Students have a habit of joining Hopkins, becoming engrossed in on-campus activities, and not leaving — that is the Hopkins Bubble. We tend to lose sight of the fact that we live just 45 minutes away from our nation's capital, in a city rich with art and culture, and in a state filled with gorgeous parks and hidden gems.
Welcome to your first year at Johns Hopkins! As you probably already know — or else, will soon discover — this place has a bit of a reputation for being the “doctor school.” Whether this is true for you or whether you plan on studying something else, you may be interested in getting a fuller picture of Hopkins. While it can feel like the humanities occupy a much less visible corner of our school, in reality, it is just as colorful and vast as its science and engineering counterparts.
Hopkins was new and Hopkins was hard, but looking back, I emerged from my freshman year with a lot of success, and there’s no doubt that with some perseverance you will, too. This article is my very best attempt to transfer everything I learned to you so that you can learn from my mistakes and get off to a great start on your pre-med journey.
When you spend 17 years in a small town where most of your neighbors’ cars were from before you were born, the opportunity to go into the big, wide world seems like your golden ticket to a new future. In my final year of high school, where I graduated on a lopsided soccer field (since our school wasn’t big enough for a football team), I couldn’t wait to move to a new city — a real, busy, alive city. Even if I was going to be across the country from the rest of my family, something in me knew that I was where I was meant to be.
Change is rarely easy, and the college transition is an extreme case. As a freshman first stepping onto campus, it can take a lot to simply be present. While it’s easy to anticipate the academic challenge that college might bring, it is also easy to overlook how freshman year likely is the furthest you’ve been from all of the people and places you consider home. But, even in that tangle of nerves and excitement, small intentional practices can help ease your transition to college. Here are a few pointers for finding your footing in your first year at Hopkins.
Freshmen, welcome to Johns Hopkins University — America’s first research university, ranked as one of the top 10 national colleges and... without a library?
So you’ve found an off-campus event you want to attend — perhaps an Orioles game at Camden Yards or the Sunday morning farmers market on Holliday Street — but you have no clue how to get there without a car. You’re not alone in facing this challenge. But don’t let long distances discourage you! Hopkins students have access to a number of public and university-sponsored transportation options that are both safe and convenient.
Truth be told, I did not cook once throughout my freshman year. Committed to using up my meal swipes every week, I often chose to traverse across campus to Nolan’s for a piece of burned (or raw) chicken, when I could have cooked up something nice and normal for myself. To help you avoid making the same mistakes I did, here are four of my favorite recipes for dorm room cooking!
While many Hopkins students may find themselves frequenting the familiar spots on St. Paul Street, there are hidden gems scattered throughout the city well worth exploring. A huge foodie myself, I kept a detailed diary of all the restaurants I have explored, either on a lone quest or with my buddies. It’s my pleasure to share some of my favorite restaurants, and I hope you enjoy them, as well!
A crucial step in your journey as a Blue Jay is becoming familiar with the wide range of lingo used by students at Hopkins. Here is your guide to some of the most frequently used abbreviations and acronyms on campus.
As you're approaching the start of your freshman year, you might feel anxious thinking about your future roommate(s). I’ve been in your shoes — growing anxious whenever I came across a freshman roommate horror story and praying I’d secure a single. Instead, I’ve been blessed with a best friend that made me thank the universe for not answering my prayers. To make this your reality, here are a few things that will help you build a relationship with your roommate.
Despite our cutthroat reputation, our school offers a seemingly endless number of resource to ensure the success of every student — academically and personally. While a comprehensive guide would take ages to comb through, below are a few of my favorite “hidden” or lesser-known resources.
After a year away from home, I can’t claim to have the solution for curing homesickness nor can I even say that there’s a way to always make it easy, but I do believe that my experience has taught me a number of important lessons on how to get through and deal with the issues that come with the distance.
Like many Hopkins students, I am one of those people whose interests are diverse and unrelated. And, like many Hopkins students, I tend to participate in way too many activities to keep all these passions engaged (I also have a difficult time saying no to people, which probably doesn’t help). When the fall semester began, I was full of energy, determination and naïveté. These three things mostly carried me through the first semester without any major hiccups. But when the second semester started, I found that my plan failed to take into account several factors, the biggest of which was burnout.
My battle with depression became a fight on its own. But with much help and encouragement, I slowly learned to stop shying away from the idea of being vulnerable and instead, found great meaning in using it as a source of connection. I had to let go of having such high expectations and let myself simply be.
If there’s one message I really wish someone would’ve told me before I started college, it’s that whatever path I picked was the right path. If there’s one thing for freshmen to take away from this letter, it’s that your judgment is sound, and you’re doing the right things even if other people choose to approach this year differently.
Dear Freshman Molly,You made it! Yes, you read that right; you’re at the end of your four years at Hopkins, and you have come out in one piece! I remember how you are feeling now: Having spent your entire life in a small town, you are restless and excited to go far. When imagining what you think the college version of yourself will be like, she is everything you are not at 18 — effortlessly successful, self-assured and outgoing (complete with a really cool haircut).
Before going into the nitty gritty of my time at Hopkins, I just want to say that I’m grateful for both the hard and good times I’ve had here. These experiences are what have shaped me into the man I am today. I came to Hopkins as a teenager right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I leave a full grown adult ready to swim through the challenges of life.
During these last four years, I’ve worked as a tour guide for the admissions office. When we reach the last tour stop at Decker Quad, I always wrap up by answering the question, “Why Hopkins?” For me, the answer is simple: the people.
If I had a nickel for every incorrect prediction I made about my college experience, I would have…a lot of nickels. On March 14, 2020, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I had been holding. Staring back at me and my parents was the long-anticipated email from Johns Hopkins University congratulating me on my admission to the class of 2024. I vividly remember spending the rest of that evening daydreaming about the four years ahead of me.
