“I used to think that they were things the wonderful folk of the stories went out and looked for, because they wanted them, because they were exciting and life was a bit dull, a kind of a sport, as you might say. But that’s not the way of it with the tales that really mattered, or the ones that stay in the mind. Folk seem to have been just landed in them, usually—their paths were laid that way, as you put it. But I expect they had lots of chances, like us, of turning back, and they didn’t.”

J. R. R. Tolkien

In my last blog post I talked about how tricky it is to guess where you’ll physically be in the futu bre but how easy it is to know that your state of mind as a Hopkins student will always make you up for a challenge.  I talked about how hard it was going to be to leave Hopkins for a summer and a semester to take classes in Oman and Washington, D.C..  I talked about how while I didn’t know where I’d physically be in the future, if I’d elect to apply for the 5 year BA/MA program with SAIS or if I’d study abroad for a semester, I knew where I was mentally and I knew I was ready for whatever challenges were ahead of me.

Four days after I wrote that blog post, I was accepted into Columbia University as a Fall 2012 transfer.

Six days after I wrote that blog post, I accepted the offer.

The news was as shocking to me as it probably is for anyone reading this blog, so first I’d like to clear some things up:

Stained glass at the Hut

1. My previous blog posts talking about how much I loved my time at Hopkins were genuine.  I’ve honestly enjoyed my time here immensely and when I try to picture what my freshman year could have been like at another college I honestly can’t because, as JHU_Erica eloquently put it in one of her blogs, Hopkins has become my university.  I was able to tailor my schedule to fit my interests (mostly, which will be discussed in a bit), I made a lot of awesome friends (friends who have had my back without question throughout this whole transfer decision making process), and even if I close my eyes and try to picture what life would have been freshman year at any college I applied as a transfer to, I can’t imagine it being any better than at Hopkins.

2.Even once I decided to apply to transfer, I went along with my semester as though I would be staying at Hopkins for at least another four years.  The only people who knew about the transfer were my parents, my academic advisor, a very small number of friends outside Hopkins, and a few professors I asked for letters of recommendation. This was done for two reasons: A) the admit rate for transfer students at the schools I applied to are drastically lower than the admit rate for first-year students, and I had been rejected as a freshman from most schools that I was applying to as a transfer.  B) even if I was accepted as a transfer, I was not 100% certain that I would take the offer.  Hopkins had so many oppertunities to offer that it made no sense to me to go around my second semester and turn down oppertunities left and right if the chances of me transfering were very low and I wasn’t quite sure if I’d want to leave at the end of the year.

Gilman at Hopkins

With all this being said, I think the question everyone (including myself) has is “Why are you leaving?  Don’t you like it here?”  I’m sure there are other kids leaving Hopkins with me just like I’m sure there are kids leaving Columbia.  I’m sure we all have our reasons for leaving.  Maybe people want to move closer to home.  Maybe our current schools are too big or too small or too urban or too rural.  Maybe some people honestly hate their current schools.  I almost feel like it would be a lot easier if I could hate this year, because then I’d be in a position similar to the end of senior year where I wasn’t really leaving anything behind when I left.  It’s always easier to do something when you don’t really have a choice but to leave, but what made this decision so tough is that it wasn’t like my senior year.  I wasn’t counting down the days until I wouldn’t have to deal with people asking why I didn’t go to prom or when I wouldn’t have to work on chemistry homework that was assigned on the last day of school.  When I received my third college acceptance ever on May 10, I  was applying for internships in Washington, D.C. and texting one of my friends to see if she wanted to get food at Carma’s.  Before I got that email I’d interacted with prospective students at Hopkins who were deciding between colleges and could never really understand what they were going through because I’d really never had multiple good options for college before, and I would always tell them, “Well you can’t make a bad choice now.”  My own words came back to haunt me and I suddenly realized why all those prospective students had such a hard time making their choices and why my words were of absolutely no help to them: if there were bad choices and a clear good choice, you wouldn’t be questioning your decision because things would be clear.  When all options seem good there’s no magical Gordian Knot-esque moment where you come to a quick and easy solution.

College Walk at Columbia

So why am I leaving if I love it here?  Simply put, my freshman year at Hopkins allowed me to explore subject areas I never would have been able to study in high school or at any other university that I was accepted to.  These subject areas, primarily international relations and Modern Middle Eastern Studies, really intrigued me and I wanted to focus on these areas after learning a bit about them in certain introductory classes.  For my second semester this year I tried to fill my schedule with classes focusing on international relations with a concentration in Middle Eastern Studies, but ran into a lot of difficulties.  There were no political science classes being taught about current issues in the Middle East, forcing me to take an Israeli literature class that was cross-listed with political science.  I signed up for a Persian class that I later found out would not be offered again in subsequent years, which left me confused due to SAIS’ strength in international relations.  I continued with my Arabic and found an excellent class on Sociology of Religious Fundamentalism that spent a significant amount of class time on Fundamentalism in the Middle East (both Jewish and Islamic Fundamentalism were covered, and I wrote a thirty-page research paper on changes in violence between the First and Second Sudanese Civil War due in relation to Islamic Fundamentalism.)  As I struggled to piece together a schedule that fit both my major requirements and my interests, I spoke to my academic advisor.  I explained that I was surprised at the lack of a Middle Eastern Studies department at the undergraduate level given the excellence at the graduate level, and asked if I could possibly take graduate courses at SAIS to make up for the lack of courses offered in the subject area at Homewood.  She reminded me that I was required to take a certain number of credits at the Homewood campus and that traveling back and forth to D.C. for classes would be expensive and time-consuming.  She looked through the course catalogues for previous years and we discovered that there wouldn’t be enough classes focusing on the region for me to take for more than a semester or two more.  The nearest Persian class was either a 45 minute train ride away at SAIS or an hour’s bus ride to a partner school.  I was on track to run out of Arabic classes before graduation due to my acceptance into the Critical Language Scholarship program this summer.

Spring Fair at Hopkins

“What GPA did you get your first semester?” she asked.  I told her.  ”I think you might want to try for transfer.”

“I can’t get in,” I said automatically.  ”There’s no way they’ll take me after only a year of college if they didn’t like what they saw senior year.”  My mind was already in a state of panic as I tried to remember what the Common Application even looked like.  ”They already said no.  I don’t think you understand how much I don’t want more rejection emails.”

“If you don’t at least try for transfer, you’ll always wonder what would have happened if you had tried.”

“There is no way they’re going to take me.”

“Only one way to find out.  You’re from Vegas, aren’t you?  Are you telling me that you’re afraid to gamble $50 on the education you want?”

Statue at Columbia

I went through my own little 5 Stages of Grief after that meeting, first refusing to believe that anyone would be silly enough to suggest that I transfer, then becoming angry at the thought of using money I’d saved from my job to pay for another round of applications, then bargaining with myself by coming up with wildly impractical plans that wouldn’t involve needing to transfer, (“I can just study abroad like all of junior year and hope I have the classes I want senior year and sophomore spring semester!” “I can try to apply for a Wilson Fellowship even if there’s no professor doing research in the area I want to study!”) then sadness, and finally acceptance where I compared the programs I was thinking of transferring into with those offered at Hopkins and realized that I was going to have to do this if I wanted to study what I’d become interested in before graduate school

I cautiously sent emails out to some of my instructors from my fall semester, asking if they’d be willing to write me the required letters of recommendation.  In less than 12 hours my writing teacher from my Debates in International Relations class emailed me, saying that he’d be happy to write the letter and asking where I was thinking of applying.  I emailed him the list of tentitive schools, and he offered to discuss the pros and cons of each school over the phone with me if I wanted any information from what he’d experienced in graduate school and in the workforce.  My list, already small due to my need for a lot of aid and the fact that many schools will not give aid to transfers, shrunk even more from his advice.  I wrote my essays, journeyed back to the wonderful and terrible place known as the Common Application, and finished the application process just before the workload in my classes picked up.  If I was to point to one major difference between my senior year application process and my transfer application process, it would be that there was definitely a lot less pressure this time around.  If I wasn’t accepted anywhere outside of Nevada as a senior it would have killed my entire career path, but this time around I knew that Hopkins was an excellent school and that if I had to stay I could always study general international relations during undergrad and specialize in grad school.  The stakes were nowhere near as high.  Throughout this entire semester there has always been the voice in the back of my head going, “You could stay here and be reasonably happy.  You don’t have to leave if you don’t want to.”

My freshman dorm, AMR I

When the acceptance emails came in I turned to the people I’ve been indebted to since arriving at Homewood in August: my friends and mentors at Hopkins.  I had long talks with a lot of people about the choices that I had suddenly been presented with, and the result of these talks was at once unanimous and supportive: Columbia would be able to offer me more in my particular subject area, and they would be happy with my choice even if it took me away from Hopkins and themselves.

“How can you turn this down?” someone said.  ”What are you going to do with yourself for another three years at Hopkins if you’re running out of programs already?  You need to go.”

I came to the decision that if I could have friends across the country and even across the world that I keep in touch with, I could still keep in contact with my friends at Hopkins, but I could not take classes at Columbia remotely and I couldn’t transport New York City to Baltimore.  I could wait to specialize in graduate school, or I could use the next three years as productively as possible.  I could turn back, or I could keep going forward.

More snow at Columbia (it was January.)

In the ultimate twist of fate, I have now ended up attending two universities that I never imagined I’d go to.  Hopkins, as I touched on in my first blog, was a school I applied to at the very last minute at the urging of a friend.  Columbia was pulled off the list of colleges I was applying to because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to live in as big as city as New York.  I’d visited campus the summer of my senior year and wasn’t blown away, but when the Hopkins Mock Trial team traveled to New York City for a tournament during Intersession I stayed with a friend and loved the people and the campus.  The same friend, interestingly enough, was exactly the fourth friend I ever made in high school, moved out of the country at the beginning of my junior year, and is now my unofficial personal tour guide/advisor for living at Columbia.  Life is funny.

After all this, why am I still writing for this blog if I’m not going to be a Hopkins student in the fall?  When I accepted Columbia’s offer I decided that I still wanted to blog throughout this summer and share my adventures in Oman because I was only accepted to that program with the help of my professors and advisors at Hopkins.  I applied as a Hopkins student with a Hopkins transcript with letters of recommendation from Hopkins faculty, and if there has been one message to pick out in this jumbled emotional mess of a blog I hope that it has to do with how instrumental Hopkins has been in getting me where I am now.  I’m going to be very candid: freshman year admissions left me with the choice of Johns Hopkins, a small liberal arts school on the East Coast with no international relations programs and $60,000 a year in loans, or a state school without international relations or Arabic.  Everyone — from the admissions officer who admitted me, to the advisor who suggested that Hopkins would not have the programs for me, to the instructor who offered to give me advice on where to apply, to the SAABers that let me write a blog that’s gone on the application for every program I’ve been accepted to this year — has been a key part of my success.  I wouldn’t be where I am right now without the people of Hopkins.  This school and its people have given me so much this year, and I think the least I can do in return is blog in Oman.

SAAB

Name: Kimmy Hilson

Year: Class of 2014

Hometown: Baltimore, MD

Major: Sociology

Minor: Entrepreneurship and Management

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When I am home, I enjoy “reading” the newspaper. I quote reading because it primarily consists of me flipping to the “Life” section of The Baltimore Sun to play sudoku, read my horoscope, and attempt a crossword puzzle. I love how the Baltimore Sun has all of the “fun stuff” in one place; it makes it easier for “readers” like me to find everything. The Life section also includes a neat “This Day in History” feature where they have a fun, historical fact about the current day that happened years ago. For example, on this day (May 10th) in 1497, Amerigo Vespucci supposedly began his first trip to the New World. Pretty cool, right? Let’s see if you can guess this date: August 1963? Any guesses? In August of 1963, Jerome (Jerry) D. Schnydman first arrived on the Johns Hopkins Homewood campus as a freshman student in the class of 1967. This June will mark his retirement as a member of the Johns Hopkins administrative team after 49 years of service, both as a student and as an administrator.

During his time at Johns Hopkins, Mr. Schnydman has worn many hats. He has been a student, lacrosse player and coach, Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Executive Director of Alumni Relations, and most recently and currently Executive Assistant to President Ron Daniels and Secretary of the Board of Trustees. I sat down and talked with Mr. Schnydman to learn more about his experiences at Hopkins, and out of everything that he told me, the following statement has really stood out to me: “I’ve never had to work cause I have had fun.” His daughter, Becky Mossing of Baltimore, says of her dad’s devotion to Hopkins: “it is truly amazing to me how he has dedicated his life to Hopkins.”

But let’s start from the beginning. During his first “stage” at Hopkins as a student, Mr. Schnydman was a student majoring in humanistic studies. In addition to his academics, Mr. Schnydman was also a member of the men’s lacrosse team, and won a championship during his senior year. Of his time at Hopkins, he remembers his “great professors, [his] opportunity to play lacrosse and co-captain a championship team during his senior year, and the world renowned faculty [on campus].”

Lacrosse Hall of Fame Member

Like many students now, Mr. Schnydman frequented the library as a study spot on campus, and he “used to study on D-Level.” During his time at Hopkins, he’s seen many construction projects start and finish, including the Milton S. Eisenhower Library and the O’Connor Recreation Center. “Seeing the campus broaden in terms of wealth and beauty has been great.” Mr. Schnydman is a Baltimore-native, and was a commuter student during most of his career as a student, but recalls spending some weekends at his fraternity house, Phi Sigma Delta.

In the eight years following his graduation in 1967, Mr. Schnydman joined the Reserves and served active duty for six months during the Vietnam War. Upon his return to the United States, Mr. Schnydman worked with his brother in the insurance and pension business for 8 years.

It didn’t take long for Mr. Schnydman to return to Hopkins. Eight years later, he returned to Hopkins in 1975 as an Assistant Director of Admissions and also as an assistant coach of the men’s lacrosse team.  Three years later, he became the Director of Admissions. Senior Associate Director of Admissions, Sherryl Fletcher, has many fond memories of Mr. Schnydman and recounts two of them. “My fondest memory of Jerry is actually two memories! One includes seeing Jerry walking from a car repair shop on Howard to the Homewood Campus and my stopping to offer him a ride to work. Jerry showed his appreciation by having me park in one of the President’s Office parking spots for the day! My second memory is of Jerry arriving at a meeting, one where we would chat about an applicant he had an interest in, with a flower in hand!”

Eleven years after becoming the Director of Admissions, Mr. Schnydman was asked by then-president William Brody to be the Executive Director of Alumni Relations. Eight and a half years later, he was again asked by the President Brody to work with him, as the Executive Assistant to the Present and the Secretary of the Board of Trustees, the position that he currently holds.

Throughout his journey through Hopkins, Mr. Schnydman has made many friends along the way. His easy going personality and his cheeriness make him a very easy person to get along with. As I was talking with him, I could sense his love and genuine passion and commitment to the school, as well as his interest and enthusiasm in our conversation. He considers Hopkins to be “a place where you can have lots of fun, but serious study is what students can expect. That’s the constant. Work hard first and play hard second, but there is plenty of time for both.”

The genuine kindness, compassion, and liveliness that is Mr. Schnydman is felt by everybody he encounters. Daniel Creasy, an Associate Director of Admissions at Hopkins, remembers the first time he met Mr. Schnydman. “When I finally had the chance to meet Jerry in person and have a conversation with him about admissions as well as lacrosse, I realized why so many people had such wonderful things to say about him. What surprised me was his humor and his fondness for telling in-depth and engaging stories. Never have I met in all my time at Hopkins someone so committed to the University’s goals, so passionate about the students, and so dedicated to making JHU better day after day. With Jerry’s retirement a undeniable legacy will be left behind in which Johns Hopkins University improved every year and decade that Jerry was on the job. He will be missed by me, my colleagues, and the entire Hopkins community.”

Me and Mr. Schnydman

Mr. Schnydman has been a fixture in the Johns Hopkins community and will be greatly missed by all who have been lucky enough to call him a friend. Alumnus of Johns Hopkins and friend of Mr. Schnydman, Robert Clayton ’84, said of Mr. Schnydman: “Regarding Jerry, I can simply say that Jerry was a very fair man and that you always knew that he would tell you the truth. You always knew that you could depend on what Jerry said and that whatever it was that he was telling you could be trusted.”

For many, Mr. Schnydman’s presence on campus legendary, and without doubt, he will be greatly missed. For many, including Mrs. Fletcher, “Jerry is Johns Hopkins for so many of us. He has offered us inspiring leadership, wisdom and great energy combined with great friendship.”

Congratulations, Mr. Schnydman, on a remarkable career, and I wish you all the best in your retirement!

I have spent four years writing a blog for Hopkins Interactive, attempting to articulate my experience at Hopkins and my own personal growth. In that endeavor, I’ve had moments of introspection, moments of grammar lapses, and occasionally I’ve tried to convey whatever wisdom I’ve picked up from other, more worldly and more coherent individuals.

During all that time, I’ve been more than reliant on the words of others. Lovers of literature often find themselves feeling a kinship with particular quotations, passages and works because they speak to a part of ourselves that could never really articulate those concepts with ease. And so, these are some choice snippets of thoughts that have inspired me at one point or another that I’d like to share. Considering this is my second to last blog entry ever, I have said almost all that I will and all that I can. These are lessons I hope to have conveyed in some form over the past four years and others I have not yet had a chance to share but still find compelling, and I hope they give you a moment of clarity in some form or another.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been putting off schoolwork and trying to check things off of my bucket list. For the first time maybe ever, I’ve let myself relax about school, haven’t worried about my GPA, and have ignored quite a bit of work. It feels good though, and with graduation looming just over two weeks away, I can honestly say I’m pretty happy with the way everything is turning out.

Over the last month or so….

I’ve run the D.C. Cherry Blossom with Louisa, hitting our goal time. I’ve checked out new restaurants–including an amazing Greek BYOB place with Eve. We’ve all planned an amazing cocktail party for the night of graduation. We’ve celebrated birthdays, jobs, and a med school acceptance.

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A few weekends ago my friends and I took an impromptu trip to Annapolis for the afternoon. Annapolis is just over half an hour away, filled with cute old houses, boys in Navy whites, cobblestone streets, and delicious ice cream. We zipped over there on a sunny afternoon that was just too nice to do homework (see above) and spent the day strolling around the city. It was a perfect mini-adventure.

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This past weekend was Homecoming, and between the amazing festivities it finally hit me that these were my final few weeks at Hopkins. Next year at Homecoming, I’ll be the alum crashing on someone’s couch, lamenting how much I miss Hopkins, craving another hilarious Saturday night, lining up at Uni Mini for a chicken parm sub (ick) and generally trying to relive my college years. It’s a scary thought to think that after May 24th, the next time we’ll all be in the same place is almost a year from now.

I’ve written about it before, but I’ve been so lucky these past four years to have an amazing group of friends, who I count on for everything. The idea of us all scattering across the country and even the world in just a few short weeks is unfathomable. While many of my friends will be on the East Coast, or even better in the NYC area (where I’ll return after Africa), my best friend/roommate of three years/insane sidekick is moving to Louisiana, and I can’t quite handle the thought.

We’ve all done a good job these past few weeks and months of pretending graduation will never come, but acknowledging it is becoming inevitable. The end of year events are beginning: tonight is my final Phi Mu formal, Friday was the Public Health send off, tomorrow is Phi Mu’s farewell ceremony for seniors, and in two Thursdays I’ll be walking across the quad in my cap and gown. If I start to think about it too much it becomes a bit overwhelming.

While I’m so excited for what’s coming next, right now I’m feeling a little bummed about graduation. This place is just pretty great, and I’ll miss it a lot.

LB

“He used often to say there was only one Road; that it was like a great river: its springs were at every doorstep and every path was its tributary. ‘It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door,’ he used to say. ‘You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no telling where you might be swept off to.’”

J.R.R. Tolkien

My friends Catherine and Joe in Jordan. The three of us we were known as the "Three Musketeers"

I can only start my final freshman blog by looking back at my first blog post, written a year ago, “Midway on Our Life’s Journey”.  In it I compared my college application process to Dante’s Inferno, revealed that I had no idea what I was going to do in college, and made a lot of jokes about going to a Catholic high school.  The blog ended like this:

“No matter what I decide to do, I will forever be one of the lucky ones. I will make the absolute most of what I’ve just been handed: a four-year golden ticket to wherever I chose. I’m not stuck in Limbo anymore. I know where I’m headed next.”

When I wrote that blog, I had no idea how weird my friends would be.

When I wrote that I had no idea what this year would be like.  I had no idea that I’d make so many new friends in every team and extracurricular I joined.  I had no idea that I’d ride down rapids.  I had no idea that I’d be writing a blog trying to explain what my freshman year was like as I finished up three final essays and projects, packed my things into storage, and shopped online for clothing appropriate for a summer in Salalah, Oman and a fall in Washington, D.C..

I suppose one could make the argument that this time last year I didn’t know where I was going, and that in writing the blog I was simply being an optimistic little 18 year old who had, truthfully, no idea what she was getting herself into.  I only found out I was selected as a State Department Critical Language Scholar and going to Oman this summer in mid-March, and only found out in mid-April that I received an Aitchison Public Service Fellowship in Government and was going to be living/interning in D.C. this fall instead of staying on the Homewood Campus.  One can further argue that I don’t know where I’m studying abroad in the coming semesters, that I don’t know if I’ll try to apply to the 5 year BA/MA program with SAIS, that I don’t know where I’ll be after graduation or even after lunch today.

The Class of 2015 bloggers at the beginning of the year.

Knowing where one will be in the physical sense is admittedly tricky.  Especially at Hopkins, there are so many paths to take and so many places to explore that I’m quite certain you can go wherever you want.  The bloggers at Hopkins Interactive will be spread all over this world this summer.  JHU_Tess is going to be in London, JHU_Kate in France, JHU_Lauren in Africa, JHU_Ian in Italy, JHU_Erica, JHU_Allysa, and JHU_Cate in California.  I have little doubt that when we all arrived at this school we never imagined where we would be physically this summer, but I think we all knew mentally where we were heading next and knew that by coming to Hopkins we were already there.  We knew that by going to this school we were going to be mentally ready for anything that came our way.  We knew that no matter where we ended up, we were going to try our damnest to be successful.  We knew that wherever we went, we’d be able to take our experiences at Hopkins and know that regardless of how often our physical location changed, we’d always be able to say, “Mentally, I’m already where I want to be.”

Watching "A Very Potter Musical" during Intersession.

The thought of leaving the security of the Homewood Campus for Washington, D.C. so early has definitely made these last few weeks of classes much more poignant.  This is not just the last Arabic class of my freshman year, it is the last time I will sit in a Homewood classroom for at least ten months.  The night of watching Rome with my friends wasn’t just the last time we’ll hang out freshman year, but the last time I’ll live in the same building with them for at least ten months, maybe even until our junior year.  By the time I’ll come back to campus, the Brody Learning Center will be done, my friends and I will have to look at apartments, and I’ll officially have to declare my major.

So, to all the people along the way that made this year what it was – my friends at Hopkins and from back home, my professors who asked me what a girl from Las Vegas was doing on the East Coast, my teammates and coworkers who didn’t let me quit, my family who went months without seeing me, a certain mayor of NYC who gave me the scholarship that allowed me to come here in the first place, the team of SAABers who picked me to share my stories – thank you.

I guess I’ve almost survived my freshman year of college.  There’s still quite a bit of moving around to do in my future.  I stepped into the Road last August by coming to Hopkins, and there is no telling where I’ll be swept off into.   Going out your door, going across the country for college, and going across the world for a summer are all dangerous businesses because there’s a chance the adventure might not go as planned.  Maybe you don’t go to your first-choice college.  Maybe you get homesick because you haven’t seen your family in four months.  Maybe you don’t speak the language or know the culture.  Maybe you don’t know where the Road is taking you.

But maybe that’s what makes it interesting.  Maybe all the pressure and all the work and all the nights you spend wondering what the heck is going to happen next make you mentally strong to the point where no matter where you are, you’re always exactly where you’ve always wanted to be: ready for a challenge.

 “At dusk the three of us encountered an elderly lady and her beagle hiking toward us. Teetering along on a walking stick, she wore a motoring cap and held a bunch of wildflowers. I said hello and asked her where she was going. She replied in Welsh, ‘Rydw i yna yn barod.’ We looked to Erica for a translation. ‘She said, “I’m already there.”’”

-“A Ramble in Wales,” from National Geographic Traveler

]]> http://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/2015/2012/05/a-summer-of-experiential-education/ http://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/2015/2012/05/a-summer-of-experiential-education/#comments Sat, 05 May 2012 16:27:33 +0000 Zoe J. http://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/2015/?p=1625

Classic Experiential Ed-- Pre-O 2011

It was the end of classes yesterday, and in a short week and a half (after finals) my freshman year will be over. I debated for a while whether I should write a sappy reflection on my year, or stay positive and upbeat about what’s to come for me at JHU. I’ve decided to take the middle road by discussing my exciting summer and how what I’ve learned this year will affect it.

Experiential Education. What a strange phrase! Part of me thinks, isn’t all education experiential? But after this summer, I’m pretty sure I won’t be thinking that anymore. In the second round of interviews for a summer counselor position at Genesee Valley, an outdoor learning center 1.5 miles from my house, they asked me what I think experiential education is really about. I said it is learning about yourself in combination with others through group activities and challenges (which are usually outdoors). I’m excited to see whether my opinion of this changes over the next few months.

To start out my summer, I will be going on a ten day backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail for HOLT (Hopkins Outdoor Leadership Training). If you’ve been following my blogs, you know I’m part of Outdoor Pursuits as a hiking leader, and part of being a leader is to go on this trip preferably at the end of your freshman year. I’m not going to lie–  I’m really nervous. I don’t think I’ve ever not showered or not been in contact with my family and friends for ten days in a row, so it will be a challenge. At the same time, something tells me that I will really appreciate this trip for my own personal growth. Ringing any bells? :)

When I get back, I’ll have a few days off before starting my training as a summer camp counselor for Genesee Valley. I’m so psyched to have gotten this position! I used to be a camper at the Valley and always thought the counselors were amazingly cool. It’ll be fun to work with those kids and be outside all day, not to mention I can run or bike to work every morning.

Enjoying the outdoors with a buddy from high school

Finally, I’ll end the summer by leading a pre-orientation trip for the class of 2016! I have no doubt I will love getting to know the incoming freshman while enjoying the last few weeks of summer.

As you can see, I will essentially be outdoors for the next three months! And what does this have to do with my freshman  year at JHU? Well, this past year has opened my eyes to many things that make me happy. For example, I love getting to know new people and pushing my limits (I learned this through the many great students already at JHU, and the fact that I worked really hard in my academics this past semester). I also love training my body by exercising (I learned this from the past few weeks before finals, where my exercise and diet have kept me calm in the face of a heavy academic load). In lieu of this, I have decided to train for the Baltimore Marathon during the summer. (It’s October 13 2012, so come cheer me on!) This summer will be fantastic in so many ways, and I can’t wait to see how far I can push myself and what I will learn.

In conclusion, thanks to JHU for a great freshman year, and thanks to Hopkins Interactive for giving me the opportunity to chronicle it! Be sure to check out my blog next year, where I will talk about my adventures as a sophomore. (Literally meaning, “wise fool.”) I can’t wait to see how wise and foolish I will be! Have a great summer everyone!

Last week, I turned in my lab key and checked out of my lab station for good. On my way out, I declared my happiness to the world and embraced the grand sense of freedom I felt from being released from the clutches of Intro Chemistry Lab II. It felt like a new era; an end to a predetermined eternal loathing that was as fervid as a flame. At that moment, I felt that nothing would have made me want to go back to Chem Lab even for the slightest bit!

A couple hours ago, I got back from taking my Chemistry Lab final exam. I thought I would feel MUCH more thrilled than I actually do now that I am completely done with that class. I have complained and whined about Lab so many times throughout the year (like actually, so many times) for the incredibly ridiculous amount of work we are expected to do for just one credit. But now that it is over, I realize that I am actually starting to miss it. So I shall go back on my previous word and admit that Chem Lab was actually kinda fun. Even thought it was a lot of work, I have had some great memories in that class. In Chem Lab, I became a master at sigfigs and writing error analyses, had friendly little contests with my neighbors to see who could get the highest percent yield, and met one of my best friends who I’m going to be living with next year!

The Chem Lab Building! I will strangely miss Fridays in the Mergenthaler basement.

Today was the last day of classes for the school year. For many of the seniors, undergrad is completely over since final exams for seniors are optional (so jealous). But for me, it is equally exciting because I am one step away from completing my freshman year! It feels weird to be able to say that freshman year is basically over. I am nearly 25% of the way through with undergrad but it still feels like I just got here! Today in physics and calculus, everyone broke into applause at the end of each lecture as a way to thank our professors. It was the same as applauding for an aircraft pilot at the end of a really long flight when he/she safely lands the plane. It never really hit me until today that my flight was actually over and that next year, I would be boarding an entirely new one.

I have two more weeks of freshman year left. That means only two more weeks of living in Building A, two more weeks of eating at the FFC, and in general, just two more weeks of this freshman lifestyle I have developed over the past year. Freshman year was a bit hard for me. Adjusting to college life was something that took a lot of time, but now I feel like my days have finally become a routine. Even though I will miss being a freshman, I am greatly looking forward to spending another three years here, for I know they will be filled with incredible memories and enriching experiences.

My Building A girls! Many who have been characters throughout my blogs, such as my Alaskan Roommate, Crazy-Awesome Lab Partner, and Hip-Hop Dancing Floormate!

My best friends! We all met on the first day of school and have been really close ever since! I look forward to another three years with them at Hopkins:)

Reading period is about begin, so I will end my blog on that note and go study for finals! Thanks for reading and congratulations again to the class of 2016! Feel free to ask me any questions about student life or Hopkins in general and I will answer them right away!

So much has happened in the past few months.  Honestly, sophomore and junior year seem like a dream now.  They just blew right past me!  Today was the last day of classes of my junior year.  It was pretty relaxed.  At 11 am I had a one-hour review for my Kinetics course, and at 12 pm a one-hour review for Algebra.  I have so many assignments and papers and not to mention finals to finish before my junior year is officially over, so I feel like I shouldn’t start celebrating just yet…

I have been hoarding food for finals. Voila enough pancakes to last reading period.

For a while this semester I was honestly stressing about my future.  With senior year encroaching so quickly, I began fretting about grad school…about post graduation.  At the beginning of the semester I wrote a blog about applying to math research programs for the summer.  It was an incredibly grueling and tough time, and for the most part programs don’t even contact you with a rejection if you aren’t chosen so there is a sincere feeling of being in limbo.  These programs are incredibly competitive, accepting only 5-10% of the applicants.

I received some great news that I was accepted into the program at UCLA.  I received a call while I was napping after an extremely late night/early morning of doing homework.  At first I wondered who was calling me from a California, and to my delight when I answered it was someone for IPAM (Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics.)  Even after a twenty minute conversation on the phone with someone from UCLA, I sort of thought it was a dream until I received a hoard of emails from the department the next day.   I feel so incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to go to UCLA this summer (which has an absolutely incredible and very prestigious math department.)  I am so grateful I had such generous math professors from Hopkins that were willing to stand up for me and write me great letters as well.

I am feeling so much more optimistic about my future now.  I know I am going to have a great experience in California this summer.  I’ve actually never been to CA, but I’ve always dreamed of going.  For a while in high school I wanted only to apply to colleges in CA.  I guess I’ve always sort of romanticized CA like the characters in The Grapes of Wrath (love that book!), and to me it is kind of like the final frontier.

A part of me feels like anything is possible; that there still is hope.  Sometimes it is really easy to begin to feel like all hope is lost, but I guess it can still be renewed.  I feel so much more optimistic about my future and my abilities and passions.  It’s crazy to think my time at Hopkins is almost over.  Suddenly now it seems really worth it.  This strange memory of my freshmen year keeps popping into my head recently.  It is spring semester, and I am wearing shorts in the library up very late trying to do my number theory homework, then I am on the quad and it is quiet and empty.  It’s strange and kind of weird, but I keep thinking about that night over and over again for no reason.

Yep, you read that right – the Freshman 25, not 15. The FFC was just too good and I ended up suffering from the Freshman 25. But over the course of this year, I’ve shed off the freshmen pounds and now I’m finally back to pre-college weight. The main motivation was to just simply have a healthy lifestyle. It was so important to my mom – she always took runs or walks every morning (I still remember her always nudging me out of bed every summer morning with a cup of coffee trying to make me go on a run with her). Cooking was also one of her passions – she always made fresh, healthy, and organic meals. She was and still is my role model in leading a healthy lifestyle.

My running buddy!

I’ve found that there are many ways to maintain that lifestyle here at Hopkins, whether you are a freshman or a senior. Here’s the inside scoop:

- Working out: The Rec center provides many opportunities for you to get into shape. And it can be fun! There’s fun classes such as Zumba and cycling. And not to mention that there’s the rock climbing wall too. Recently, there was the Sound Body Challenge, where teams participate to achieve team and individual fitness goals. There’s lots of prizes too! Some dorms also have great work out rooms too, such as Charles Commons and Wolman. I personally love Charles Commons’ work out room because it’s so close to me! It’s got treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, and weights. The Rec center is close to freshmen dorms Buildings A & B as well as the AMRs.

The Rec Center

Treadmills in Charles Commons

 - Campus food: As I hinted, the FFC can be a bit challenging to eat healthy. I mean, unlimited meals in one sitting?! However, the FFC does provide many healthy options – such as the salad bar and vegan station. I prefer to eat at Levering because of their soups and salads. Levering is open during the week only for lunch. It’s also hard to resist the baked goods at the cafes (especially Alkimia in Gilman) but I treat myself once in awhile. I don’t have the time to cook often, so if I’m on the go and need to get dinner, I sometimes go to Nolan’s or Silk Road (near Mattin). Nolan’s is primarily for upperclassmen though anyone can go. You can get to go boxes (like the FFC) and some of their options are healthy – such as Mexican bowls/salads or omlettes. They also have a salad and pasta bar. I love to get Silk Road – it is pan-Asian and the buffet is SO good. There’s lots of vegetarian and healthy options there too. Yum!

My big and I

- Off-Campus food: A lot of students frequent Freshii - they have great salads, noodles, and froyo! It’s also open at convenient times, often until 11 pm (which is perfect for me because I eat dinner late a lot). I like to go to Carma’s as well – their salads are to die for (try the Farmhouse Salad!). If I’m really in a hurry and only have time for take-out, I go to Tamber’s or order some sashimi. Yes, Tamber’s isn’t exactly the healthiest place but regardless, I get the Chicken Tikka Masala and the Channa Masala with chickpeas (I mean, it’s got some vegetables in it, right?). And lastly, there’s always Eddie’s, the neighborhood grocery store or the Farmer’s Market. My big especially likes to go to the Farmer’s Market every Saturday morning (she has a hard time dragging me out of bed to go with her though) and they have fresh, local (often organic) produce.

All in all, Hopkins has many means for us to keep into shape (or get rid of that Freshman 15). Now off to train for the Overnight!

Hey y’all!

Last night, I made my final bulletin board and calendar for my dorm (if you didn’t know, I am a Resident Advisor–RA–for freshmen in AMR 2). I named the bulletin board “Looking Back, Moving Forward” and left space for my residents to write reflections on this year and their expectations for next year. I was amazed that it was May and that this was the last events calendar I’d ever make.

I thought about this and about the fact that unlike them, I would not be returning to Hopkins next year. So I guess I’ll format this in the form of my bulletin board.

What I loved:

• My friends. These people will be at my wedding, and my future godparents, and yea. My experience here would have been nothing without the amazing people I’ve met here and I wouldn’t have made it through. You come to college to learn but honestly, if you don’t have people to support and love and encourage and offer gentle criticism and guidance, then yea. You don’t really grow. I have had countless conversations with my friends about everything under the sun. I have had countless crying sessions from freshman year up until this year with my friends about school and grades and friends and fights and live and uncertainty. My friends gave had so much patience with me–much more than I could have for myself and more than I even have for other people (whoops). I couldn’t imagine my life without these people and I can’t imaging my life in the future without them. You know, it’s a weird thing. I have been talking to a lot of alum who tell me about j ust how different the graduated life is in terms of relationships and how much more work it really takes. Like in college you can wake up and meet your friends somewhere on campus. The graduated l ife means that you and your friends will be scattered throughout the world, literally. My friends and I had a gathering thing last week and as I was looking at everyone, I realized that despite how close we were (probably about 25 of us), none of us was going to the same place. The closest pairs and trios within our group will be split up and that’s frightening. It’s frightening to know I won’t be able to wake up and tell a friend “meet me at FFC I really need to talk to you” or “can I spend the night at your place?” I guess I’ll have to re-master the arts of the phone call (wow!) and wait for it…the letter (double wow!). But I’m excited because we’ll be forced to learn new ways of communication and we will be forced to depend on each other across state and international lines.

• The challenge of academia. Now, let’s be honest. I have some serious senioritis right now. I know you seniors know what that feels like.  Burned out from 7 semesters of work but not yet able to let go because you have to cross the finish line strong. Or as strongly as possible, haha. But really…I thank Hopkins for the challenge it kind of bestows upon its students. It’s because of this that I have confidence in my abilities to do work work in the real world. As I job search, I see that a lot of places want candidates with experience and coming straight out of undergrad, I don’t always have that, besides some jobs and internships I’ve held here. But then I read the descriptions and I think to myself “man if I don’t know how to do that, I can learn!” because of the challenge I have had here. I will definitely miss the feel of a classroom once I’m working in the real world but you know, it’ll make returning to grad school all the more sweet.

• Learning about Baltimore. Ok. So if you guys didn’t know, I’m a Baltimore Scholar and that means that I live in Baltimore and went to high school here. Yet, there was so much about this city I didn’t know. Being a Scholar meant that I had to actually be a representative of this city to students not from here and in forcing me to be that, I’ve learned so much about this place. I’ve TA-ed 2 interssession courses  (our “B’More!” program) in which we did community service, history learning, and field trips to certain landmark sites and neighborhoods in Baltimore. I’ve been tasked with finding, holding on to, and spreading pride about Baltimore. I was telling someone the other day that this place is compelling in that it really makes you work to love it.  Like, on the surface, Baltimore doesn’t look that pretty or enticing, like New York or L.A. or Atlanta or Dallas or any of those big cities. You hear things about it (the Wire, anyone?) . But what I’ve come to know Baltimore as is a city of pride, a city with struggle that just refuses to give up on itself. And that;s been a pleasure to discover.

What I expect:

• Learn more about myself. So if you guys read my last blog, you know I made the decision to not go to graduate school because of finances (I Plan to go in 1-2  years). So I’m job searching and being forced to look at myself and what qualities I possess that would make me an attractive candidate for jobs. And that’s harder than I thought, to be quite honest. Do I have good communicative skills? Can I learn how to realllllllllly use Excel (i.e. all the functions no one knows about)? Can I learn to cook for real and to sew? What abut dance? Can I handle going to work and having a life? My graduated friends told me that they, believe it or not, have less time as workers than as students. So we’ll see how this goes.

Again, I’m terrified–but I have no choice. Gotta look back but even more so, move forward.

Name: Noah Guiberson

Year: Class of 2014

Hometown: Houston, TX

Major: Neuroscience and Molecular and Cellular Biology

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

If you’re interested in being a part of a sorority at Hopkins (guys, keep reading…this will quickly become relevant to you), in the Spring of your freshman year you will become intimately familiar with Secret Week. Secret Week takes place after you have already rushed and joined a sorority, and is the week before Revelation—the night during which Big/Little pairs are revealed. (If you’re unfamiliar with Greek Life lingo, it’s okay, you’re not alone…several sorority friends of mine are actually watching me write this, and are correcting just about everything I’m writing.)

A Big, I am told, is like a mentor within your sorority—a special person who welcomes you to the chapter and with whom you will form a very (very) close friendship. (Tori chimes in from over my shoulder, “It’s as close as you can get to having an actual family away from family.”)

But back to Secret Week…during this time, the Littles (new members) do not know who their respective Bigs are. The Bigs take advantage of this by showering their Littles with presents through anonymous deliveries.

Guys, this is where you come in.

You will be responsible for these deliveries. Fraternity pledges and freshman guys from the Varsity teams carry out most of these, and a few are couriered by unaffiliated males who are unfortunate enough to be close friends of Bigs during Secret Week. Almost without fail, these deliveries manifest themselves in outright hilarity.

Even though Secret Week is a time focused on the new Sisters, it ends up being a really memorable time for the guys who deliver their gifts, as well. Ask any Brother or Water Polo player about their Secret Week experiences and they’ll reminisce at length about all the crazy stuff they had to do.

I asked around and heard some great stories.

A friend of mine, Melissa, had to go on a campus-wide scavenger hunt facilitated by fraternity pledges dressed as secret agents. At the end of her “mission”, they surrounded her and gave her the gift from her big. Another friend, Jenna, fondly recounted the time she was told to do pushups for her gift by a group of shirtless pledges, who jokingly criticized her technique and kindly offered to “show her the proper form”.

Legendary are the exploits of pledges who delivered gifts to Littles in a variety of ways while actually inside the library. When he was a freshman, Hopkins Interactive’s very own JHU_Nick brought chocolate covered strawberries to a Little on M-Level!

I am told that this year one fraternity pledge will, in what is surely one of the most unique delivery strategies I’ve heard about, play viola during the entire delivery event.

The incorporation of music in these deliveries is not uncommon, but an extra-classy alternative to the normal Secret Week shenanigans is to hire the AllNighters, Hopkins’ only all-male A Cappella group, who are expert serenaders. See the action here:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=109918202424125&set=vb.100002178388101&type=2&theater. 

To conclude, a more personal story and a word of caution…about a week ago, a friend of mine (here unnamed until after Revelation) asked me to make one of these deliveries on her behalf. She assured me that I wouldn’t have to do anything too embarrassing, and that all I had to do was to go to Wolman Hall at exactly 9:00 p.m. in order to hand a bag filled with Secret Week swag to her Little, Hannah. Under these conditions I was happy to help. Nonetheless, I still managed to embarrass myself.

In my defense, I had been on the set of #LearnMoreSeeMoreBMore (the City of Baltimore) filming our most recent episode for eight and a half hours by the time I got back to Charles Commons, and was exhausted. I thought that I would take a little nap so that the person giving Hannah her gift on the first day of this special week wouldn’t look like death. I set an alarm for 8:30 p.m., and went to sleep.

Naturally my alarm didn’t go off, and I woke up at ~9:45 to a number of furious voicemails from Hannah’s Big. I bolted out of bed and sprinted over to Wolman, where I apologized profusely and gave Hannah the bag. Apparently, Hannah’s Big was planning to make me sing Hannah an apology song, but luckily she let it slide.

Moral of the story: don’t ever go to sleep during Secret Week…or at least don’t cut it so close…

Anyway, Secret Week is a fun time to be at Homewood. I’m a fan.

GO HOP!

It’s unbelievable that one year ago today I was preparing for AP exams and graduation, driving around Elk Grove (my hometown) and getting anxious to leave for Baltimore. I remember enthusiastically packing my suitcases two months prior to leaving because I was just didn’t want to wait. I was ready to start my highly-anticipated transition into college and now my first year is coming to a close so I am again packing up my things for the next adventure!

Graduating with my cousin/best friend Konner :)

I am incredibly excited for the summer because I’ve made plans to see my Hopkins friends, travel, return home for a short bit and do two internships in Southern California. With so much to look forward to, I can’t help but feel incredibly grateful for everything I’ve been able to experience this year and all the friendships I’ve made in just nine months.

On a less reflective note, these last few weeks at Hopkins have certainly exceeded my every expectation. A major highlight was SPRING FAIR! Hopkins’ Spring Fair is the second-largest student run festival in the country (behind Coachella) and it was an absolutely perfect weekend. The entire campus turned into a food, music, entertainment, shopping festival! The vibe on campus was so relaxed and of course the Beach was filled with students enjoying the warm weather :)

The kickoff event featured an incredible fireworks show and live entertainment. It was the perfect way to get excited for Spring Fair!

Incredible fireworks show on the Mason Hall Quad!

At the Spring Fair kickoff event!

Hanging out with friends on the Beach!

Spring Fair memories!

JHU_Ian filling up my "Spring Fair 2012" mug with homemade rootbeer!

After an exhausting (and incredible!) Spring Fair weekend, everyone winded down with the always-fancy Sterling Brunch at the FFC featuring gourmet food, live jazz music, and classy decorations.

Sterling Brunch at the FFC!

Shrimp Cocktail anyone?

This past weekend I also went to Sweetlife, an amazing food and music festival in Maryland. Hopkins organized transportation for us because so many students showed interest in going and it was definitely a highlight of my freshman year!

The lineup (on the back of my shirt!)

At Sweetlife!

And earlier this week we celebrated my friend (and Baker housemate!) Jorge’s birthday at the Inner Harbor!

at dinner!

The group at the Harbor!

With finals approaching and spring semester coming to a close, I am sad to pack up my things and move out of AMR II but excited to see what sophomore year has in store. I know I will love living in Charles Commons with Claire, being an student organizer at the Tutorial Project, continuing my work with Admissions, and taking more exciting classes next year.

This is my final blog as a freshman, but be sure to check out Hopkins Interactive for my sophomore blog as I chronicle my second year as a blue jay!

Thank you for reading this year! And to the class of 2016ers reading this, be prepared to love every moment of your Hopkins experience :)

All my Hopkins love,

Erica

 

It’s the last week of classes for my freshman year of college so I’ve been feeling a lot like this lately:

This semester’s been an emotional roller coaster to say the least, and when all is said and done this week I’ll still have a massive research paper due on the fifteenth.  I started to write about this past year, really write about it, but then I couldn’t do it.  Not yet.  I can’t properly look back on the semester until it’s finally over,  that last paper is gone, and I’m headed back to spend a few days with my family before hopping on a plane again.

So, like any good teenager, I filled the time when I should have been writing my really deep, thought-provoking blog by mindlessly surfing the internet for gifs to describe my year.

When I found out I got into Hopkins

When everyone thought I was pre-med

When my friends and I were really bored the rest of the summer

When I climbed 40 feet on a rock wall, baked a cake without an oven, and rode down a rapid on Pre-Orientation

When I moved in and my roommate gave me cookies

When everyone in my dorm went to the Blue Jay Ball

When my laptop broke the first day of classes

When I got a job as a videographer

When I discovered the glory that is the FFC

When I was accepted into SAAB

When my friends and I had to figure out how to do laundry

When Adam Riess won the Nobel Prize

When my partner and I won a novice debate tournament on a case about economics

When stayed at my friend’s house for Thanksgiving and ate a lot

When I went back to Vegas and finally got my license on the 4th attempt

When I saw my friends again during Intersession

When the debate team went to Dartmouth in January 

When the mock trial team went to NYC

When covered grades were over

When I found out I was going to Oman

When everything was due the week before Spring Break

When it was Spring Fair

When Loyola thought they were going to beat us

When my friends and I found out we were living together next year

When I think about how I felt freshman year

No matter what major you pick or college you end up at, the reality is that you’ll have to write a paper. In high school, the idea of a three page essay was horrifying and often led to unorganized, unfocused results, but since coming to Hopkins I’ve been able to write some papers that I’ve personally been impressed by, both in quantity of pages and in quality. How is this possible? Well, for just three easy payments of $19.99…okay just kidding. The truth is, Hopkins has beyond incredible resources for research, not just in the labs, but in the museums and libraries. Follow along with my latest paper — a research paper for my Intro to Art History class — to see just how great these resources are.

The Prompt:

Step One: Pick a Piece

I knew from the beginning that I wanted to do a paper that would focus on the ideas of modernity and artistic expression in modern art. Since the BMA’s contemporary collection doesn’t reopen until November of this year – I will add that the Contemporary Curator came and talked about the reinstallation to my museums class, and it’s going to be amazing - I decided that I would pick a work from the National Gallery in DC. So, one $7 train ticket later, I was en route to DC for the day in search of what would become my focus for the next few weeks. I departed the train an hour later and walked over to the National Gallery for the first time, only to find myself overwhelmed with choices. The conversation in my head was essentially a series of “Oh, I like that! Oh, but I also like that!” and on and on and on.

The East building with huge works by Calder and Kelly

Andy Goldsworthy's installation in the lobby

Leo Villareal's light installation connecting the East and West buildings

Cherry blossoms in DC

"Field Painting"

After wandering the galleries for a few hours, I somehow narrowed myself to one work: Jasper Johns’s Field Painting. Something about its undeniable presence and visual evidence of the artist hammering out ideas of mark-making and the artist/studio relationship, a sense not evident in his earlier, less introspective works, really connected with me.

Step Two: Research, Research, and, oh yeah, Research

Books about Johns

If you’re pursuing a major where writing papers will be a prominent part of your education, it’s important that the college you choose have the resources to help you on your way. What’s great about Hopkins is that the librarians have set up individual pages to guide you in your research with resources specific to your field. For example, the art history research guide provides access to search through the library catalogue as well as articles in various arts magazines. To start, I run “Jasper Johns” through the library catalogue search engine and discover a section full of books on the artist on campus at the MSE Library. I feel inclined to add that the entire D-Level of the library is made up of art history books. I locate the area on Johns and find everything from exhibition catalogues to books outlining his career. Then I see them: jackpot. First, I find a book that includes copies from Johns’s own sketchbook, which gives me unique insight into his thought process. Second, I find a very specific book on Johns’s use of lightbulbs, and since the work includes a bright red light that I wasn’t sure how to address, this will definitely help me as I approach my ideas on his work. I also several journals taking about the work at the time of its exhibition, including a work in a French. I check out my dozen books and spend that night going through them, finding everything from a visual analysis to what could be seen as Johns’s manifesto towards the treatment of objects.

My partners-in-crime for the past few weeks

Step Three: Write

After spending a lot of time in front of a blank document on my computer, having random ideas come to me as I walk around campus and as I’m falling asleep, I work on a first draft of the work. I try to introduce the piece using a book of essays from Alfred Barr Jr. (that I conveniently got from the library) and work through a visual analysis, finally consulting my massive pile of books that have been hanging out in my room. 10+ pages later, I’m ready to refine.

Step Four: The Unexpected

I approach my professor one day after lecture to talk about some of the concepts of pop and bring up that I’m writing my paper on Johns. She asks if I’ve looked at an exhibition catalogue put out by the National Gallery about Johns, which I had, and then adds that her friend curated that exhibit. What? She then adds that I should look at one of the essays in there…that she wrote. What?? Lastly, she casually mentions the few times when she met Jasper Johns. What??? Hopkins professors, if that doesn’t explain clearly enough, are really at the top of their fields and are incredible resources to have at your disposal.

Step Five: The Home Stretch

I make an appointment with the JHU Writing Center, which provides students with one-on-one meetings with their trained tutors to go over writing assignments. The person helping me gives me some really valuable insight as to how to improve my paper and really takes the time to establish my strengths and weaknesses. After taking those edits into consideration, I approach the final step which involves listing the images which I’ve referenced in my essay. This, however, is extremely easy since Hopkins students get free accounts to ArtSTOR where I can download high quality files of my images.

…and the rest, as they say, is (art) history. Cue “We Are The Champions.” Except that actually happened…Anyway, maybe it’s the fact that Jasper Johns and Johns Hopkins share the word “Johns” in their name, but it’s more likely Hopkins’s amazing resources that really made this paper possible. The resources at Hopkins really do make a difference, and it’s really made research not only accessible but enjoyable as well.

This past weekend, I had the chance to go whitewater kayaking with Johns Hopkins Outdoor Pursuits. The trip cost me only $10 which is really cheap and probably didn’t even cover the amount of gasoline needed to transport me and my kayak. Needless to say, it was a really great experience.

I actually went on the trip not knowing anyone else in my group besides one of the excellent leaders, and the trip proved a great way to meet new people from many different grades. We were actually an excellent sample of all the different Hopkins departments and interests– freshman, sophomores, seniors and graduate students majoring in arts and science as well as engineering.

One of the calmer stretches we kayaked. This is actually Burnside's Bridge, a site of very heavy combat during the civil war.

The trip left relatively early, at about 730 am, and returned to campus about 10 hours later. It truly was a perfect day for me because I had a blast on the trip, and was back on campus in time to attend the JHU_Sirens a-capella concert and get some work done before going out to a party.

Washing off the kayaks post-trip!

We actually went kayaking in Western Maryland, outside Boonsboro in a waterway known as Antietam Creek. Along the creek is actually where the bloodiest battle of all time in America was fought, so we passed numerous historical landmarks of the civil war. Attending two sessions in the pool where we learned how to roll the kayaks (basically how to survive and not drown when you get flipped upsidedown) proved to be quite useful when many of us flipped over in the more turbulent rapids.

That didn’t matter, however, because we were all wearing wetsuits and lots of protective gear to ensure we stay both comfortable and safe. I would definitely recommend going on an OP trip, regardless of whether or not you are a full-time student at Johns Hopkins or not.

Kayaking is great!!!

Back about a month ago this “Why Hopkins: Admitted Student Blog” launched and every day in April we have posted entries to help you gain a complete sense of the Johns Hopkins University undergraduate experience and make that all important decision of whether you will move-in to the Homewood campus this coming fall. Many of you have made the excellent decision to join the JHU Class of 2016 and we are really looking forward to welcoming you to the Blue Jay community. But some of you reading this still have not made the big decision, and the May 1 Enrollment Decision Deadline looms less than 24 hours away. This final entry is for you, the procrastinators, a primer on how to make this final decision.

For those of you who have yet to sign the bottom line of an enrollment form, you are probably feeling an overwhelming mix of anxiety, confusion, and hopefully a tinge of excitement too. Not sure if you should choose Johns Hopkins over any of the other elite schools you have been admitted to. Trying to imagine what your four years will be like in Baltimore or at University X, Institution Y, or College Z. Attempting to predict the “value” of the education you will get at each school. For many, this is the first major decision you will make in life, and though in the end it will not determine your future completely, it does matter. We commend you for taking your time and focusing your energies, but we also need to be quite parental and let you know it is time to make a decision. And they say “getting in” is the hardest part!

So how do you choose? How do you make this big decision? What is the right choice? All these questions are justified, but in the end it is you and you alone who has to make the choice. Choosing which college / university to attend is one of those life-altering decisions where you must weigh all the factors, big and small. This decision-making process challenges your ability to self analyze your personal priorities and preferences while forcing you to attempt to predict the next four years of your life. And not only does this choice impact those next four years, it will leave an eternal mark on you as the school becomes your alma mater and an important line on your resume. The best advice to help make this decision falls into four categories:

I. Self-analysis and Research
The first thing you must do when approaching a big decision is to determine what is it you want/need and then research all the aspects behind the decision. You may have done one before, or avoided it like a plague these past few years, but a self-analysis can be quite helpful before deciding which college to attend. It is a good idea to re-consider those big questions you asked before, and it you didn’t do one, now is definitely the time. Ask yourself the big questions, and be honest with yourself when it comes to the answers:

• What kind of a school do I want to attend for four years? Location, atmosphere?
• What kind of student body am I looking for? Do I think I will mesh well with the current students?
• What kind of academic opportunities will be available to me as an undergraduate and what am I actually looking for?
• Same question, but relate it to extracurricular opportunities. Which is more important to me – academics or social life or a mix of both?
• What about the professors? Are they accessible? Can I see myself learning from them? Do I want to learn from them?
• How do I want to learn and how do I want to be educated?
• Will I be proud in four years to call myself an alumnus of the school?
• Will I / Can I make a difference?

If you visited your final choice schools it is probably easier to answer these questions with the certain schools in mind. If you didn’t visit, hopefully you did a lot of surfing on each school’s Web sites to gather as much information as possible. You may also want to create a ranking system for each question you ask of yourself and determine how each school measures up.

II. Pro / Con Lists
Make PRO/CON lists for each school you are considering. It is time for you to really start thinking about FIT. Write down the name of each school you are considering, then draw two columns under each school’s name — one with a “+” and one with a “-”. Now start listing the strengths and weaknesses.

Not only is this the time where you can catalog your personal opinions about each school’s strengths and weaknesses, it also becomes a study in what characteristics you find most important. If you did a self-analysis, now is the perfect time to match your thoughts of what you want to your opinions about what each school has to offer. Location, size, friendliness, professors, extracurricular offerings, cost, academic opportunities, etc. — list everything from the most important detail to the most minute. Nothing is too ridiculous to be included on these lists, and actually the best thing is to keep these lists private so they remain lists of your own thoughts. Consider it a personal brain dump that in the end will bring clarity, focus, and the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. All in all, this is your compare and contrast system, and I promise that it can really work.

III. Do Not Focus on Statistics and Rankings
Rankings and statistics can be helpful as you first start thinking about colleges and as you decide where to apply. In all honesty though, rankings are superficial at best when deciding which school to ultimately attend.

Seriously, statistical analysis should be kept to the process of choosing which schools to apply to. Throw US News out the window; ignore the numbers that can actually be manipulated to prove any point you want; avoid side-by-side number comparisons of schools. It is time to focus on the intangibles. The schools that have admitted you are all fantastic and they will all offer you amazing opportunities if you have the initiative and drive (which you probably do). This is not an apple versus orange versus kiwi decision, but rather a gorgeous green apple versus a shiny red apple versus a yellow delicious apple. Numbers do not predict whether you will be happy for the next four years, whether you will be challenged, whether you will be stimulated. The top schools are all top schools – it now comes down to FIT, and a percentage, formula, or statistics does not determine FIT.

IV. Input from Others (Be Warned)
If you listen to any of this advice, please listen to this — make sure to avoid hearsay, conjecture, myths, and rumors – they often are far from the truth. Each and every individual sees each and every college differently. Do your own research, get information directly from the source, and avoid the biased comments and come up with your personal thoughts. There is no cardinal rule that says if you read it or heard it; it must be 100% true. You need to filter through everything. Consider everything — both overly positive and overly negative comments — with a grain of salt. Constantly question the source, and consider the agenda of the person feeding you information. Ultimately though, your own personal conclusions are the ones to believe.

At Hopkins, we deal with myths and conjecture about our school way too much. If you are a frequent visitor to our blogs, message boards, or just speak with our students you will see that we are not only sick of these myths but can dispel them at every turn. And this is not just true about myths at Hopkins; many other elite schools are haunted by ridiculous and untrue myths. Make your own opinions and stick to them. Don’t rely on anonymous sources.  Do not get hung up on myths, stereotypes, or other hearsay — filter through the information along with your own personal conclusions.

Still confused? Still can’t make the decision?
If all else fails, listen to your gut! In the end, know one thing … once you make your final selection you have found the RIGHT SCHOOL. It is one of the hidden truths of the admissions process, once you commit you begin to mold your choice into the perfect school for you. College is what you make of it – go out there and be successful.

Best of luck!
And don’t forget to make it really easy … CHOOSE JOHNS HOPKINS … wink, wink.

P.S. This Admitted Student Blog has covered so many aspects of the Johns Hopkins experience, but there are a lot of aspects that are too subtle and indescribable to dedicate an entire blog to. So the students behind Hopkins Interactive decided to provide a list of 30 random things that makes Hopkins great. Maybe these simple thoughts can help make the final decision easier for you.

1. How the campus looks on a sunny day.
2. British Anarchy coffee at Café Q.
3. JHMI drivers who are willing to pull the bus over and look for your lost phone with you.
4. Learning how to walk on marble steps covered in snow and rain.
5. The views from the balconies of your friends’ apartments when you become an upperclassman.
6. Wading in the fountain in the Mattin Center.
7. Chicken-on-a-stick during Spring Fair.
8. The seats in Hodson Hall’s lecture room.
9. People-watching in Gilman Hall’s atrium.
10. Hanging out with alumni of all ages during Homecoming weekend.
11. Reading your professor’s name in your textbook.
12. The rock climbing wall at the gym.
13. Veritas vos liberabit – that is kind of an awesome motto.
14. Moral upper ground to scold people for forgetting the s on Johns.
15. Taking a study break at the Baltimore Museum of Art.
16. Cheering on the lacrosse team on a gorgeous spring day.
17. Sitting in the hallways of your dormitory at 3 AM and eating Chinese food with your friends.
18. Professors who take their classes out to lunch in Hampden
19. Overhearing conversations in different languages.
20. Watching the Tutorial kids play outside Levering.
21. Waffles with the JHU seal embedded in them at the Fresh Food Café.
22. Endless supply of free t-shirts.
23. Camping out on the Upper Quad on a warm summer night.
24. Having spontaneous dance party breaks in the library study rooms.
25. Browsing the archaeology museum in Gilman Hall.
26. Taking naps in the President’s Garden.
27. Meeting people from all over the world.
28. Having those pivotal ‘A-ha!’ moments when sitting in class or talking to your professors.
29. Having the opportunity to apply what you learn in the classroom to the real world.
30. Becoming friends with some truly extraordinary classmates.

Name: Rachel Lew

Year: Class of 2015

Major: Environmental Engineering

Hometown: Ewa Beach, Hawaii

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

Would I be prepared for the unknown?

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

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

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

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

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

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

My thoughts are stars I can’t fathom into constellations. (John Green)

In trying to come up with a topic for this penultimate (eek!) blog post, I found myself at a loss for words. Which, for those of you who know me, is shocking. Friends, family, haters (h8erz?), and disgruntled teachers will be the first to tell you that I’m more than a little vocal – but for once in my life, I can’t think of anything to say. My thoughts and emotions are virtually the same as they were in my last post: I’m staring at the end of my freshman year, disbelieving and sad and not ready to say goodbye to all of the people and places that I’ve come to love, only if for a while.

I’m not ready to be a sophomore. I’m not ready to start packing up my room in Wolman. I’m most definitely not ready for my Calc II final. I’m not ready to reflect on how I’ve changed or what I’ve learned because I’m still grasping at words to describe an experience that is largely indefinable. So, in this rare moment of speechlessness, I’m left with fragments, snapshots – anagrams of detached thoughts that can’t really be captured within such linear confines. As we get a little older, a little fatter, and (hopefully) a little tanner, I’m left with pictures that have already started turning into memories and the knowledge that, sometimes, there are no words.

Picture this: days blending into weeks, the disorienting blend of color and sound that is Spring Fair, thumping bass, final papers, the best nutella pizza you’ve ever tasted, last meetings, Sterling Brunch, formals (JHU_Kevin = perfect date), cupcake-making (and by “making” I mean “eating”), running around in a onesie (HAY TESS) – all images that sum up my last weeks as a freshman and my unwillingness to live in anything but the moment.

Picture this:

Imagine – It’s May, 2013. The warm Baltimore sun is shining on your face as you sit on the beach and reflect upon the incredible year you’ve just completed. What are some of the things you’ll see? Well, this blog will help you figure some of that out with a First Year Hopkins Bucket List! This is obviously not encompassing and you will make your own unique and fun memories along the way, but here are just a few “must do’s” of your Freshman year:

1.) Go on Pre-orientation! The week before orientation begins students can choose to spend a week hiking, rafting, and camping with small groups of other Hopkins students. It’s a great way to come in to Hopkins with a close group of friends and some crazy stories to tell.

2.) Go to as many Orientation events as you can!  This is one of the rare moments of your life when you can walk up to absolutely anyone, introduce yourself, and hopefully become friends  -- which Hopkins helps to happen with fun mixer events such as Playfair, Barbeques, and ice cream socials. And of course, you get to take part in the JHU ’16 photo!

Class of 2015 photo

3.) Sign up for a million clubs at the SAC Fair during the beginning of the semester.

4.) Go to Fall Fest and check out the fun events such as the haunted house, pumpkin carving, movies on the beach, lazer tag, and concert – this year it was Super Mash Bros and Far East Movement!

5.) Find your favorite restaurants and coffee shops. Charles village has some really unique and delicious places, such the One World Café, Chocolatea, Carma’s, Donna’s, Silk Road Café, Paper Moon, Café Q, Pura Vida, Starbucks, Alkimia, and Chipotle!  Everyone has that place they go to for the absolute best cup of coffee or dinner – find yours!

Paper Moon

6.) Go down to Fells Point for Halloween – it’s one of Hopkins’ best traditions and one of the biggest Halloween parties in America!

Halloween in Fell's Point

7.) Climb to the top of the rock wall in the Rec center!

8.) Go to the Lighting of the Quads – it’s quite the winter kick-off event with lights, a cappella, hot chocolate, and a loud countdown that you absolutely cannot miss.

Lighting of the Quads

9.) Take a crazy class over Intersession like the Science of Baking or Ballroom Dancing. You can even do something cool like get your WFR (Wilderness First Responder) Certification! The choices are endless.

10.) Join the nest, learn the rules of lacrosse, and see the D1 Blue Jays play on Homewood Field, especially during Homecoming Weekend. Non-negotiable.

Homecoming

11.) Go to Spring Fair – a time of food, fun, and more food when vendors and shows come to Hopkins. It’s a great time to spend time with friends and take a well-deserved break from work!

12.) Attend an Orioles baseball game at Camden Yards!

Orioles game at Camden Yards

13.) Attend the High Table – an exclusive event where freshmen have dinner with profs!

14.) Take the Collegetown shuttle for free to the Inner Harbor or Towson and explore the shops and restaurants. Check out this website for more: http://www.baltimorecollegetown.org/shuttle/

The sign near the library

15.) Find your favorite study spot on campus, be it the Beach on a sunny day, the “Hut” in Gilman Hall, or D level of the library at 2 in the morning.

The Beach in front of the library

16.) Take a $7 MARC train down to D.C. for a day trip with friends!

17.) Go see the speakers at the Milton S. Eisenhower and Foreign Affairs Symposiums.  In past years, we’ve brought in speakers such as Nelson Mandela, Hillary Clinton, Aziz Ansari, Malcolm Gladwell, Karl Rove, and even Bill Nye, the science guy!

2011's theme - America's Boundless Possibilities

18.) Check out the amazing Inner Harbor! Not only are there great restaurants like Roy’s and the Cheesecake Factory, but you can also take a fun ride on the dinosaur boats!

19.) Take a class purely for the fun of it!

20.) Explore! Try new things! Make new friends! And, most importantly, HAVE FUN!