“Head Shake” by Mr. Johns Hopkins
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Posted by: Hopkins Insider | 
August 22 2008 | 
Comments (3)
Name: Rohit Dasgupta
Year: Class of 2012
Hometown: Centreville, VA
Intended Major: Biomedical Engineering
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Sometimes in life, a person who tries to help others learn something uses a tactic known as a “head-shake.” The main purpose of the “head-shake” is to try to teach that person the lesson without being obvious about it. Think “educational” video games. The point of the head-shake is that the person doesn’t realize that they are being taught something until they are well into the process. That catharsis, that moment of self-realization only hits them after it’s over, when they least expect it to.
Something like this may have happened to me during the college search. I think that I received a head-shake from Mr. Johns Hopkins. I’ve been so familiar with Hopkins my whole life, I guess I just never considered it seriously until I received that acceptance letter.
Believe it or not, I first visited Hopkins during an awards ceremony when I was in 6th grade for the Center for Talented Youth (CTY) Talent Search. At that time, I did not know about its top Engineering programs and could not yet appreciate the beautiful campus in the middle of Baltimore. And I didn’t guess that I might go here one day because I hadn’t even started thinking about college. 
Then in June 2003, my dad graduated with a Masters degree from Hopkins in Computer Science. I actually remember that I kind of wanted to go to Hopkins then. The reason was because my dad had taken a class there, Foundations of Software Engineering, and at the end of the course, Professor Sam Schappelle had given them a gift. They were these sponges, and when dropped in warm water, would become toy trains, with 
an engine, boxcar, and even a caboose! (The whole process demonstrated the ideas of encapsulation, coupling, cohesion, and information hiding.) I thought this was the coolest thing ever. This year, I plan to take one of his classes at Hopkins.
In recent weeks, several more clues have been coming up. I learned that my mom had taken a course at Hopkins on architecture. I found that one of my parents’ friends teaches part time at the Whiting School of Engineering. Oh, and the job that I’m working at? I first learned about it in February through my stand partner at the community orchestra. She also went to Hopkins.
So while a small part of me is a little anxious about the new college experience, a bigger part of me is beginning to appreciate this grand design. In fact, this bigger part of me wonders why I didn’t just apply to Hopkins Early Decision, and take the rest of the year off. But that would have meant knowing all of this beforehand. And that’s not how a “head-shake” is suppose to work.
To all those rising seniors: don’t stress too much about college. No matter where you go to college, it’ll all work out. You might even be surprised.
By Daniel Creasy, August 22, 2008 @ 6:19 AM
Rohit:
Great job. I hear this story often … a prospective student very connected to Hopkins through friends or relatives never thinks the school is a good match for them, and then when they do a bit of research they are pleasantly surprised. I am glad it worked out for you.
Cheers.
By Sarah Godwin, August 22, 2008 @ 9:30 AM
Cool essay, Rohit. I totally agree: sometimes the universe seems to point us in a direction before we even realize it. See you in Baltimore soon!
By Mandy Stein, August 22, 2008 @ 11:50 AM
Too cool, I love hearing stories like this. Once it happens, it seems like the most obvious and perfect fit possible, I’d imagine.