The best class I’ve taken at Hopkins

Julia Pacitti, Senior

Major: Writing Seminars

Favorite Class: Introduction to Fiction and Poetry I

“I took it [during the] fall of my freshman year because it is the first class required for the Writing Seminars major. I enjoyed it because a lot of the students in the class aren’t in [this] major, so it gave me the opportunity to meet people from outside my major, a few of them even becoming some of my best friends over the past three years.”  

Jacqueline Tang, Sophomore 

Major: Public Health Studies; Minor: History

Favorite class: Introduction to Cognitive Psychology

“The class was about how the mind is actually a computer. The whole time we were learning about the similarities between our brains and a computer — the concept is called computational theory of mind. That was a pretty radical theory, and I don’t know if I even believe it, but it was cool to learn about it. This class was also special because of the engaging professor, Professor Flombaum, who seemed to genuinely be interested about the material and care about his students. He tried to make class fun by using funny examples and making entertaining comments and jokes. I also appreciated how he was always so welcoming and friendly during office hours.”

Tim Kutcher, Senior

Major: Computer Science

Favorite class: Compilers and Interpreters

“It was the first time I really took an upper level CS class, and it was designed in a way to foster a lot of creativity. Essentially, the whole course was a bunch of assignments that always built off of the previous assignment — you would take your code from homework one and add to it for homework two, and so on. By the end of the course, you’ve built a larger piece of software than in any other class, and it is really rewarding to have everything come together. It was awesome to get to pick your programming language and be creative in how you design your program. It really opened me up to a passion for programming languages and general software design.”

AJ Ferrara, Sophomore

Majors: Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering

Favorite class: Balancing Freedom and Security

“My favorite class was Balancing Freedom and Security, which was my expository writing class. I particularly enjoyed this class because it allowed me to expand my learning beyond engineering. Being one of the only engineers in the class, it was interesting to hear ideas from students of other backgrounds and for me to bring a more analytical approach to writing. I love the idea that Hopkins is a place where I can explore multiple passions, ranging from engineering to politics. I plan to pursue politics and law after college, so the class was a great first opportunity for me to take an engineering approach to national political issues.”

Sasha Novack, Junior

Major: Physics

Favorite class: Introduction to Digital Video Production

“My favorite class at Hopkins has so far probably been Introduction to Digital Video Production. It was an extremely special and fun class due to how it required the class to think. As a STEM major, I often find myself following strict rules or sets of equations, not really doing anything creative. This class, however, requires that creativity. The professor was absolutely hilarious and encouraging, and the projects (films, in case the class title didn’t hint at it enough) were enjoyable to make and even more fun to watch with the rest of the class.”