimore. Whether you’re from a small town with a single Main Street or you grew up in a large urban environment, you’ll want to make sure there’s stuff to do here to keep you busy!

Luckily, you can sort each personal blog by category, so head to our blogs and select “Baltimore” from the drop-down list of options. There, you’ll see current students writing about days spent at the Inner Harbor, fantastic meals in Little Italy, thrift store shopping in Hampden, seeing movies in Harboreast, and various special events all around the city. There’s a ton to do, so there is certainly a lot of material to be found! We promise we’ll have you excited to come to Baltimore by the time you’re done reading. Here are some of my absolute favorite entries about life in Charm City:

• JHU_Mandy shares the neighborhood favorites she’s discovered in her four years.
• JHU_Wafa talks seasons, weather, and life over the course of a year in Baltimore.
• JHU_Kate’s “ten public transportation options to use until teleportation” explains just how many ways there are to get around this great city.
• JHU_Tess gives us her favorite eats in walking distance to campus.
• JHU_Lucie shares her memories of a day at the Inner Harbor, including lots of photos of the National Aquarium!

Hopkins Interactive offers several multimedia options to give you an actual insider’s view of Baltimore! The first is our Learn More, See More, B’More video series, designed to focus on our favorite aspects of Charm City and give you a behind-the-scenes peek at how they work. Past episodes have highlighted Clipper Mill restaurant Woodberry Kitchen and the popular tourist attraction, the National Aquarium. If photos are more your thing, Hopkins Interactive also owns a Flickr account, to which current students contribute photos of campus, events, friends, and Baltimore every week. Check out our “Around Baltimore” album for a colorful look at the different parts of this city!

Safety comes into play here too, considering Baltimore is a city at all. Parents especially want to make sure that our security team is competent, our students are safe, and the Hopkins campus is in a good area of the city. To learn about Baltimore in this light, the blogs can also be a useful tool. Further, we have a section at the Hopkins Forums called Life in Baltimore where current students, current parents, and Admissions representatives discuss security, safety, transportation, and more. If you have any specific questions, get over there and ask them. If not, feel free to read through the past year of questions and answers to ease your concerns about college life in an urban setting.

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D) Extracurriculars

Even after all that time spent on academics, in your dorm, and around Baltimore, you’ll still have free time to fill! That’s where our extracurricular clubs and organizations come into play.

Your first step in learning about extracurricular life here is to read the long, official directory of clubs and organizations offered at Johns Hopkins University. Another valuable resource will be our Hopkins Forums discussion about starting a club – if you don’t see the group you want to join, starting your own (with help from the Office of Student Activities) is easier than you might think!

Next, read our admitted student blog about getting involved at Hopkins. This essay, written by two current students (one of them was me!), reveals all of the vast extracurricular options available here, from intramural sports to a capella groups to newspapers to academic honor societies – and the many, many organizations in between.

Your best resource, however, will be the blogs.  This option works best if you don’t know exactly what organization you’re most interested in, but instead want to read about our current students’ experiences with getting involved. Just click on an individual blog, then select “Student Activities” from the dropdown menu of blog categories. Whether you choose Miranda’s blogs about Mock Trial, my blogs about Greek Life, or Nick’s blogs about HERU, you’ll get a sense of how active our students are on campus and all of the unique, fun, and interesting ways they choose to spend their free time.

There’s also a section of the Hopkins Forums just about extracurriculars, if your question hasn’t been answered yet!

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E) Myths and Misconceptions

And then there are our rumor questions. Is Hopkins cut-throat? Does anyone have any fun? Do your grades mean anything with grade inflation? Do I have to score a 1600 on my SAT just to get in? The food, omg, is it edible? Everyone’s going to be a doctor here, right?

These questions are often the most important because they can make or break a prospective student’s decision to come to a particular school. Luckily though, Hopkins Interactive is just that – interactive. So, for this final type of question, if you’re concerned, TELL US. Whether it’s via our enrolled student Facebook group, our Hopkins Forums, or as a comment on our blogs, we’ll help to set the record straight. We know these things are on your mind, so we even have a Fact or Fiction section on the Hopkins Forums just for this purpose! Visit us there to read about these rumors and learn the truth.

Finally, JHU_Tess has written a blog to disspell some common myths about Hopkins. Don’t miss it!

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F) Admissions

If you have a strictly Admissions-related question (about transcripts, your application, IB/AP credits, SAT/ACT scores, etc.), you’ll want to go directly to our Admissions office to ask it. You can do this one of three ways.

The best way is to visit the Hopkins Forums’ Ask Admissions section.  Admissions_Daniel, Admissions_Mark, and Admissions_Shannon are wonderful and will help you out no matter what your question is!

Another option is to read our official Admissions blog, the Hopkins Insider. You can filter the posts by category and get really detailed information about decision release day, what to do if you’re on the waitlist, how many applications we’ve received, etc. You can also ask questions in the comments!

You can also give the Admissions office and/or your specific counselor a call. Visit the main Johns Hopkins University Office of Undergraduate Admissions website for a list of those details including phone numbers, email addresses, and their own list of frequently asked questions.

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The best part about Hopkins Interactive, for me as a current student, is the fact that I have never once been censored when giving my opinion about Hopkins. You will get real advice – not advice that has been packaged neatly, approved by the higher-ups, and done with advertising in mind. We’re real students and that means we go both ways: if we like something, we’ll tell you we like it. And if we don’t like something, we aren’t going to lie to you just to get you to come here. I’ve had plenty of questions (mostly from parents) trying to “trick” me into losing my composure, like “What’s your least favorite thing about Hopkins?” They think they’re being clever, but I’m fully prepared to answer questions like that. I just do it with honesty.

True Life: Undergraduate Admissions

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Today’s guest author is Mandy Stein, a ’10.5 public health studies graduate of Johns Hopkins University and current intern in the Undergraduate Admissions Office. Mandy has been part of the Student Admissions Advisory Board and a Hopkins Interactive blogger since her arrival in Baltimore four years ago. Following her decision to graduate a semester early, Mandy applied for and was accepted as the Admissions intern for the 2010-2011 academic year. In this one year she has been witness to the ever-changing admissions cycle, and we have asked her to share her reflections. Mandy will be with our office until June 22 and then will head off to St. Louis to start law school. We have appreciated all of her hard work and creativity, and are sorely going to miss her.

Between daily information sessions (ranging from one to hundreds of visitors), reading applications, participating in my first-ever college fair down in Prince Georges County, and a recruiting trip to New England, it’s safe to say that my life these past few months has revolved around undergraduate admissions. Of course, my life has also revolved around law school admissions as well, as I was going through that process myself. In short, my life has been admissions.

Despite having volunteered/worked in the Admissions Office since my freshman year, I had no idea what it actually means to be a full-time employee in the office. Sure, I had seen Admissions_Daniel and the rest of the office get really stressed or tired or whatever else throughout the application cycle, but it was impossible to fully understand what it means to be an admissions counselor until I started working here full-time.

I want to dedicate this blog entry to shining a bit of light on the amazing job that college admissions counselors all over the country are doing each day. It’s impossible to truly understand this field without spending a significant amount of time immersed in it, but I’ll do my best to show you the other side of the admissions process.

November: it begins.
Early Decision applications pour in and begin flooding the counselors’ online queues as the files are completed by the operations team upstairs.  

December: pause.
As Hopkins students are wrapping up the semester and finishing their final exams, the counselors are also feeling the crunch to finish up their final decisions. Decisions are released on or around December 15 (finals this past year finished around December 17), at which point, the entire campus breathes a collective sigh of relief. The Admissions Office then has a couple of weeks that could be best described as “the calm before the storm.”

January: the deluge.
Our Regular Decision application deadline is January 1. Happy New Year, Office of Undergraduate Admissions! Immediately upon returning from a nice but short winter break (which usually involves some work with pre-deadline applications), those online queues I mentioned begin overflowing. Okay, not literally overflowing—they are online queues. At this point, part-time readers join the team (this is where I come in) and help prepare transcripts for review by counselors, in addition to reading some files on their own.

February: a false sense of security.
By February, the staff is buried up to their eyeballs in application work. Whether it’s processing (by our operations team) or reading (by our counselors and part-time readers), we’re busy. However, the official deadline is usually the end of the month or the first week in March—so there’s somewhat of a false sense of security. “Oh, we have a few more weeks, it’ll be fine,” or, “I can’t believe how many applications we have to get to, but at least we have a couple more weeks!”

March: crunch time.
First reads are finished—the work of part-time readers is done—and counselors move into their committee review. They have about two weeks to complete the class, a process that is constantly in flux. While this may sound like it’s arbitrary, I can assure you that it is nothing of the sort. Each day, there is a different task to help shape the class to be exactly what we’re looking for. The biggest challenge at this point is making sure we’re at the number that we want; during our first reads, we’re not thinking so much about the volume of each decision, we’re going with our first thought. March is the time to make sure we’re not going to end up with a class of 10,000. It’s unbelievably difficult. Our mailing process involves 4-5 checks per envelope to be beyond sure that we’re sending the right letters to the right applicants. Then: a sigh of relief. Throughout this process, however, we’re busy with visitors who have early spring breaks or are otherwise starting those weeks of college visits.

April: where did all of these people come from?
Decisions are released. More juniors start looking at colleges during their spring break. Seniors start visiting the schools to which they’ve been admitted. We run four different information sessions each day, two for prospective students and two for admitted students. We also run a lot of other programming for our visitors. The unique challenge during April is the combined effort to introduce juniors (and sophomores) to Hopkins and to convince our admitted seniors to choose Hopkins by their May 1 deposit deadline. In short, it’s exhausting. But it’s fun, too—I promise. Just for a bit of perspective, on Good Friday, we had at least 1,500 visitors to campus, and this wasn’t even our admitted student SOHOP event.

To complicate matters, April is time for spring travel, too. This year, while Admissions_Daniel was busy with our second SOHOP event, I went up to New England to kick off his spring travel.  He joined me in Rhode Island on Friday after SOHOP to finish off the weekend’s events. I arrived in New Hampshire, did two college fairs there and then headed to Providence, RI, for another two events. We moved on to Dedham, MA, as a convenient location for our Explore Hopkins presentation, followed by one more (gigantic) college fair on Sunday. What a week!

May: where did all of the people go?
It’s early May and there’s a calm that’s come over the office. Seniors have made their decisions. Juniors/sophomores aren’t on spring break anymore. Hopkins students are finishing up the semester, and some are looking ahead to commencement. Where did the time go? It’s not time to kick back and relax, though. It is crunch time for evaluating transfer applications, a process that started back in the aforementioned hectic April.

June-August: not-so-sleepy summer.
The campus is busy with summer programs for students and our office is busy with visitors who are working on their “apply” list. We do a lot with our incoming freshmen (primarily through a Facebook group) and work on bigger projects for prospective students through Hopkins Interactive.

September-October: on the road.
As students are back to classes, the admissions counselors are back on the road. It’s time to make sure we’re out and about telling the world everything there is to know about Johns Hopkins to help them decide if it’s a good fit and whether they should apply. It’s also time to brace ourselves; as soon as November comes, so does another crazy cycle.

So you get the picture: it’s a rollercoaster of a job. Keep in mind, too, that this isn’t the exhaustive list of tasks. Every day, someone sends out tours. Someone gives information sessions. Someone responds to e-mails. Someone answers the phones. Someone coordinates interviews. Someone processes the materials coming through mail and fax. There are countless other tasks that are more behind-the-scenes, but are certainly no less important. This is a crazy job, but also a thrilling one.

Whether it’s serving as a family’s first impression of Hopkins or evaluating a student’s application for admission, this is a very people-centric job. It’s also very Hopkins-centric. I draw from my experience of three-and-a-half years as a student, but most of my job training has been picked up on-the-go. How many students are at Hopkins? 4,998. Can you tell me about your combined five-year bachelors/masters programs in engineering? Yes (I’ll spare you the details). What carries the most weight in the application process? Who is happiest at Hopkins? What are the professors like? How big are classes? What is the percentage of students admitted to medical school? Knowing the answers to these questions is part of my job, but it’s also second nature—the most wonderful thing about Admissions at Johns Hopkins is that we don’t have a handbook telling us what to say. We don’t have a script for our information sessions. We’re very honest and candid. We take questions and we want to share our experiences. At the end of each day, the most important thing that I do is to help students/applicants find their fit—that place where they’ll be happy for the next four years—whether it’s chatting with sophomores and juniors deciding where to apply or evaluating applications for admission.

Again: this is a crazy job, but also a thrilling one. I can’t think of a better way to have spent my “senior spring” semester.

A Post for the JHU Transfer Applicant

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Today the Hopkins Insider blog welcomes guest author and Senior Assistant Director of Admissions Sarah Godwin. Sarah is the Transfer Admissions coordinator and has been with Johns Hopkins for over three years.

Hello and greetings from Undergraduate Admissions. As you know, the focus of the past few months here has been to admit and enroll the freshman class. The entire month of April, I watched as one tent after another was set up outside of my window—preparation for the many visitors we welcomed to campus in April, including alumni and admitted freshman students and their families. (See, isn’t that a beautiful tent?)

One of the tents that appeared on Decker Quad in April

While my colleagues were 110% focused on the admission and recruiting process for freshmen, I was (and still am) thinking about you, our transfer applicants. As the transfer coordinator here, my job is to make sure that your application gets reviewed thoroughly and in an organized fashion. This year, we received over 1,000 applications for transfer admission which is a record here at Hopkins.  With such a large number of applications, it is important to mention that each transfer applicant is unique, since there are a large variety of reasons that students make the decision to transfer. As an office, we try to understand your unique situation. Our goal is to reach a decision that is best for both you and the institution regarding your future educational plans.

Here is what happens when you apply:

Step 1: A complete application is eligible for review (students with incomplete applications were contacted on April 20, so if you did not get an incomplete notice, you can assume your application is complete).

Step 2: After admissions staff performs an initial review of all your credentials, your college transcript gets sent (electronically—we’re very high-tech!) to our colleagues in Academic Advising. If you indicated interest in an engineering major, the engineering advising office gets your transcript; if you’ve indicated a major in arts and sciences, the arts and sciences office gets your transcript.

Step 3: The respective advising offices do a second look at the transcript to check for appropriate preparation and make suggestions on course preparation. If you are offered admission, you will receive a personalized preliminary credit evaluation so you can see what courses may count towards your Hopkins degree.  Depending on your individual situation, it may also include suggestions for summer classes to make sure you are well- prepared when you arrive.  More information about credit transfer is available here: http://apply.jhu.edu/apply/faq_transfer.html#credits.

Step 4: If you are a financial aid applicant, your information is also sent to Student Financial Services so that your file may be reviewed by them. *Note that steps 3 and 4 are typically performed simultaneously (but one of them had to go first!)

Step 5: Committee Review. After steps 1-4 are completed, your file is now totally complete and the transfer committee does a final review on your transfer application. At this time, we take into account course capacity issues, availability of housing on campus (freshman and sophomores are required to live on campus), overall academic preparation, and ability for students to contribute to life at Johns Hopkins outside of the classroom.  

Step 6: Decisions are ready to mail! In 2011, all transfer decisions will be released by the final week in May. You will be notified of your decision first by e-mail, and then via postal mail.

The most frequently asked questions I get about transfer admissions are “when will I know my decision?” and “is there any way to get my decision prior to then?”  The only answer I can provide is that all transfer decisions will be released by the end of May. Unfortunately, because of the process outlined above, we are not able to release transfer decisions prior to the end of May.  Please note we are not able to process requests for those who would like an earlier decision. We certainly understand that you may need to make a decision to attend a different institution during this time. If you choose to do so, let us know (via e-mail at transfers@jhu.edu) and we will withdraw your application.

I hope this post has given you a bit more information about our transfer process here at Johns Hopkins. If you have not yet visited the transfer FAQ page, it has further information about the transfer process. http://apply.jhu.edu/apply/faq_transfer.html

That is my exclusive, “inside peek” into the transfer admissions process at Johns Hopkins.  I hope you’ve found it useful!

Going Out to Get the Class That We Want: International Student Recruitment

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Editor’s Note: Admissions_Mark has returned to the blog and just returned from a great trip abroad. Learn more about our international student recruitment efforts in this blog.

When I first step off the plane into a new country to meet future Hopkins students, I always have a rush of thoughts that usually surface in the following order: 1) Oh, it’s not as hot/cold as I thought it would be, 2) I hope the immigration line isn’t too long, 3) what’s the exchange rate/currency here, 4) I hope the materials I shipped made it to the hotel, and 5) I hope they weren’t lying when they said I didn’t need a visa to enter!

Every fall, students from all over the world pack their bags and suitcases, say goodbye to their families with hugs and tears, get on long flights that will take them to Baltimore-Washington International Airport, and eventually make their way to the Homewood campus where they will be welcomed by smiling faculty and students on Move-In Day. About 10-13 percent of each class that enters is comprised of international students—that’s about 120-160 students in a class of 1,235. If you multiply that by four classes, you’ll see we have an incredible international population here on campus. In our freshman class alone, we have citizens from the following countries:

Bahrain	Japan
Bangladesh	Jordan
Bermuda	Netherlands
Bulgaria	New Zealand
Canada	Pakistan
China	Republic of Korea (South)
Costa Rica	Saudi Arabia
Ecuador	Singapore
Finland	Spain
France	Sri Lanka
Ghana	Switzerland
Greece	Taiwan
Hong Kong	Thailand
India	Trinidad & Tobago
Israel	Turkey
Italy	United Kingdom

As an international admissions officer, I can tell you that these students don’t just fall into our class on their own—we really have to go out and get them. Every year, I spend between 4-6 weeks traveling outside of the United States in hopes of building out the international representation in our freshman class. Educating students in a global community is something that I think we do exceptionally well and having global perspectives in each class is so very important. I truly believe that Johns Hopkins represents knowledge for the world at large and we hope to share what we do here with peoples of all places! Part of a world-class education is having the opportunity to study with talented students who represent different ideas, points of view, and cultural perspectives;  speak different languages; and eat different food than you! I travel around the world speaking about Hopkins and the application process for international students so that when students get to campus, their roommates can be from Jordan, Costa Rica, or France—just to name a few.

At this point in my career, I have traveled to over 50 countries on six continents and, while some of my friends and colleagues refer to me as a modern-day jetsetter, I tend to view myself more as a citizen of the world with a fat passport and high tolerance for foreign food! And, while I can only speak two languages fluently (English and French), I can ask for taxis and bathrooms in many languages—skills which have served me well in my travels. I can navigate airport terminals in my sleep (read: time changes are hard), speak in airport codes when talking about cities (read: people may not understand my English or French) and memorize exchange rates and currencies (read: don’t change your money at the airport, as it’s usually too expensive). And how did I get into international admissions, you ask? My mother was born in Kenya, my father in Canada, and my sister in Germany, so I guess it was in my blood all along. It was just up to me to find my own path and love for what I do.

The travel is fairly challenging in different parts of the world and because of traffic and other issues, my days often start around 5 a.m. and last until 10 p.m. or later. I remember being stuck in a traffic jam in Mumbai for nearly four hours trying to get back to my hotel. I’ve had to reroute a taxi because a bridge washed out in the rain while trying to get to a school visit in Dehradun, India. I also remember rescheduling flights around an erupting Icelandic volcano. My taxi almost tipped over in Costa Rica (!!) and I missed a flight out of Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago) after they closed the highway randomly for construction. I have had my battles with turbulent flights, wind shear and smelly, crowded airplanes (I take around 50 a year nowadays). I often find that taxis give up on me as well because the places I go to (i.e., schools) are not common places that taxis go. If you’re not going to a tourist destination, hotel, or a mall, they often have no idea where it is. I can go on and on about travel stories but needless to say, the recruitment travel I do is not always glamorous—but it is rewarding and it works (most of the time)!

That said, I can say I have been fortunate enough to go to the tallest building of the world three times (Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, then Taipei 101 in Taiwan and then Burj Khalifa in Dubai), I have eaten Teriyaki Crickets in Thailand (which were not bad), seen the Prince of Monaco in person (we waved from a distance), been to both Sultanates (Oman and Brunei), went cycling in Japan, snorkeled in Cartagena off the Northern coast of Colombia, and went water-skiing in Kenya. I do my best to stay in shape and good health when traveling and make sure I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables in order to keep my energy up. That said, you can’t always be 100% healthy when traveling. I’ve had bouts of serious illness when traveling in Taiwan and India and it’s not fun but the show must go on!

Additionally, I only travel with carry-on baggage which surprises most people. I can pack a full week of my life into a small rolling bag and a backpack. I have had so many issues in my travels with checking baggage that I just don’t do it anymore unless I absolutely have to. I get through airports quite quickly on average which I like mainly because airports can be unsafe places to spend more time than you need to and transient places are not usually fun to hang around. While usually quite architecturally stunning, I take a quick glance and perhaps a photo and then keep walking.

One of the more challenging parts of my job is the knowledge base one must acquire when working with students from different educational systems. Because many countries work in different systems, it requires a significant amount of studying, research, and experience to speak in detail about what qualifications students need from certain countries. I often am asked about certain requirements from certain systems or English proficiency examinations which students must take. What’s a good enough score on the German Abitur? The French Baccalaureate? British A-Levels? Indian Standard-10? Caribbean Examinations Council CAPE exams? When you leap outside of the US educational system, keeping on top of the changes in global educational systems requires a lot of work and time. I hope to provide the most up-to-date information to students and parents when they ask me about being admitted to Hopkins!

Most recently, I just returned from adventures in the Middle East and let me tell you how nervous people were about my travel over there. I had a two-week trip planned to five countries initially—Bahrain, UAE, Oman, Lebanon, and Jordan. Unfortunately, the decision was made that Bahrain would be off of my recruitment schedule for this year due to political unrest but the other four countries were a go.

After a 14-hour flight from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), I landed in Dubai (DXB) where I would stay for a few days. I conducted some recruitment events in other parts of the UAE, including Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.

After seeing some great students in the UAE, I then traveled to Muscat (MCT) which is in the Sultanate of Oman, where I would spend three days. What a wonderful country and what great students and not to mention the weather was incredible. A quick trip to Jordan was next and when I got off the plane in Amman (AMM) I was surprised at how mild the temperature was and it made me happy that I had packed an extra sweater despite everyone telling me that it was going to be too hot for one. If you know Amman, you know the city is built around circles and I was staying near the fifth circle—taxis will know your circle, not much else. Security is often quite tight in parts of the Middle East as you can imagine so often at an airport, hotel, taxi, and school, you’ll have your bag searched or put through an X-ray machine and you’ll have to follow quickly through the metal detector… I’ve learned which belts to wear on travel days and which shoes to wear too—it’s a hazard of the trade but it makes my life so much easier when it comes to traveling hassle free.

My days in Jordan were great but what I was really excited for was my trip to Beirut (BEY), Lebanon. Beirut is still in a recovery, as a Civil War ended in 1990, and I have to say it is one of the most interesting, frightening, fascinating, and inspiring cities I have ever had the pleasure of visiting. The city is overflowing with history. It is a place that offers a compelling story and an in-your-face understanding of contemporary international politics. My visits there were wonderful and I was pleased that not only did I meet prospective students, I was able to meet admitted students as well who sought me out during my time at their schools. Here, my French was quite useful due to the previous influence of the French and, while I don’t speak Arabic, I was able to speak English and French to all the students.

During my two weeks in the Middle East, I was able to meet over 400 students who expressed interest in learning more about Johns Hopkins.

What’s next? I’m heading off to London and Paris in early May (after the Royal Wedding, strategically) to conduct some information sessions and school visits. If you are planning to be in the London or Paris area in early May and would like to attend an open information session, please click below to register:

http://apply.jhu.edu/visit/explorehopkins.html

I look forward to seeing everyone during my travels or when you and your family pack your bags and make your way to our campus here in Baltimore. I highly recommend only using a carry-on.

Until next time—safe travels!