Caught in Between

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

this is a pic of the vending machine in AMR 2... it had soup and a tv dinner type thing in it ew! random pic but I just wanted to share. Anyways..

So I’m sitting here wondering why in the world my spring break is basically over. And why my to-do has been growing instead of shrinking. Needless to say I’m upset, but I expected it. Time has been flying this semester, and every year, it goes by more and more quickly. I’m coming to terms that in a month and some change, finals will start and my junior year will come to an end, whether I want it to or not. I wish I could make time stop just so I could breathe in and enjoy moments of life, without them being fleeting. But I can’t so all I can do is do my best to cherish what’s here…and with that, here is a list of some of my favorite things about Hopkins!

• Trees. When I walk to my physics class in the morning, I love looking at the trees and greenery. I’m grateful my school doesn’t look like a dump because having a pretty school makes you feel better…it’s true!

• Independence. I’m not gonna lie, this school doesn’t hold your hand and baby you. BUT, it provides everything you need and you have to learn how to be a go getter. I love the independence that this creates. If you need tutoring, there are several different services like the Learning Den (group tutoring) and Study Consultants (one on one time with a student who helps you study and manage time better). But a professor is generally not going to look at a bad test grade and tell you that you need to do something about it. At least for larger lecture courses. Independence also comes about because of the lack of core curriculum–students jump right into what they like. I like the independence the school gives because it really does prepare you for the real world!

• Interesting students. We’re an interesting bunch, I’d say. People stereotype us, I know. You’ve probably done it yourself ;)  (don’t worry, I did before I came to Hopkins!) But truth is, you can’t really define us stringently. People come from so many different places and have done so many different things, and those things have shaped them to be individuals. If you look at students by major, you’ll see that many have completely different motivations for studying that subject. And many plan to do completely different things with their majors.

• Eats. Compared to other schools, we don’t have as many eating places right around campus (as in walking distance). There’s Subway, Chipotle, a chinese food place, Coldstone, some other restaurants and cafes like Donna’s, Carma’s, One World Cafe…I mean there are a lot of places around campus but my point is that there is MORE outside of campus, downtown and in Mt.Vernon…places not walkable but easily accessed by shuttle. And I like that. Students complain that there aren’t enough places around school to eat at, but there’s a world of food in Fells Point, Little Italy, Federal Hill, Mt Vernon, and the Harbor. For those students…I think if that academically independent spirit were put to use in a more adventurous manner, food would become cooler. Is that the word I’m looking for? I’m not sure but whatever :P

• Faculty. No matter how big or small the field, faculty here are at the top and are very knowledgeable. Watch a professor’s eyes light up as you express interest in his/her research or area of expertise, rather than expressing interest in arguing with them over a grade. It’s a cool thing…and the professor you thought was pretentious and snobby will seem so much more human and approachable. I mean I am sure there are some jerk professors but hey that’s everywhere and the truth of the matter is, that’s life. I’ve yet to come across one though!

I think I’ll add more to this list in a later entry. Until next time!

-Dominique

Let’s try this microblogging thing again. Today is going to be a crazy packed day with hardly any time to breathe so may as well document it! :P

Monday, March 7th:

4:30 am. 4:30 am?? Why am I up? Dang it…I fell asleep in the library…ew…and now it’s 4:30 in the morning. My Spanish essay and my internship application are still not finished and I really feel like a huge loser for falling asleep here…guess I better get started on these things…

7:31 am. Ok finished! The Spanish essay took me way longer than I would have liked it to, but the application wasn’t too bad because I had some drafts already written. Ok time to blow this popsicle joint! I can’t believe I fell asleep in the libs for so long, it’s really embarrassing. I promise I never do this so don’t judge me!!! lol.

8:45 am. I am back at my sunny apartment eating oatmeal, as I get ready to dash to my 9am physics class. I haven’t been there in a long time…like a reallllly long time…so what better day to turn over a new leaf than a Monday? Ok gotta go!

10:11 am. I’m out of physics and I must say I am impressed with myself. After a 2 week hiatus, (that is SO shameful!! I never do that but somehow for the past two weeks, except for one day, I have had some kind of homework or grading that kept me from making it to class. :(  ) I was able to sit in the front row, pay attention and take legible and detailed notes! Go me! Now I am motivated to go to every single class for the remainder of the semester. IT’S HAPPENING.

10:20 am. I am waiting in the AMR II housing office to have a meeting with Andrea, who is the supervisor for Buildings A/B and the AMRs. I’ll be an RA in  one of those lovely dorms next year (YEA!!!) so she wants to meet with the new RAs to get a taste of who we are and stuff. Excited!

10:52 am. It was a nice short but sweet meeting…I saw her weekend liquor confiscation from residents in those dorms…so looking forward to that! lol. But the meeting just made me more excited and grateful to be able to have this opportunity for next yr. Who knows, maybe one of you will be a resident of mine! ;) Now, off to Spanish!

1:44 pm. Ok. So a lot happened since the RA meeting. I had Spanish class and this unit is about crime and gangs… el profesor se rio mucho cuando dije que siempre llevo “pepper spray” en mi mochila…jaja…anyway it was an interesting class and there were more laughs than usual! That’s always nice. After than I rushed to my fav class, Sociology of Disability, and we watched a film about a woman who adopted 13 children, ALL with special needs. One had cystic fibrosis and mental issues, many had missing limbs, one was a burn victim…it was both heartbreaking and inspiring to see how this woman took it upon herself to adopt children that most other people wouldn’t want. We’re gonna discuss on Wednesday so I’m looking forward to that!

Then after that class I had to rush to my academic adviser’s office to pic up a rec letter for an internship…in the process of doing that, I missed the shuttle to my volunteer position with Yo! Baltimore! >.<

So I am now waiting for the 2 pm shuttle. YO! Baltimore is an organization that helps youth aged 16-22 get their GED…and I love it! I convinced my friend to start doing it with me at the beginning of the semester because it was ridiculous for me to be a 2nd sem junior with no steady volunteer position…so I just joined this on a whim and I loveeeeeee it!

4:47pm. Just got back from tutoring. Today we

me as a teacher? remember when you could yearbook a fy yourself..someone did this of me and i thought it was hilarious so i thought i'd share.

actually taught instead of doing one on one tutoring…yep taught as in white board and handouts and stuff. I actually like that A LOT and it’s really making me think about becoming a teacher, either for a couple of years or as a career–not sure yet. I’ve always thought about it but I’ve never really thought about it, lol. It’s different because students in this program are a bit more focused than students in regular school because they’ve made an active decision to come back to learn to get their GED–no one forced them to. So there aren’t really any discipline issues (plus many of them are my age and that would just be weird haha).

Ok I have a Public Health info session meeting to go to now…

5:58pm. Info session over. It was about BA/MHS programs that the Bloomberg School of Public Health has for Public Health studies undergrads…you canbasically do your undergrad degree and a master’s in 5-6 years. I’m eying the one in Epidemiology but we’ll see. Ok I have a SAAB meeting in 2 minutes so I”ll be back!

7:45pm. SAAB meeting over! I love SAAB (we bring you Hopkins Interactive!), I look forward to it on my Mondays because it’s def the coolest and most uni

que thing I do. But nowwww I have to go meet my group project members for my Sociology of Disability class. We have been assigned the task of assessing how disability friendly research labs at Hopkins are. So we somehow got a wheelchair and will now test how easy i

t is for someone in labs to get around.

8:47pm. Ok well that was cool! I learned that I am in huge trouble if I ever need to use a wheelchair because I can’t steer them at all :( Kept crashing into walls. well we found out that the chem lab is def doable for someone in a wheelchair…we’ll test the organic chem lab tomorrow and the bio and physics labs next week.

OK I FINALLY GET TO BREATHE! This was an odd day in that I literally had NO time to just PAUSE and take a breather.

And with that, I’m going to bed soon lol. I am pooped. Yes I am being an old lady tonight.

sleeeeeeeeeeeepy

Thanks for reading yall! :D Don’t stop til you get enough…I love being busy!

-Dominique

Hey guys and gals! :)

Yea, weird title  (and it’s not a Michael Jackson song!! gasp). And it’s in no way meant to judge anyone. Many students love drinking and that’s cool–to each his own!  But I wanted to address something that I often get asked by prospective students who don’t intend to drink in college. Like:

“What is there to do for fun off campus besides party? Or drink? Or drink while partying?”

“Do non-drinkers feel pressured to drink? Do they ever feel excluded from the social life  because they don’t drink?”

And  the answers are, there are plenty of things to do and no there is no pressure to drink or any feelings of exclusion (unless you put yourself in those situations). Good news right? It basically boils down to the notion that your college life is what you make of it. If you are not interested in drinking, then don’t! Whether you’re somewhere with alcohol or not,  it’s up to you to make the choice to drink or not to drink. I’ve been places with alcohol and have had no problem with feeling pressured to drink. But, if parties aren’t your cup of tea either way, there are things you can easily occupy yourself with on the weekends. It seems like EVERYONE in college drinks, but that’s because the college schema always includes drinking and wild partying. This is reinforced in movies, music, television, radio, Internet, etc. The truth is that there are plenty of people like myself who choose to not drink for whatever reasons (faith/religion, health, social beliefs…) and we always,  ALWAYS,  find something to do.

friendssss

I just wanted to do a blog that addressed this issue because many students fear they can’t have fun unless they drink…and that’s simply not true. And your non-drinking fun isn’t limited to the mall, the movies, or to restaurants ( I used to hate when that was all I got told there was to do for fun here…not true either!)   This list is by NO  means exhaustive, but it has some interesting off campus things that are easily accessible to JHU students and I  hope they seem cool to you!

• Interested in leftist things? Check out “Red Emma’s,” a coffee shop/bookstore with a focus on radical politics and culture.  Red Emma’s is a short JHMI shuttle ride away from campus, near Peabody. We went there for film class over Intersession and it was cool…you’ll find books and newspapers that you probably wouldn’t find elsewhere. If you have a really intellectual group of friends who like arguing about such things (c’mon…we all have those kinds of buddies ;)  ) then Red Emma’s may be a cool place to visit and hold a discussion among  yourselves or even with the workers there.

small shop but pretty cool

• Take a walk on Saturday morning to the Waverly Farmer’s Market and support local growers by purchasing their fruits and veggies and meats…there are also a ton of pastry/drink stands, and people sell their homemade crafts and skin and hair products. It’s a good way to get off campus and to get some fresh air. If you keep going past the Farmer’s Market, you’ll run into a lot of stores, including a Goodwill in which I love shopping. If you need your McDonald’s fix and the fact that there is no fast food but Subway around campus drives you nuts :)  then there’s one a little past the Goodwill. Don’t judge me! I’m not a glutton. :)

• Visit Peabody! It has many concerts during the week and on weekends, and students with IDs  get discounts. If you’re into classical  music, symphonies, wind ensembles…there is plenty to see and hear at Peabody. It’s an excuse to dress up nicely for a classy event. Many concerts are on the campus and some are downtown. Peabody Calendar It’s a short JHMI ride away!

• Take the Charm City Circulator to the Inner Harbor any time of the day.  Like after class or in the morning or some other weird time of day. You can eat and go shopping, or just walk around, and I actually think it’s a cool thing to do alone! To give yourself some “you” time. Weird? maybe, but I like it. :p

• Be nerdy and visit some museums! The Baltimore Museum of Art is free and is right on/near the edge of campus. The Walter’s Art Museum is near Peabody can be reached via Charm City Circulator or the JHMI shuttle. The American  Visionary Arts Museum is just outside of the Inner Harbor in Federal Hill (a beautiful neighborhood, you should take a day to explore it by foot) and is America’s largest museum for “self-taught” artistry. The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and culture is right across the street from the Inner Harbor and is the biggest museum of African American history on the east coast. How about the National Museum of Dentistry? Cool right? ;)
  

  visionary art museum

• Visit other colleges…Towson University, Goucher College,  Loyola University, Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Morgan State University…these are all schools close to Hopkins that often have shows and speakers and other events that you may be interested in. MICA is an artsy school with a tonnnn of exhibitions that are worth checking out!

• Have a gathering of friends with a theme…like that sounds really nerdy but it’s actually cool. For instance, this Friday, members of my Christian fellowship are having an honest discussion about sex and sexuality in an intimate setting with food and games afterward. I’m looking forward to it!

• I actually want to try this…you can go biking on the Gwynns Falls Trails which is a 15 mile greenway and part of it is near the Inner Harbor. Check out the website and you’ll see it’s much more than just biking on grassy trails.

The vast majority of my closest friends don’t drink either, so we find plenty of things to do and places to visit on the weekends that don’t involve alcohol. I know that’s the first thing that comes to mind when people think of college and college life, but quite honestly, if you’re not into it, it’s fine. I haven’t had any less of a social experience here because of my decision to not drink and I’m certainly not boring! ;)

For those of you who care, I hope this blog helped if you were worried about this issue, and feel free to ask questions!

Hasta Luego,

Dominique

Howdy y’all! Once again, let me apologize in advance for what I anticipate will be a long blog entry.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I’ve been having mini epiphanies lately and I wanted to share them. Maybe if you’re aware of them before you enter college you’ll be somewhat cognizant of them. K here goes nothing…

Exploring Hampden and someone had this cute wall e thing on the porch...

Basically, I was sitting down thinking  how I had spent my last 2.5 years here  and whether or not I was satisfied with them. There are students here who do so much: they travel the world, they serve, they effect change, they set the bar, they have fun…they live life and eventually reach a comfortable level of satisfaction with regard to their experiences.

life's a blur, but why would i want to spend it focusing only on fashion? fail wet seal, fail.

Had I been doing that? I was basically like, “Dominique, if you were to graduate now, would you be satisfied with  how you spent your years here? Would you look back and see that you grew as a person, tried new things, had a genuine desire to learn regardless of grades and GPA, served the community around you, used Hopkins in as many ways possible,  had FUN…??”

And in that moment I had to be honest with myself and say no. No, I would be nowhere near satisfied if I were to graduate now. BAM…it hit  me like a ton of bricks. My freshman and sophomore years weren’t spent doing many of the things I mentioned above.  Yes, I’m in cool clubs and organizations  like this one :) , I’ve taken amazing classes, and I have met people here that have changed my life forever…but that’s not where I want things to plateau. I want to be able to look back on my 4 years here and say that I truly tried my best to get all that I could out of my Hopkins and Baltimore experience. Who would want to remember their college years as boring and overwhelmed with studying? I sure don’t! In the end, we’ll all have some kind of job, will get into some type of grad school, and have a life. But it’s hard to keep  that big picture perspective when all you can see is is your present…right?

group picture!

My freshman year was a blur of stress, anxiety, uncertainty and close mindedness. I forsook going out  and exploring and doing community service because I was always too worried about doing well in school (plus back then I was cheap and didn’t like spending money haha). I’m telling you, I was so obsessed with trying to do well! I was always concerned about grades and it was like an unrelenting dark cloud always over me.  I was allowing myself to become a slave to the schoolwork monster. Even looking back at my freshman year blogs, I mostly wrote about school and stress because that was what was always on my mind.  Not a good look! This is why I always tell freshmen to go out and ENJOY their freshman year, because there is no other like it. Don’t worry about grades so much, and focus on doing your best instead. Everyone in grad school, med school, and with jobs most certainly did NOT have 4.0′s!

My sophomore year was nowhere as bad in terms of worrying about grades, although I did have more than my fair share of rough moments. I would say that my sophomore year was more about maturing as a person and all of the emotions that went along with that, although I still wasn’t as dynamic as I would have liked to be.

Where does that leave me now? For one, I am nowhere as obsessed with grades and my future as I once was. It’s like I’m a different person, and it is so freeing. I am genuinely enjoying school and honestly I am not sure how many people can say that. I truly believe that you can only do that once you allow yourself to let up a little, loosen up, and just take life as it comes! Worked hard to study for an exam and failed it? That’s disappointing, TRUST me I know. Worked weeks on a paper only to get a C? Annoying…yep I know. Have friends who study minimally and still seem to do better, while you’re busting your butt to keep up with the average? YUP I know that too! But just take your lumps and move on! You can’t change what happened (most of the time) so all you can do is take it and move on and let gooooooooooooo.

see, someone was having fun! SHOUTOUT to whoever made this!

Once I got that into my stubborn head, school and life become that much better. But then there are people who say, “Oh Dominique you’re so idealistic, blase blah..”  But no, I’m not..if anything I’m being realistic because I’m learning how to accept life, for the good and for the bad.

I DO NOT want to graduate from this place feeling like I did not get the most out of it. I DO NOT want to graduate from here with regret because I spent all my time here worrying about my grades and how I’m gonna get to the next step (grad school, career, etc). I do not want to graduate and have feeling of remorse because all I could remember was studying, worrying about grades, and being envious of other people.

I’m learning to love learning,  for the SAKE OF LEARNING. Without consideration to GPA or how this can advance my career or make me a better grad school applicant. Foreign concept for many but a great one to try and grasp.

So where does all this leave me?

I’ve finally signed up for a volunteer organization, where I’ll be tutoring GED students 2hrs/week. I’ve started to use our lovely gym and will be taking yoga, cardiokickboxing and spinning classes there soon. I’m trying to shadow a public health professional just to learn more about the field. I’m going out to actual restaurants and trying new foods. I’m trying new hairstyles and new types of clothing. I’m checking books out from the library and reading them for fun. I’m going out to social events more. I’m becoming freer and freer each day and am much HAPPIER for it.

To end, here are some lyrics from a really cool song ( “Here Goes” by Bebo Norman)

“I never got anywhere by running away, I never learned anything without a mistake. I never loved anyone by playing it safe…Never lost and never found are one in the same.”

Keep this in mind prospective students, as you fight your way to schools of your choice. Choose places you know you’ll be happy at and places with a variety of academic and social perks. I know people talk about Hopkins as being boring but that simply is not true…I’m still overwhelmed by all that the school offers its students and I’m going to do my best to do more of them, until I graduate.

Your life is your story…what will you make out of it?

Until next time!

Dominique

My first attempt at microblogging…I hope it isn’t a failure…

12:00 a.m.: I’m up because I took a really stupid nap from 6-10 pm and now I can’t go back to sleep. And to make things even weirder I fell asleep under my bed on top of my shoes…I think I like the smell of rubber soles. And my hip hurts. Don’t ask…

yea, i fell asleep under there..

1:20 a.m.: Catching up on sending some emails that should have been sent weeks ago. I sent one to my financial aid adviser, who informed me that I was awarded too much aid so they had to take some of it back to preserve funds for other students..although said aid was a merit scholarship I received completely independent of aid need and of the school. From what she said, it looks like I’m gonna lose the battle… but not without a fight!

I just sent some syllabus revision suggestions to an instructor whose course I will be TA-ing next week.

I sent some other random emails and was able to cross a lot of things off my to do list, which feels soooo good :)

just added more to it

2:31 am: Yep, I am still up and still not feeling sleepy…my head and stomach really hurt and I’m wishing I could just sleep it off. But instead I’m doing my homework assignment for my “Radical Cinema in Latin America” Intersession class. We watch movies in Spanish with subtitles and discuss how they were aesthetically and politically radical, for their time. I like it a lot and the instructor was my Spanish teacher last year, so that’s cool. I have to write a 1 pg double space response paper to the movie…not bad..not bad at all!

4:00 am: Ok, this is getting redonkulous! I tried to lay down and make myself go to sleep but I just ended up tossing and turning… >.< I’m listening to the salt trucks outside trying to clear the sleet and ice off the sidewalks and watching some old Hey Arnold! episodes online..man that show was brilliant…BRILLIANT!! Ok I’m going to try to go to bed again.

football-headedness awesomeness

8:24 am: Well,  I somehow fell asleep..I feel like crud though…I tossed and turned and now I feel like I got hit by a truck because my head, neck, and shoulders hurt. I  think I look like a raccoon too. I’m gonna make some tea and do some stretching to see if that helps.

10:41 am: I’m making breakfast and checking my email while I get ready for my class at 1pm. Gotta leave earlier so I don’t have to sprint to the library to print my HW out minutes before class…plus I need to return some overdue books.

12:45 pm: These books cost me 8 bucks! I thought books were like .50 or .25 cents per day…but the ones I took out were special and were a dollar per day..oh well. I learned my lesson. Off to class!

4:00 pm:  Well that movie was odd..it ended with us watching 4 minutes of a dead Che Guevera’s face. 0_O Awk. Naptime!

6:46pm: Arghh I overslept my alarm! I have to run to Bible study now and I missed dinner :(( oh well, must have been tired!

here's a pic of a random dinner so I can fantasize about the dinner I missed :/

10:00pm: Got back and there’s a Mary Kay presentation going on in the living room, coolness…I’m gonna go watch my guilty pleasure show: Pretty Little Liars. It sounds dumb but it is quite surprisingly a good, well thought and developed show with a ton of mystery and suspense…when you find something out, another mystery appears. Kinda reminds me of LOST.

11:00 pm: sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeepy…G’nite :)

New Year, resolutions, toasts, parties, marathons, parades, blase blah…the same ol, same ol. I was never really into the whole New Year resolutions thing, because I could be real with myself and know that a new year does not mean that things are going to automatically change. Meaning, I have to take initiative and change them myself. So why do we always wait till the New Year? Why not start these things at any moment, like, now?

Anyway, I apologize for the cynicism. I just think that my time is better spent reflecting on the past year and thinking about things that went well, and things that need to be worked on for the future and not necessarily/specifically the new year. Am I crazy for that? Making resolutions puts so  much pressure on you, so why not just have a list of things that you work on, when you can. I dunno, maybe I’m just crazy.

But counter-intuitively, I have a guilty pleasure–watching the plethora of best and worst moments of 2010 lists. Admissions Daniel wrote this on his Twitter last week:

“Now that Christmas is over we all have to suffer through a ridiculous amount of Best/Worst of 2010 lists for the next week. 2011 come quick.”

So as an ode to Admissions Daniel, here is a countdown of important Dominique 2010 moments:

1.) Taking my first poetry class–and surviving! ( I hate poetry, sorry I just suck at it)

2.) Experiencing deep rejection from a position that I really wanted–then seeing my roommate (whom I love to death) get it. Let’s just say that challenged me as a person and made me grow up a bit.

3.) Experiencing another rejection from a program that I really wanted, then miraculously getting accepted after the fact (one scenario in which I did NOT mind being ‘sloppy seconds’ hehe)

4.) Spending my first summer ever away from home in a new state with people I didn’t know, with a prestigious health policy program. I learned so much and made so many friends, and connections!

5.) Getting over some of my confidence issues and becoming a teaching assistant for Chem Lab–let’s say it forced me to be confident in myself for the sake of my students.

6.) Not caring about grades as much. WHAT?!? DID A HOPKINS STUDENT JUST SAY THAT?!? Yep, she did. I decided that I wasn’t going to kill myself over unfortunate grades or striving to be the best. Being the best and being the best YOU can be are 2 different things…so I went with the latter and was much happier for it.

7.) Living in a real apartment–with grad students! I wasn’t sure how that was going to work out, but honestly it’s been the most delightful living situation I’ve had. I have come to learn that I am not a room-sharing person and I am not good at living with my best friends. And before this year, I wouldn’t have really thought that.

8.) Having a close friend confide in me and me experiencing the subsequent physical loss of a friend (they transferred), and learning how to keep bonds strong despite physical separation.

9.) My first Broadway show and meeting my future husband!! :P

10.) My first time not attending a class faithfully (sorry physics, but if the class is based on me teaching myself from the book…then yea. )

I am sure there are more, but I’m bringing in 2011 at church, so TTYS! =]

-Dominique

(This blog is a continuation from my most recent one: http://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/shared/2010/11/butterflies/ In that one, I talked about my experience with Chem lab and how it taught me to use all resources available to me…in this blog, I’ll talk about what it’s actually like to be a TA for the course.)

Butterflies… I’ve never known what it was like to love a job before I got one earlier this semester as an Intro to Chemistry Lab Teaching Assistant. And as cheesy as it sounds, it gives me butterflies every time I step into the lab, ready to do work with students for 3 hours.

I would have never thought that I’d be in this position–when the possibility of it was mentioned to me as a freshman right after I’d completed the course, I thought it sounded cool and was interested. But by sophomore year, orgo had me feeling defeated and I never really took steps on being a TA until some of us got emails from the professor, Dr. Pasternack, this summer. So I bit my lip and applied, and well, here I am!

Lesson 1: Don’t count yourself out before someone else does…you never know what can happen!

no I don't usually look like this...if I did I would ruin experiments hehe

I was really nervous when I got the position because I honestly doubted myself and felt as if I was not good enough to do the job or as competent as the other students who were selected to be TAs. But at the same time, I was thrilled that I got to be one of the people I used to admire for their influence and ability.

Then the work began…we had to do a training module to ensure that we would know how to act in the case that large acid or base spills happened, that glass broke, that fire broke out, or that a student was injured by some chemical. Thankfully nothing major has happened this semester, but we always have to be on guard and able to respond if something does happen.

one of the posters used to warn students about the dangers of not wearing goggles in lab

The first day of lab was weird, because students were writing my name in the space entitled “TA name” on all of their assignments. As silly as that sounds, it was like “wow, I’m somebody’s something.” Some asked if they should call me “Miss” which was weird. But it was all so cool!

Lesson 2: Just because something is scary doesn’t mean it can’t be awesome at the same time… so don’t let prospects of scariness scare you away.

Then I began thinking, hmm, I wonder if they will like me? I wonder if they will think I am stupid if I can’t answer a question clearly? I was a student once and I know what students often thought of TAs…some were great, some didn’t know what they were doing, some were rude and pretentious jerks, some were down to earth. So when the professor told us to give out citations for improper footwear on the first day of lab, I was thinking “this i snot how I wanted to start out…seeming like a mean TA.” But it was my job and you do what your boss tells you to do so I did it, apologizing to each student and ensuring them that it was not going to adversely affect their grades or anything.

But after that, I got more comfortable with having to be the leader of my section, making sure students had on proper attire, shoes, and goggles. I walked around often to help students who were having experimental issues and just to check up on them. I rarely sat at my desk because I was too jittery at the thought of a student saying “Dominique! Dominique! I don’t know what to do!” (yea I heard a lot of my name this semester :P  )

the TAs desk...with attendance sheet and pencil.

Lesson 3: Discomfort can mean moving out of a place of complacency, which makes you a better leader…so it’s ok to be uncomfortable at times! It means growth.

I eventually got to know each of my students’ names after the 2nd week and made sure that they knew I knew who they were. I’m very big on remembering people and letting them know that I do remember them, because who doesn’t like to be remembered?

So my semester was spent fluttering from lab bench to lab bench, using my prior knowledge, knowledge from other TAs, and Dr. Pasternack’s very detailed lab notes to help my students (even saying my students gets me all weirded and  cooled out at the same time!)  I will say that one thing that has definitely helped me a lot is the ability to ask the 2nd year TAs for help, because there were some times where I did not know what to do for some experimental faux pas. And in the case that something happened where we didn’t know what to do, Dr. Pasternack was always a phone call away, in her office.

Lesson 4: Using fellow co workers is an awesome thing.

The downside of TA-ing? Well, grading is no fun. Especially when you have large quantities of it stacked up next to your already large pile of homework. It’s even less fun having to explain to upset students why he or she lost points here or there, and sometimes that ends well and sometimes it ends in “I don’t care I am submitting it for a regrade.” But as most things do,  it teaches you, even if the process is no fun.

All in all, I will have to say that I loveeeee being a Chem lab TA and I actually like when people question my judgment for wanting to be one (since, as I mentioned before, it is one of the most hated classes at Hopkins). I love meeting new students, I love the growth opportunities it has offered me, and I love that it has been forcing me to become more of a leader. And most importantly, I love being able to help as much as possible. If you’re able to be a TA, in college, in highschool even, I’d highly encourage it! It’s a great thing. :)

So this will be my last blog until finals are over, so I hope you enjoyed it!

–Dominique

(“Butterflies” is a # 1 hit from MJs album “Invincible,” from 2001.)

Howdy!

I’m gonna do a 2-part blog for the next week or so, about my experience with one of my freshman year classes and how that experience has helped me thus far at Hopkins. Which class? Chem Lab! A class required for pre med/health students and even for many engineers.

Honestly, Chemistry Lab at JHU has a bad reputation, one I heard about way before I even enrolled in the class.

“Be prepared, Dominique. It’s really hard. And ridiculous. And way too much work for a little 1-credit class. And the professor is really strict and mean and never laughs or smiles. And no one helps you or answers your questions well. The TAs are stupid and not very helpful. The professor gives everyone ethics violations for stupid things. AND ALL SHE CARES ABOUT ARE SIG FIGS.”

manual

So naturally, of course I was totally freaked out about the course before I even started. I don’t plan on being a doctor, and even back then as a freshie I didn’t plan on it (I’m doing the pre med courses just to keep my options open for things…plus pre med isn’t the only thing you can do with those courses) so people were asking me why in the world would I put myself through that torture.

So the class. Yep, it was hard and a ton of work for 1 credit. Yep, I spazzed out every lab period and had to give myself a Coldstone therapy session after every lab. Yep, I was the crazy student who would always go to the help sessions and ask 1 million questions on our online discussion forum about the homeworks. Yep, I was the one in lab who would always think she was doing something incorrectly and call the TA over a bazillion times in lab to make sure my experiment was not going awry. I did it all. Each lab period left me with some serious butterflies before and after it was over because it always made me so nervous. Looking back, that was ridiculous because it wasn’t even that bad.

But somehow, in the midst of all of my doubts with the class, I ended up doing well in the class I thought was going to be the end of me. And trust me, I am in no way a science genius or even that great in science…at all. I just figured out the secret that other students didn’t seem to find out, and it had nothing with being a genius or extraordinarily brilliant.

scribblies

What’s the secret? Well…I used all of my resources and asked for help. Duh! you say. But seriously, I was and still am amazed at the number of students who don’t learn how to use the resources available for this class. The professor, Dr. Pasternack, puts up information about the chemistry for each experiment online. She has an online discussion forum where she answers questions about the assignments, and she answers them all day every day. She has help sessions Sun-Thurs where students can come and get one on one help from TAs with the homeworks. She even answers questions during her office hours or via email for the brave students who aren’t afraid to approach her. Because I did all of these things, I was able to do well in a class, THE class that so many before had warned me about.

I truly think that is one of the hugest keys to success in college…being able to find all of your resources and knowing how and when to use them, for your advantage. You don’t have to be an Einstein genius to do well in school..it would be nice but we’re not all like that.

So if I have any advice for you all in high school, and even for you all in college, it’s to do your homework and to find out alllll of the resources available to you for a class…and then don’t be afraid to use them!

So ya, my next blog will be about why this class is still affecting me, 2 years later. ;)

Till next time!

Dominique

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

The college application process can be off the wall, right?

I know it sounds cliche when I say that I cannot believe that I am a junior at Hopkins, but it’s so true. I swear, I was JUST in your shoes! Worrying about SATs and schools I was going to apply to, getting anxious whenever I spoke to my friends about the schools to which they were applying and why, writing essays, wondering who the best teachers were to ask for letters of rec, trying to get money/waivers for application fees, the treacherous amount of college/Collegeboard mail, etc, etc….point is, I understand. We all understand. Juniors and seniors now are even starting to do the application process again, this time for graduate schools and such, and I can’t help but feel a small burst of nostalgia when I think about the process and going through it for the second time. So, I hope this entry is easy to relate to!  ;)

Yes this picture is real...let it relax you before you read this long entry

How Dominique chose to which schools she should apply:

(Forgive my 3rd person speech :P  )

1.) My mom and I decided that my not going away to somewhere far was the best thing for us, money wise and stress wise. So, I limited my schools to places on the east coast…the farthest I applied was Boston, and I kept the rest of them in Maryland (I live here) and Pennsylvania and New York.

That may not be for you and that’s fine, of course! But if you think money from travel expenses (think about plane fare, moving expenses, etc) and stress from travel (long plane rides, mailing things long distances, train rides, etc) would be an issue for you, think about that. And again, JHU students who are from faraway places do JUST fine, because they and their parents made sure that they’d be able to deal with distance, if need be.

2.) I chose places that I knew would give me a good amount of money or aid if I got in. I knew that I didn’t want to graduate in debt (and that is unfortunately not the case for the vast majority of students who attend college). This requires work on your part…looking for special programs within schools that may give special scholarships based on merit (GPA and/or SAT scores). Hopkins has this program called “Baltimore Scholars” and it pays 4 yrs of tuition for students who went to city schools. So, do some research! State schools are also generally cheaper than out of state ones, especially if you’re a resident of that state.

How Dominique went about applying to said schools:

3.) Besides having a mother with a Type A personality when it comes to these types of things, I found it helpful to have folders for each of the schools to which I was applying. In them, I put their respective applications, mail from those schools, information on the majors and activities it offered, scholarship info, etc. I had a small file box in which I placed these folders, so that I could have easy reference to them when needed and so everything stayed in one place.

Some schools had easier applications than others did…so those I tried to knock out over a weekend. Others with longer applications, like Hopkins, took me a while longer. I filled them out on paper first, then I transferred that information to the online version of the application. The online ones are cool too because you can save them then return to them to change things if necessary.

I wrote some essays and had my AP English teacher read them for me several times. Having a different set of eyes is always good because they tend to catch things that your tired eyes can’t.

Then just turn everything in! It’s overwhelming at first but if you’re organized you’ll be fine. :)

How Dominique chose which school to attend:

4.) I got into all but one school, and of the ones to which I was accepted, I chose the top 3 by looking at the programs offered and the money offered. Those 3 offered me 4 year full tuition, so that was a plus. I made a pro/con list for each, based on what they offered in terms of majors, research opportunities, special programs with graduate schools, internship opportunities, diversity of the student body, and more I can’t think of. Think about what’s most important to you and pick a school based on that.

Hopkins gave me a truckload of money, and it has special programs with the Schools of Nursing, Public Health, Education, and Business…so I was basically covered in terms of having graduate school opportunities linked to the undergrad program at JHU. It is the #1 research university in America, so I knew I would have no trouble finding research if I wanted it.

The thing that really solidified my decision to attend JHU was the Public Health Studies undergraduate program…besides the fact that not many other schools have this as an undergraduate major, I found out that compared to other school with this major, JHU had soooooo many resources to help us out because of the Hopkins School of Public Health. We have access to internships and jobs there, and many of the professors there come here to teach us our classes. The Public Health program here really is something special.

Me freshman year...maybe I was excited about Public Health?:P

How Dominique didn’t lose her mind after deciding on JHU:

5.) Seriously. Like going through the process is not hard enough with all of the other work you have to do…when you choose a school, it is hard to not get psyched out by what your other  classmates say about your school and comparing it to where they are going. You know the myths about Hopkins…boring, cutthroat, all work and no play, blase blah blah…and I found myself falling into that trap. I was second guessing my choice to attend JHU and found myself constantly defending it…like CONSTANTLY. I didn’t know Hopkins had so many haters! Some of my classmates even found it fit to start a huge FaceBook argument over JHU under one of my pictures (really mature, right? lol.).

But once I started preparing for it during the summer and once I started to get used to the idea, it all went away. So, when you choose a school, DON’T let haters psych you out!!! Enjoy the choice you make!

And I cannot STRESS ENOUGH: CHOOSE A SCHOOL IN A WELL-ROUNDED MANNER. Make sure you like most aspects of the school (I say most because every school is not perfect). You may not get the “OMGEE this school is PERFECT for me! I feel like it was made for me and I can’t see myself not being here!” Many people have those sentiments, but I did not and everyone in the world does not. Just make the best choice that you can, and not just on one factor (ie, many students come to JHU because they want to be doctors…then they may decide pre-med is not for them and then they hate it because they ONLY came here to be pre med. Choose a place that is strong in several different areas in which you take interest! This way, you have options.

Me and friends at a pre college thing for JHU

That was long, sorry! I am not as poetic a writer as other bloggers, I’m more straightforward and factual, so I hope you were able to digest all of that. :P
Ask me questions, please!

–Dominique