Hey guys! My name is Allysa, or Liss. I am from Cream Ridge, New Jersey, about thirty minutes from the Jersey Shore. I am double majoring in International Studies, with a concentration in global environmental policy, as well as Global Environmental Change and Sustainability (often known as GECS). I've had such a great experience so far with my two majors - they're both interdepartmental, which has allowed me to take a wide range of classes and at the same time satisfying major requirements. It really doesn't get any better than that! With that being said, please do feel free to ask me any questions regarding the IS and GECS majors. Furthermore, I am deaf, so I am quite experienced with Johns Hopkins' disability services (http://web.jhu.edu/disabilities) as well as general university accommodations - I'm more than happy to provide advice and assist you.

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So why Hopkins?

After visiting (I visited the campus maybe four or five times...I couldn't stop coming back!!), I remember leaving Hopkins thinking, "Wow, the students are such an amazing group of people." They all had passion and drive for learning and independence. That was a common thread I saw throughout all the students which I still see today. Our character is something that doesn't go unnoticed. Hopkins is also so diverse in its student body, academics, and extra-curriculars, which was a huge plus.

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Classes

FALL 2010
Contemporary International Politics
Intro to Calculus
Intro to Global Environmental Change
Indigenous Agency and Innovation

SPRING 2011
Microeconomics
Intro to Sustainability
Calculus
Global Environmental Politics

SUMMER 2011
Intro to Chem
Chem Lab I
Macroeconomics

FALL 2011
Prisons and Police
Environment and Your Health
Intro to Psych
The American Earth: Empire and Environment in U.S. History

SPRING 2012
Intro to Social Psych
Occidental Civilizations: Modern Europe
Asian Energy Security
Intro to Political Economy I
Climate Change: Science & Policy

SUMMER 2012
Food Politics

FALL 2012
Ecology
Environmental History
Intro to Social Stats
Designing Sustainable Wellness

On another note, I took AP U.S. History, AP Comparative Politics, AP Lit, AP French, and AP Environmental Science in high school.

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Extracurriculars

Student Admissions Advisory Board (SAAB): We are the ones behind Hopkins Interactive and we aim to help prospective students by writing blogs, answering Hopkins-related questions, working with the Open Houses and other Hopkins-related events...the list is endless! Basically, we want to help you in making the college process go smoothly as possible.

Admissions: I work in Admissions on various projects for SAAB and other admissions-related things over the summer as well as during the school year.

Hopkins Hosting Society:
This is a great opportunity to meet and host prospective students and show them my home. I was fortunate enough to be able to visit Hopkins overnight several times - though it was not through Hopkins. I had friends that already went to JHU and I had such a great time. It made me fall in love with Hopkins even more. So it is my hope that every prospective student gets a chance to visit Hopkins!

Alpha Phi Sorority:
I joined sophomore year instead of freshman year. I wanted to focus on my academics first and later on, I became really involved in Alpha Phi even though I wasn't in it yet because all of my friends were in it! So I'm very glad I rushed (we rush in the spring) and I've gotten to know many people through Alpha Phi as well as the other sororities.

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Dormlife

I originally come from Wolman East 6th floor, the dorm I stayed in for my freshman year. I lived in Charles Commons 4th floor for my sophomore year. I think Wolman and Charles Commons are the best dorms on campus! Why? Because they're right next to Charles Market, also known as Charmar. Charmar has EVERYTHING you could possibly need. It is also near Barnes and Noble, Starbucks, Chipotle, Subway...the list goes on. Additionally, it's right across from the "beach" - the lawn where students tan, do work on the grass, or even play frisbee. For my freshman year, I lived in a double (I had a roommate), with two suitemates too, who each lived in a single. We shared a kitchenette and bathroom. And not to mention that we had AC, unlike the AMRs! In Commons, I lived in a single, with 3 other suitemates. We also had a kitchenette, 2 bathrooms (which was great), and a living room. Now, I live off-campus.

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That's it for now. Please feel free to ask me or anyone of us any questions you may have! And don't forget to check out my blog: http://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/allysa/.

Hi Samantha!!

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS! You must be so excited.

There is no doubt in my mind that you won't be able to relax or find some downtime. You definitely will. For me, I am usually able to do anything on the weekends such as go out, explore Baltimore, or just hang out with friends. I'm definitely busy during the week (it depends on what classes you take, how many, and your extra-cirriculars), but I always have some downtime. It can get busy/stressful at some times, but it's often usually before midterms and finals, which is a given. Obviously, I strongly encourage you to choose Hopkins because I absolutely love it here!! The students here are amazing - I would say that's the best thing about Hopkins. I also love the flexibility of the curriculum - there's no core curriculum (meaning you can pick your own classes and explore different majors!). But, like for anyone, you may find JHU not to be the "one," which then brings me to SOHOP. It's an overnight program for admitted students and I strongly encourage you to do it. It's going to be tons of fun and you will get the best perspective of Hopkins. It will definitely help you in your decision. You'll be able to see the campus inside and out, talk to many different students and get their different opinions and advice. It's a really great opportunity. Please let me know if you end up doing it!!

Best,
Allysa

Great!!! I am SO glad to hear that. And yes, it especially helps if you have a good work ethic - you will do just fine, no doubt in my mind at all. I haven't had any difficulty in terms of time management and work load because I did the same thing in high school - managing my time wisely and whatnot. So you shouldn't have a problem. April 13-15 is right around the corner, so get excited! And if you ever have any more questions, please feel free to ask!

Hi jhupost!

You heard right, Johns Hopkins is a GREAT school for not only medicine, but for research as well. Very rarely do you have the chance to learn from professors who have such expertise in their field. It's a rare opportunity that state schools often do not offer. I'm curious, do you know what kind of medicine you want to study? Neuroscience is very popular here, as well as just Cellular and Molecular Biology. I also highly suggest contacting other SAABers who are majoring in these areas (since I am international studies/global envi change and sustainability major).

In my opinion, the campus is stunning. I applied here ED, and the campus was one of the main reasons why I loved this school. It was actually the first school I visited out of MANY. Since I applied ED, I did not apply to other colleges. However, I was seriously considering applying regular in order to apply to Princeton and Dartmouth, which were some of my top choices. But I still chose JHU. That brings me to SOHOP - which you probably have heard about (there's a lot of info about that on the Facebook 2015 group), which I HIGHLY recommend you to do. It's an overnight program and will really allow you to get to know JHU inside and out. You'll be able to interact with current students who will provide different perspectives and advice. Also, check out photos from Hopkins Interactive's flickr - there's some beautiful pictures there: Flickr: Hopkins Interactive.

In terms of academics, JHU is quite a rigorous college. That's what makes it such a great school. The students that attend here are dedicated and have a passion for learning. That's another reason why I applied ED. It's a great environment to succeed in as well as maintain your other interests such as extracirriculars and social life. Medical schools know that if you do well here, you can do well anywhere, and it's true. I think the website of the office of academic advising has some outstanding statistics on the admissions of medical schools. You can find that website here: Admissions of Medical Schools. It says that first time med school applicants with a GPA of over 3.3 had a 88% chance of getting into at least one medical school. I think that's a pretty good chance. But once again, talk to other SAABers for more info. But in a way, know that this is coming from a non pre-med student, who knows this already - that's how well Hopkins is known for it!

Hope this helps and if you have more questions, ask!

Best,
Allysa

Hey Allysa!

I'm currently a sophomore in high school and Johns Hopkins is definitely my first choice in schools, so I plan on applying ED.
Is the student life at Hopkins stressful?
Thanks so much!

-Erika

Hey Erika!

I'm glad to hear that you are already interested in Hopkins!! I would say that the experiences with RD and ED for each student varies. I applied ED and I'm glad I did that. Sure, it took stress off, but I knew and was absolutely certain that I wanted to attend Hopkins. With that being said, don't apply ED because it's less stressful or you think it'll increase your chances. Only apply ED if you're absolutely positive that you want to attend the school, because there's no turning back!! Anyway, as for my high school experience, I took a variety classes and did well in them. I was really involved with my school and had a good experience. With that being said, because of my work ethic and interest in learning, life at Hopkins hasn't been too stressful. Of course, it's stressful near midterms and finals, but that's a given with any school! Other than that, the workload has certainly been manageable and do-able. I still have time to do the things I want to do, such as hanging out with friends, exploring Baltimore, etc. Anyway, my advice to you is to visit all the schools (if possible) in person and get a feel for the general atmosphere, the campus, the students, etc. It really makes a difference - Hopkins was actually the first school I visited, and I immediately fell in love with it. Even after visiting many colleges, I still knew Hopkins was it. So I believe I made the right decision with going ED.

Hope this helped, and feel free to ask any more questions about Hopkins!

Best,
Allysa

Hi Allysa!

I'm a junior from New York, and I visited Hopkins in February. I fell in love with it! I am going to apply ED in the fall, and have spent so much time on the Hopkins Interactive forums, so thanks so much for everything you guys do on here!! Anyways, I saw that you are part of the JHU Newsletter. I was wondering if you could talk a little about this experience. I am very into journalism, and I know there is no journalism major at Hopkins, but I thought maybe the Newsletter could suffice/come close!!

Thanks soo much!

Hi Allysa,

I'm Sophie, a senior at Oregon Episcopal School in Portland, OR. I submitted my ED application a couple of days ago! I was very, very excited, but on the other hand, I was very, very nervous!!

I visited JHU website and saw your profile, and realized that the reason why you are studying IR matched mine! School trip to India in my junior year impacted me so much that I decided to study IR to help developing countries!!

So my question is that what kind of opportunities at JHU available related to helping developing countries and  underprivileged students?

If you could reply to my post/question, that would be wonderful!
Thank you!!
Sophie :)

Hello! I'm an admitted student interested in the GECS major! I will be on campus this coming Wednesday before the admitted student program. Are there any GECS aadviser/professors/current students you could put me in contact with that I could meet with between 11 and 1 on Wednesday?

hi allysa. Could you help me know what kinda career options and job opportunities do we get after the course if we choose to do masters in bio medical engineering with thesis at JHU??I am aware that it is not your subject but I was hoping you would know or you could redirect me to any concern masters student already in the institute.. Hope to hear from you.
thank you.