Author Topic: Meet JHU_Wafa - Alexandria, VA (Read 2527 times)

JHU_Wafa · « **on:** September 20, 2009, 10:17 PM »

Hello everyone!

My name is Wafa and I am originally from Alexandria, VA (and yes, I always say DC). I graduated high school with an International Baccalaureate Bilingual Diploma and came to Hopkins with the intent of studying the brain.

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Why Hopkins?

I stuck to my plan of studying the brain, and have spent the past three years as a double major in Neuroscience and History of Science and Technology. The aspects that attracted to me Hopkins, namely the opportunity to do research in some of the best labs in the world as an undergraduate, pursuing a passion for the humanities, especially history in regards to the development of Science, Medicine and Technology, etc have all been reasons why my time at Hopkins has been so rewarding. I choose Hopkins over other schools, and accelerated medical programs, because it offered something to me that I believed was unique to this university. It offered me all the opportunities possible to capitalize on my intellectual curiosity. In addition, it offered the best of both worlds in terms of a small sized school overall with the resources of a huge university. It has an absolutely beautiful campus while a bustling city with all its amenities is only a street away. Here, intellectual curiosity is a norm and hard work is expected. To a student with high ambitions, there is no place better to strive for your dreams.

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My Classes

Fall 2008
-Introduction to Neuroscience
-Introduction to Physiological Psychology
-Introduction to Cognitive Neuropsychology
- Introduction to Chemistry I
- Introduction to Chemistry I Lab
-Jim Crow in America

Spring 2009
-Cognitive Neuroscience
-Trauma, Melancholia and Ethnic Identity in American Literature
-Social History of Languages
-Museums and Controversy
-Introduction to Chemistry II
-Introduction to Chemistry Lab II

Fall 2009
-Calculus 1 for Biological Sciences
-Organic Chemistry I
-Exploration and Science
-Bodyworks: Body, Medicine and Technology in the 21st Century -
-Nervous System 1

Spring 2010
-Calculus II for Biological Sciences
-Organic Chemistry II
-Organic Chemistry Lab
-Nervous System II
-Research in Neuroscience

Fall 2010
-Biochemistry
-Biochemistry Lab
-Physics I for Biological Sciences
-Physics I Lab
-Visual System
-History of Medicine

Spring 2011
-Cell Biology
-Physics II for Biological Sciences
-Physics II Lab
-Synapses
-Research

Fall 2011
-Neurobiology of Learning and Memory
-Brain Injury and Recovery
-Neuroscience Lab
-Science in the Atomic Age
-Islamic Literature: Beloved of Western Thinkers
-Senior Thesis

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My Extracurriculars
I dabble in a lot on campus, but the two extracurricular activities that dominate my calender are:

THE JHU TUTORIAL PROJECT.
The Tutorial Project was one of the reasons I wanted to come to Hopkins: I thought it was important for students who attended a university as prestigious as Hopkins did something, anything, to give back to the city in which we live. I began as a tutor during my freshmen year, then as an organizer during my sophomore year, and now as a junior I am one of the two Student Directors for the whole project. Progressing through the ranks in this organization, and now being able to directly deal with families and schools has given me so much fulfillment it is difficult to put into words. The two days a week I spend in Tutorial often lift my spirit and put everything else in perspective and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

STUDENT ADMISSIONS ADVISORY BOARD.
I didn't discover Hopkins Interactive until after I had already decided to go to Hopkins, but once I did I knew I wanted to apply. Because I was one of the first in my family to go through the whole process of applying to schools in the states, I discovered the process on my own and wanted to help pass some of that knowledge along. I enjoy every aspect of SAAB, from the blogging to the Open Houses and especially spending time with the other SAABers.

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DORMING LIFE:

I lived in Wolman Hall my freshmen year and absolutely adored it. I was never a big fan of cafeteria food or sharing a room, so Wolman was the perfect choice for me. Sophomore year, I lived in the Homewood Apartments which are basically the most spacious, beautiful dorms offered. I loved living there, as inconvenient as people assumed the ten minute walk to class was (it really wasn't at all). In both my junior year and now my senior year, I am living in an off-campus apartment with one of my roommates from sophomore year.

My cribs videos always are more eloquent than me trying to explain housing:
Wolman - 4 East
Homewood Apartments - 516

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Follow Me

- read my blog: http://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/wafa
[My freshmen year is chronicled at this blog: Freshmen Blog]
- see my profile: http://apply.jhu.edu/studentlife/meet_wafa.html.

Please feel free to ask any questions!

JHU_Wafa · « **Reply #1 on:** November 09, 2009, 03:41 PM »

Quote

Hey there Wafa. So as I look over the list of all of JHU majors over and over and over again (I am undecided about my major) the History of Science, Medicine and Technology seems interesting. Can you tell me more about the major? What classes do you take? Are there lot of people who are going to medical school in the classes?

So History of Science, Medicine and Technology is an amazing major that is a humanities major, but about half of the requirements would mimic those necessitated by pre-med requirements as well as the requirements for other science majors. The other half include courses that explore the history of the fields of science, medicine and technology (duh!), for example many people take History of Medicine their first semester. Next semester, I'm taking Museums and Controversy: from the Enola Gay to Body Worlds, which will count towards the major.

This attached website shows other classes within the major that are being offered for the Spring 2009 semester, to give you an idea of the kinds of classes you would take.
List of classes for Spring 2008 under HoSMT

The fact that this major requires many science classes means that it also covers many pre-medical requirements to apply to medical schools, with exceptions that you'd naturally fill in. The advantageous part of doing this major is that there are not that many HoSMT majors per year, about 25 to 30, which means you work and interact closely with the professors and even the head of the department. This becomes increasingly important when you do apply to medical school, because they write the best recommendations. This would be in stark contrast to many other science majors that have a couple hundred at least, and so it becomes harder to have professors and department heads know you well enough to write a stellar recommendation.

This is the website for the department at Hopkins.

The Undergraduate website of HoSMT at Hopkins

According to that website, this major allows you to study:
History of Science: Antiquity to the Middle Ages; the Scientific Revolution; the Rise of Modern Science
Science and Religion: Collaboration, Conflict, or Compromise?
History of Medicine: Antiquity through the Scientific Revolution
Changes in the Land: Science, Technology, and the American Environment
Seven Wonders of the Modern World
Women and Medicine
History of the American Automobile
Debating Evolution
The Scientific Revolution
History of Medicine: 18th-20th Centuries
Silicon Valley
History of Epidemiology
The Natural and the Artificial: The Concept of the Man-Made Man
History of Chemistry
History of Chinese Medicine
Japan and the Environment

jaisciram · « **Reply #2 on:** January 14, 2010, 11:38 AM »

Hey Wafa.
I am interested in neuroscience and wanted to know what you think about the difficulty of the coursework. I actually have tons of questions and wanted to know if I could email them to you.

JHU_Wafa · « **Reply #3 on:** January 16, 2010, 01:29 PM »

Hi jaisciram,

I would be more than willing to answer any and all questions you have. If it is okay with you, I'd like to ask that you post your questions here so that they can be of help to other students that may have the same questions as you.

Regards.

jaisciram · « **Reply #4 on:** January 17, 2010, 12:44 PM »

Wafa,
Thank you so much for replying to question. The thing is that I am coming from India, and I am looking into Johns Hopkins for my studies. I am interested in neuroscience and wanted to know exactly how difficult is the coursework. Is the competition is really that cutthroat? Also, I was told that going into JHU will not guarantee admission to Johns Hopkins Medical School; also research is a must. Will the university allot a research group or is it my responsibility to find one? If so, how dificult is it to find one? If I choose and graduate from JHU will it improve my acceptance into competitive medical schools?

Thank you so much and look forward to hear from you. Your input will help me in my decision-making to apply to JHU.

JHU_Wafa · « **Reply #5 on:** January 19, 2010, 11:23 AM »

Hello,

I'm going to try to answer all of your questions as coherently as I can as a student.

First, Neuroscience is by no means an easy major to go into, but in all honesty there is no easy major at Hopkins. Every one of them requires dedication, interest in the subject and hard work. Neuroscience in no exception. Because of the nature of subject, most of its classes are considered among the most challenging you can take and I would definitely recommend only going into Neuroscience if you are truly interesting in the material.

The competition between students is by no means cutthroat (as has been discussed countless times in these forums), and Neuroscience, like all other subjects, requires a certain amount of collaboration between students. Trust me, once you take one of Hendry's or Gorman's exams (they are professors in the Neuroscience program), you'll realize the importance of student with others. Look here for more Hopkins' students' opinions on competition at Hopkins: http://z14.invisionfree.com/Hopkins_Forums...?showtopic=1026

As to the connection between JHU undergraduate studies and the Medical School, there is absolutely no immediate guarantee or connection between the two. The nature of the intensity of a Hopkins education and the opportunities/resources that are afforded to us makes Hopkins students very competitive applicants to all graduate schools.

Considering Hopkins is one of the premier research universities, all students are encouraged to engage in it. That being said, college is a time where you must learn to take initiative and make things happen for yourself. Each student is responsible for finding a research lab they are interested in and emailing the professor in charge, so on and so forth. That being said, there are advisors and upperclassmen that are more than willing to help in the process of acquiring a position at a research lab. Here's a thread about research: http://z14.invisionfree.com/Hopkins_Forums...p?showtopic=325

Lastly, a Hopkins education is rigorous and well-rounded enough to make its students excellent candidates for graduate schools, but it is up to each student to make sure to take advantage of all the resources, opportunities, and do well to make sure they are of adequate standing to apply to graduate school.

I hope all of this answers the questions you have about Hopkins, feel free to ask anymore you might think of.

Regards.

kwang · « **Reply #6 on:** April 18, 2010, 07:08 AM »

Hi Wafa,

I want to do a B.Sci in Molecular and Cellular Biology, but even though I have a passion for biology, I still want to study the more social, historical, or cultural aspects of it.

So, I was thinking about doubling in HoSMT, but how writing intensive is it? I'd like a good balance in terms of courses, but I'm afraid that double majoring (and maybe minor in Bioethics) would be too ambitious.

How are/did you handle double majoring in Neuroscience and HoSMT, since I know neuroscience is a pretty challenging major too.

JHU_Wafa · « **Reply #7 on:** April 18, 2010, 04:37 PM »

Quote

So, I was thinking about doubling in HoSMT, but how writing intensive is it? I'd like a good balance in terms of courses, but I'm afraid that double majoring (and maybe minor in Bioethics) would be too ambitious.

How are/did you handle double majoring in Neuroscience and HoSMT, since I know neuroscience is a pretty challenging major too.

Hello,

I am thrilled you are considered pursuing HoSMT as a major, or even taking classes in the department because it has been such a great experience for me.

Most HoSMT classes tend to be writing intensive and/or require weekly readings, they often will also have class discussions as a major part of the framework of the class. I have never found the writing intensive part of my classes to be an issue, mostly because I enjoy essay writing and tend to be quite good at it. But, you would have access to your professor, TA as well as school-wide programs like the Writing Center that would provide help/support for writing essays if that is not your strongest point.

In truth, the HoSMT classes that I have taken and plan on taking are the classes that I am extremely interested in anyway, so it was a natural progression to declare a double major. I also love the intimacy of the smaller program and the direct and fast access I have to my professors and adviser.

As you mentioned, Neuroscience is indeed an extremely challenging major. However, half of the requirements for HoSMT are science classes which I am taking anyway for my neuroscience major. So it is basically a two-birds-and-one-stone situation.

Hopkins does not let anyone declare their major (save BMEs) until the spring semester of their sophomore year and then you usually cannot add a second one until the fall of your sophomore year. This is all to say, you'd have plenty of time to figure out whether you'd like to double major or just take classes in the department. But I would definitely recommend taking a HoSMT class your first year so that you can get a feel for what the major and classes are all about before you commit to it as a major.

I hope this answered your questions, please let me know if you have follow-up ones. All the best.

vale93 · « **Reply #8 on:** April 20, 2011, 12:59 PM »

Quote from: "JHU_Wafa"

Hello everyone!

My name is Wafa and I am originally from Alexandria, VA (and yes, I always say DC). I graduated high school with an International Baccalaureate Bilingual Diploma and came to Hopkins with the intent of studying the brain.

Hi Wafa!

I'm Valeria, incoming freshman for the class of 2015. I'm an international student (I'm Italian) currently finishing off a bilingual IB Diploma in the UK.. how comforting to see I'm not an isolated case (IB wise)!

So, different topic altogether: I'm in the process of completing all that Housing Contract/Room-mate Questionnaire stuff, and I'm kind of stuck between housing choices. I, too, am not as keen on dining halls ect. so I'm thinking Wolman, I'm just not sure whether I should go for Vacation Housing or not.. I won't be able to travel back to Italy for thanksgiving, that's for sure, but I was wondering whether spring break is a time students usually spend together, going somewhere (or is it just the impression I got from films?). In that case maybe just normal Housing in Wolman would be fine.
What do you say? Any suggestions? Anyone you know from Europe in my same condition?

Thanks already and sorry for the trouble. =)
Cheers!

JHU_Nick · « **Reply #9 on:** April 20, 2011, 03:03 PM »

Hi Valeria,

I'm not from overseas, nor am I Wafa (sorry Wafa for totally taking over your topic), but a good friend of mine is actually from Italy and is in a similar situation. He is in vacation housing in Wolman, but for Thanksgiving break him and a few other friends from overseas actually split a hotel room in DC and spent the week there as sort of their own vacation. As for spring break, yes, people do go away to warm places like Mexico of Florida, but there are a lot who simply go home. It really depends on you and the people you become friends with, so it is hard to tell now what your preference for spring break plans will be. I'd say get vacation housing to be on the safe side, in case a trip over break doesn't work out, but I'll let Wafa put her input in seeing as I live about 5 hours away driving. Just thought I'd throw in my two cents.

You can have your thread back now, Wafa.

vale93 · « **Reply #10 on:** April 20, 2011, 04:28 PM »

Quote from: "JHU_Nick"

Hi Valeria,

I'm not from overseas, nor am I Wafa (sorry Wafa for totally taking over your topic), but a good friend of mine is actually from Italy and is in a similar situation. He is in vacation housing in Wolman, but for Thanksgiving break him and a few other friends from overseas actually split a hotel room in DC and spent the week there as sort of their own vacation.

Thanks Nick! Really helpful.. =) Hey hope you don't mind me asking you the favour, but could you somehow get me in touch with your Italian friend? That'd be an absolute dream.. =)

Cheers!

JHU_Wafa · « **Reply #11 on:** April 22, 2011, 09:29 AM »

Quote

Hi Wafa!

I'm Valeria, incoming freshman for the class of 2015. I'm an international student (I'm Italian) currently finishing off a bilingual IB Diploma in the UK.. how comforting to see I'm not an isolated case (IB wise)!

Hi Valeria,

Nick did a great job of answering you question [and I don't ever mind him taking over my thread] but I just wanted to add on to his answer. My suitemate freshmen year was an international student from Saudi Arabia, and we were not in Vacation Housing. While she was planning to go home for winter break/Intersession - she actually spent Thanksgiving break with me. Our sophomore year she went to Illinois to visit one of her best friends from home at college. Basically, you can do any of the options that you listed - international friends are usually those of us who live in the US invite home for Thanksgiving first. So that is an option if you'd like to just go for normal Housing.

Like Nick said, Vacation Housing could also be a safer option because there is no rule that says that you have to stay but you might like the choice. JHU_Greco, who is a sophomore and also on these forums, is an international student from Korea and I don't quite remember where he lived during his freshmen year but he would also be a good person to ask about this!

Feel free to ask any more questions that you might have!

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Author Topic: Meet JHU_Wafa - Alexandria, VA (Read 2527 times)