Simply Serendipitous

With our first above-fifty-degrees day, it’s hard to ignore the fact that spring is rapidly approaching.  Now, don’t get me wrong – I’m thrilled at the prospect of warmer weather and fewer layers (because, really, two shirts and a sweater is getting to be a bit smothering – not to mention the laundry back-up from all those clothes).  I’m all about the warmer weather.

But for both high school and college seniors, spring brings a lot of big decision-making.  You and I are now getting closer to the decision – we applied to our schools, some of them will make it easier on us (either by completely removing themselves as an option – more on that in a later entry – or by admitting us if they’re our absolute dream school).  But most likely, you’ll end up with a few more acceptances than you expected (remember all those “safety” schools your counselor wanted you to apply to? ) and a sudden realization that you have no idea where you’ll be in six months’ time.

My upcoming trips are taking me up and down and out and back!

For me, this big impending scary thing is coming up sooner than I’d like.  I have to make my first deposit to law school(s) by April 1 – at least you high school seniors have until May!  Because springtime always flies by, I know this deadline (mine and yours) will creep up before we know it.

Okay, enough of me inciting fear.  We all know that we’re going to have to make some tough decisions but how are we going to do it?

You tell me.  (No, really.  If you have any great advice, I’d love to hear it.  I only applied to one college!)  Here’s my approach – and if you have thoughts/suggestions/want to offer up your own ideas, PLEASE DO!

1. Make lists.  I have this little spreadsheet put together for my top few schools (of the schools I’ve already been admitted to) – I tried to put the most important information in one place, and it forced me to read up on the schools beyond just their view books.  Your criteria could (and should) be any number of things, but mine included percent of graduates employed in particular regions, estimated cost of attendance, and size, to name a few.
2. VISIT!  I just finished arranging the next three weekends, which will take me to New York City, St. Louis, and Chapel Hill/Durham.  I’m going for various admitted student events and for other less-formal programs to finally see the schools for myself, and knowing me, probably make my decision even harder.
3. Learn from my admissions experience:  Now that I’m giving information sessions four times each week, I’m learning how important it is not to base your entire impression of a school on one person you meet.  Maybe you don’t like your information session – go on a tour!  Most likely, the tour will be led by someone other than the session, so try to get multiple perspectives.  Or, if you absolutely loved your information session and your tour, still take the time to walk around campus, eat in a dining hall, or do something else that isn’t centered on the admissions perspective.
4. Decide what matters to you.  I’m starting to realize that while my choice will inevitably shape the rest of my life (as will yours), it’s not the be-all, end-all.  What’s going to make the difference is what you do, more so than where you are.   Of course, my list of what matters is very long and it seems like there’s always some trade off or another.

So what do you think?  I guess I’m kind of keeping everything very internal at this point (thinking way too much about the same little things), but I’m very excited for my upcoming trips and visits!  I’ve loved talking with visitors to our campus every day, and I’m excited to go through that process myself.  As I mentioned, Johns Hopkins is the only school I actually applied to – as an ED applicant, I had a few other schools in mind if I didn’t get a favorable result on December 15, but after being admitted, I was done.  So for those of you who applied to a handful of schools, I finally know how you feel (I applied to fourteen law schools).

Let me know what your approach to “the big decision” is so far and I promise to keep you posted as I’m working on mine.

It all REALLY happened!  I really made it through that treacherous finals week.  I really got into law school.  I really graduated – I really got my diploma!  (Okay, well technically my parents got my diploma, seeing as it went to my permanent address).  I really started working 9-5 and I really didn’t have to go to class yesterday when all of my friends were starting their semester.

Wow.  It all happened so fast and it’s just now starting to sink in – sort of.

I’ve been working for a few weeks now, but I started during intersession when the campus was quiet and quite relaxed.  Now that my friends can’t go out to dinner because of class, etc., it’s really starting to feel different.  Even as I’m writing this blog and staring at the picture of my diploma (thanks Mom, for the lovely modeling, and thanks Dad, for the great iPhone photography), it still feels unreal.  But it’s not!  The past couple of months have felt like such a blur and, obviously, I’m still trying to wrap my brain around everything that has happened in such a short amount of time.

The truth comes out: jhu_mandy is actually jhu_amanda leigh!

So what is post-grad life like?  Well, so far, it’s tiring.  I love my job, but I’m still struggling to adjust to the 9-5 routine and haven’t quite mastered the art of being alert and focused for such a long span of time.  I’m working in the admissions office, as an intern (conducting information sessions for prospective students and their families) and part-time reader (yes! after graduating, I was hired to read applications part-time, meaning I help with first reads of applications as needed).  I have my very own “work computer” thanks to Admissions_Daniel’s recent technological upgrade (and my Mac’s inability to use the application system) that I lug back and forth everyday – for some reason I always think I’ll get some work done from home, and for some reason, I rarely do.  I’ve really enjoyed it all so far – the information sessions are a bit tough for me right now (confession: I’m not one of those naturally amazing public speakers), but it’s great to have the challenge and I know this is tremendously helpful for me in the long run.

What’s in store for the coming months?  Well, a lot of transcript coding (inputting GPAs, etc.), a bit of application reading, and talking with a ton of visitors, for starters.  I’m going to keep blogging – but it’ll be much different when I don’t have classes or exams to worry/write about.  It’s all very exciting!  I plan to embark on all kind of grown-up adventures (so far: parallel parking, being able to drive to the grocery store, and saying “I have to go in early to work tomorrow” – more to come).

I’m done with college.  I guess it’s not official yet, but I have well over my required 120 credits and I finished my public health graduate classes requirement, so I feel pretty safe calling it done.  I keep trying to think about what these next few months will be like – I’ll be working full-time in Admissions and hanging around like I’m still a normal student – but whenever I try to picture it, I realize that this whole “being done” thing hasn’t fully set in.

Don’t get my wrong, I have surely celebrated and made sure to obnoxiously throw in references to being done with college. But I think I’m just kind of shocked that I could actually, really have finished college.  We all know I’m no physicist, but even I know there’s some funny relativity thing going on with time – how can it simultaneously feel like I just started at Hopkins but also feel like it’s been forever since my freshman year?

Obligatory tourist photo during my trip to NYC after finishing college.

The best I can come up with is that I’ve changed substantially since that day in late August when my parents left me in Baltimore.  Without getting all sappy and nostalgic, suffice it to say that my college education was more comprehensive than I could have imagined.

So, what does one do upon finishing their formal education at Johns Hopkins?  Well, for starters I ran off to New York, almost immediately after getting out of my last class.  (My graduate classes continued through December 17, though I finished all of my finals on the 16^th).  I spent the weekend doing touristy things and getting in the holiday spirit before making my way south for the rest of break.  Since being home, I’ve completely thrown off my internal alarm clock, stocked up on bulk purchases (I’ll be driving my car back to Baltimore; hugely convenient), and actually started going to the gym.  I’ve done a little bit of my admissions work, but I’m still pretty slow at it, so it takes a long time to get a little done.

Basically, I’ve been doing everything I would do if I were to return as a normal student next semester.  I’ve done all of the typical post-semester unwinding things, then all of the typical pre-semester preparation things.   My fingers are crossed for a nice, smooth transition since I’ll start working during intersession, but I’ll surely keep you all posted.  In the mean time, I’m going to continue enjoying my post-semester unwinding and I’ll write soon with my big plans for the new year.

Remember that time I had a periodic table in my dorm room and was a chemistry major? ...yeah, me neither.

With 18 days left before I’m done with my undergraduate education, I’m starting to get a little reflective.  It’s hard to believe that I started as pre-med and that I made it through two semesters of both physics and orgo.  I hardly remember those “hell weeks” that I thought I’d never make it through, mostly because I did make it through and I am still in one piece.  But you know what I do remember?  Absolutely hating my walk all the way up to Bloomberg for physics.  Struggling to make it to a 9:00 class once a week.  Weighing the pros/cons of attending one Friday afternoon class.

Now that I’ve made myself sound like a terrible student, I want to give you a very simple piece of advice that I wish I had taken to heart much earlier.  DON’T BE LAZY.

Sure, I mean don’t be lazy in the typical sense:  get up for class, walk to the dining hall instead of skipping breakfast, and go to that event that’s on the other side of the campus.  But this wouldn’t be one of my signature blog entries if I left it at that.

What I mean is, don’t let yourself get too comfortable.  Don’t get lazy and just go with the flow.  I did that for almost a year and a half before I snapped out of it and realized I was going to be very unhappy if I didn’t consider other options.  Don’t take the easiest way out every time – take a chance on that upper level class and if it doesn’t result in a little sparkle on your transcript, so what?  You will have worked too hard to get to college to just breeze through without taking any risks.  So, take risks!  Chances are, your undergraduate years are the best chance you’ll have at taking completely irrelevant classes; enjoy it.  (I have).

It seemed only appropriate to throw in some kind of graduation picture -- high school will do!

Looking back on my almost-complete undergraduate education, I can truthfully say I have no regrets.  Yes, it would have been nice if I’d done a couple of things differently or if I forced myself into the early-morning routine I have now (you’d be amazed how attentive I can be at 8:00 these days.  Just don’t ask how early I go to bed).  But everything I’ve done – every class I’ve taken, every less-than-stellar grade I’ve gotten, every event I’ve gone to or skipped – has made the Johns Hopkins experience unique to me.  And when I get home after finishing my very last classes and finals, I’ll know that my education has been so much more than I could ever imagine, even while I was in the middle of it and trudging along.

That said, I’m so excited for all of you future Hopkins students (and you current students who still have a ways to go).  I hope you’ll constantly question yourself and your goals and make sure you’re not getting lazy, either mentally or physically.   But at the same time, be proud of everything you do; yes, you always could’ve/would’ve/should’ve done something differently, but it’s important to be happy with what you did do.  That’s the best mindset I can think of to get you through college.

Of course, having just sent off my (hopefully) last law school applications, it’s easy to sit here and wish I had done better in a class (or several).  But I’ve realized that I worked for every single one of my grades and in that sense, I’m incredibly proud of them all.   Even that unbelievably annoying C+ in Elements of Microeconomics.  Yes I went there – what can I say? I’m graduating…time to put it all out there.

P.S. This is my 100th entry!  Thanks for sticking with me along the way.

My apologies for the lack of blogging lately!  I’ve been incredibly busy submitting ten of my law school applications, taking my last Hopkins midterm and finishing pre-Thanksgiving assignments.  This weekend was a busy one, with a friend’s 21^st birthday (she is the youngest in a close group of friends, so we were very excited for her) and the initiation/installation of Pi Beta Phi on campus!  I was certainly looking forward to all of the festivities, but woke up Thursday with a sore throat.  Unfortunately, it’s Sunday and I still have feverish symptoms and pain pretty much everywhere above my neck, so I’m going to keep this blog short and just share some of my favorite pictures from this fall, mostly from this weekend.  I had a lovely weekend and I’m sure it would’ve been absolutely perfect if I hadn’t felt like a zombie.  Expect an actual update soon — I promise I have lots to share!

a beeeautiful apple pie made from farmer's market apples!

a Pi Phi event the night before initiation -- I stocked up on candy to get me through finals!

Senior Pi Phis at our Installation Banquet

Celebrating the last 21st birthday!

Slightly disorganized Pi Phis preparing for a group shot.

For the next couple of weeks, all of the Hopkins Interactive bloggers will be writing on a common theme:  our thoughts and reflections on the college application process.  We’ve all been exactly where you are now and hope that sharing our experiences will help you through this momentous (but challenging!) time in your life.

This and the other photo in this entry are from my first visit to Hopkins!

Just over four years ago, I made my first visit to Johns Hopkins and left knowing that I’d be submitting my early decision application within a few weeks’ time.  I struggled to even finish my application to in-state schools (they were plans B and C); I was so dead-set on coming to Hopkins that I didn’t even want to think about applying to other schools.

Now that I’m going through another application process and preparing for my graduation in about six weeks, I’m becoming strangely nostalgic.  I’ve been thinking back to the last time I did this and what I want to do differently or things I should keep in mind to stay sane.  In other words:  I feel your pain.  I’ve been scouring the web looking for any source of reassurance I can find as I’m considering between 18-23 schools.

So, that said, here are my thoughts on the process you’re going through, unique to applying to college (I’ll do my best to keep my law school experience at a minimum).  I do know, however, that at this point in the process, my interest in what law school life is like at a particular school is minimal – my main concern is “how do I get in?!” and I’ll wait until after hearing back from schools to get super-excited about what my experience might be like.  Chances are, you’re feeling the same way!  My point in telling you all of this?  I feel your pain.

For starters, my high school experience:  I went to a school of about 400 students (slightly fewer; there were about 85 students in my graduating class) where I took a pretty standard curriculum.  I used my electives to take extra science classes or for free periods to get everything done.  I was a cheerleader and the statistician for the baseball team.  I knew from the outset of my college application process that I wanted to go to Hopkins.  I wanted to be a neuroscience major (and would only consider schools with a neuro program) and I wanted to be pre-med.  I loved Baltimore and the idea of moving to a mid-sized city far enough from home that I couldn’t run back.

I applied Early Decision to Hopkins and I applied to two other schools “just in case.”  I had a list of other options (also as a “just in case”), but I didn’t want to fill out the applications unless it was necessary.  My parents were extremely supportive during the entire process, initially struggling with the considerations of financing a private education when a very strong public university was not too far from home.  However, in the end, they wanted me to do what I thought was best.  In retrospect, I should have been more mindful of the practical considerations, but I had tunnel vision and couldn’t think of being anywhere other than Hopkins and I’m extremely grateful to be here.

Obviously, as I’m sitting here just several weeks away from finishing my coursework, I couldn’t be happier with my experiences.  (And I think my parents feel similarly).  Hopkins has opened me up to so many new experiences and opportunities that are simply unparalleled.

Although I was lucky enough to have everything work out perfectly, there are some things I could recommend.  Most importantly, don’t choose your college for just one reason. By this I mean: you’re 16/17/18 years old.  It’s hard to be sure of what you want to do for the rest of your life at this point.  Make sure you end up somewhere with lots of options, just in case.  You could end up like me, going in pre-med neuroscience and graduating public health while applying to law school.  Thankfully I had a lot of good options to back me up when I realized I was completely wrong in my early goals.  A student I met recently put it quite nicely when he said that no single thing will make or break your college experience.  For him, Hopkins merged everything he wanted, but it wasn’t one single stand out factor that was making it his first choice – it was the combination.  I think this is a great approach and a wonderful mindset.

I’ll finish up by sharing another unique perspective I have.  I have worked in the admissions office for over a year and have volunteered here for over three years.  I’ve seen and heard a lot, as you might imagine, both through my paid job and my volunteering as a blogger and interviewer.  I thought I’d close with a few of the biggest admissions pet peeves, in no particular order. DISCLAIMER: these are my own and do not represent the opinions of Johns Hopkins in any way.  (I’m already in a pretend lawyerly mode, apparently).

1. JOHNS HOPKINS. Not John Hopkins, not John Hopkin, not John’s Hopkins.  JOHNS is a first name, albeit a slightly unfortunate one.  Spell the name correctly and don’t invent apostrophes where they don’t belong.  This applies to other schools, too!  And while we’re on the topic, check all of your application materials to be sure you have the correct school name.  While it’s nice to hear how interested you are in some other school’s English department, we don’t find it particularly relevant.
2. Big words versus big thoughts. I hate to say it, but anyone can right click in Word and change “important” into “tantamount.”  (Believe me, I was tempted to do things like that in my personal statement, and had a conversation with my mom about that exact set of words).  But do you actually write like that?  If you do, hey, more power to you for your fancy words.   But if it doesn’t sound like you, your essay will reflect that.  I know you want your essay to sound eloquent and reflect great writing, but sometimes eloquence comes from simplicity.  Don’t let big words muddle your thoughts into something incomprehensible.
3. I wanna major in pre-med! No, you don’t.  At Johns Hopkins, pre-med is not a major; it is an advising program that you follow on top of any major you want.  A great advising program, but again, not a major.  Enough said.
4. Do your research. If you have a question, ask away!  But think about Googling it first.  We’re happy to help, but I’m always impressed by a student who asks things beyond the basic “Do you have a pre-med major?”  (Sorry, couldn’t resist).  But this applies to point #3 as well – don’t gush to a school about a major they don’t have.

Those are my biggest suggestions, but I’m sure there are countless other things to keep in mind.  My best advice at this point?  Breathe, relax, enjoy yourself.  It’s easy to get so caught up in this process that you fly through a few months without even realizing it.  Don’t forget to enjoy the experience of your senior year and this unique process.

I never, ever thought I’d write a blog about this, but here goes.  This past weekend was Greek Weekend, consisting of several different events meant to showcase the pride that students have in their Greek organization.  Okay, that’s all well and good, but what does this have to do with me?  Well, I’m a new member of the newest sorority on campus, Pi Beta Phi (or, as it’s commonly known, Pi Phi).  Phew, there I said it.  Now let me tell you why.

For the past couple of years, Hopkins has had three sororities on campus that have national affiliations.  A new organization was invited to start a chapter on our campus this fall, and while I saw the signs and announcements about it all over campus, I didn’t think too seriously about it.   One of my close friends wanted to go through recruitment, and on a whim, I signed up to do it with her, thinking, “what do I have to lose?”  I didn’t think about it very seriously and kind of went along with her to check it out.

Greek Weekend include a soapbox derby for the fraternities. Pictured: two of their creations.

The entire recruitment process was a blur because it happened over just a few days.  Five days after I decided to “check it out” with my friend, it was Bid Day and we became new Pi Phi members.  I’d always admired the bonds the other Greek organizations have, but I never saw myself as fitting in with the “Greek culture.”  I thought it was a great thing for the students who were involved (and was always impressed by the pride in their chapter and national organization), but it just didn’t seem like something right for me.

However, the idea of helping shape an entirely new group on campus was too great of an opportunity to pass up and the thought of leaving something behind after I graduate was also very appealing.  Then, as I started learning more about the traditions and values of the organization (we’re technically called a fraternity for women, since it was started before the word ‘sorority’ was coined), I had a much clearer understanding of the pride other Hopkins Greeks have in their organizations.  I know it sounds silly – believe me, about a month ago I didn’t get it either – but being a part of a group with so much history and tradition is very exciting.

Our powderpuff football team and supporters right after the team won the championship game!

I’ve already met so many amazing girls who I never would have come across otherwise.  I really appreciate the diversity – of backgrounds, interests, majors, etc. – that a large group brings.  It’s really been an eye-opening experience and one that I’m so glad I’m having, even if it is abbreviated by my upcoming graduation.  Perhaps most importantly, I’m having so much fun participating in this other side of Hopkins that I never knew.  Getting to know sixty-something new girls was not something I expected to be doing as a senior, but it’s a ton of fun and a wonderful opportunity that I almost never had.

Little Italy.  Greektown.  Polish Festival, St. Nicholas Greek Folk Festival, LatinoFest, African American Heritage Festival, Caribbean Cultural Festival, International Festival, FestAfrica, PowWow Native American Festival, Ukrainian Festival, Irish Festival, Korean American Festival, Russian Festival.  Locust Point.  Seoul Plaza.

Bet you never realized that Baltimore offers such a rich cultural experience, eh?  I was surprised myself, but upon making plans to have dinner in Greektown, I decided to do a little research into Baltimore’s ethnic offerings.

Yes, the Inner Harbor has more than shops and restaurants!

Let’s start with a little history and context.  Baltimore is a port city and historically served as a landing point for many immigrants.  Okay, so we’re no Ellis Island, but Baltimore’s port served as an entry for large populations of Irish, German, Polish, Italian, and Greek immigrants.  Many would go from ship to railroad and head for points west, but some stayed and settled in the city.  Fun fact:  Baltimore’s famous Little Italy neighborhood used to be a predominantly German-American population.  Who knew?  (Well, I did, but I’m taking a class on history of public health in Baltimore).

We may not have an abundance of ethnic enclaves in Baltimore, but there are a surprising number of exotic restaurants – they’re simply stand-alone and not centered in a cultural district.  Arguably, Baltimore cuisine represents exotic culture of its own – fried lake trout, Berger cookies, and (good) crabcakes are hard to come by anywhere else – I’ll say it: even in New York City.

Okay, so maybe fried lake trout can’t be found in New York for reasons other than their lagging diversity in cuisine.  But the point is that Baltimore is surprisingly rich in its cultural offerings and has so many great opportunities to try new things.  Admittedly, I’d never had Indian or Thai food until college (and now I can’t imagine living without naan or pad Thai).   However, even for those much more cultured than I, Baltimore does offer some of the big city diversity, without the big city feel.

What a week it’s been and what a month this will be!  I have my first midterms coming up, I have arbitrarily set my first applications deadline at October 15, and I’m going to New York City for fall break!  But before I go and get ahead of myself, I thought it would be best to take a pause and tell you about my classes this semester.

The side entrance to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health -- or, as it used to be known and as the building still says, "The School of Hygiene and Public Health."

As a senior Public Health major, my last set of requirements includes taking classes at the Bloomberg School of Public Health (SPH, for short) down on the east Baltimore medical campus.  This is a grad school, all of my classes there are graduate-level, and my classmates are Masters and Doctoral candidates.  So yeah, it’s a little intense.  The SPH is on the quarter system, so this semester I’ll be taking two different sets of classes down there.  Although it’s intimidating at first, it’s such a great opportunity to be learning alongside physicians, nurses, social workers, international students, and fellow public health seniors.

And since I’m applying to law school, working more hours, and taking on different activities, I decided to cap myself at four classes.  I wanted to be able to put a lot into all of them and felt like taking the normal five would be too much with everything else I have going on.  To be honest, there are days/weeks when four feels like too many, but it’s a great lesson in time management.

That said, here’s the lineup:

On the Homewood campus, for the entire semester, I’ll be taking The Constitution and Criminal Justice System and Economics of Health.  My first term classes down at the SPH are Life and Death in Charm City: History of Public Health in Baltimore and Social and Economic Aspects of Human Fertility.  It’s been a great semester so far and I feel like I’ve already gained a lot from the kind of thinking required by this set of classes.

Next term (beginning October 21), I’ll continue on with my two Homewood classes, but my public health classes will change to Health Behavior Change at the Individual, Family, and Community Levels and Maternal and Child Health Legislation Programs.  Or, at least, that’s the plan; I could always change that up a bit if I wanted to.

Public Health majors who take classes downtown can take whatever they want over the course of their senior year, but at least three of their graduate-level classes have to fit into some kind of concentration.  This can mean taking three classes from the same department or simply mixing it up and making the case that what you’re doing is actually somehow related.  I’m planning to use my Fertility class and Health Legislation class, combined with my Homewood Health Economics course to roughly form a health and economics concentration.  It’s not really a health economics concentration in terms of supply/demand of health care and insurance, etc., but rather, a look at how health and economics intersect.

So, it’s a great last semester for me with all kinds of interesting opportunities, both in my classes, in my job at admissions (I gave my first info session to prospective students on Friday!), and in planning for my big scary future.  And, sneak preview:  I’m a member in the charter class of Hopkins’ newest sorority – something I never, ever, EVER thought would happen.  But it’s exciting and I look forward to sharing some of that experience over the next few months!

Until next time, happy fall and happy application process!

While many of you are currently in the throes of college applications, I’m staring at a list of twenty law schools to which I am applying.  I finally have a working version of my personal statement (after nixing twelve previous attempts) and I’m assembling all of the other required pieces (transcripts, letters of recommendation).  It’s exciting and it’s scary and it’s overwhelming.  But if anyone is interested in learning more about the law school application process, I’ll surely be dedicating an entire blog entry to that at least once in these coming months.

A screenshot from my LSAC account -- I already have several applications in the works!

For now, I wanted to offer some advice acquired from my wise old age.  Having gone through the exact process you’re going through, and then basically doing it again right now, I thought I’d offer my opinion on the processes and share my approach/mindset.

I should start by saying my law school approach is MUCH different from my college approach.  When I was applying to college, I completed out three applications:  ED at Johns Hopkins and two others that I withdrew after that magical day on December 15 when I knew I was going to Hopkins.  I had a fourth application in the works, in case my admissions decision wasn’t what I’d hoped, but that ended up being unnecessary (thankfully!).  But really, I knew what I wanted and where I wanted to do it.

Law school?  I’m applying to twenty of them.  Many are on the east coast, some are in the Midwest, and a couple of California schools snuck their way in there as well.  I have no idea where I want to live, what exactly I want to study (obviously I’m studying law, but I don’t know if I’ll specialize) and I haven’t had an official visit to any law schools.  I don’t have a clear picture in my head since I have no idea where I’ll be, so it’s really just this abstract thing floating around in my head.

That said I am still trying to do this “right.”  I’m about to set the course for my career path and it’s important to do so carefully and thoughtfully.  So, with the benefit of retrospect and the experience of doing it all again, here are my major pieces of advice in approaching the application process.   (Added after writing: it was surprisingly helpful to write all of that out and remind myself to keep it all in perspective!)

• 

  This is from one of the law schools I wandered around on my own during a visit home last year.

  Learn what makes each school unique.  It will help you get excited about the application for each school, whether you’re completing five or fifteen. When I was applying to college, I actually enjoyed writing my applications because I had a clear idea of each school and some vague notions of what my life could be like there.  Now that I’m applying to twenty law schools, it starts to feel like I’m drudging along.  The solution I came up with?  Do my applications in cycles – five or so at a time.  By focusing on a small list of schools at any given time, I can keep my head clearer and be less likely to submit my NYU supplemental essay to UCLA.

• Be open-minded.  What you want right now might be very different from what you end up doing. Honestly, I could be the Hopkins poster child for changing majors and career tracks.  I came here with the strongest belief that I’d major in neuroscience and then become a neurologist, but two changes in majors later, I’m public health and applying to law school.  I was really lucky to pick a school that is strong in so many different disciplines; otherwise I could’ve been stuck on a course that wasn’t right.  Lesson learned – I’m not applying to law schools because of strength in any single area, but rather solid programs across the board.
• 

  Off-the-record advice: don't let your love of a particular college basketball team sway you too much. (Hey - I'm not applying JUST because of their basketball team and the fact that I could get tickets more easily...)

  Do your own research. Sure, if you have a question, contact Admissions.  If you really, really want to, read any of those college guidebooks out there.  But spending time going through schools’ websites, finding your own answers (Google is your friend), and discovering things you never even thought of is so helpful.  This kind of goes along with the first point of learning what makes schools unique – but spending time getting “acquainted” with the schools via the information they provide is an important step to help you decide for yourself if the school is a good fit.

• Make a list of “demands” or “deal-breakers.”  Be realistic, but know what factors are really important to you. These can be as simple as “not within a 300-mile radius of home” or as particular as “must have professors studying gene 41gsa3109 so I can work on solving the mystery of the appendix.”  (Can you tell I know nothing about genes and/or biology?)  Know what you want in a college and then seek schools that fit your profile, rather than trying to fit yourself into certain schools just because of a reputation.  Of course I always preach that you might change your mind about these things, but if something’s important to you, don’t settle.

Whew – so here it is.  Whether you’re like I was and you have that one school held above all others, or whether you’re like I am now and have no idea what you’re doing with yourself, I hope this is helpful!  I think the hardest (but most important) thing is to try to enjoy the process; it’s such a special time for you and for your family and it’s easy to forget all of that when you’re plagued with writer’s block or worried about getting that extra letter of recommendation.  I promise (everyone keeps reminding me of this, too) that everything will work out and you (we) will be happy wherever you (we) end up.

Can you tell this was rather cathartic for me?