It’s a Hopkins life for me!

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Name: Rachel Lew

Year: Class of 2015

Major: Environmental Engineering

Hometown: Ewa Beach, Hawaii

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I’ve only spent a semester at Hopkins so far as a college student, but I’ve actually already been here for seven years (yes, seven).  Ever since my first visit to JHU, which also doubled as a three week ‘nerd’ camp, I’ve been a bit …. attached. Maybe even obsessed. True facts: one of my first Facebook photos consist of me in 8^th grade – donning a turquoise Hopkins shirt, and in my junior year of high school, I wore a JHU lanyard everyday. I guess I was really quite the advertiser for Hopkins, but of course, I never knew if I would ever come back to live in AMR I (for the count, its my fourth time now!).  So when I received my acceptance email right after the bell rang, I was overwhelmingly happy. I didn’t have to take a JHU tour (which, by the way, are awesome) because I already knew where everything ewas and what it had to offer. Chipotle? Yep – St. Paul Street. Shriver Hall?  Yep – two quads away from AMR I. But what I didn’t know was how I felt about a place transitioning from a fun summer camp to a serious academic environment. Would I even like environmental engineering, something I decided to study after years of living in Hawaii?

Would I be prepared for the unknown?

Johns Hopkins graciously covers, or does not assign, first semester grades for freshmen, so I had ample time to see what college was all about. I tried everything – from traditional duckpin bowling to white water kayaking for the first time in the Potomac River. I absorbed material from my classes, learning about everything from titration processes to hydraulic conductivity. I met a rich and diverse assortment of students, learning more about other cultures while sharing my own personal experiences. Laundry trips at midnight and night walks around the beautiful Georgian-style campus became the new normal.

More importantly, I was really enjoying my Intro to Environmental Engineering class. Originally, I was excited to take it, because I wanted to see if I was really going to like what I plastered all over my essays in my senior year applications and scholarships (hey, we all did that!). I didn’t know – or even come close to expecting -that I would grow to truly enjoy learning about topics like water treatment, mixing depths of smoke plumes, etc. We brushed over a lot of topics, but Professor Alavi made it fun and interesting by mixing in guest speakers and a field trip to our usual lectures. Meeting students in the same field was really cool, and since JHU’s Whiting School of Engineering is relatively small, I didn’t feel like a lobbing fish in my engineering classes like I did in my general chemistry class, where there was definitely 200+ students. Also, I know that other schools combine environmental engineering into other engineering majors (because it’s often considered ‘minor’), but that is definitely not the case at JHU; here, we have DOGEE, which is the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering. I was able to tangibly visit the department and received daily emails from them, which I felt was a good measure of JHU taking environmental engineering just as seriously as, say, biology or international studies.

An amazing birthday dinner at Woodberry Kitchen, a popular restaurant in Baltimore!

In other words, I was loving it. Not quite camp, but it was clear that I was no longer a naïve preteen; in fact, in a way I can’t quite explain, I truly matured. Maybe it was because everything was suddenly thrown in my basket, or maybe it was the initiation of my daily coffee ritual. Whatever the reason was, I learned more in one semester than I probably did in two years of high school. Being able to reflect on this all through my (long) winter break back at home prepared me for my second, real-grades semester. I have a full course load this semester, but I already know it’s going to be worth it. I’m so excited!

We’re already few weeks into this semester, but if there’s anything I wanted to emphasize, it would be that everything we do at Hopkins (from the amazing to the insane) can be easily summed in one phrase:… “That’s the Hopkins life for me!”

Our field trip to the Baltimore RESCO Waste to Energy Facility.

A Unique B-more Experience

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Name: Steven Albers
Year: Class of 2015
Hometown: Apple Valley, MN
Major: Biomedical Engineering

As some of you may already know, Hopkins winter break is pretty unique because of our Intersession. Basically, every student gets a 3 week winter break (which is probably sounding good to you guys, and trust me, it’s great!) and then there is another 3 weeks before the spring semester starts. During these three weeks, students get a lot of great options – There are a ton of unique classes offered on campus for one or two credits each, with topics from neurodegenerative diseases to the science of baking . Alternatively, it’s a great time to study abroad or do some volunteering. And since it’s totally optional, a few people even take it as an extended winter break (but most students love Hopkins so much that we come back)!

As Freshmen though, there’s a really unique opportunity to take part in the B’more program. The program only occurs during the last week, before which you can take a few classes, or do what I did and spend it with your family, and there are tons of opportunities available. Basically, there are a ton of different themes, from photography to writing to sociology, and you spend the week getting to know Baltimore better and meet new people.

I took part in the B’more class called Studying Innovation and Change, and all in all, I had a really great time during the week. I think the main reason I really liked it was that we spent a lot of the time off campus at notable locations around the city. I’ll talk about a few of the places to give you guys an idea about the kinds of field trips we took.

One of the first trips we took was nearby, just down Charles Street to the Peabody Library to see the rare books collection. This library is absolutely gorgeous. I have to say, if and when you tour, this place is something you need to see. A fun fact about Peabody Library: You know the library Beast gives Belle in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast? It’s based off of this library. And the best part of all: it’s open to Hopkins students to study in.

As a class, we also took multiple trips across town to the Johns Hopkins medical campus. We had various guest speakers come talk to us about the city and the innovations that Hopkins medicine sparked in the area, and afterwards we went to a street market to get a bite to eat. The most memorable part about that specific trip were these great smoothies we found at the market. There were dozens of flavors, and all of them sounded great!

Finally, since we were only using the free transportation available to the community, we got to spend our travel budget on a nice lunch in Fell’s Point, one of the neighborhoods in downtown Baltimore. Our instructor chose the restaurant because it actually used to be an old factory. It was really cool, because the place was completely transformed but you could still definitely feel some of the elements from the days it had been a factory.

 I think the best thing I got out of taking part in B’more was that now I’m more aware of the opportunities that Baltimore has to offer, and am more willing to venture out into the city. Me and my friend Cara even went back to the smoothie shop just to get off campus and have a relaxing afternoon! :) The intersession program here at Hopkins is great, and if you find yourself on campus here next winter, I highly recommend you take advantage of the B’more program!

Mentoring Assistance Peer Program

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Name: Mia Spad
Year: 2013
Major: Public Health Studies and Psychological and Brain Sciences
Hometown and State: New Fairfield, CT
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As a junior, I like to think I’m solidly planted at Hopkins — I’ve found my niche and I feel at home in Baltimore. While my friends have become a second family to me, I feel particularly lucky because I’ve stumbled upon an additional group of people I can always count on: my MAPP Family. I’m both a mentor and a member of the Leadership Committee for the Mentoring Assistance Peer Program (MAPP), which is a Hopkins mentorship program for underrepresented students. Specifically, we cater to freshman and provide year-long support and guidance for them as they go through their first year at JHU. We’re comprised of about thirty to thirty five mentors, sophomores through seniors, and each of us gets four to five freshman mentees that we’re responsible for. Out of the larger organization we’re split into families: my individual MAPP family consists of myself, my own mentees, along with an assigned grouping of three to four other mentors and their mentees too. As mentors we regularly program events for our freshman mentees. These programs range from social, such as a trip to the Inner Harbor to explore Baltimore, or academic, where we arrange for panels with academic advisors so our mentees can learn about different majors, or cultural, where we celebrate Latin Heritage Month by learning how to salsa dance.

Now the official role I play is ‘mentor’, however I can safely say after my second year as a part of MAPP that the bond I have with my mentees, who I inexplicably always end up referring to as ‘my babies’ each year, is so much more than the formally labelled mentor-mentee relationship; we’re friends; we’re a support system. I know that for them it’s a comfort to always have someone they can turn to if they need to just talk to or hang out with if they’re having a bad day, and in turn they’ve become a comfort to me as well. The same can be said for all my fellow mentors in MAPP; I’ve met some amazing people through this program that I wouldn’t have otherwise. I’m always texting someone something funny, running to a coffee date with someone else, and looking forward to an upcoming MAPP family dinner or get together. Being a MAPP mentor has transcended from being an organization I’m a part of into being a integrated part of my regular life, and the people in it are not just fellow members or mentees in the program but my friends.

As a freshman mentee, you can expect your mentor to be there for you rain or shine, which you need sometimes! Don’t get me wrong, freshman year here at Hopkins has by far been my favorite year, but even the best experiences can have their rough patches. As a seasoned veteran of whatever can possibly come, I help my mentees with everything from figuring out how to study, what clubs they should join, how to handle a fight with their roommate, and everything in between. Along the way you meet a ton of other freshman and friendly upperclassmen, learn a thing or two about Hopkins and Baltimore, and most importantly you get unlimited advice from your mentor. What better way to figure out freshman year than have the guidance of someone who’s already done it?

MAPP Retreat May 2011

My mentees and I out to lunch to kick off the semester!

My mentee family and I at Charm City Cakes

Getting Back into the Swing of Things

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Name: Jessie Koljonen

Year: 2013

Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona

Majors: Behavioral Biology and Spanish

After being abroad in Madrid for the past semester, it’s been kind of weird being back here at Hopkins and getting right back into the swing of things and my busy life here on campus. No more traveling to foreign countries every weekend, no more free afternoons exploring Retiro Park or Plaza del Sol, and no more speaking Spanish 24/7. One good thing is that I don’t have to commute to school anymore (here at Hopkins, my apartment is about a 2 minute walk from campus – nothing compared to my hour-long commute to school in Madrid). It’s nice being back and seeing everyone again, but it’s still taking some time to get used to everything and back into the Hopkins way of life.

This week is the first week of classes, and walking on campus the other day felt oddly strange – a combination of feeling like I should be here but also like I should be back in Madrid. As I was walking around campus, I noticed that in the time that I was gone, there are lots of new faces (hello freshmen class!), the Brody Learning Commons is almost done and not just a plot of dirt, and there’s construction going on behind Mudd Hall for a new research building. A lot has been happening! That being said, there’s a lot that hasn’t changed as well. Most of the buildings are still where I remember them, Char Mar still sells the candy that I love to snack on while I’m studying, and there’s still a shortcut through campus in the Gilman Tunnel that makes going to class a little easier.

The good thing about getting back into my normal routine here at Hopkins is that I’m keeping myself busy so I don’t have to worry about getting bored or too sad about not being in Madrid anymore. I’ve moved off campus into a cozy little apartment, and I’ve been busy setting it up, making it feel like home, and learning how to cook. All those trips to Ikea, Target, Home Depot, and Bed Bath and Beyond are fun but definitely time consuming. Sorority rush is coming up this weekend, and I’ve been busy with my sorority, Phi Mu, getting ready for going through rush and preparing to get our newest members. I’ve started back up working in the admissions office and working for Shannon, helping out with different projects and admissions relate d fun. I’ve even made my way down to the Hopkins Med Campus and re-started working in the neuroscience research lab I have been a part of since my sophomore year. Next week, I’ll be continuing my shadowing at the Hopkins Hospital, shadowing a neurosurgeon – definitely one of the coolest things I’ve been involved in here at Hopkins!

And of course, my classes are keeping me on my toes as well. Everything from my 8am Physics Section to having a quiz on the second day of class has been a small shock to my system compared to my not-so-intense 4 day school weeks back in Madrid (so convenient for 3 day weekends of traveling!). But being an upperclassman, I am now able to take more upper-level classes which focus more on my specific interests.

For example, I’m taking a class called “Cognitive Neuropsychology of Visual Perception: The Malfunctioning Visual Brain”, where we are going to learn about various functional specializations and disorders. Cool!

Overall, even though I had the time of my life in Madrid last semester, it’s good being back. One semester is just the right amount of time for me to be abroad, I don’t know if I could have spent the whole year abroad and away from my “normal” life. It was nice being able to relax at home in Arizona after getting back from Madrid, where I spent all of winter break and intersession sitting on my couch and catching up on Grey’s Anatomy with my mom. And now I’m looking forward to the Spring and enjoying my semester here back in Baltimore. From my classes to all the clubs and extracurriculars I’m involved in, plus the great events we have here in the Spring – Rush, Spring Fair, Homecoming– I’ve got lots to keep me busy!

Who Needs A Car Anyway?!?

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Name: Leah

Hometown: Bowie, Maryland

Class:  Class of 2012

Majors: Biology and History of Science, Medicine, and Technology

Hello everyone! My name is Leah and I am currently a senior in the class of 2012 at Hopkins and pre-med, double majoring in Biology and History of Science, Medicine, and Technology.

I grew up in the suburbs of Maryland and driving around with my friends was one of my favorite things to do in high school. So when I visited the campus and a Hopkins tour guide told me there wasn’t official student parking, a part of my soul literally died. I thought to myself, “What on earth could you do without a car?!.” (Now for those prospectives either chuckling at my pitiful story or reaching for a Kleenex because you know exactly what I mean, let me just stop you because there is a happy ending.)

What I learned is that I had been deceived by the campus—in a good way.  In other words, the beautiful campus with its federal-style architecture of red brick buildings, marble steps, and grand white columns made me believe that I was in the middle of no where. In fact, I had completely forgotten that this illustrious campus was in the bustling city of Baltimore and that I had ways to get off campus that didn’t make me wonder if my car’s side mirrors would be there in the morning!

By being in the city, we have access to taxis, city buses, and even water ferries. But as broke college students, these can add up and empty our wallets so let me reveal to you my list of “Top Five Cheap Ways to Get Off Campus”. This list has taken me 3 years of personal experience to compose but I think its time that I share my tricks with you. (Disclaimer: All the places that I mention below are in no way a complete comprehensive list of all the possible things to do in Baltimore. They merely scratch the surface so you’ll have a chance to be adventurous and discover new corners and coves to pass on to future “prospies”. )

Now, starting from the bottom and workup upwards, the Maryland Light Rail is a train that shuttles throughout Baltimore and its surrounding cities. For only $1.60 you can hop on the Light Rail and go to Camden Yards for an Oriole’s baseball game, BWI airport to catch a plane ride home for the holidays, or Hunt Valley Towne Center to see a movie and grab dinner at California Pizza Kitchen, Noodles and Company, Outback, and much more! This beats taking a cab to the Inner Harbor which can rack up to $14 one way or to the airport which can cost almost $50! As a hungry college student, I always think in terms Chipotle burritos so by saving you $50 that’s worth like six steak burritos with guacamole.

Moving on to the next option is Zip Car—a membership-based car sharing company providing automobile rental to its members. The best part is that you only need to be 18 years old and have a safe driving record to join. Zip Car has parked dozens of new Honda Civics, Toyota Priuses, Mazdas, and more throughout the city and around campus. Depending on the car, it can cost as low as $7.25 to rent the car for an hour, and it includes free gas! These are perfect for doing large grocery runs or maybe even a day trip to the beach with friends!

Third on my list is the Collegetown shuttle and one of many reasons is the “f word”. No not that word. I’m talking about the word “FREE”. The word “free” rings sweet bells in anyone’s ears college student or not. This shuttle takes students to any of the half dozen universities in the area while also taking them to Towson Mall for some shopping or the Inner Harbor for a nice dinner and movie.

Now, I must admit that the top two on my list—the JHMI shuttle and the Charm City Circulator—tie and I’ll explain why. First of all, they’re both free but they are each fantastic in their own way and I can’t actually place one above the other. (Can you tell how my list is getting cheaper and cheaper as we reach the top?)

The JHMI shuttle stands for the Johns Hopkins Medical Institute Shuttle and it takes both students and faculty to the Hopkins School of Nursing, School of Public Health, Peabody School of Music, and the Pennsylvania train station. (In case you’re wondering, the train station is not located in Pennsylvania. It’s actually just a few blocks down the street.) Thanks to it being timely and free, the best word to describe the JHMI shuttle is “reliable” and it allows students to take classes at Peabody, conduct research at the Medical school, take classes at the Public Health school, and much more. By going to the train station with the JHMI, you can catch a $7 commuter train to visit Washington D.C. for the day or take the Bolt bus with your friends to check out New York City. To satisfy your fine arts palate, a short walk from the train station will take you to the Joseph Meyerhoff for a Baltimore Symphony Orchestra performance or the Lyric Opera House. If you’re not into classical performances, then don’t worry because the Meyerhoff also hosts events like “Shaolin Monk Showdown”, “tribute to John Williams”, “Drumline Live!”, and so much more. (Student rush tickets are only $5!)

Meanwhile, the Charm City Circulator (CCC) is a fleet of 21 free eco-friendly hybrid shuttles that travel three routes in Baltimore City, serving the city residents and tourists. With the circulator, students can explore the fun coves of Baltimore. The shuttle comes every 15 minutes to each stop and it can take you to Fell’s Point—a historic maritime district—for a great bite to eat and people watching, Federal Hill—a historic brick neighborhood—for a beautiful view of the city, and Harbor East for fine dining and a movie!

And there you have it—my thousand-word crash course on all the great, cheap, and easy ways to get off campus and explore the wonderful city of Baltimore! Now, get out there and try my list!

Hop’in Around Baltimore: JHU Family Weekend

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Name: Jake Golman

Year: Class of 2014

Hometown: Dallas, TX

Major: Economics

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The weekend of October 14, 2011 was family weekend at Hopkins.  This year, my youngest brother Hank (15) and uncle Greg came to visit.  My brother had never spent significant time on a college campus and my uncle had not spent much time on one in over 30 years!  They both were excited (or so they said) to see Hopkins and me.  Since we planned to drive a lot and parking can be a bit of a hassle, I reserved a Zipcar for the weekend.  They came straight to campus from the airport.  Right off the bat we went shopping to restock on supplies – Giant, Target and Staples.  We bought so much that it took the three of us two trips to get everything to my room.  THANK YOU UNCLE GREG!!  We then went to the famous Woodberry Kitchen for dinner.  Have you heard of it??  Woodberry was featured on Food Network.  Although all of its dishes are spectacular, Woodberry is best known for their C.M.P. dessert, described on the menu as “Malt ice cream, chocolate sauce, marshmallow fluff, wet peanuts.” I think a better description would be “heaven in a cup!”  My uncle was amazed.  Sometimes I go to Woodberry Kitchen just for the dessert!  I highly recommend this restaurant – it’s only 10 minutes from campus – but you need to make reservations weeks in advance.

Eating the CMP!

We started the next morning at another Food Network dive, Blue Moon Café, located in Fells Point.  Words of advice from a Blue Moon regular – go early to avoid a VERY long wait.  We ordered the famous Cap’n Crunch French Toast and some pumpkin pancakes.  Huge portions, great food.  After breakfast, the real touring commenced!  We first stopped on the Homewood campus.  Our tour of Homewood included a guided tour of the Baltimore Museum of Art which has on permanent exhibit one of the largest Matisse collections in the world as well as several Picassos, Degas, and Monets among others.  During the summer before I started at Hopkins, I went with my uncle to Europe and visited many well-known art museums.  He has seen his fair share of art over the years and even collects it.  His was quite impressed by the depth and variety of the BMA’s collection, especially for a museum on a college campus.   I am a Hopkins tour guide and gave them an unofficial tour of the Homewood campus after visiting the museum.

The Blue Moon Cafe

My brother absolutely loved the Da Vinci machine in Hackerman Hall and enjoyed reliving parts of the “Social Network” which was partially filmed on campus.  My brother and uncle both thought the school would be “older looking” but quickly concluded that most of the buildings are pretty new.  The campus buildings really flow together, one of the reasons that I loved Homewood from the beginning!  We concluded the tour by walking around Charles Village. I showed them my places- Charles Street Market, University Market, Eddies Grocery Store, Maxies Pizza and my fraternity house.

The Breezeway

We grabbed a quick bite to eat in Hampden, a kooky neighborhood a few blocks from campus that not many people seem to know about, and then headed over to the Peabody Campus.  Although I know several people who attend Peabody, I had never been on the campus so I thought this would be a perfect time to check it out.  The Mount Vernon area has a very different feel than Charles Village.  Although our stay was short, I saw one thing I wanted to see, the George Peabody Library.  The Peabody Library, which has mostly old books, gets rave reviews and is regularly written up as one of the most impressive college libraries in the country.  We then zipped through Little Italy and, after grabbing a cannoli as a snack, headed to the Inner Harbor and the Babe Ruth Museum near Camden yards.  The Inner Harbor was packed!  Many people had ran in the Baltimore marathon earlier in the day while others were simply enjoying the beautiful afternoon.

Peabody Library

Our last stop before dinner was the Hopkins Hospital.  My uncle has been a doctor in a major city for 30 years but was astonished by the sheer size of the hospital.  Being from Texas where almost everything is bigger, my brother said, “This place is bigger than Jerry World (the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium).”  After a long day of touring, we had dinner at a little joint in Canton and called it a night.  On Sunday morning, the only thing on our schedule was breakfast at Paper Moon Café (5 minutes from campus).  My uncle could not stop talking about the restaurant’s décor!  It was finally time for them to go back home.

During their two short days with me, we visited at least 9 different Baltimore neighborhoods!  They had an awesome trip (although too short L), and I really enjoyed showing off Hopkins and the city of Baltimore to my family!

Learn More, See More, SAAB’More

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Name: Noah Guiberson

Year: Class of 2014

Hometown: Houston, Texas

Majors: Neuroscience and Biology

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“Learn More, See More, B’More” is a web show created by SAAB member & Hopkins Interactive blogger, JHU_Lucie.  In it, she and I (I am her cohost) seek out the best of Baltimore and bring it to you, the Hopkins prospective, in order to show you what it’s like to live in Charm City (branded as “The Greatest City In America”) and to study at Johns Hopkins (which, if you ask us, should be rebranded as “The Best University in the World”).

The “Learn More, See More, B’More” crew. We could not do it without you guys! We’ll miss our director, Shayna, who graduated last Spring…but the show must go on! Now we have two more additions to help out John and Peter, Ben and JHU_Jacqueline (who is also a SAABlogger!). Season Two is going to be amazing!

So far our travels have brought us to the neighborhoods of Hampden, Little Italy, Fell’s Point, and Federal Hill (and many more to come in our “Neighborhoods of Baltimore; Part Two” episode! Stay tuned!); and to various establishments across Baltimore, such as the legendary Cross Street Market, the National Aquarium, Woodberry Kitchen and the Inner Harbor.

Our “Holidays at Hopkins” episode chanced us a brief and impromptu interview with University President Ron Daniels (fondly known by the student body as RonnyD), to whom we listened extol the virtues of jelly doughnuts as a Chanukah treat, as well as the dire importance of appropriately sized yarmulkes. We also traveled to Hampden for the festival of lights known as “Miracle on 34^th Street”, found out that being covered in lights “feels really good”, and that a team of non-engineers can place in the annual Homewood Gingerbread House Competition (It was a Christmas Miracle! (Hint: they used MAGIC).

Lucie and I in Hampden for Miracle on 34th Street!

In our second episode, we returned to Hampden in order to eat at one of Baltimore’s most famous restaurants, Woodberry Kitchen! When the restaurant manager Corey found out that we were having trouble choosing from all the amazing dishes on the menu, he took us for a behind-the-scenes tour of the kitchen! There we learned all about Woodberry’s locally-sourced ingredients, and gained a firsthand appreciation of what it’s like to be a chef in a real Chesapeake kitchen! Lucie got some advice from a pastry chef on how to make a roll cake for a Yule Log!

Lucie and I on set at Woodberry Kitchen! We heartily recommend the Sizzling Shrimp (along with everything else)!

Next, the “Learn More, See More, B’More” team visited Baltimore’s National Aquarium, where we went saw a show in the 4D Immersion Theater, picked out our favorite fluorescent jellyfish in the “Oceans Out of Balance” exhibit, and trekked through the climatic extremes of an exhibit designed to simulate the challenges of life in an Australian river gorge: fire, drought and flood.  Later we saw the dolphin show and even got to play with the dolphins and interview a dolphin trainer! Plus, it turns out Lucy can control bubbles with her mind…

Lucie and I doing tricks for the dolphin…

In our last episode of the Spring semester, we embarked on a journey through four of Baltimore’s eclectic neighborhoods in the first installment of our two-part “Neighborhoods of Baltimore” series. Lucie and I traveled first to the Inner Harbor, where we rode a dragon paddle-boat, checked out all the shops, and high-fived each other at the mall (you had to be there…oh wait! Watch the episode!). Then we all got in our ZipCar, and after an appalling pre-pubescent voice-crack on my part (it happened while I was singing Rebecca Black’s Friday in the backseat…the video crew caught it on film and put it in the video…thanks, guys…), we arrived in Little Italy! This part of town often refers to itself as being the home of “Baltamoré”, a clever portmanteau of “Baltimore” and Italian word for love! A quick recap: Lucie skipped through the streets, walked into a wall, fainted after smelling a rose, and waited to get into a restaurant at the end of a long line that turned out to be part of a mural (Okay, I might have been involved with one or two of these…which ones? You’ll have to watch the episode to find out!). The remainder of our trip found us in Fell’s Point (full of cobblestone, street performers, and contemporary art galleries and one heck of a nightlife) and Federal Hill (full of really old markets, famous eateries and a really big hill with a cannon from which you get a great view of Downtown Baltimore and the Inner Harbor).

Lucie and I by the cannon atop of Federal Hill!

Hopkins is an amazing University, and Homewood is a beautiful campus. But what many students don’t know is how much the City of Baltimore has to offer. Lucie and I are students at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. And we’re here to help you learn about the city in which we learn. Follow us on Twitter: @JHU_Noah and @JHU_Lucie; and tweet #LearnMoreSeeMoreBMore to tell us what you love about Baltimore when you visit Hopkins!

And as always, if you want to B’More, visit us at: http://www.youtube.com/user/HopkinsVideoBlog#p/u/3/HDV4alBajGM.

Stay tuned for Season Two of “Learn More, See More, B’More”!

GO HOP!

Habitat for Humanity Pre-O

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Name: Billy Kang

Year: 2014

Hometown: Rochester Hills, Michigan

Area of Study: Biomedical Engineering

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If there’s anything better than college (and trust me, college is wonderful), it’s college without classes. Of course, I didn’t know that when I signed up for the Habitat Pre-O back in summer 2010 – I pretty much sent in the application on impulse. Regardless, Habitat Pre-O ended up being best start of my college career than I could ever hope for.

At the Inner Harbor

So what is Habitat for Humanity? Long story short, Habitat is an international organization that focuses on building homes for people in need. The organization is rather large, and I suspect many of you have already heard of Habitat in your high schools. They host building projects both in the States and overseas; at Hopkins, the chapter mainly participates on weekend work trips into nearby communities (which is also another great experience).

More specifically, what is the Habitat Pre-Orientation event? This is something that is exclusive to incoming freshmen. For this program, the participants come on campus a week prior to move in and orientation. During this week, we go into neighboring communities (Remington and Sandtown) and coordinate with the local Habitat organization and build houses.

Meeting all the new faces and playing ninja - after the icebreakers.

Why should you do this? First, you move in early. Avoiding the whole mess of move in day was already worth every penny of the registration fee. You cannot truly appreciate what the previous statement means until you witness the lines and the chaos of move in day. Second, you will be doing something great for the community – can’t argue with that. Third, the advantage of Habitat Pre-O is that you’ll be on campus for a whole week prior to move in. Plenty of time to familiarize yourself with the campus before orientation even started. The upperclassmen supervisors will take you to places such as Inner Harbor and Towson Mall. You’ll know what’s up in the area before everyone else. Fourth, the people you’ll meet on this program will most likely become some of your best friends on campus. College can be daunting in terms of the sheer amount of new faces you’ll encounter in the first few days. The pre-o program eases you into college by giving you a small group to work with – a much better alternative than the typical, repetitive orientation conversation: “Hi, how are you? What’s your name and major? Blah blah blah…” Oh, did I mention you will have fun? Above all else, you will enjoy the experience. College without any classes or tests is a dream come true, this pre-o is precisely the chance for you to live a week of this dream. In another word, if you want a pressure free, relaxed and fun start to your college career – this is the program for you.

The pre-o group posing in front of the church. We were nasty from sweating and smelled like vinegar, but no one cares (or at least from the picture). See all the smiles? Yea, that’s us having fun.

Advertisement asides, I want to share a personal story. The first day of my pre-o experience was in a church in Remington. They had a gym that badly needed repair. I guess they decided the gym floor was too dirty (honestly, I think they were just unprepared for us that day) so we ended up with the job of scrubbing the gym floor – with these tiny sponges. It sounds horrible, and it is. But during this time I got to talk to the rest of the people, nothing drives conversation like a bunch of 18 years old pretending (but really, we worked) to scrub floor. Not only did I familiarize myself with the group, I also had a chance to talk to a senior, who helpfully gave me plenty of advice about which classes to take and what clubs to join. Despite our slow progress, we were eventually able to clean the floor up. Thankfully, over the week we moved on to more back breaking jobs like shoveling bricks and mixing cements. But more importantly, we bonded, and there’s no better sense of relieve when you realize you fit in: that there are people you like here – in the end, you made the right choice coming to Hopkins. Make no mistakes, Habitat will make you work. But the bonding time you’ll get with your new classmates is invaluable, and it’s the part of the pre-o that I treasure most.

Cement is hard to mix, but it's fun.

It may seem like a bold move, to voluntarily come on campus a week before orientation. It may even seem scary for you, I was myself very nervous when my plane landed (my Hopkins experience started at the airport, I shared a cab with Alex, another Habitat Pre-O participant, on the way to campus). But let me assure you – you will have the time of your life. Very few things compare with the feeling you get admiring the backyard you paved that you know will help someone who really needs it. But Habitat Pre-O is a great program in that not only do you get a chance to do great deeds, you get to truly bond with your group – habitat makes the whole process fun. Simply put, the program will make your college career start so much smoother and easier. Regardless if I convinced you that pre-o is an amazing program or not, I’ll give it one last try: the pre-o program is exclusive to freshman. Yes, this means that this is the only time in your life you’ll be able to do this. Sometimes, a leap of faith is what it takes, I took it – and never regretted it since. I just spent the whole entry telling to scream a definitive “yes”, but now as yourself, are you willing to take your leap of faith? Start your college career with something you’ll never forget – sign up for Habitat Pre-O.

My Charm City

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Name: Abigail Weber

Year: Class of 2013

Hometown: Elk Grove, CA

Program of Study: Psychological and Brain Sciences and Anthropology (Minor)

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Whenever I tell people that I go to Johns Hopkins University, I always receive the inevitable string of questions: “Oh, so you’re going to be a doctor… Oh, I always thought it was JOHN Hopkins…Also, isn’t Baltimore a terrible place to live?” While all of these questions can frustrate any Hopkins student, the last one in particular is a misconception that I feel very passionate about changing. Of course, coming from a small suburban-country town in California, I was also initially anxious about moving to the urban environment of downtown Baltimore. My neighbors had horses and pigs- what did I know about city life? I heard horror story after horror story about the dangerous atmosphere that surrounded Hopkins, and was full of trepidation before I ever set foot on campus. But now that I am here, I can’t imagine living anywhere else.

First of all, Hopkins itself is not an urban sprawl. The campus is quite condensed, and is full of trees- part of the campus even backs up onto a forest! During the fall (what I consider to be Hopkins’ best season) all the leaves turn beautiful shades of red and gold, and during the spring flowers bloom everywhere. There are even tons of squirrels and bunnies running around during the warmer days. During the wintertime, the snow covers the hills and snowflakes fall onto the tree branches making them glitter- so even though it is cold, it is definitely beautiful!

Beyond the campus itself, the surrounding area is just like any other little college town. We have a Chipotle (which I frequent way too often), some coffee shops, clothing stores, and a vegetarian café that serves the most amazing baked macaroni and cheese that you will ever eat in your life! There is also a wonderful art museum down the street from campus that has a huge Andy Warhol exhibit- I love to take my parents there whenever they visit. Due to the ever-present and always helpful security guards, I always feel safe around campus even during the middle of the night. My parents know the area around Hopkins, and they felt very comfortable with me living and walking around the surrounding town- they were probably more worried about how I would handle the cold!

At one of Baltimore's famous crab eateries!

When I do have free time to venture off campus and explore the greater area of downtown Baltimore, I am never disappointed. The area has a lot of history, which has helped it become the charming and fascinating city that it is today. If you are looking for a good dose of Southern charm and the best crab-cakes in the country, then you should look no further than “Bawl-mer” (as it is properly pronounced). There are tons of cute antique stores in the older parts of town, but my favorite place to go is the Harbor. It is the perfect place to do a little shopping at the mall, have lunch at a little seafood place, and then go to the amazing aquarium and see some dolphins!

While I have never felt impeded by the urban environment surrounding Hopkins, it is true that Baltimore does suffer from issues of poverty and homelessness. However, far from these being deterrents to attending Hopkins, these community issues have actually provided some of the richest opportunities for me during my time here as a student. My favorite part of my school week is interning as a language volunteer at The Ark, a local preschool for homeless children. My job is to talk with these toddlers and work on providing them with basic social skills and language tools to help them in the future. These little kids are the sunshine of my life- they always greet me with hugs and smiles, and their eagerness to learn despite the difficulties of their lives inspires me on a daily basis.

One of the children at the Ark

So whenever I have to answer the inevitable stream of Hopkins questions, I answer most with simple corrections: “No, I will not be a doctor” or “No, it’s JOHNSSSSSSS Hopkins.” But when it comes to the question about Baltimore, I simply can’t answer that with a yes or no. This city is so much more than a simple answer; the charm of Baltimore has grown to be so much more than any pre-conceived notions I had about this city before living here. So if you are about to attend Hopkins, or even just thinking about it, I am sure you will probably get this question at some point or another. And I hope that, after reading this, you may be a little more equipped to answer this query.

Biking in Baltimore

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Name: Charlie Weintraub

Year: Class of 2013

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Intended Programs of Study: International Studies and Near Eastern Studies

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I consider myself somewhat of an explorer. Growing up in the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles, I always loved driving around and seeing new things that were hidden in the city’s least expected places. It took me a little while, but upon to Baltimore I couldn’t resist this same urge, and I eventually went exploring.

My bike and I have been on a lot of adventures together and I have seen sides of Baltimore that many Hopkins students probably don’t know exist. It has gotten me to class for an exam in record time when I was running late. It has taken me to dinner and the movies on a date with my girlfriend (she didn’t need a lot of convincing in order to buy a bike for herself). It has taken me to concerts with my friends. It has taken me to the house of my aunt and uncle who live nearby to celebrate holidays and see their new puppies. Over the past year at Hopkins, my bike has taken me to a lot of unexpected places. It even got me into the world of cycling and convinced me to do my first triathlon this past summer. Pretty amazing considering I bought the thing for $100 on craigslist with no expectations.

Yes the bike is fantastic and I love what it has allowed me to do at Hopkins, but what I think is really amazing, and why I wanted to write this blog, is that my bike could just has easily been the debate team, the Jail tutorial program where students tutor local inmates seeking their GED, or the PSA after school sports program where Hopkins students play sports with students at a nearby middle school. It has just been a way for me to see what’s out there.  Sure I have been places that most Hopkins students haven’t, but I’m sure that many of them have a few favorite spots that I don’t know about in Baltimore. The relationship that Hopkins has with its city is unbelievable. Baltimore has so much character and it is relentlessly welcoming to the students from around the city to explore its quirkyness. While far from everyone uses a bike to explore the city’s character, it is my preferred method and I have loved it!

There’s so much to see and do around the city and on campus here that my bike and I are never without new places to go to. The campus gates of the university aren’t where your experiences end at Hopkins. I’m not going to say the world is your oyster when you are a Hopkins student just because that’s painfully cliché and I cant pretend to bike from my dorm room across the world, but I will say that Baltimore is your oyster when you are a student here.