Hey there! I'm Ian, a freshman from Milan, Italy. I'm a Materials Science & Engineering and Chemistry double major. I'm also considering a minor in entrepreneurship and management because I may go into the business of science. I graduated from the International Baccalaureate program before coming to JHU.

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Why Hopkins?
I chose Hopkins because it one of the best schools in the world and also has features of both a large and a small school. It is a small school in the sense that you can get to know your professors (my organic chemistry teacher knows my name even though it's a lecture of about 300 students) and get personal attention, but a big school in the sense that there is so much going on and there are so many interesting people to meet. I also chose it because of the strength of the science programs here (a student can get involved in research in their freshman year) and the friendliness of the students in general.
Lastly, there is no core curriculum so I can take classes in areas I like outside of science. In fact, I'm loving my anthropology of media class as much as (if not more than) my science classes.
More on how I wound up at JHU from Italy can be found here.

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My Classes

Fall 2011:
Organic Chemistry I
Organic Chemistry Lab I
Anthropology of Media
Honors One-Variable Calculus
Leadership and Team Management (a class through ROTC even if I am not ROTC)

Spring 2012:
Programming for Materials Scientists & Engineers
Multivariable Calculus (Calculus III)
Physics I
Physics I Laboratory
Introduction to Formal Logic
Microeconomics

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My Extracurriculars
-HERO: Hopkins Emergency Response Organization (click me): I'm currently being trained to be an emergency first responder / emergency medical technician (EMT) so that I can work as a student emergency responder on campus. It's also a great way to get to know some very interesting people!

-JHUMUNC: Johns Hopkins University Model United Nations Conference [/url]: I was the chair of the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) committee at the Hopkins Model UN conference that hosted 1,600 high school students. In my committee, we debated the questions of the economics of poverty and gender equality. This is one of my favorite organizations on campus!

-American Red Cross, Baltimore: I'm a disaster responder for anything ranging from single family fires in Baltimore to National disasters. I work average of 1-2 shifts a week, but there is absolutely minimum or maximum time obligation for anyone involved.

-The Italian Club: I'm also a member of the Italian club, a group of students who gets together weekly to converse exclusively in Italian about anything we find interesting. It has been a great way to meet people from other grades (there are even some post-docs in the club).

-Student Admissions Advisory Board: I'm a member of this group of students who works alongside the admissions office to help answer questions for prospective students honestly and from a current student perspective. It's a lot of fun, and another great way to meet new people.

-Blue Key Society: I am a tour guide at the Homewood Campus. If you want to make it to one of my tours, I give one every Friday at 2pm!
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My Dorm

I live in AMR II-Adams, just down the hall from JHU_Erica. It's such a blast living here, everyone is very social and welcoming. My roommate is from Thailand and we get along really well. I love it here!

Hi Nisu!

Double majoring with your primary major in the Whiting School of Engineering is undoubtedly difficult, but feasible depending on how many credits you come in with. Like you, I came in with a fair amount of credits so it made it a little easier for me to double major. I assume you have already looked up which credits you have received and what JHU classses they place you out of (if you haven't, you can click here). Since you are pre-med you have to be careful about what classes you do decide to take AP credit for. I strongly suggest you read this article from the JHU Pre-Professional advising site and get in touch with them once you arrive at JHU next fall.

Back to your other question about double majoring, the choice of the second major is up to you. The list of required classes for each major in the school of Arts and Sciences can be found on this site here, whereas the one for BME can be found through the BME site here .  Double majoring in two types of engineering will be very difficult and will require you to take heavy creditloads even if your majors have classes in common, so I would recommend taking a look at some of the arts and sciences majors or maybe even a minor. If you are interested in medical school, the Computer-Integrated Surgery Minor is really cutting-edge and works well to match your course of studies if your primary major is in the Engineering School. 

I hope this helps. Welcome to JHU!

Hi Ian
Can you pls tell me more about your experiences living at AMR?
Is there Internet 24/7 your dorm? Also, is there a 'lights out' time, and if so what time is it?

Hey Ian its Samoan! I am a senior in high school from Los Angeles,California and JHU is my first choice. I have been interested in this school ever since my fourth grade teacher thought this school was perfect for me and started calling me "Mrs. Johns Hopkins". Seeing as though you are from Milan, Italy I wanted to know how you were able to cope with being so far away from home.