That

1

Name: Greco Song

Year: Class of 2013

Hometown: Fullerton, CA

Major: Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

*****************************************************************************************************

Hi. My name is Greco and I’m a Hopkins junior studying Chemical and Molecular Engineering. I am part of the Student Admissions Advisory Board (SAAB), where I help prospective students with their college decisions (follow me on twitter! www.twitter.com/JHU_Greco) and also help admitted Hopkins pre-freshman with their transition to college life during the summer. I’m also currently the president of one of the a cappella groups on campus, the Vocal Chords.

Over the summer, I have been arranging an a cappella rendition of a song called “This” for the Vocal Chords. It’s a country song written and performed by Darius Rucker. I had never been a fan of country music (disliked it quite much, to be honest), but when the group decided to do this song for this year’s fall and spring concerts, I was almost forced to be the one arranging it.

Arranging a song is a pretty big task – you have to sit down, listen to the track about a gazillion times, and then try to remember and write down what notes were in the background. Sometimes, some parts in the background are simply not singable (especially country songs with crazy stringy sounds…) so I would have to find alternate ways to make it more feasible for us to sing. Country music is really really not my thing at all. But somehow, the song first got stuck in my head (which happens a lot when arranging songs), then it became a meaningful companion (which doesn’t usually happen..).

The song is about a guy getting dumped by his girlfriend and everything, but in the end he’s thankful that all these things lead him to “this” which basically is his happy life with his daughter and his family. The lyrics in this song is just so positive, but not too positive to make me throw up out of cheesiness. No, I haven’t really been in a serious relationship or anything, but I do understand the message and listening to the song literally thousand times really made me commit to it. Honestly though, I don’t know if it’s really because I sympathize with the singer or if it’s simply because I’m brainwashed with the song. When I sing it out loud, it comes out of my mouth through the muscle memory, and sometimes I don’t even have to think about what part of the song I’m singing at the moment. Maybe I’m just not in that stage right now where I think life is just full of wonderful things like unicorns? Maybe right now, Darius’s “this” is my “that.”

To be honest, Hopkins was not my first choice. When I was applying for colleges three years ago, I had some other school in mind. But that school rejected me and I was basically left with Hopkins. The Vocal Chords wasn’t my first choice a cappella group either. But I got rejected to the group I wanted to get in, and I had no choice but to join the Vocal Chords. I also have other plenty personal decisions that I had no choice but to make in the past, and sometimes I had to go to somewhere with no people and just cry my heart out. I just felt like I had no control over my own life. I think feeling of losing control is the worst thing a person can ever feel – if you don’t have a control over your OWN life, what else can you be in control of? I was tired of being an underdog, and many times I wanted to let myself fail (and a few times I did let myself fail).

In two months I turn 21. It’s a pretty big number. And I’m really proud of myself for physically and emotionally surviving this long. Yes, it sucks to be an underdog, but over time, I learned to fight. Over time, I learned how to appreciate hard work – even when I failed at something, I learned to be simply thankful of the every effort I’d put into it. That’s the art of being an underdog. I just simply don’t allow myself to quit and keep fighting even without having to see the end of the hardship because I learned to believe in myself. It really doesn’t matter if I believe in God or not – as long as I believe in myself, I can be in control.

I’ve met a ton of people here at Hopkins, but ended up sticking only with a few friends. But these friends are the ones I opened up to completely and I’m really thankful for them. I learned so many things from them including how to be a good friend, and I really cannot imagine my life without them.

It’s like learning how to ride a two-wheel bike. I think I had too much pride before I came to Hopkins, trying to learn it all by myself. I rode it for two seconds then I would fall to the ground. Again for another few seconds, and fall again. I didn’t allow anyone to hold my bike and help me, and I ended up with some scars here and there, and beat myself up for it. But I learned to let people come in and be part of my life and just observe – observe how they interact with others, how they keep their friendships, how they approach personal problems, and how they fight.

I still can’t ride a two-wheel bike. Right now I have my friends as my training wheels and I’m just pedaling my way through college life. I go up and down the hills and first try to explore what’s been around me – things that I could not before when I was only focusing on trying to ride that darn two-wheel bike. I’m slowly getting the beauty of life. I understand the dealio and am almost clearly seeing my own reason to live my life as best as I can. Part of it is the people I love – my family, friends, people I respect and look up to. The other part of it is myself – it’s really slow, but I know I’m starting to appreciate myself more and more – I’m learning “to accept the things I cannot change; 
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.” And I believe that when I finally explore my surrounding with my bike enough with the training wheels and finally understand the whole beauty of it all (no matter however long this may take), I’ll have just enough motivation to ride the bike without the training wheels. Maybe then I will be able to sing along to “This” and really feel like it’s coming out from my heart.

Reading All About It

0

Name: Katherine Simeon

Year: Class 0f 2014

Hometown: Basking Ridge, NJ

Major: Cognitive Science

****************************************************************************************

One of the more overwhelming events during Orientation would be the Student Activities Fair. Although the color-coded map may help, it does not completely alleviate the feeling of getting lost in a sea of tables and eager upperclassmen passing out fliers and urging you to sign their email list.

So after a couple hours of wandering around the recreation center, signing around 20 or so email lists and listening to a student talk about his organization for half an hour, there is still no chance to drop by the Quidditch Team’s table. And even after collecting enough fliers to feel like an orgo textbook is weighing down your arm, you do not know which of the five clubs meetings to attend that all happen to be next Monday at 7 p.m.

The Cover-Letter, an annual edition of the News-Letter specifically for freshmen

Fortunately, I’m going to make the answer easy for you: The News-Letter, Johns Hopkins’s student newspaper.

As a premier research university, many students come to Hopkins to become doctors (both M.D. and Ph.D.), to learn from Nobel Prize Winners, and to discover brilliant things. Many seem to forget about the publications that are not research journals –the News-Letter, the Black and Blue Jay (Hopkins’s humor magazine), Thoroughfare (one of multiple literary magazines on campus), and others– which make a significant contribution to campus life.

Joining The News-Letter was one of the most rewarding decisions I made during the first semester of my freshman year. Although I was relatively experienced with news publications and journalism during high school, The News-Letter pushed me into an entirely new atmosphere where I had a lot to learn. When doing my research for stories, I encountered some amazing organizations and people on campus that I might have neglected otherwise. By writing feature articles, I have seen the diversity of the great clubs on campus, from the Ultimate Frisbee team to S.E.E.D. (Students Educating and Empowering for Diversity). Through my interviews, I met a fellow student who is a national ping-pong star and a senior who just wrapped up her research as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow. I’ve had great conversations with professors from all different disciplines –from chemistry to policy studies. In fact, one of these professors will now be my advisor as I enter my sophomore year as a Cognitive Science major.

The News-Letter Office

Working for a publication was a great break from stoichiometry and integrals. I receive valuable feedback from editors and fellow students that I have great respect for without having to worry about a grade. Plus, you do not need to be a writer to make a contribution. A strong publication requires work in art and photography, business and marketing, management, and technology –it is truly a multi-disciplinary activity and a team effort.

Through The News-Letter, I immersed myself in a new environment and embraced many different perspectives that I did not expect to find when I started college. I always hope that through my writing, I can give my readers a similar experience. Campus publications give great insight to what is going on at the university, both academically and socially. They reveal the interests, values, and opinions of the students. I realize that working in writing, art, marketing, and other aspects of a publication will not be of interest to everyone. But while you decide what clubs to join at the beginning of the school year (or, if you are a prospective student, wondering what to make of all the stops on the grand college road trip), perusing The JHU News-Letter –or any other campus publication for that matter– may prove to be helpful.

Habitat for Humanity Pre-O

1

Name: Billy Kang

Year: 2014

Hometown: Rochester Hills, Michigan

Area of Study: Biomedical Engineering

*******************************************************************************************************

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.

ΦM PHUN!

1

Name: Kate Vacovec

Year: Class of 2013

Hometown: Sherborn, MA

Major(s): International Relations Major; Entrepreneurship and Management Minor

**********************************************************************************************************

Every week I spend an hour giving a tour around the Hopkins campus to prospective students.  Most tours I’ve given follow the same format with students half-listening as they recall the 10 other college information sessions and tours they have already attended. Most tours are a blur even to me.  However, one specific tour that occurred last semester specifically stands out.  I remember walking into the rec center to give prospective students and their parents an opportunity to look around.  As I waited patiently, one student approached me with his father and hesitantly posed a unique question that no prospective student had ever attempted to ask.  “Is Hopkins…fun?”

Now flashback to when I was a senior applying to Hopkins.  At first, I didn’t even consider it.  All the college guides certainly did not make it seem fun.  Who wanted to go to a school where everyone studied and was extremely competitive?  While I wanted to get an amazing education at a great school, I made a vow to not sell my soul and sacrifice my sanity by going to a school whose extracurricular was study on M level. Well fortunately for me, I had a cousin who had graduated a couple years before and promised me that he had an awesome time.  After I applied and got in, I had to figure out how I would actually have fun at Hopkins.

Phi Mu Dinosaur-themed party

Luckily, the answer hit me immediately when a cheery girl handed me a cup of pink lemonade on the “beach” at Hopkins.  Joining a sorority became the answer to my question.  I was certainly tentative at first. A sorority? I’m an intellectual! Sororities are only for girly girls who are from the south and wear Lily Pulitzer and pearls. But instantly I realized that those involved in Greek Life at Hopkins are more than what is depicted in the movies. They are scholars looking to balance their academics and extracurricular activities with some fun on the weekends.

Phi Mu dresses as Hopkins cheerleaders for Halloween

After joining Phi Mu, my life at Hopkins changed dramatically. I met a group of girls who manage to get over a 3.5 GPA while devoting their time to every extracurricular on campus possible and still making an appearance on the

Phi Mu's flag football team

weekends.  Fun? How can date parties, flag football, Greek weekend, sister dinners, themed celebrations and random movie nights with lots of ice cream and chick flicks not be fun? Phi Mu certainly satiated my appetite for activities to balance my academics, but so far it has provided me with much more than I even expected.  It has challenged me to volunteer and raise money (think bake sales, visits to Hope Lodge and Pastathon) for our philanthropy organization Children’s Miracle Network. Some of my Phi Mu sisters and I even challenged ourselves to run the 10 mile Cherry Blossom Run to raise money for this organization (Challenge is an understatement. Come decision time I was still battling three miles).  Phi Mu has also helped me to establish bonds with sisters on campus that I would have never met without my pledge to Phi Mu. Walking around campus and receiving smiling faces from my sisters never seems to get old.

Phi Mu has certainly proved to be my answer to my own tentative question, “Will Hopkins be fun?”  After two years as a Hopkins undergrad, I look back and think, Phi Mu has made my experience at Hopkins fun.  But I actually have to correct myself. Phi Mu has made my experience at Hopkins unforgettable.

Merriment and Mayhem

4

Name: Kristina Kelvy
Year: Class of 2013/Sophomore
Hometown: Hamilton, NJ
Area of Study: History, Theatre Arts and Studies (minor), Pre-Med

***********************************************************************************************************************

Playing at M&T Stadium

It’s a warm March Saturday in Baltimore.  The afternoon sun is chasing away the remnants of winter and glistening off the metal lacrosse sticks on Homewood Field.  Originating from about midfield on the Hopkins’ side, there is a loud, boisterous group among the crowd of parents, students, and alumni.  They’re wearing matching blue polos and khakis, making their presence well known to the visiting side.  This is the Johns Hopkins University Pep Band.

Creating “merriment and mayhem” since 1921, the Pep Band attends every football game during the fall semester and men’s lacrosse game in the spring.  The band occupies the same section of the Homewood Field stands each time, proudly wearing our Hopkins blue while nestled among equally passionate parents, alumni, and, of course, the student section-The Nest.  Ever watch a Hopkins lacrosse game on TV and wonder where that endless stream of music and cheering was coming from? Well, that’s us.  Some call it obnoxious, we call it heart.

Playing at Navy, 2010

Coming from a state-champion marching band in New Jersey, music was a huge part of my life and something I did not want to lose among my Hopkins coursework.  I sought out the Pep Band.  The members were light-hearted and fun, the time commitment was easy, and I could keep music in my Hopkins experience.

It’s my favorite activity on campus.

The band typically rehearses once a week, building a repertoire of popular tunes and Hopkins standards.  Sports fans can hear the traditional “Johnny Be Good” followed by Green Day, the Who, or even the Mighty Mighty Bosstones.  The fun and energy we share in rehearsals come through our songs and the crowd is equally animated along with us.

Home game, 2009

Energizing the crowd at home is easy; what is very impressive is our effect at away games.  Complete with our usual entourage of parents and alumni, the band is determined to leave a lasting impression at other schools, maintaining our level of noise and support for our team on the field.

The band is, quite simply, one of the best ways to de-stress and have fun.  Rehearsals are fantastic rejuvenating study breaks, with jokes in between the practicing.  And there is not better way to de-stress from classes than yelling “WE WANT MORE” at the top of your lungs following a Hopkins goal.

Home game, 2010

We’re the Johns Hopkins University Pep Band.  We play our instruments loud and we yell even louder.  We love football and lacrosse, knowing all the rules and playoff scenarios when discussing with them with alumni.  We love our team even more, knowing their names and numbers, voicing our support for a game well played.  We’re there when it rains, when it’s cold, and when the Baltimore afternoon is perfect.  We’re there when the team first steps on the field and there until they step off, behind them win or lose.  The best part about band, though, is the people beside you in the stands; they’re fellow musicians and friends, even outside the band.

The fact is that once you’ve joined the Pep Band, you’re in it for life.  Because it’s way too much fun to stop.

Playoffs, 2006

Home game against UNC

Fears Allayed: A Nerd Prevails

2

Name: Michael St. Germain

Year: Class of 2014

Hometown: Brighton, MI

Intended Area of Study: International Studies

*********************************************************************************************************************

Pre-rappelling wall. Hoping my harness is Army Strong.

As I stood over a 35 foot rappelling wall, strapped in with a harness I had made from rope, I tried to recall just how I had gotten to this point. My helmet was weighing heavy on my neck and my boots were beginning to slip down the wall. I pushed the rope into the small of my back and felt it go taught. I looked down at my freshly issued ACUs (Army Combat Uniform) and, jumping, threw the arm holding the rope out. After a short, controlled descent, I came back to the wall and my boots made contact with a loud thud.

It was my first day at Hopkins and, just as significantly, my first day participating in ROTC as a contracted cadet.  I had never imagined that the Blue Jay Battalion would challenge my greatest fear on the first day of training. I could think back to middle school when I wouldn’t even do a more moderate high ropes course because of my fear of heights. Little did I know my first day was going to epitomize my career so far at Johns Hopkins.

Before coming to Hopkins, I wasn’t very excited about the idea of going to college. Maybe I was too involved with my life at my high school or I just didn’t want to think about changing schools again (I was already attending a college preparatory boarding school).  I knew that I wanted to do ROTC and I knew I wanted to go to a school with a good international studies program near a city (so I could escape if school became too overwhelming, ha – sorry Cornell).

However, after the typical whirlwind tour of possible college matches, there weren’t any schools that stuck out to me as “the one.” Since there was no clear choice, I decided to apply to the schools where I had met friendly people and see what happened. When the Army told me that I had won a 4-year scholarship, I knew I was going to be able to go out of state if I so chose. After being admitted to Hopkins, I visited the campus again, and even though I still wasn’t convinced it was the perfect fit for me, I decided to enroll anyways.  I was willing to take the risk and see where this path led me.

Scholarship money from Lieutenant Colonel Pomper on behalf of Uncle Sam!

To be completely honest I was afraid of people on the east coast. I heard they weren’t friendly and, from what I heard of my Dad’s college experience, they sounded judgmental. I was also wary of Hopkins’ low girl rating on CollegeProwler.com.  More than anything I didn’t know if my Star Wars fanatic, Detroit enthusiast, goofy self would be able to fit in.

When I finally arrived at Hopkins, I encountered another problem. Instead of meeting people I spent the majority of my normal student orientation at ROTC orientation events. I was worried that I really wouldn’t be able to meet people, or find anyone who I would enjoy hanging out with.  Never have my fears been more misplaced.

After daily ROTC orientation events I would race back to campus to make sure I had some opportunities to meet people through the regular orientation events. The difficulty of keeping up with all of the new names made me feel a little lost, and I didn’t already have a social group like all of the kids that went to the pre-orientation events. Trying to find out where I fit in on campus (while still not sure if I even really did), I resorted to walking into every room in Building A and introducing myself to as many people as possible.

Victims of nerdy pick up lines.

One evening I decided to venture into the basement of Building A.  I knocked on an unsuspecting student’s door. A surprised girl answered the door. After an enjoyably awkward slew of conversation starters I decided that I needed to run a hail Mary: the star wars pick up line.  Although it has on average a 5% success rate, I figured it wouldn’t hurt too much to try it. To my astonishment not only did she understand the joke but I got her to crack a smile! I later went on to find out that I very well might have met my match in geek trivia. I was at home.

In fact the more people I met the more I began to enjoy the atmosphere of a school where people work for their accomplishments. I was convinced that I had to get involved in as many ways as possible. I was elected to the position of senator for the freshman class and I attended as many school events as I could.

For picking Hopkins with nothing more than a gut feeling I believe I have made one of the best decisions of my life so far. Never have I been as challenged academically or mentally but never have I enjoyed meeting so many different, hard working, exceptional individuals. There is not a day that goes by that I do not find myself savoring my choice to come to Hopkins.

Hopkins ROTC on Youtube:

A Niche for Everyone

0

Name: Emily Nink

Year: Class of 2014

Hometown: Milwaukee, WI

Intended Programs of Study: Spanish &  Global Environmental Change and Sustainability
 *****************************************************************************************************

I’m a freshman double majoring in Spanish and Global Environmental Change and Sustainability. I was born in Boston, but I grew up in Milwaukee, WI. In high school I was involved in lots of activities, but my two favorites were the Global Youth Leadership Institute and my mission trip to Appalachia. Both of these inspired my interest in sustainability, GYLI through its experiential curriculum involving environmentalism, and my mission trip because of the effects of mountaintop removal mining in the area.

Clintwood, VA on a mission trip with GYLI; India and Costa Rica, where I've traveled

This time last year, Hopkins was the last place I imagined myself going to college. I applied on a last minute whim and didn’t even bother checking online to see if I got in when the time came. When the package came in the mail, I saw that I had been admitted and tossed it in my desk drawer where it stayed until the last week of April.

It wasn’t that I had anything against going to Hopkins, I just saw myself somewhere, well, cooler. I’ve always been a city girl, even if growing up in Milwaukee, WI., doesn’t sound like such a big city to some of you ‘coasties’. I pictured myself in Boston, studying in eco-cafes and relying on the T to get around. I saw myself surrounded by hipsters, foreigners, and eccentric music, not kids who I had heard studied all the time and eschewed social interaction.

So how did I end up here at JHU? Well, I received the Bloomberg Scholarship and realized it would be a huge financial mistake to pass up a top-notch Hopkins education at an affordable price. And, big surprise, JHU turned out to be a perfect fit for me as well. Turns out Hopkins is pretty cool after all, and all those myths about everyone sitting in the library have been proved false over the course of my first semester in college. Hopkins is close enough to downtown Baltimore to satisfy my love of cities and yet has a beautiful campus unparalleled by any other school I’ve visited.

Much to my amazement, I found that Hopkins was also home to an awesome environmental awareness on campus. I joined the Eco-Reps, a group of freshman that does environmental projects on campus. I’m also involved in a campus garden and a new group called Real Foods Hopkins. Some of the projects I’ve participated in this semester include a water bottle demonstration on the quad, a waste audit in which we separated and measured recyclables and trash, a ‘jam session’ in which we canned and jammed vegetables from our garden, and green week, which consisted of a whole week of green activities across campus. I was also excited to find that there is a farmer’s market within walking distance of campus, and an Office of Sustainability right here on campus that is committed to making Hopkins as sustainable as possible. (If you want to find out more about sustainability at Hopkins, check out their website at www.sustainability.jhu.edu)

Jam Session and Eco-Reps

It’s a time of great exploration for me, and it can be for you too. Don’t allow yourself to be narrow-minded or influenced by stereotypes as you apply to colleges. I thought I knew what I wanted last year, but I turned out to be completely wrong. Wherever you go to school, allow yourself an open mind and spirit of curiosity. I’m so glad I took a risk by coming to Hopkins; opportunities here are endless and there is a niche for everyone.

Cool Female Voice

0

Name: Liz Harnett

Year: Class of 2014

Hometown: Montclair, NJ

Intended Area of Study: English and Political Science

*******************************************************************************************************************

My college radio show has a total of 10 listeners, and 2 of them are my parents. While this may seem pathetic, my radio show, which ironically is not even on the radio, has been the highlight of my college career so far. Every Wednesday night at 8 o’clock sharp, my voice and my music are broadcast to the world (well okay, to all 10 of my listeners) and for an hour, I have the power to play whatever I want and to say whatever comes to my mind.

Music has always been important to me, so it was a given that when I got to college I would look into having my own radio show. I am an avid concert-goer, and my radio show is often peppered with comments like “Oh when I saw this band…” I always feel like a music snob on the radio, with my indie rock set lists and mentions of all of the bands I’ve seen, but the truth is that I like feeling like I can talk about things that interest me, and the radio show gives me a great opportunity to do that.

For as long as I can remember, my mom has called the voices of women on the radio the “cool female voice”. For my first radio show in particular, I had the sound of the cool female voice on my mind, especially because of my tendency to speak in a squeaky, high-pitched voice when I get nervous. Since the first show, I have stopped getting nervous, and I have accepted that I do not possess the cool female voice that people have deemed necessary for radio. I have also come to realize that I do have my own bubbly style that has made the radio show what it is. I’d like to think that the music I play speaks for itself and that my brief comments add a little something else that makes my listeners (all 10 of them!) happy.

Getting involved with the radio station was one of the best decisions I’ve made since getting to college. It gives me an outlet from the stress of school, and it gives me time to just sit and listen to music for an hour in my week.  It’s relaxing and fun, and I consistently look forward to it. Without the radio show, my week would feel so much longer and I wouldn’t be having as much fun as I am at school.

Marina and I are in the middle, we do the radio show together.

What’s My Age Again?

0

Name: Alexa Mechanic

Year: Class of 2014

Hometown: Somers, NY

Program of Study: Writing Seminars

***********************************************************************************************

My SAAB friend Clint and I with one of our many CharMar purchases, animal crackers. Use your dining dollars wisely.

You don’t realize you’re actually going to college until you see all of your belongings sitting on the garage floor waiting to be loaded into a 4×8 U-Haul trailer. And then, bam, it hits you – you’re no longer a kid. You’ve completed the first major period of your life: childhood. I left my hometown – Somers, NY – on August 24^th 2010, and moved in to Wolman Hall (the best freshman dorm on campus, in my opinion) on August 26^th. As I watched my family drive away after saying goodbye, a surge of independence shot up my spine. Hopkins instantly became my new home, as there is something indescribably great about this place. Of course, I do miss my dog… and my mom and dad and brother, but everything about freshmen year here is so exciting that there is little time for homesickness. For me, the biggest changes have been the degree of freedom I have and the responsibility that accompanies this newfound autonomy.

One of the decisive factors in my decision to attend Johns Hopkins University was the fact that I would never have to take a math class ever again (along with other important decisive factors like the hot chocolate machine in the FFC, the beautiful brick walkways, and the fact that Mayor Bloomberg is an alumni). As a writing seminars major, knowing I would never have to struggle through derivatives again didn’t just make my day; it made my life. Instead, I’m taking classes I’m genuinely interested in like abnormal psychology and a seminar on evil. Not having a core curriculum only adds to the amount of freedom I have in shaping my life at Hopkins.

Some of my friends and I in front of the Hopkins sign!

One of my best friends Molly and I before a football game.

There are a few aspects of this freedom that have required a bit of adjustment and a bit of “I need my mom” panicking. After I proudly did my laundry for the first time, I realized one of my favorite shirts was in the dryer for too long and now could fit an infant. When I accidentally turned my alarm clock off instead of hitting snooze on a Friday morning, I missed a class for the first time. Following a few weeks of eating whatever I wanted at the FFC, I realized even an infinite amount of time spent at the gym could not counteract the fresh-out-of-the-oven cookies or surprisingly delicious pizza or bowls of yogurt and granola I had become addicted to. However, all of these challenges have only augmented my sense of independence – I’m a firm believer in learning from mistakes.

Lindsay, Hailey, Me, Molly and Ariel before the Lupe Fiasco concert.

As my senior year in high school came to a close, I grew tired of the monotony of my lifestyle. The best part of freshman year at Hopkins thus far has been the opportunity to start with a blank slate. Although I really miss my friends from home, I already know the friends I have made at Hopkins so far will be in my life forever. Everyone here is unique, smart, and appreciates both education and having fun (yes, Hopkins students do have fun). I’m currently involved in club swimming, and I’m marketing and publicity co-chair for Relay For Life (the largest fundraiser for the American Cancer Society). It’s so easy to get involved both on campus and off campus around Baltimore.

Molly, Me, the Blue Jay, and Paige pose for a picture!

For fall break, I went home via Amtrak for the weekend. I returned to a hometown that I now felt distant from. I was no longer a kid growing up in Somers – I was a young adult traveling back to the place I spent the first era of my life, and I saw everything from a very different perspective. The high school that once seemed colossal now looked little, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at thenew seniors who thought they were the kings and queens of the world. I drove around town reminiscently, pondering how different my life would be had I chosen a school other than Hopkins. Going home was a weird but satisfying experience, and it was the first time I recognized that Somers is no longer the central place in my life – I can always go back to it, but Baltimore is now where my heart belongs. I have four years at Hopkins ahead of me, and then who knows where I’ll wind up. All I’m sure of is that no matter where life takes me and no matter how many different places I will call home in the future, there are certain people, memories and knowledge from Hopkins that I will always carry with me (figuratively, of course – I’m not that strong).

Hopkins is full of surprises. One morning I woke up to a giant pirate ship on the “beach.” Another day I found a huge flock of pink flamingos on the quad. Last weekend I watched an amazing A Cappella concert on the library stairs (my roommate, Zoe, is in the Vocal Chords)! Tonight, I decorated a cookie at the FFC. You will never be bored here, and I could not be happier with my experience at Hopkins so far.

Why I Love My Job

0

Name: Joe Nugent

Year: Class of 2013

Hometown: Belmar, NJ

Intended Programs of Study: Neuroscience and Psychology

******************************************************************************************************

Mason Hall, home of the Undergraduate Admissions Office at JHU, and one of my favorite places on the Homewood Campus. Credit for all of these photos goes to my good friend John Mueller. He's an awesome photographer in case you haven't noticed.

When I first came to Hopkins I never thought I’d end up having a job on campus, let alone two. I remember my parents telling me something along the lines of “We don’t want you to get a job until at least your second semester! You should be focusing on academics for the entire first semester.” I remember telling them that that shouldn’t be much of an issue because I didn’t plan on having a job. Even throughout my first semester at Hopkins I didn’t look for a job, it was the farthest thing from my mind at the time. During Intersession after all my friends left I ended up working on a bunch of designing and coding for the new Hopkins Interactive homepage I was designing so I could show the marketing/web team in Admissions when I got back. Imagine my surprise during the first few weeks of my second semester at Hopkins when Admissions_Daniel offered me a job as one of his student assistants focusing primarily on Hopkins Interactive. This was the start of my job in Admissions, and little did I know that it would end up being a major part of my life.

When I came to campus one of the first activities I picked up was SAAB (Student Admissions Advisory Board) which is, to put it simply, the group of students who runs Hopkins Interactive and the Ask-a-Student tables at the Open Houses. (Make sure to come see us this Saturday, 10/23, and next Saturday 10/30 outside of Levering!) I loved every moment of being on SAAB, and one of the things that I said I wanted to do in my interview was redesign Hopkins Interactive. There was nothing wrong with the content of HI at the time, but the design was really outdated. And so in October of last year I began to brainstorm what I wanted the new homepage to be, with the help of a diagram that Daniel drew for me. I’ll still never forget Daniel saying “this is a task that may take a few years for you to get the proper access/approval to complete”.

Here's an interesting picture of Mason Hall, apparently if you use a polarizing filter on your camera the windows turn purple! Or maybe they actually are purple....you'll have to visit to find out!

I always kept that in the back of my mind but I knew that I was going to get as much done as I could before the deadline I had set in my mind – April 1st, the date of Regular Decision Notifications. Before my main focus was the homepage, I took on a more tedious task which involved me transferring all of the HI blogs from the old Typepad system, to a new WordPress system that I had customized which would allow the new homepage to work. That was actually a relatively simple task which only took about 2 weeks, and made the final preparations for the launch of the new homepage. So on March 27th I was at work and Daniel asked me whether or not I’d be ready to go tomorrow (March 28th). At first I got a little freaked out but I realized that everything had been set for a long time. And so on March 28th of this year we launched one of the biggest web design projects I’ve ever worked on, which had over 75,000 views during March alone. Check out the post I made on the Hopkins Insider Admissions Blog about the new homepage development if you want to learn more about it at: http://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/blog/2010/03/a-hopkins-interactive-face-lift-version-5-0/.

March was an important month for more reasons than that as all of the Admissions groups I volunteer for take the stage in March. One of the things Daniel told us during our first SAAB meeting with all the freshman was “I think you’ll all enjoy being a part of this group is because sometime in the future someone will come up to you and say you’re the reason they’re at Hopkins, and at that moment you’ll realize that you truly love what you do here.” He followed that by saying that this may not happen for a few years, but when it does it will make everything worth it. I’ve had 2 people say that to me so far, and they’re both members of the current freshman class at Hopkins. Daniel was definitely right in saying that this feeling makes everything you do here worth it.

This is my office, I get to sit here all day and decide whether or not people get to keep their jobs. It's kinda fun. Just kidding, but this is still an awesome Apprentice-style picture!

So why do I love my job? When I came to Hopkins I was a relatively quiet person, and I wasn’t all too creative. My job in Admissions, beginning with my being a member of SAAB serves as my creative output since my version of creativity is more geared toward marketing JHU and working with web/social media content. More importantly, my job lets me do one of my favorite things: talk to prospective students and their parents. It may seem like an odd thing for me to like, but I remember how stressful the college application/decision process was for me, and I want to make sure that the people I communicate with have as easy a time as possible making their decision, which usually involves me giving them all the information I know about Hopkins. The fact that I get paid for the work I do also makes everything a little better.

In retrospect, I didn’t just find a job in Admissions, I found a home (both figuratively and literally). Being a part of SAAB is like being part of a family, you get really close with all the people you work with and that makes the job so much more fun. And SAAB works with the rest of the Admissions department for most of the time, so there are very few people in Mason Hall that I haven’t met yet. If you were to track me throughout the day, almost every day of the week you’ll find that I venture to Mason at some point, even if I’m not supposed to work that day. Some of the best times I’ve had at Hopkins are when I’m giving a tour, or talking to people at an Open House, or even just sitting in Mason Hall during a SAAB meeting talking with everyone else.

So if you see me on campus, or you find yourself on one of my tours, talk to me! Ask me questions about Hopkins, ask me why I came here or what I want to do with my life, or even what my favorite TV Show is. Even if you can’t make it to Hopkins for a visit, check out my profile on the Admissions site, ask me a question on the forums, read my freshman year blog, or follow me on Twitter @JHU_Joe (do it, every follower I get gives me a huge morale boost). I always encourage people to ask anything that comes to their mind because the answer you get may change your entire outlook on where you want to go to college. Believe me, no question is a stupid question (well aside from some of the questions my parents asked on visits, but that’s a different story).