Simply Serendipitous

For those just tuning in, I’ve recently announced to the world that I’ll be at Washington University in St. Louis for law school in the fall.  It’s been a long year leading up to this point and as many of you are trying to decide where you’ll be going to college, I want to share my thoughts on the all-important question of “fit.”

When I was applying to Hopkins, I knew it was the best school for me.  I had “that feeling.”  You know, the one so many college students talk about when you ask them why they chose whichever school they attend:  “I just had this feeling when I visited campus.”  If the only thing you’re feeling when you’re visiting campuses now is exhaustion, don’t worry.  Not everyone has that magical bubbly feeling and it doesn’t necessarily mean that a school isn’t right for you.

So, then, how do you know?

A goofy/proud moment when I got to hold my diploma during a visit home -- and happened to be wearing the shirt of my future school!

For some of us, it takes a bit more thought and consideration before we’re sure.  And that’s okay – deciding on a college is a BIG deal and you want to think carefully about it.  When I was visiting law schools, I loved the experience (and all of the schools I saw), but I didn’t have that gut instinct about anywhere I went.  It wasn’t until I got home from my last visit that I realized the most important question: Can I see myself living here for three (or, in your case, four) years?

How you choose to answer that and what factors go into it are completely up to you.  As frivolous as it may sound, be honest with yourself about how important it is to have a pretty campus.  When you’re a stressed-out student in the middle of midterms, will it make you all the more stressed if you have to take four shuttles to get to the library?  How’s the food?  What is the earliest class time, and can you see yourself waking up for it?  Are the winters too long?  How easy is it to get home?  I’m going to be honest; college is hard, no matter where you go or what you study, and this difficulty comes from more than just the academic work.  Make sure you choose a school where you’ll actually be happy and enjoy your time.

So, then, who is happy at Hopkins, and will you be?

During my information sessions, I’ve been asked to describe a typical Hopkins student, a great question that really has no answer.  However, though I always say that there is no “typical” Hopkins student, when I think more about it, we really do all share a few traits.  Hopkins students are driven, bright, and highly motivated.  This doesn’t always manifest itself in academic qualities (i.e. there are plenty of slackers), but everyone here has something that they’re truly passionate about.  We’re all naturally curious, too, which is probably what drew us to the flexible curriculum.  Whether we have a hundred different interests or just one very focused interest, we all take advantage of academic flexibility.  Also, we’re pretty stubborn.  We don’t settle and we don’t go down without a fight.  Of course there are exceptions to every rule, but that’s my general analysis of Hopkins students, after almost four years of interacting with them and being one.

But which ones are happiest?  From what I’ve noticed, the students who are happiest here are the students who take advantage of the tremendous opportunities – whether it’s research, an internship, going to events, participating in student clubs, being a lacrosse fan, exploring Baltimore, going to professors’ office hours, taking obscure classes, studying abroad, coming back for Intersession, going out on weekends – whatever it is that suits their fancy, the happiest students here are the ones to branch out, even if just a little bit, to really stretch their boundaries and see how truly capable they are.

As you’re making your final decision, it’s okay to be torn or completely unsure.  Do everything you can to figure out where you’ll be happiest, in addition to where you can get the best education.  Wherever you go, college is what you make of it, academically and socially, and you will have to work at finding your place those first few weeks of school.  For now, best of luck as you make your decision and whatever you choose will be right for you – don’t doubt your choice and embrace it once you’ve decided, even if they do have ugly school colors or a weird mascot (or both).

First of all, a big CONGRATULATIONS to our regular decision admitted students!  Each of the Hopkins Interactive bloggers will be answering a survey to give you a quick insight into our experiences at Hopkins as you start thinking about whether or not you’ll enroll here.  To get it started, we’ve each answered a few basic introduction-type questions so you can get to know us a bit before we dive into the Hopkins experience.  We hope you enjoy these entries and that they help provide a snapshot of life at Hopkins!  As always, ask us anything you’d like in our comments section or on the Hopkins forums: (http://apply.jhu.edu/forums).

Get to know JHU_Mandy

1. Birthplace and current hometown: Born in Clinton, MD and I currently live in Cary, NC.
2. Major: Public Health Studies
3. When I grow up, I want to… Well, I’m going to law school in the fall, so I want to be a lawyer!  Though I’m not sure where and/or what type of law.
4. Favorite place to eat in Baltimore: Carma’s Café, Miss Shirley’s, anywhere in Little Italy, RA sushi.
5. Favorite spot on the Homewood campus: I love the lower quad, it’s so pretty in the springtime!
6. Favorite TV show: SNL, Law and Order, 30 Rock, and The Office
7. Favorite color: Gray, navy blue, yellow and magenta.
8. Favorite sports team: The Baltimore Orioles!

Duckpin bowling - A Baltimore tradition I still haven't quite mastered

My Hopkins Experience:

1. When did you know Hopkins was right for you? I was an early decision applicant to Hopkins and I was convinced it was the perfect fit by the middle of my junior year in high school.  I visited in October of my senior year and absolutely fell in love with the campus, helping me confirm my desire to apply early.

2. What is one thing that would surprise your friends/family about Hopkins? It was surprising to my friends and family when I decided not to be pre-med anymore.  We all thought that Hopkins’ strengths were limited to the natural science and it was a wonderful surprise to be proven wrong.

3. If you were the University President, what is the first thing you would do or change? I would love for Hopkins to have a student union.  I’d build a building that was only for student life purposes – no study rooms, no books.  Alternatively, I’d convert Charles Commons into more of a student union – opening the building and its resources to all students (not just those who are lucky enough to live there!).

Freshman Mandy in my dorm room. I was always the go-to girl for coffee on Wolman 5 East.

4. If you could go back and choose your college again, would you pick Hopkins?  Why? I would absolutely pick Hopkins again.  Hopkins has helped me get to where I am now and I honestly would choose it again in a heartbeat.  I’ve been exposed to so many different opportunities that I wouldn’t have otherwise had (more on that later) and as an alumna, it has really shaped me into the person I’ve become.

5. What was your perception about Hopkins before enrolling and how has it changed since then? Again, I thought Hopkins was PERFECT for pre-meds.  The truth is that it is a great place for pre-meds.  But it’s also a great place for any other type of student who wants access to unparalleled opportunities, a number of amazing departments, and one of the most beautiful campuses imaginable.

6. What is/was your favorite class? My favorite class was “On the Road.”  It was a freshman seminar about road trips in literature and in film – very quirky, very fun!  At the end of the semester, our professor treated us to a screening of “Into the Wild” at an artsy theater near Penn Station.

7. Describe your funniest memory or experience at Hopkins: I’ve been a part of plenty of silly antics among friends throughout the years; it’s hard to pick just one!  I guess one standout was during one of our Open House events — President Daniels came up to our Ask-a-Student table to grab a handful of candy and ask us a question as if he was a prospective student.  He even stuck around for the answer!

Taken during my first-ever visit to Hopkins. I loved that it is a park-like campus but still in the city!

8. How would your college experience be different if you hadn’t chosen Hopkins? If I hadn’t chosen Hopkins, I can’t imagine where I’d be right now.  I do know that having access to research during my freshman year helped me realize I didn’t want to continue on my pre-determined path toward med-school – instead, I started over and had so many wonderful resources to help me.  I also think I’ve really gained a lot by having left home.  Many of my high school friends stayed in-state and are all still best friends (and some are even living together).  They certainly have fun and have enjoyed their experience, but I am really glad to have been forced to branch out.

9. What has your greatest contribution been during your time at Hopkins, or what do you hope to accomplish before graduation? I don’t have a single stand-out thing, but I think my greatest accomplishment has been my own personal growth – cheesy, I know, but I’ve really grown up a lot since I started here four years ago.  I think what’s helped me get there has been my job in admissions and my work with the ethics board.  Also, I was honored to be nominated for a senior leadership award, which I never could have imagined as a timid high school senior — I’ve come a long way!

10. What advice would you give to a high school senior choosing their college? Ignore the rankings and perception of reputation – ask yourself, “Can I see myself here for four years?”  It sounds superficial, but if you don’t like the food or think the campus is ugly, it can be tough to live there and enjoy your experience.

Hopkins, like any school full of highly motivated students, has its fair share of pre-something-or-others.  Many think “HOPKINS = PRE-MED,” as I’ll admit to thinking when I was applying and even during the beginning of my time here.  However, as a now-deeply-committed pre-law student, I can tell you that there’s certainly more to pre-somethings than pre-meds, and today, I’ll tell you about being pre-law at the great Johns Hopkins University.  Do note, (does this even need to be said?) that there are a multitude of students who are no more than pre-real-life…they’re not applying to any kind of graduate school in the near future.  So don’t think that you’d be out of place here if you have no immediate grand plans for some sort of graduate program—this just happens to be my area of expertise, given the fact that at one point or another, I’ve been on pretty much every imaginable advising track.

Anyway, being pre-law at Hopkins is great.  It makes people think you’re just oh-so-interesting because, well, there seems to be few of us.  Interestingly though, it’s not so much that there aren’t many pre-law students, but rather, we don’t have the common ties that pre-meds seem to.  Allow me to elaborate—being pre-law means that you’re going to law school.  (Period).  That’s it.  You have access to a great advising program within the Office of Pre-professional Advising and at some point you’ll be taking the LSAT and applying to law schools.  But there is nothing else required to being pre-law.

Sure, there are some classes that have “law” thrown into the title, some student groups that seem very well suited to the future lawyers of JHU, but this is all incidental.  Let me say it again: being a pre-law student just means you’re applying to law school at some point.  You could technically say that about the other pre-such-and-suches, but they have all these other requirements (classes) tacked on, so it’s really a stretch.

So what have I done to make myself pre-law?

• THE LSAT.  This thing is going to be the death of me.  I’m taking a prep course, which is great, but it’s also the length of two additional classes each week, plus homework!  Nothing like two extra classes to make you feel so very committed to something, such as, say, applying to a particular type of graduate school.
• 

  just a bit of light Sunday reading

  My classes.  I’ve taken things like “Politics and Policy Design,” “Politics of Health Policy,” “American Constitutional Law,” “Constitutional Law” (the second semester version, basically), “Courts, Politics and Public Policy,” “International Human Rights Law in US Courts,” and probably a few other that are escaping me right now.  But yeah, I got a little overly excited by the political science department’s offerings and took pretty much anything that was on some sort of study of law.  AND I’M GLAD!  I’ve learned that I like the reading and researching involved.  This is good news.

• Pre-law honor society.  So we haven’t really done anything, but I did apply and pay my dues back in December when a group of pre-law students decided to bring the chapter to campus (I think that’s the proper lingo).   At least I can add it to this list, right?

• My extracurriculars.  Okay, so just the ethics board.  And it’s not a strictly pre-law thing, by any means.  But it’s something that has given me a very strong appreciation for formal processes and rules and procedures, and how important they are to institutions.  That sounds about right.

So maybe you haven’t caught on, or maybe I haven’t done a great job, but I’m trying to show that being pre-law, despite our AWESOME lack of requirements, is just as cool as being pre-med (if not COOLER).  We still have pre-law(ish) classes, pre-law groups, pre-law tests, and can sympathize with our fellow law school applicants on all of this.

In all seriousness though, being pre-law at Hopkins is great.  The flexibility of our majors means you can study whatever you want and still take some of these cool law-sounding classes, (and the lack of requirements for the pre-law advising program means you can major in whatever you want and not take any of those (or similar) classes and still call yourself pre-law and impress everyone).  I think I’ve had the opportunity to take a much more multidisciplinary approach to my education, thanks in part to my major and to my struggles with past majors, and therefore find the areas where my strengths and passions align.  It’s a wonderful thing, which I’m not sure I would’ve been challenged to do had I not been at Hopkins.

When I was applying to colleges, I never really got to “know” any of the schools very well, aside from Hopkins.  I guess I had made up my mind and didn’t want to bother seeing anything else.  I applied early decision and that was that.  So when admitted students have asked for advice in deciding between Hopkins and another school (or two, or three) these past couple of weeks, I wasn’t very helpful at first.  But stick with me.

This past weekend, I’ve been at home in North Carolina to visit family.  I also ventured out to see some friends at school and a close friend’s amazing a cappella concert.  While I was out there with them, I got to see how different their campus is from ours and what a completely different experience their undergraduate years are.

Anyway, this does relate to you, I promise.  If you’re still deciding between schools, here’s my advice.  Think about all of the things that are important in what you imagine your undergraduate experience to be.  If it’s really important to you to get involved in research, engage with the community, play a sport, write for the campus newspaper, (etc…), make sure you can do those things.

Most importantly, remember that you’re choosing your home for the next four years, and, hopefully, a source of pride for the rest of your life once you’ve graduated.  For me, Hopkins just felt “right.”  Actually, it felt perfect.  I’ve definitely had my ups and downs, but I feel at home here, and I’m having an amazing time.

Something I’ve come to learn is that every experience is what you make of it.  So when it comes to making the final decision, whatever you choose WILL be right, if you make it so.  Wherever you end up, commit yourself to the decision you’ve made and take advantage of all the quirks that make your school so perfect for you.

So, to wrap it up, I figured I’d share some of my favorite (completely random) Hopkins things that remind me of how perfect this place is for me.
1. Springtime activities…see my last blogfor more details.
2. In the fall, we have about a million and a half squirrels running around.  I guess they’re probably around in the spring, too, but I particularly notice them in the fall.  I guess the point is that I love being in a city but having a campus that’s practically a park.
3. Cafe Q has really, really good coffee.
4. The size of the actual campus is totally manageable, but big enough that I can wander around for quite awhile if I want to.
5. The tales of navigable tunnels under campus and extra secret floors in Bloomberg (the physics building).

There’s plenty of other silly little things that keep popping into my head, but those of you who do decide to come to Hopkins will discover your own little things you love that make it your perfect place.

So best of luck to the potential-possibly-maybe Class of 2013 as you make your final decisions…and to everyone who has chosen JHU, CONGRATS again and I look forward to seeing you all in the fall!

Congratulations to the regular decision admits for the Class of 2013!

This must be SUCH an exciting time for you all and I hope you really enjoy it!  I was an early decision applicant, so I never had the big reveal from a bunch of different schools followed by huge decision-making process that many of you are probably faced with now.  When I was applying to college, I filled out two-and-a-half applications.  When I got my good news from Hopkins, I withdrew my second app and stopped filling out the halfway-completed one.  I was done.  Big sigh of relief.  But this isn’t really relevant to you all, now is it?

There was a point in which I chose Hopkins over other schools, it was just back in September/October of my senior year, versus April.  And while I HOPE HOPE HOPE you can make it to an admitted student open house (April 7, 14, and 21!) to check out campus, learn about our amazing programs and hear from our new university president (and, of course, meet the students of Hopkins Interactive), to get your own feel for things, I thought I’d tell you about why I’m unbelievably happy I chose to come to Hopkins.

I guess a good place to start would be why I first chose Johns Hopkins University.  After all, I am from North Carolina and there are many fine institutions close to home.  Part of it was that I wanted to get away from home.  Just a little bit.  A six-hour drive/one-hour flight is perfect for me.  I loved Baltimore.  And the Orioles.  But more than anything, I was enthralled by the reputation of this university.  Be honest, isn’t that why you applied?

But now I’m almost halfway through my undergraduate education–wow.  I’ve been through three majors and back and forth on different advising tracks.  Let’s just say I’ve become pretty well acquainted with many different programs Hopkins has to offer.  And what I’ve learned is that Hopkins is SO MUCH MORE than the one thing each person thinks it is.  An outstanding pre-med education?  Definitely.  Top-ranked international studies program?  Yep.  Unmatched biomedical engineering department?  That, too.  Awesome lacrosse team?  Yes.  Gorgeous campus?  True.  Hopkins is all of these things, but there’s so much more to it that people tend to miss by having a one-track mind or just not taking the time to notice.  Students here have the amazing opportunity to get a wonderfully broad and balanced education.

Hopkins has challenged me in so many ways, and while there have been sacrifices to get to where I am now, I would certainly not trade my experiences for anything.  I can honestly say that in the 3.5 semesters I’ve been here, I have learned so much–certainly about whatever topics I was studying, but more importantly, I’ve developed myinterests and struggled through things that have helped me discover that particular paths are just not right for me.  I truly think that being at this school is what enabled me to face the most difficult questions I’ve had to ask myself in deciding what is really important to me and what it is that I really want to do with my life.

Now that you’ve probably written me off as mushy, crazy, or just weird, I’ll wrap this up.  If you’re the second-semester senior hearing back from a bunch of colleges and getting ready to try to make your decision, I want to encourage you to think about all those other things schools have to offer, aside from the one thing that made you apply in the first place.  I don’t just mean majors and departments, but of course I came in dead-set on one thing and it was completely out the window in a matter of months, so I have to say, I’m REALLY glad that Hopkins has so many amazing programs, or I’d have been in trouble.

College is so exciting and just…amazing, really.  I hope that those of you who do choose Hopkins take the opportunity to explore and see just how incredible this place is.  I’m also really hoping to see lots of you all at the open houses coming up!

Congratulations, again!

In reading Admissions_Daniel’s Early Decision Notification Day blog, memories flooded my head.  Come with me for a little trip down memory lane…

Exactly 25 months ago, on November 15, 2006, my early decision application was due at Johns Hopkins
University (the deadline has since changed to November 1, right?).  Mine was in.  I was set.  I had known for years that I wanted to go to Hopkins.  I wanted to be in Baltimore.  I wanted to be back in Maryland (I was born in southern Maryland and lived there for 10 years).  Everything about Hopkins was perfect.  When my family had come up for a visit in October, my plans were only further cemented and I just hoped it would all fall into place.

The waiting game was only a month for me, but it was excruciating!  I went to a small private high school that operates on the trimester system, and after each trimester, we would have a two week break.  Well, the first trimester ends right around Thanksgiving, so I had the last two weeks of November (just after my application was due) to sit around the house and be bored.  However, because our school is too small to sustain a football team, our homecoming is during basketball season.  So, thankfully, when I returned to school either right at the end of November or in early December, being a cheerleading captain meant I had plenty to occupy my mind.

We had to perform in a pep rally and then both a girls’ and boys’ game, so we certainly had our work cut out for us.  We also had games to cheer at before homecoming, and of course we couldn’t “debut” our homecoming material at these games, so we had to come up with a lot of different performances for all of the games.  (Sorry–bored yet?)  Anyway, the point is, I was able to keep busy with cheerleading.  Before I knew it, December 10, 11, 12, 13 came and went.  December 14 was here.  I was all over the place.  I tried not to tell too many people what the next day meant for me, because I didn’t want to have to explain to a lot of people if I didn’t get in.  That night, I had such a hard time sleeping.  So many thoughts raced through my head.  “What if I don’t get in? What if I DO get in?  Where will I be in one year? etc…”

The next day was a Friday.  Fridays were always game days, which meant we had to cheer.  This time, we were playing a team from Australia, visiting the US to play several teams around the country.  Our girls team played them at 3:30, and then our boys team played them at 6:30 (or something like that).  It was unusual, because most Friday games were around 5:30 and then 7:30.  But whatever.  I had told
my coach beforehand what this day was for me.  And of course, nothing stays quiet in a group of about 16 girls, so all the cheerleaders knew what I was waiting for.  In between games, while the other girls socialized and met basketball players from Australia, I went and laid down on a bench in the gym lobby.  My stomach was absolutely in knots.  I probably called each of my parents 7-12 times, checking to see where they were and exactly when they’d get there.  5:30.  We had to go over our material for the next game.  I was not happy about this.  “Just let me lay here and be a tiny little ball,” I thought to myself.  5:45, I asked to go off and stare at my computer screen, waiting for THAT moment.  My coach (thankfully), gave me permission.  I found a classroom in the building that was empty and my dad met me there.  My mom hadn’t quite made it, but the clock was ticking…I couldn’t bear to wait for her to arrive, apparently (I realize now this was not very nice of me).  6:01: Microsoft Outlook box pops up: “You have received spam.  Would you like to review it?”  Well, I don’t have anything from Hopkins yet, so why not?  I open my spam folder, and all I see is that email, the one I’d been waiting for all those years.  “Congratulations from Johns Hopkins University.”  I hugged my dad, called my mom, and eventually went back to a what turned into bunch of screaming cheerleaders at my news.

As it turns out, my mom was “running late” because she and my dad had ordered a Johns Hopkins
pennant/banner thing (that looks like the one pictured to the right) that she put over my car when she heard the news.  She got to the school parking lot, found my car, re-parked it in spot immediately visible to anyone coming out of the gym, and draped the banner thing over the back.  It was such a lovely surprise when I came out after that night.  It actually is hanging in my bedroom at home now.  I think after the game, my parents and I went out to celebrate, but I honestly just don’t remember…it was all so surreal! I do know though that I was so happy to be able to share that time with my parents, who had been such a huge part of the entire search/applications process.  They worked so hard to make it so I could pursue my dreams and I’m SO grateful to them for always pushing me further.  That’s how I felt that night, and that’s how I feel today, two years later.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Hey y’all!  I’m Mandy and I’m a freshman here at JHU this year.  I was born in Southern Maryland but live in North Carolina now (which means you can expect occasional southernisms to pop in here and there—I’m told it happens a lot when I talk).  Anyway, I’m currently a Neuroscience major, pre-med.  I live in a single in Wolman, but I have amazing suitemates and floormates (can I call them that?) so it’s like one big happy family and there’s always something interesting going on.

So I feel like I should explain my blog title, since it is meant to basically encompass my life as it’s written.  I’m a bit of a disaster.  I’ll just throw it out there.  I am accident-prone and have a tendency to end up creating or experiencing awkwardness all the time.  Even still, I absolutely love every second of it and can’t imagine how normal people keep their sanity.  [Sidenote: many thanks to the lovely Kit, my suitemate, for helping with title-brainstorming]

I’m definitely a list-maker, so just to give you a preview of what is inevitably going to come, I’ll start with some of my favorite things about Hopkins so far.  In no particular order,

1) It’s in BALTIMORE: I love this city and I’m an avid Orioles fan (this time of year is always sad for us).  My favorite part of orientation was the Orioles/Red Sox game, even though most of my classmates were decked out in navy, red, and gray (see picture).

2) The beach: for those of you who don’t know, the beach is the big circular lawn in front of the library. The view when I’m leaving Wolman (walking toward the beach) is so “classic Hopkins” with the big green lawn, trees, library and Gilman tower peeking above the library.

3) Wolman: Some people say it’s an anti-social dorm, but that’s definitely not the case.  It took us a little longer than the AMR kids to become social, but we have air conditioning.  Totally worth it, in my opinion.

4) The Hut: The Hut is the reading room in Gilman.  It’s a good place to study but people talk sometimes so it doesn’t feel as intense as the depths of the library.  Some of the pictures on the walls are crooked, which a certain friend well aware of my slight abnormalities suggested I fix…  Luckily, I realized what a dangerous task that would be for me and left them as they were, but for some reason it seems to add to the character of the room anyway.  There’s nothing quite like studying in a big room full of old books and crooked portraits.

5) Brunch: Brunch is served in the FFC from 10-2 on weekends and it’s just lovely.  There’s really nothing else to say about it, other than the fact that it lets you sleep in and still have breakfast.

6) My classes: Since it is the reason I’m going to school, it’s fortunate that I really enjoy my classes. They’re all really hard and somewhat related, except for my way “out there” Freshman Seminar “On the Road.”  Other than that, I’m taking Orgo, Expos: Ethics, Genetics, and Healthcare, Bioethics, and Intro to Personality Theory.  All great in their own ways, but you’ll probably hear more about them as the semester goes on. (yes, I really did take a picture of my books…)

7) College life: Generally speaking, I love the independence that came with starting college.  I miss home and I miss having everything so comfortable and easy, but the feeling of doing what you want and when you want—without regard to anyone else—is very nice.

The people: This campus is full of quirky characters.  I have yet to meet an uninteresting person; we all come form such different backgrounds but have relatively similar academic goals.  My friends and I have actually started referring to people and things–mainly ourselves and our experiences–as “hopawk” (Hopkins + awkward), but it’s like a term of endearment and it certainly keeps things entertaining (picture: an awkward yet fitting depiction of some of the aforementioned “characters”).

So there you go, a little glimpse into my JHU life thus far.  I’ll be posting again soon to recap the first few weeks of college life.