Caught in Between

Caught in Between began in September 2008. Since then, it’s been home to four authors and 161 posts. You can still follow Dominique D. on her current blog, In a Different Light, and Lauren B. on her current blog, A Senior Moment. You can read all four years of Jessica K.’s entries here and read Roxi R.’s entries here. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading Caught in Between, and please continue to visit Hopkins Interactive!

jokes

A few weeks ago as school wound up for the semester, my roommate Laura casually asked, “If someone told you in January what the end of the semester would look like, would you have believed them?” We spent the rest of the evening recanting the general hilarity of this past semester. It turns out older doesn’t necessarily mean wiser.

my sister visits hopkins!

why our building's management hates us

My return to Hopkins/America began with a bang. After a trip to Ohio with my sister to pick up Laura, she and I packed everything we owned into a U-Haul, trucked down to Baltimore in a snowstorm, and began a three day decorating binge. By the time my mom left a few days later, our apartment was painted and almost furnished, but still cluttered with endless IKEA boxes ( see right).

We spent most of a very snowy January hibernating in our  new apartment, venturing as far as class when needed. Decorating turned from a three-day to a monthlong project, as we found our hastily assembled furniture less stable than one might hope. We learned a bunch of new skills-painting, re-assembling, power drilling and the like.

My friends and I took a class together on Vaccine Development, which was really cool to learn about. My sister Suzi made an appearance, we all celebrated a friend’s 21st, and attempted to prepare for the spring semester.

laura attempting to leave ikea

Intersession was a nice step between home and Hopkins–only about half of the student body is there for January–and it was great to catch up with all the friends I had missed abroad. The (real) start of classes crept up on me, though, and before I knew it, I was back to early morning Einsteins runs, late nights at the library, and the always crucial debate between backpack and tote bag when planning for a long study session at MSE.

This semester I took American Literature, 1865 to today, Global Environmental Politics, Lectures on Public Health and Wellbeing in Baltimore, Fundamentals of Epidemiology, Clinical & Public Health Behavior Change and Health, Development and Inequalities, A View from Latin America. Academically, it was a challenging but interesting semester. After coming back from abroad, I have a much better sense of what interests me (global health) and it was great to be able to choose classes with that in mind. Next year most of my classes will be down at the Bloomberg School (http://www.jhsph.edu/), and I’m toying with the idea of focusing in International Health or Epidemiology.

....hopefully that will bring me back here, to lovely cape town!

As I’ve written about before, the first half of the semester was mainly occupied by job applications–frantic interview preparation, resume editing, and learning how to dress in a suit. Just before leaving for spring break, I was thrilled to get an offer from McKinsey and Company, where I’m now working as a Summer Business Analyst. I started last week, and I am happy to say it’s just as exciting/overwhelming/amazing as I thought it would be.

on the beach for spring break

my phi mu pham at homecoming

Spring break brought a lovely sunny trip to the Bahamas. We found we weren’t quite up to Spring Break social standards (turn on MTV to see what I mean), and spent much of the week napping on the beach. It was a much needed break from midterms, and a hilarious bonding time with friends.

As usual, the weeks between spring break and exams flew by. I got two fabulous new little-littles in Phi Mu. I became a part of the executive board for Alumni Student Ambassadors and spent a week or so interviewing all the nominees. We ended up with a fabulous class of new ambassadors, and a number of exciting projects to start next year.

At Hopkins we celebrated homecoming, spring fair and a great school-sponsored concert. I spent more time at Mason Hall than I knew possible, planning and then working at two amazingly successful Admitted Student Open Houses…class of 2015 we can’t wait to meet you!

wiz khalifa concert

I’ve now been home for the summer for several weeks…shockingly this means I’m officially a “rising senior”…something I could do without. It’s crazy to think of all the things that have changed over the past year, and what the next one will bring!

Happy Summer!

Lauren

Hey yall!

My junior year has ended and that dreaded “rising senior” time has finally come. I really can’t believe it. I’d like to say I ended my year with a bang but I didn’t, but it’s over and science is officially done ruining my life (and my GPA!). I can look forward to summer and a community service internship that will hopefully be tons of fun…plus I have to do “grown up” that include things like looking at graduate school programs. Anyway, more on that as they transpire. Here’s my year in blogging!

I started the year talking about how everything felt different in Rockin’ Robin, because we were juniors and everyone lived off campus. Gone were the days of us being innocent underclassmen, searching for ourselves and what we wanted to do…nope, now we were upperclassmen with definite majors. And apartments. I gave an overview of my fall 2010 classes in Ease On Down the Road…again. I can’t say that was my favorite semester of classes, and it was the first time I didn’t do well in an English/Africana Studies class (those are usually my forte…they balance out my bad science grades haha).  But I will say that me not doing well that semester taught me a lot in general about school and grades and what mattered in life. Anywaysssss, Break of Dawn was just a really chill entry about my visit to the Farmer’s Market…it’s a really relaxing thing to do on Saturday mornings, especially in the fall when the weather is nice. Ease on Down the Road 2 is my favorite blog this year (READ IT!). It was a random thing I came up with and I just went with it. It’s an analogy between a corn maze I went through that weekend and Hopkins, and there’s some hidden wisdom in there that I think everyone can benefit from. :)  Off The Wall let me reminisce about the college application process because it was a common blog we SAABers did while you guys were deep into your applications–I hope you all found them helpful! I am about to go through the process again with graduate school, but this time around I won’t be as spazzy and crazy because college and life have changed my perspective. (it took me way too many tries to get the spelling of ‘perspective’ correct, btw).

I had a really cool job this year as a chemistry lab teaching assistant! I wrote about my love for it in Butterflies and Butterflies 2. Seriously, this was the first job I’ve had (and I’ve had MANY jobs…and I[m not talking regular customer service jobs…like really cool prestigious ones) this is the first one I’ve actually loved forrealz. I don’t know if I will be able to do it again for my senior year but whatever happens, I’m glad I got a chance to experience it. So amazing.  In Human Nature, I reflected on my top 2010 moments. In Workin’ Day and Night, I attempted to microblog…I think it was a failure because I re read it and it looked pretty stoopid but o well, I tried. :p In HIStory, I reflected on my last 2.5 years at Hopkins and wrote some inspirational words about not caring as much about grades and caring more about life, blase blah. My second fav blog. Or maybe it’s tied with the other one. You should read it. :)

In True Life | I Don’t Drink, I addressed the concerns around drinking that students who don’t want to drink may have. This is my second favorite blog I think, haha. I think a lot of people are afraid to voice this concern, and I wasn’t/am not, so I thought I’d write a blog about it.  I tried microblogging again in Don’t Stop till You get Enough. You tell me if it was any better (or if the 1st one was even bad). I got a lil sappy in I just Can’t Stop Loving You and talked about why I loved Hopkins. We did another common blog about our Hopkins experiences, so that’s what Meet JHU_DOMO-nique :) is all about–sorry for the weird title. Working Day and Night 2 talked about my spring semester classes. I really liked my Sociology of Disability class and my Epidemiology class…the others could go kick rocks :) And my last entry, Oh em gee….like what’s your major?? talked about why I was a Public Health Major Natural Science major (aka taking pre med courses) who is NOT planning on going to medical school.

That’s my year in blogging! Here’s a pretty picture of the sky in front of my house to relax?? you? :)

-Dominique

How did another year go by? And so quickly? What exactly did I do over the past 9 months at school?

It’s always so nice to get off school for the summer and ease into a more relaxing schedule, but it does prompt some reflection, and I guess some soul searching if you’re a little more brooding than I am. As shocked as I was when freshman year sped by, the milestone I’ve reached this time around is far more terrifying….I am officially at the halfway mark of my college experience.

Looking back on the past year, and particularly the past two years is both satisfying and a little scary. I’ve done things at Hopkins I didn’t even know were possible, things I never thought I’d do (stop being pre-med, join a sorority….decide to study abroad in Africa?!). I’m certainly different than the person who stepped onto the Hopkins campus nearly two years ago, and I’m proud of how I’ve changed and grown at Hopkins.

At the same time though, there are those nagging feelings that I’m running out of time to do those things on my college “bucket list.” Why is it I have yet to take an Art History class? Why didn’t I stay for Intersession my freshman year? Am I really working as hard as I should be in school? I still want to do research while I’m at Hopkins, maybe pick up a language class or two, and a number of slightly less academic things as well. The halfway point put things into perspective, and I must say I’m mostly thrilled with what I’ve done and how Hopkins has been these past two years, but it’s still making me feel elderly and a little scared.

But if I just focus on the past year….

This year I settled into Hopkins. I declared my major and minor (Public Health and Economics, respectively). I got a job, I got an internship, I thought about what I might want to do in “real life.” I got the chance to take classes I really loved, I got more involved in school, I spent more time than I knew was possible working to find the next great incoming class at Hopkins. I decided I loved Hopkins enough to maybe even leave for a semester and seize the opportunity I’d never have again, to study abroad somewhere amazing. But when I look back on this year what sticks are those smaller things, things like lunches at Carmas, deciding to run the half marathon, going to New York to meet accepted students, making 50 glittery visors for the Phis, and a million other great memories. I’ll try to wrap up the year as best I can, suffice to say it was a great one.

Most of my memories of this past year revolve around a very strange place known as 1221.

A four person suite in Charles Commons that we fondly referred to as though it was a clubhouse, decorated for holidays, birthdays, and because we felt like it, this standard issue dorm room really became my home this past year. I was lucky/unlucky enough freshman year to have a single, and I wasn’t sure what to expect from this year, living with two of my best friends. It turned out to be incredible. No matter how insane school was getting, how tired I was, how many times I had slipped on the breezeway in the rain that day, I could always head back to 1221 and spend time with my roommates…whether it was curling up in bed one Saturday night to watch The September Issue rather than go out, packing 20 Phi Mu girls in there for dinner, having Lady GaGa dance parties at 3 am, making strange gluten free treats in a toaster oven, or whatever else I needed, I don’t think I would have enjoyed sophomore year half as much without the lovely 1221.

1221 Residents dressed up for Halloween.

Naturally, I had to dedicate a blog to this fabulous room. My Cribs post is essentially a shrine to 1221.

http://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/shared/2010/04/cribs-charles-commons-1221/

I remember sitting at the kitchen table for a groggy Saturday morning breakfast during Snow Week with Becca K and another lovely freshman, Ashley (before I knew that both these girlies would be my twin littles!) when Becca leapt up from the table announcing she was going to brave the snow to go to Towson and get her ear pierced. Clearly 1221 brought out the best and weirdest in others as well.

Becca and Ashley a few weeks later, at Revelation!

I loved being a part of rush this year, painting huge Candy Land signs over Intersession, getting tons of themed t-shirts, trying to be enthusiastic for hours on end, meeting all the freshmen, and then as Bid Night neared, covering my entire apartment in foam letters, glitter, paint pens, candy necklaces and who knows what else to make pink visors for each “baby” to wear on their first official night out with the sorority. Rush week ran right into Snow Week, definitely one of the most memorable times of my sophomore year. As I’m sure everyone heard, Baltimore was buried under more snow than this city has ever seen, and things all but came to a halt. Stores and restaurants plastered signs on their doors with the word “SNOWPOCALYPSE” and “we’re open till we run out of food!” It was great see all of Hopkins sledding, having snowball fights, and playing in the snow, but by the end of our 9 day holiday from school, I was more than ready to get back to things as usual.

Snow, before the second storm came.

As Spring Break and then Summer neared, I enjoyed a wonderful ski vacation with my family, tried (unsuccessfully) to keep Big-Little week a secret from my lovely littles, applied to study abroad, worked at Merrill Lynch two days a week, studied for midterms and exams, worked at Open Houses, wrote papers, celebrated with my little sister when she decided to go to NYU, tried to say goodbye to everyone before we all left to go abroad, visited Ohio, and packed a years worth of stuff into a very small car to return to NJ

Sophomore year in photos! It’s been a good one.

-Lauren B.

This amazing Jackson 5 song’s title will probably be used many times for blog titles, hence the roman numeral in the parentheses.

anxiousness! Wait...is that a word..

This is my wrap up blog entry! Sounds trite…but I CANNOT BELIEVE I AM GOING TO BE A JUNIOR! This means I have to start looking at master’s programs, career stuff, concentrations within my major, interests…guess it’s time to grow up.

But here we go…enjoy the recapitulation!

9.26.09  Wanna Be Startin’  Something . First blog post of the year, and I talk about my first semester classes. Very basic.

10.12.2009  Enjoy Yourself Here, I talked about my birthday, which is in October, always during school (lucky you to those who have summer birthdays!) But anyway, friends can make it special, even if it is in the middle of the school year. We have fun at Hopkins!!

10.21.2009 Whatever Happens was about what happened when I got sick. There is a hospital right near ( short walking distance) Hopkins, so I talked about how convinient that was and as few other things.

11.1.2009 Got to Be There. It’s really  important to take time off for yourself, because too much school will make you mentally and physically sick. Each  year I go on a retreat with my Christian fellowship and we go to a nice campsite in Western Maryland. You need time for yourselves, so don’t forget that!!

11.13.2009 Come Together . I love my alma mater (high school) because it enabled me to attend and afford JHU…so I wrote about our annual football game at the Raven’s Stadium against our rival (both  my high school and our rival give JHU the most Baltimore Scholars each year! ) and how it is still a part of my JHU life.

11.23.2009 Keep The Faith Each semester, I spotlight-blog one of my non pre med classes, to show what Hopkins has to offer in terms of social science and humanities courses…and these are always my favorite ones. This entry was about a sociology/public health class I took and loved…about education!

12.06.2009 Someone in the Dark Yea…at this point, finals were getting ready to start and I was having trouble in  organic chem…my grades were not that great. So I wrote about how EASY it was to talk to my professor about it and the advice he gave. Many times, students are afraid to approach professors…..but don’t be. They are here for you!

this is how i felt. sorry for the stock footage url on the bottom, btw.

12.26.2009 You Can’t Win This is probably my favorite blog to date. Because it is honest yet positive. Orgo didn’t turn out as well as I would have liked it to, and I griped and moaned about how unfair it was and yada yada…bad  grades happen, especially at a place like Hopkins where sometimes your best is a C or C-. Check this entry out if you haven’t, I give some advice too!

1.18.2010 Hopkins Christian Fellowship This blog is about my Christian fellowship group…what we do, what we’re here for, etc. It’s not preachy or anything like that, so if you’re interested take a looksie! And welcome to the new year!

2.02.2010 This  Time Around I spent all of Intersession at school this time, and I LOVED IT. Read about my classes too…I’d really recommend staying for some of Intersession (three weeks of easy but cool one, 2, and some 3 credit classes before Spring Semester starts).

2.17.2010 Ease On Down the Road Just a list of my second semester classes.

3.03.2010 Scream Hopkins isn’t cutthroat. See how here.

3.16.2010 Scream 2 Hopkins isn’t anti social. See how here.

4.06.2010 CRIBS Check out my crib!

4.19.2010 I Want You Back My biggest regret freshman year? NOT  HAVING ENOUGH FUn. Sounds weird but it happens way too often to way too many people…I’m just cool enough to admit it B)

5.06.2010 Push Me Away Read about my second attempt to take a poetry class here (I HATE poetry classes…not because I don’t appreciate poetry, because I do…but because I can’t write it and I don’t think poems can be fairly graded.)

5.25.2010 Stranger in Moscow Just a teaser entry about the end of the year and my summer internship.

I hope you all enjoyed my blogging for the year…but for now, look for several more summer time entries..and feel free to comment!

-D

I’m a senior in college. Wow. Where did my junior year go? In order to prove to myself that my junior year did not simply get stolen from me, let me recap on my junior year blog entries (written on three different continents!)

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June 22^nd, 2009 – Aventura -

“I will admit that I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I left for Brazil. On June 2nd, the day of my departure, I had concluded that I was indeed crazy for going on this trip….”

July 21^st, 2009 – Aventura Parte Dois -

Featuring a long list of all the things I have learned about Brazil from food to men.

August 27^th, 2009 – Vamos, Let’s Go… -

A wrap-up of my last couple of weeks in Brazil, a vacation to South Carolina, and the feeling of homelessness that began as I looked into the coming semester.

September 30^th, 2009 – Indecisiveness -

I entered my junior year realizing just how indecisive I can be: What would my courses be? Where would I study abroad? And even on smaller topics, like should I go home for my Mom’s birthday? All of the answers were discussed here (along with two links to blogs that I wrote for Center for a Livable Future).

October 20^th, 2009 – Working at Hopkins -

“It wasn’t until this year that I realized how much of an impact being able to work at Hopkins has done for me. You’re always told to seize activities in college, but you are never told to work in college. I don’t think most prospective students when they envision college envision being a part-time worker. However, maybe they should. So, yes, this won’t be the most exciting blog, but I hope that it persuades any prospective student who may be reading this to at least consider working in college.”

November 8^th, 2009 – Public Health Student Forum -

An informative blog on a student group that I’m co-president of: Public Health Student Forum.

November 21^st, 2009 – A Reflection -

I reflect on how many opportunities I have gotten from Hopkins and how they would have been impossible for me to have predicted from my campus tour of Hopkins as a high schooler.

December 4^th, 2009 – “Because, because, I am the wizard of ooh’s and ah’s and fa-la-la’s…”

A quick hello before I went right back to studying for finals.

December 26^th, 2009 – AS.990.990(01)-Off-Campus Study -

“It may have finally hit me that I won’t be returning next semester. I think it’s been the combination of saying “goodbye” to my room, friends, the admissions office, co-workers, etc. combined with logging into ISIS (the website that allows students to check billing and financial aid, register for classes, view grades, etc) and seeing my ’schedule’ for next year. Now instead of my usual semester’s list of five courses it simply says: AS.990.990(01)-Off-Campus Study. I really do not know what’s in store for me next semester. All I know is a typical spring semester at Hopkins–filled with cherry blossoms, lacrosse games, and Spring Fair–will quickly be replaced with a semester in Geneva, Switzerland.”

December 31st, 2009 - AS.990.990(01)-Off-Campus Study II -

A blog I wrote about the study abroad process: How do you pick a program? How much does it cost? If you’re a student looking to study abroad, check out this post.

January 25^th, 2010 – Public Health…is awesome! -

A long academic blog where I answer the questions: What does the public health major give its students? What has the public health major done for me? A good read for any student thinking of majoring in public health.

January 31^st, 2010 – AS.990.990(01)-Off-Campus Study III -

“Sometimes I wake up in Geneva and think I’m still dreaming. Perhaps it’s because for months I knew I was going to be in Switzerland for the semester and so it sometimes feels weird that I’m finally here. However, I don’t think that’s entirely the reason why I feel like I’m dreaming because as I go through out my day I keep thinking about how I must still be dreaming. It must be because Switzerland often seems like a giant fairytale in itself so I feel as though I’m just one of many characters in a fairytale entitled Switzerland, or Suisse, or Svizzera, or Schweiz, or however you say Switzerland in Rumantsch.”

February 20^th, 2010 – AS.990.990(01)-Off-Campus Study IV-

An overview of the classes I took while abroad in Switzerland.

March 8^th, 2010 – AS.990.990(01)-Off-Campus Study V -

“Sometimes I don’t believe this crazy planet that we call Earth and this crazy life that I live in. I finished my French final and then… one day I’m in Amsterdam, the next day London, then back to Switzerland, and then, you know, just a weekend in Paris followed by my first day at the World Health Organization as an intern. No biggie…just kidding.”

March 28^th, 2010 – Hopkins Cribs: Study Abroad – Geneva, Switzerland –

“By the end of May I will have spent four months in my lovely efficiency in Homewood in Baltimore, two months total in my room in New Jersey, two months in my apartment in Vitoria, Brazil, and four months in my apartment in Geneva, Switzerland. Nevertheless, every “crib” I’ve had this year I’ve managed to make into my home. So without further rambling, I’ll welcome you to my most recent place…Geneva.”

April 17^th, 2010 -AS.990.990(01)-Off-Campus Study VII -

An update from Geneva: “Life is going faster than I can take it. And it’s a tough balancing act between trying to make the most of each and every day, staying in touch with those at home, planning out the next step(s) in my life, interning, studying, and well, sleeping. It’s a balancing act, but one that I have learned to enjoy. I honestly came back with just a few hours of sleep on Thursday and still happened to have a smile on my face.”

May 3^rd, 2010 – AS.990.990(01)-Off-Campus Study VIII: “School’s Out for Summer?!” –

Here I reflect on my internship at the World Health Organization and introduce my readers to my summer internship at the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

May 29^th, 2010 – Hello USA. Hello Uncertainty. –

“I thought college was supposed to be a period of certainty. But I have quickly realized that if you go out there and seize opportunities as good college students are supposed to, how quickly it turns into a time of uncertainty.”

June 1^st, 2010 – - AS.990.990(01)-Off-Campus Study IX: Top Ten -

Here are my top ten reasons to study abroad from gaining new friends to taking a break from Hopkins, check out my reasons here.

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Well, I guess I actually have done a lot this year. Maybe, just maybe, it is time to be a senior.

Curious about my freshman and sophomore year adventures? Check out my other year wrap-ups here: freshman year and sophomore year.

(A winter sunset in my backyard.)

I have been home for six days and I really don’t think it’s hit me that I am not going back to campus for over three months. Well, maybe it hit me today since I just decided to unpack my boxes and bags, which has resulted into an avalanche in my living room. Nevertheless, I’m home in New Jersey trying to learn as much as I can about Brazil while also trying to learn Portuguese, spend time with my grandma who has been visiting from California since my brother’s graduation, make a mark on our garden (including a blueberry patch!), try to get back in some sort of shape, and so on. Before life gets any more chaotic, I thought it would be good to reflect on my sophomore year and recap my blogs from this past school year…

I should first say that if you are just finding this blog and want to read about my freshman year, check out my archived blog.

September 25th, 2008
Welcome
An introduction blog about Roxi and me and the idea of a shared blog.

October 5th, 2008
“Parade of Gold”
An entry about fall semester happenings including finding my first research assistant position, volunteering, and seeing Michael Phelps in the “Parade of Gold.”

October 18th, 2008
Caught in Academics
A blog entry about my fall semester courses (my favorite overall semester of classes): Population Health & Development, Environment & Your Health, Global Public Health Since WWII (my favorite class thus far at Hopkins), The City in Time and Space, and Environment & Society Towards Sustainability.

November 2nd, 2008
Staying Happy
I took a break from homework one night and decided to write this blog. This entry is simply about how to stay happy when it seems like you are just loaded in work. “… I have also learned that studying hard doesn’t go hand-and-hand with liking Hopkins. In fact, the times that I have been stressed out the most and trying my hardest not to fall asleep go hand-and-hand with the times that I wish I was back at home, in high school, only worried about doing a worksheet for math class due the next day. So what have I learned then? That even while I’m academically driven, I have also had to learn ways to keep myself optimistic and happy to be here.“

November 16th, 2008
Choices, Choices, Choices
Here I write about how many choices a student really does make in college (and how it is a useful skill) whether it’s picking classes, deciding what to do for the summer, or where to go abroad. “Although, I would love to live in the present in college, it’s definitely not always possible to do that. College is a fast and forward-moving four years. Last week, I discussed with my academic adviser intersession, next semester’s courses, summer, study abroad, and my future. This put things into perspective for me.“

November 29th, 2008
Hibernation
A quick update from me while home in New Jersey for Thanksgiving break
(parades, Gilmore Girls, sleep, and WALL-E, yay!) where I decide that much needed relaxing is more important than getting out the books while at home. “And, so, yes I told you that this blog would be short. But I hope that if you’re a prospective student you’re able to get something out of this. I’m one of those people who is known (and has always been known) to try to “do it all” aka overexert myself. However, no matter who you are, everyone needs a break sometimes. And I’m very thankful that I have this one.”

December 18th, 2008
Coping With Death While at Hopkins
This blog entry started off entitled “Coping With Family Emergencies While at Hopkins” and quickly turned into “Coping With Death…” On December 6th I talked to my mom (as I do on every Friday while at Hopkins) and was told that grandpa wasn’t doing very well. I took it from her tone that this was serious and literally cried the entire night. At one in the morning I called my aunt in California and said, “Can I visit today?” At 9 in the morning I called my dad, “I need a ticket to California.” And so with that, I took off to see my grandfather, my hero, for the last time. When he passed away, four days later, my mom called while I was in the library and said, “I’ll pick you up right now.” But I knew that Hopkins was the right place to be at until winter break. With no funeral and five finals in front of me, I had to decide for myself the best way to cope successfully. Read about it here.

December 31st, 2008
It’s beginning to feel a lot like SPRING SEMESTER!
It’s New Year’s Eve and what am I doing? Writing a blog, of course! This entry is about the reasons why I was excited for the next semester. I absolutely love the spring not just weather-wise, not just because of the choices I was excited to make, but because the Hopkins vibe just changes. “Most importantly, I am beyond excited for next semester. Today, I finally started to get motivated to finish my “leftover” work knowing that once I finish that I can start getting psyched about spring semester. I absolutely loved my spring semester last year. And with that I give you my top five reasons why I am looking forward to Spring Semester 2009.”

January 26th, 2009
A Twenty Minute Winter Break
This blog entry is about how it feels to have had a twenty minute winter break. Don’t worry prospective students, Hopkins actually gives you a five week winter break. However, because I had make up work to do (including a 20 page paper on Malthus), I was doing lots of work during intersession. Hey, at least I wasn’t studying for the MCAT. I ended up finishing my last final 20 minutes before my first class of spring semester. Even so, I did get to get some fun in during my break and overall was proud of myself for being able to start the semester fresh. “At lunch today I got asked, “How was your twenty minute winter break?” I laughed, but it actually feels great knowing that finals won’t be on the horizon for another three months.”

February 7th, 2009
Classes
An introduction to my spring semester courses: Epidemiology, Population/Community Ecology, Medical Sociology, Oral Presentations, and Sociology of Disability. Certainly a mix of classes  to hear about.  And  if you know me, you know that creating a schedule doesn’t come easy.

February 22nd, 2009
An Unexpected Burst of Happiness
Suddenly I was happier than I was during Valentine’s Day weekend and happier than during my Birthday weekend. Why? Well find out by reading the blog, but I’ll give you a hint, “So why the happy weekend? It must have been a combination of my plead to a prospective student to “please not stress” and my words of advice to “just take care of yourself.” These words of advice formed a great weekend surrounded by friends and provided me with what I need to plow me through a week of five meetings, ten hours of research work, fifteen hours of classes, a paper, a presentation, a homework assignment, hundreds of pages of reading, a proposal deadline, and an environmental health day of awareness that I co-planned, and whatever else life has in store for me.”

March 12th, 2009
Why should graduate students be a part of undergraduate education?
Prospective students and their parents often ask if graduate students teach courses at Hopkins or if there are teaching assistants and if they are graduate students. (The answer is yes to both). Colleges without graduate students as part of undergraduate education oftentimes pride themselves and publicize this fact. As a prospective student, I simply thought that graduate students being a part of undergraduate education has got to be a “con.” However, now a current student I have learned that sometimes my best academic experiences have been because of the graduate students that have made my experience what it has been. Please, if you have any doubts about graduate students being part of an undergraduate’s education, then read this blog! :-D

March 22nd, 2009
CRIBS: Charles Commons 1016
I absolutely loved my room this past year. I loved the view, my roommate, my wall decorations, my bed, etc. Check out this blog entry to see video and pictures of my room.

April 5th, 2009
An Ode to Hopkins
I will admit that I frequently say how much I like Hopkins. In this blog I finally write about why this is. This entry is divided into two parts. One part about why I picked Hopkins and the other about what I have already gotten out of my Hopkins education from academics to extracurricular activities and beyond! “This is what Johns Hopkins University has done for me. Just imagine what it could do for you. I hope that by reading through our blogs you can see that we all picked Hopkins for different reasons and have all gotten different positive experiences out of the University. Sure, many of you reading this are not interested in public health (although rumor has it that many of you are since we are expected to become the largest major on campus), but many of you can get involved in research in whatever field you are interested in. And that begins me to my last point..I am often asked what is it about Hopkins that makes you love it so much? And the answer is that I simply love looking around campus and seeing how diverse the student body is.”

April 19th, 2009
Bacana
A note to Roxi updating her on the happenings in my life, after she wrote a hilarious note to me about the happenings in her life in Chile. “As you can see spring at Hopkins is eventful and the weather here is absolutely gorgeous as well. And although I am not adventuring in Chile and watching first-hand Roxi’s entertaining actions, I honestly am happy to be a Hopkins student and really can’t believe that I am less than a month away from home sweet home.”

May 3rd, 2009
A Quick Hello
A quick post about the end of my spring semester before the dreaded finals period. I was even able to get in a flight to see my brother graduate college and well of course go to Spring Fair. He has since done the “impossible” and got a job with Merrill Lynch. “It really is beginning to feel like the end of the semester here (I’m sorry for the high schoolers reading this who feel like they’re still stuck in the middle of things).”

And that, my friends, is a wrap! I hope you enjoyed following me throughout my sophomore year (and will continue to follow me this summer and throughout my junior year). I promise it to be exciting. I will be posting one blog each month this summer (I leave for Brazil on June 2nd for two months), so stay tuned! And I’m already looking forward to meeting the class of 2013 (and those future SAABers) this fall.

And, of course, Congratulations to the Hopkins Class of 2009 (and especially the senior SAABers), we’ll miss you!