Today ends the Hopkins Interactive “Get to Know the bloggers and why they chose Hopkins” series (bad title, huh? Oh well I tried). Through these, you’ll get to know the HI bloggers, and learn a little bit more about our Hopkins experience and why we chose Hopkins. Hope you enjoy! WHOO!
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Ok, weird title. My name is actually spelled DOMInique but my nickname is “Domo” and half the people on campus call me this so that’s why I did that. But you can call me whichever you like. Hmm I used a lot of pronouns there sorry. Anyways…
random pic my friend here drew of me when she was abroad :P
Get to Know JHU_Dominique:
1. Birthplace and current hometown: Birthplace was Brooklyn, NY. Current hometown (10 years and counting) is Baltimore, MD.
2. Major(s)/Minor(s): Public Health Studies Major, Africana Studies minor (just declared yesterday!)
3. When I grow up I want to…not be working at a desk, be moving around and traveling and speaking to large groups of people. I have no idea what I want to do. Maybe teach.
4. Favorite place to eat in Baltimore: Hmmmmm… Cafe Hon in Hampden is pretty good.
5. Favorite spot on the Homewood campus: Gilman’s cool
6. Favorite TV show: Pretty Little Liars! (don’t judge me ! )
7. Favorite color: Not sure… think it’s pink but it could be red or orange.
8. Favorite sports team: SAN ANTONIO SPURS!!!!! :)
My Hopkins Experience:
1. When did you know Hopkins was right for you? When I first visited I was not impressed…I think because I lived so close and had heard so much about Hopkins, I was like blah, where’s the fun and newness? But further exploration led me to believe that JHU was right for me because of the programs of studies it offered (I had never heard of a Public Health major and it sounded like a perfect mix of science and social science!–I was correct) and I felt like I’d fit in with the student body because I cared a lot about academics. Even after I enrolled, I had reservations about the social life and the types of students here, and I allowed myself to become psyched out by misconceptions and myths. However, I am happy I came because this is definitely the right place for me. And being here has made me grow as a student and as a person.
2. What is one thing that would surprise your friends/family about Hopkins? There is diversity here! :)
nyc trip with 1 dolla pizza yumm
3. If you were the University President, what is the first thing you would do or change? I would definitely make a lot of freshman seminars not only for freshmen because the topics are always so interesting. I also wouldn’t make meal plans mandatory, especially if there are people with food allergy problems or financial issues. And, like everyone else, I’d like a student union place with a tv, game stations, and tables to just chillax. We have those things, just not in a centralized location.
4. If you could go back and choose your college again, would you pick Hopkins? Why? Yes, I would–I believe that anywhere I went would have worked out, but I definitely couldn’t see myself anywhere else. I love my friends and the people here, and my major and the opportunities Hopkins has for us in terms of community service, clubs, and connections with its other schools. I would have chosen Hopkins because of the Public Health major and opportunities.
5. What was your perception about Hopkins before enrolling and how has it changed since then? I didn’t know much about Hopkins until my jr. yr of HS, then I started hearing too much about it. I don’t even really remember much except that I heard it was a place for people who couldn’t socialize and that it wasn’t fun and that’s when I started panicking. I never thought much about the cutthroat thing (although I did hear it) because I was a closet grade grubber in high school HAHA. But now, I will say that the school is competitive because everyone wants to do well and everyone studies to do well. But that’s normal and I don’t think I’d want to go to a school where students were apathetic.
6. What is/was your favorite class? Social Psychology with Dr. Drigotas was soooooo good. It wasn’t too hard of a course and it was so interesting and applicable. I liked learning that there were actual names and theories that described things that we humans do everyday, like groupthink and conditional responses. I liked my class African American Poetry and Poetics–taught by a Peabody professor, Dr. Hollis Robbins, who was enthusiastic and just crazy about the subject. I dislike writing poetry and in this class all we had to do was read it and analyze it through paper writing, which I loved. This class was so much fun and very laid back. I still speak to that professor because of that class. I am currently taking The Sociology of Disability with Christian Villenas, a grad student here. He has spina bifida and wanted to teach a course about how disability can be seen not just as a medical issue, but as a social construction. SO good!
7. Describe your funniest memory or experience at Hopkins: FFC midnight breakfast freshman year where my friends and I were just completely wacked out from studying too much….we were just so out of it and I don’t remember what we were saying or doing but we created a poster drawing (they had crayons and paper for us there) of us and it looks so bad. So bad but it’s so good. It’s in my RA friend’s room now.
my first lacrosse game!
8. How would your college experience be different if you hadn’t chosen Hopkins? I wouldn’t know what it was like to have to be a “go getter” because this school gives you all that you need, but it does not hold your hand (for the most part). I wouldn’t have been able to study public health and be able to take grad school level classes at the first school of PH in the world, all included in my major and tuition, I wouldn’t have met so many cool people from all around the world if I had chosen to go to the other schools between which I was choosing…
9. What has your greatest contribution been during your time at Hopkins, or what do you hope to accomplish before graduation? Greatest contribution? That’s weird…um, well that’s hard to answer. I hope when I graduate I will have been able to encourage other students here with my experiences, because there are many rough patches that you can’t always say will end smoothly. But I hope I will have made an impact on how the school is portrayed to prospective students and parents, an impact on diversity awareness on campus, and through being a TA I hope I have made some students’ 1st years here a bit less frightening. And as a RA next yr I hope to make my future residents’ 1st year here fun fun fun! I may not be at the top of my classes, but I’m ok with that– because I’ve learned that just being here and learning– from classes and from people is an accomplishment in itself, and it certainly hasn’t stopped me from getting anything! ;)
10. What advice would you give to a high school senior choosing their college? Don’t listen to what other high school students say, stay OFF College Confidential, speak to current students at the schools in which you are interested, make sure the school has a lot of programs of study in which you are interested because chances are you will change your mind about your major, make sure you can see yourself as a student there each day, think about money and loans if that matters to you, and just pick one! You don’t always have a gut feeling…I sure didn’t. But I couldn’t see myself anywhere else.
I’m so excited for you! And slightly jealous! ;) Congrats 2015!!
-Dominique
