Talk Nerdy to Me

So it’s the end of the year. You’ve had to study every intricate part of the nervous system. You’ve had to learn how to optimize the schedule of minor league baseball teams. You’ve had to create an entire stage and set for a play out of cardboard. Finals just took over your life, so you’ve been sitting on A-level looking like this:

You’ve been stressed, you’ve been pushed to your limit. While all your hard work is worth it, sometimes it is hard to remember it. Emotions are running high, and eventually you just look like this:

Sometimes it just feels like you are getting pied in the face.

But somehow, as always, you make it through. Hopkins is such a close-knit, supportive community. There is always a group of kids who understand what you’re going through and offer you support along the way.

But even during finals, there is time to have fun. And you can always count on one of your best friends to go see some of the most innovative biomedical designs in the country in the middle of finals. We have our priorities straight. (Trust me, we actually do. And we didn’t have finals til the second week).

And maybe sometimes you’ll even find someone who was a big fan of your blog during her admissions process and it makes you feel really, REALLY cool.

And if none of this works (but trust me, it does), your really cool big brother will send you this to your phone:

And at the end of the day, it’ll all be OK, because a wise philosopher named Katy Perry once said, “Baby, you’re a firework.”

It’s officially summer. :)

Hey everybody!

So in the spirit of YAYYOUJUSTGOTINTOHOPKINS, the bloggers are all doing common blogs, and this week’s is to talk about our best academic experience. Honestly, being a biomedical engineer at Hopkins has given me countless opportunities academically. Some are serious (like my awesome research) and some are fun (like convincing my math TA to have lecture outside if I found a white board….note: I did.) But the best one? BME Design Team.

In January, I was told that I was going to be able to lead a team of undergraduates on a design project for real-life sponsors looking for real-life results. It has been a crazy process! I had nearly 50 kids apply for the 4 spots on my team, and considering they are 50 of the most qualified kids in the nation…it was pretty challenging to choose! That being said, I know I found my perfect team of four and can’t wait to get started!

Another leader, Aaron, and me!

Next, we get to pick our project, and most projects were proposed by Johns Hopkins doctors that have found a problem in their workplace. One sponsor I am looking at hails all the way from Florida at an associated hospital down there! I am so excited to get started and finalize my group’s project. It is the culmination of so many years of hard work and dedication to my BME career!

I was fortunate enough to be on a design team as a freshman and work on a project sponsored by the director of endovascular neurosurgery at Hopkins. The project was really biomaterials-oriented, and having that exposure has led me to choose a biomaterials-savvy team. Hopefully, my project will also be somewhat mechanical so it is easier to make a prototype.

So that is my favorite academic experience! If you come to Hopkins, class of 2017, 4 lucky freshman get to be a part of my design team in Spring 2014. Can’t wait to see you then!

So let’s be real. College spring break has a definite stereotype. Cancun. Miami.
Some other major party city. While those places are all probably loads of fun, the
bills add up, so most of my friends do not partake in the wild college stereotypes.
Some may drive to Ocean City and other close destinations, but lots of my
friends either go home or do a service alternative spring break through Hopkins,
whether it be in Baltimore or someplace faraway like Honduras. I myself am a big
going home fan. And here’s why:
1. Good food. Although Hopkins food is pretty good, there is nothing like home-cooked
meals. This week my mom made all my favorites, including pulled pork,
lasagna, and spaghetti. We also went out to my favorite restaurant, Hector’s
which is a hole-in-the-wall Mexican joint where we have been going once a
week since I was two. Oh my.
2. Old friends. I’m going to be honest in saying that I don’t keep in contact with
people from high school as much as I thought I would; I feel like I just met so
many people at Hopkins it is hard to keep up! That being said, nobody can
replace my two close friends Bekah and Sara, and I really enjoy seeing them
every break.
3. My doggies. If you know me, you know my doggies are my world. Honestly, I
am in a state of withdrawal at school. Break time is doggie time.

4. Stealing all my brother’s DVDs. My brother has an EXTENSIVE collection of
DVDs, so every time I come home, I make sure to borrow a few more. It is
the cheapest fun you don’t have to buy! I mean, I’m sure he won’t miss
them…right?
5. Sleep. There is nothing like sleeping in your own bed, and since this last week
was easily one of my toughest weeks at Hopkins, I could sure use a nap. I’m
actually in the car right now and I’ve been sleeping in the car the whole day,
dreaming about my bed… <3
There you have it. So I may not be partying on a beach and instead chose to roll around
in the Wisconsin snow, but there are a lot of reasons why I prefer to do this for
Spring Break, so keep that in mind for your future college plans. :p

Hey folks! So almost every semester, us bloggers post a blog about our classes. In
the past, I have generally avoided these types of blogs, not because I don’t like my
classes, but because the topics go so fast and are so intricate, that sometimes I
feel like I couldn’t do the courses justice. Oh, the problems of being an engineer.
Anyways, here are my courses for this semester:

1.) Systems Bioengineering II- This is a core requirement for BME majors, and it is
a notoriously difficult course. This 2nd part of a 3 semester course focuses on
the nervous system and how it is correlated with other parts of the body. Today,
our professor told us that in order to study Einstein’s brain, this one guy chopped
it into pieces and sent a piece to scientists all over. Crazy, right?
2.) Optimization II- As I mentioned in my last blog, I took the first part of this
course last semester and absolutely loved it. It counts as one of the requirements
for my Applied Math major, and it is really interesting and applicable to real life
situations. Last semester, the class was big since it is a requirement for AMS
majors, but this semester it is much smaller. It is nice to have a smaller lecture.
That means more time to ask questions!
3.) Mathematical Modeling and Consulting- This class counts for both my majors
and I think it provides an interesting challenge. Programming has never been my
strong suit but this class uses programming in order to look at real life situations,
so having those stakes attached to the programs makes it a lot more enjoyable
for me. This class uses the R platform for programming, which I learned a bit of
over intersession, and I like being able to use a new language.
4.) SBE II Lab- This is the interactive portion of Systems Bioengineering II. It is
taught by the same professor as last semester, Dr. Haase, so it is bound to be
a good time.
5.) Design for the Stage- This class is in the theatre department and it is a breath
of fresh air in my engineering course load. It is a mix of all subjects in this class,
analyzing plays, history, and art of eras and applying those facts in order to make
our own set designs out of foam core. It encompasses so many parts of the brain.
I feel like it is really stretching my brain out.
So that’s my semester in a nutshell! 17 credits total, and a whole lot of fun! Cya
next time!

So guess what, guys? School started again, and it is time for my junior spring.
I thought it would be cool to give you a play by play of my first day of school even
though it happened a while back (having a really organized planner helps a lot
with blogging about the past! lol). It is sort of like any other first day of school,
but better. Because it’s college!

Junior year friends...the same as freshmen year <3

8:00 am. Wake up time! I definitely hit snooze for an extra ten minutes, but I knew
I had to get up since I had some early morning plans.
8:10 am. So now I’m actually up, and I ate a little bit of blueberry Special K cereal.
I didn’t want to eat a full bowl because a.) I was about to go work out. b.) My
meal schedule on Mondays and Wednesdays this semester is a little different.
I got into my workout gear and headed over to Wolman.
8:40 am. My friend Amanda, who is an RA in Wolman, and I went to the Wolman
Workout Room in order to get our first day off to a good start! She did the
elliptical and I ran on the treadmill. We only had time for 30 minutes since she has
a 10:00 am class, but it is still good to get the blood flowing.
9:30 am. I’m back to my apartment, where I shower, get dressed, do my make-up
and hair, pack my bag, and make a quick snack before class at 11:00 am.
11:00 am. I go to my first class of the day, Optimization II, until 12:00.
Optimization I was my favorite class last semester, and the same professor is
teaching it this semester, so it is bound to be a good time!
12:00 noon. Right after Optimization II, I go to Design for the Stage, which is right
near the building for Optimization, which is really convenient. This class is an hour
and fifteen minutes, which I usually find to be too long to pay attention, but the
first day of this class was really interesting. I think that the course material is
really going to be things that interest me, and the professor is really open to class
discussion.
1:30 pm. Directly after Design for the Stage, I go to Systems Bioengineering II.
Systems Bioengineering I was the most challenging course I have taken since
coming to Hopkins even though it was very interesting. I’m nervous about the
difficulty level, but like a true Hopkins students, Imma just keep a grin on my face
and just keep trying my hardest to keep up.
2:30 pm. After class, I went to Barnes and Nobles to pick up some supplies for
my classes. I actually saw my friend, Maria, there, and she walked with me back to
my apartment. The joys of a small campus!
3:00 pm. I’m back home for a couple hours. I emailed my PI for the research lab I
am in, organized my master calendar for the semester (it basically just has all my
test dates on it), and printed out all the pdfs needed for this week. And then I just
sat on my butt and watched some Vampire Diaries. Sue me.
6:00 pm. I quickly went on a quick CharMar run. I needed some neosporin and
some yogurt (a wonderful combination, I know).
6:30 pm. I met my friends for a first day of school dinner at FFC! A lot of my
friends got a mini meal plan this semester so we can all meet at FFC since it is in
the middle of our apartments.
8:00 pm. I did some reading for my Design for the Stage class. It was about how
theatres developed in Rome, Greece, and Asia. Pretty cool stuff, if I do say so
myself.
10:00 pm. And now I am writing this blog in order to remember my first day of
the semester (and now I am posting it…wayyyyy later lol). Hip hip, hooray!!!
Cheers to a brand new semester! Keep on smilin’, folks!

Hey y’all! I’m back and intersession is almost over. In my opinion, intersession is the best time of the school year. You get to explore campus and the city without the pressure of school, work, extracurriculars, and everything else that makes your life hectic.  These are all the things I did over the break:

1. Shadowed a pediatrician.

-Though it may be a little too early to completely decide my medical specialty, I know that my favorite thing in the world is kids. Therefore, it only made sense to shadow a pediatrician. I was lucky enough to be able to shadow my pediatrician and it was such a rewarding experience. And cute babies clearly are a must for winter break.

2. Baked cookie dough cupcakes.

-I had many baking days this intersession, but this one was definitely the best. Chocolate cupcakes, with made-from-scratch cookie dough in the middle, and a freshly baked cookie on top. Genius? I think so.

3. Restaurant Week

-My friends Amanda, Katherine, and I went to Sotto Sopra for restaurant week. It was just a quick cab ride away in Mount Vernon. I had the pumpkin ravioli and they were absolutely delicious. There were three courses for $30 especially for restaurant week. Easily the best week of the year.

pumpkin ravioli!

fried polenta!

4. Met my friend’s freshmen.

-My friend Amanda is an RA for Wolman, a freshmen dorm, and her freshmen are pretty cool. They decided to go through all my facebook pictures and like them all. SO naturally, they are pretty cool.

5. Took academic classes for credit.

-Over intersession, I decided to take two classes in order to help me with my during the school year classes. One is Intro to R Programming, which is a programming course that will help me with a course I am taking in the spring called Mathematical Modeling and Consulting. The other class I took was an intellectual property course. The Bar exam was our final! It was really hard, but it will come in handy next year when I am a design team leader!

6. Took a class for personal enrichment.

-In the summer, I volunteer with Easter Seals, and that has led me to develop an interest in ASL. The woman I worked with over the summer was deaf, and luckily, she always asked me the same questions, so I knew how to sign the answers. But now, I know more!

7. Comedy Show

-Every year, one intersession class that is offered is a stand-up comedy class, and at the end of intersession they have a show. It is not to miss! Everyone was really funny, especially my buddy, Ben Cohen!

So as you can see, in the three weeks that are intersession, you can get so much accomplished! If you come to Hopkins, I highly recommend you take advantage of all Hopkins has to offer, including intersession.

So a big part of college life is being broke, or at the very least, not having tons of money to spend on things. Luckily, college is supposed to be extending your brain, which means that you should become better at thinking of ways to getting around being low on cash and still doing lots of things that you want to do or getting things that you want to have. Here are some of things that I’ve done.

1. Studded Shoes: So on the Free People Website, there are studded shoes for $130 dollars that I wanted, but I don’t want to spend $130 dollars on them. Do you know how many sushi lunches from CharMar that is??? A lot. So I looked at other sites, and they were even getting MORE expensive. Whatttttt. No. I wasn’t having that. So I went to pinterest and found out how to stud my own shoes. I got the shoes for fifteen bucks and the studs for another six. Much cheaper? I think so.

2. Dessert: If you’ve ever read my blog in the past, you know that I like to bake. It’s fun, it’s relaxing, and it tastes good (if you do it right…). Still, sometimes baking can be somewhat expensive in college because you don’t have the opportunity or space to maybe do it as often as you would like. My apartment this year is big, but the kitchen is suitable for only people the size of Keebler’s elves. That being said, I don’t bake as often as I used to. So when I do want to bake, it is a pain in the butt to buy flour, sugar, vanilla, cocoa powder, etc when I don’t have room for it in the kitchen, and it will probably just be annoying and taking up space until I make something months later. So now I just look at pinterest. Today, I found chocolate cookies with only four ingredients: cake mix, oil, eggs, and rolo candies. How easy is that? Good food for this upcoming intersession!

3. Purses: So this one is kind of random, but I happen to be obsessed with purses. I went to an art show and I saw these awesome purses with old fashioned magazine clippings on them. They were fifty dollars each though. So what I did my freshmen year was get old purses from yard sales (for less than 5 bucks) and take old fashion magazines and put them on myself with that clear paste stuff that I can’t remember what its called. Decoupage paste? Is that it? Maybe. I’m not sure. So I made mine for like 6 bucks. Much much less. And I still use it to decorate my room.

These are just a couple of things I’ve done to cut costs on things I don’t necessarily need but would like to have. Save the money for important things…like Chipotle and Freshii! I kid, I kid….sort of.

Cya next time!

You know what? College is hard. And being in a notoriously challenging major while maintaining a “pre-med” GPA is harder. BUT I’ve come up with lots of ways to deal with this. One way is staying extremely organized. I keep a calendar and a planner with all my assignments, to-do lists, and other things I need to get done. I have tons of notes organized on my iPad so I have them on the run. I leave post its everywhere. It’s a little nuts, but it makes things easier, I swear.

Another thing that has helped a lot is the Learning Den, which is free on campus tutoring. I go there every Sunday night to get help in my systems bioengineering course. All the workers there are actually students who have taken the class and gotten an A, so they know what it takes! This semester, I had Sindhoora, and she was really helpful! I’ve definitely gotten way more than my money’s worth…Because it’s free. (Hardy har har!) It’s great to have somewhere to go when you have questions on in class material and your TA office hours were earlier in the week.

Also, all classes either have professor office hours or TA office hours, too, and I have gone to a lot of them this semester. I was having a bit of trouble with figuring out how the circulatory system changes during exercise, so I went to my TA and she showed me how it changes with this simple diagram! My teacher said we can solve any cardiovascular diagnosis with this quadrant diagram, and my TAs showed me how. I know what happens when you hemorrhage, when your left heart fails, when your right heart fails, when you exercise, and more. It’s like getting an MD in 4 minutes instead of 4 years!

I kid, I kid, but it is something that I feel like will help me in medical school, and getting to know your TAs is a great way to make sure you know the material. Not to mention, it really makes college a lot more manageable.

This was my way of avoiding talking about finals in a finals blog like everyone else, but really, finals are on everyone’s mind. I literally went to all of my office hours during finals. Here’s to hoping it pays off!

Peace out, guys!

So once upon a time I was worn out after a long week of midterms and papers and lab reports galore. I could barely keep my eyes open and was about spend the weekend sleeping on my bright red couch when… DUNDUHDUHDAHHHH! Sara appears!

The best part of this semester was when my friend Sara came to visit right around Thanksgiving. She is currently studying in DC, so all we had to do to get together was have her take a quick train to Baltimore and meet at Penn Station. How simple is that?

The first thing we did was walk around campus, and it was really crazy for me to slow down and notice how pretty campus is. I mean, a pretty campus was one of the most important things on my college checklist, but sometimes I’m so busy I never really absorb it.

Then we went to Hampden with my great friend, Allison. We went to a bunch of old vintage shops, and they were obsessed with an old book shop. I personally prefer shoes after a week of reading textbooks, but they were really pretty books. And the bookstore owner was really friendly and kept talking to us…but I may have possibly been leaning on one of the bookshelves half asleep, so I don’t really remember what was talked about. Whoops!

That night, we all got dressed up real fancy and went to a really nice Italian restaurant in Inner Harbor. I had pesto gnocchi…IT WAS THE BEST. Seriously, the best place to eat in Baltimore is Little Italy. No contest. Unless you don’t like Italian food. In which case you are absolutely certifiably insane.

The next morning we went to Chocolatea for brunch. Their caramel dark chocolate hot chocolate? YUM. I could live there, I swear. I also had banana walnut pancakes which were delicious, and it was so much food I had enough for breakfast AND lunch, and on a college budget, covering two meals for one price is a big deal.

The next day she had to go back, but it was just the break I needed to get rejuvenated for the rest of the semester. Don’t forget to slow down and have some fun, kids! :)

So there is obviously one main important thing about junior year. No, it isn’t finally sticking to your major. It’s not studying abroad. This thing is clearly much, much more important.

It’s decorating your apartment.

I happen to be somewhat obsessed with interior decorating, mainly coming from my major obsession with colors. So here is a tour of my crib, with tips to help you decorate yours!

1. My living room

So this room obviously has tons of color. I don’t really have a favorite color; my favorite color is anything bright. So when I saw that tapestry at Urban Outfitters, I knew it was love. I highly recommend getting a tapestry and hanging it on your wall. When everyone walks in, their first words are always “Wow! I love that.” Unless, they’re male, in which case, they don’t really care. Still, my favorite thing is walking home to tons of color and brightness. I also love my bright futon. I guess my first tip is this: COLOR COLOR COLOR.

P.S. I have a fireplace. How tight is that?!?!?!

2. My dining room

My dining room is probably my least exciting room. I really like the curtains, and I got them at Target. I also recently installed a dry erase board on my wall, which, no, I don’t have a picture of, but it is SO helpful when I have study groups. It is way easier than writing down your explanation or your proof and just passing it along….A dry erase board is just the way to go.

3. My kitchen

I would tell you guys about my kitchen, but it is probably the least exciting part of my apartment. It only has 3 walls (it is built like a triangle), and it is approximately big enough to house Keebler’s elves. Def not big enough for real people. Even making eggs is a struggle. It’s big enough for me, since I’m not exactly a gourmet cook.

4. My bedroom

I decided to go with a calmer theme for my bedroom, but still fierce. I am obsessed with Audrey Hepburn, and found a fantastic Audrey Hepburn colored newspaper collage this past summer at Strawberry Fest in Wisconsin, so I sort of just based everything off of this. I never liked purple…until I saw my comforter. And then I decided that purple was the color for me!

Hope you liked my apartment! Cya next time!