Hi everyone! I’m Kaitlyn and I’m a sophomore majoring in International studies. I'm also on the Pre-Med track. I went to The John Cooper School (Go Dragons!), a small private school in The Woodlands, TX (which is about 45 minutes north of Houston).
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Why Hopkins?

I chose Johns Hopkins because it surpassed my checklist! Not only is it a research oriented university with breadth and depth across the academic departments, but it’s also on the East Coast with easy access to Washington D.C. and New York. I was also a recruited tennis player for Hopkins, so I was very excited that I’d be able to experience college as a student-athlete.
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My Classes

Fall 2011:

Introductory Chemistry I
Introductory Chemistry Lab I
General Physics I (for physical science majors)
General Physics Lab I
Calculus II (for engineers)
Intermediate Spanish I
Chemical Engineering Today

Spring 2012:

Introductory Chemistry II
Introductory Chemistry Lab II
General Physics II (for physical science majors)
General Physics Lab II
Differential Equations and Applications
Expository Writing: Better than Human

Fall 2012:

Organic Chemistry I
Biology I
Biology Lab I
Intermediate Spanish II
Medieval World

Spring 2012:

Organic Chemistry II
Biology II
Biology Lab II
Advanced Spanish I
Modern Political Thought in Latin America
Research Tools and Technologies for the Social Sciences

Fall 2013:

Biochemistry
Genetics
Organic Chemistry Lab
Macroeconomics
Global Public Health Since WWII

AP Credits:

AP Calculus BC
Which gave me credit for:
Calculus I   

AP Chemistry
Which gave me credit for:
Introductory Chemistry I
Introductory Chemistry II
Introductory Chemistry Lab I
Introductory Chemistry Lab II

**I chose not to take any credit for AP Chemistry because I felt that my high school lab was not equivalent to a college lab course.

International Relations (at Stanford University Summer College)
Which gave me:
3.3 credits (Social and Behavior Studies designation)

Greek and Latin Roots of English (at Stanford University Summer College)
Which gave me:
2 credits (Humanities designation)
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My Extracurriculars:

Research Assistant at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine --> This is by far my most significant time commitment outside of class, but I really enjoy it! Every Tuesday, I take the JHMI down to the medical campus to work in Dr. Pomper's lab under the direction of Dr. Ray in which we're developing new compounds in order to diagnose prostate cancer at earlier stages. While I'm usually working from 9-5 in the lab, I find that the time goes by extremely quickly- it's exciting to think about the possible implications of the research study!

SALUD --> In this student group, undergraduate bilingual students travel to the Baltimore City Health Department Clinic in order to serve as translators for doctors and their Spanish-speaking patients. I absolutely love my time at the clinic since I'm able to utilize my Spanish skills, observe doctor-patient interactions, and somewhat participate in these interactions as well.

Writing Center Tutor --> This year, I became an official "writing center tutor" which means that I work a weekly 4-hour shift at the JHU writing center that serves undergraduate and graduate students. As a tutor, I discuss various forms of argument-based writing and aid in the general structure and overall development of the paper. I have found that being a tutor has actually given me a lot of insight into my own writing, and I really enjoy being able to interact with so many different students through these appointments.

Phi Mu Fundraising Chair --> Joining a sorority at Hopkins in the spring of my freshman year was an amazing way to meet and get to know a ton of talented, driven young women. I truly love being a part of the Phi Mu sorority at Hopkins, and I'm also lucky enough to serve as the fundraising chair.

Student Admissions Advisory Board
SAAB is something that I knew I wanted to be a part of as soon as I was accepted to Hopkins. The SAAB board really helped me get a sense of Hopkins when I was a prospective student, so I wanted to try to do the same thing for you guys. I also think communicating with prospective students via blogs, forums, videos, twitter, and Facebook is so cool! SAAB is also great because I get to hang out with a lot of people with different majors and interests that I wouldn’t have met it if weren’t for SAAB.
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My Dorm Life:

As a sophomore, I live in a suite-style living arrangement in Charles Commons, and it's amazing. Not only does the building house a gym and the campus eatery, but it also boasts a prime location in terms of proximity to campus and Charles Village.

As a freshman, I lived in a single in AMR II, Griffin house.

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Follow me (please!):

Read my freshman year blog - http://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/2015/author/kaitlyn/
Read my current, sophomore year blog! - http://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/kaitlyn/
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That’s all for now! If you have any questions about academics, greek life, research, social life, transfer credits, the application process, or really anything, please don’t hesitate to ask them!

Question:

Hi Kaitlyn!

My name is Eric, and I am an accepted freshmen at JHU from Taipei, Taiwan! From your post in the Hopkins page, you wrote that you're majoring in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. That is a major I'm interested in studying, so could you give me some information on the classes you're in and you've taken, and what they are like? And also, what is your favorite thing about JHU, and perhaps some of the things that you thought were different from before and after you arrived.

I'm very excited to head to JHU in Fall 2012!

Response:

Hi Eric! Congratulations on your early decision acceptance!!

As a freshman ChemBE, I am taking Chemical Engineering Today, Chemistry I and II, Physics I and II, Chemistry Lab, Physics Lab, Calculus II, and Differential Equations and Applications. As for required distribution credits, I am taking Intermediate Spanish I and Expository Writing. I've attached a sample ChemBE course load below.

http://www.jhu.edu/chembe/undergraduate-programs/docs/Example-ChemBE-schedule.pdf

My experiences with my courses have been positive so far. My chemistry class had about 300 students, which is average in terms of a general science requirement (such as Physics, Biology, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, etc.). Generally all of the science courses move at a pretty quick pace, so that you're expected to keep up with the reading and weekly problem sets. Also, science courses generally have 2-3 midterms and a final exam. The professors are absolutely brilliant, and you usually have a "section" once a week in which a Teaching Assistant will go over the material covered in lecture. As for my math class, it had around 200 or so students, which is average for the lower level math courses. (Calculus I, II, and III). In Calculus II, we had a quiz every week in section, which I found helpful in terms of determining how well I knew the material. We also had a problem set due every section which could take an hour to ten hours to complete, depending on the week. My Chemical Engineering Class was my favorite class, and you can read more about it in my response to Carla above.

My favorite thing about JHU? It's hard to pick just one thing. I love the campus, the professors, the resources, and most of all, the students. When you come to Hopkins, you are putting yourself in an environment full of motivated people. It's inspiring to be around students that are really passionate about what they are studying.

As for things that were different in terms of my preconceptions, I guess I didn't expect to have as much fun as I am having. JHU is really conducive to building friendships and networking in terms of its size (there are approximately 1200 freshmen this year). It's really easy to meet people here because you almost always run into them again, whether that be in the library, in your dorm, in one of your lectures, or at the Freshmen Cafeteria (The Fresh Food Cafe). I didn't expect to feel this at home, this fast.

I hope that I've answered your questions, but if not, feel free to ask away or browse the forums for some more information.

Congrats again!
Kaitlyn

 

Hi Eric,

I do not think that you need to have taken AP Chem prior to coming to Hopkins in order to major in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. I believe my background in chemistry allowed me to be somewhat more prepared in Introductory Chemistry I than some of classmates, but Hopkins approaches chemistry in a different way than high school. I had not taken AP Physics prior to taking General Physics I, and I believe I did just fine. Obviously I had to focus on studying for physics more so than chemistry, but I never felt overwhelmed by the new material.

In your case, I would advise for you to take your Calc credits. If you got a 5 on AP Calc BC, it's clear that you know the material. A lot of my friends that are majoring in ChemBE took their calc credits so they started out in Calculus III, and they're able to have more flexibility with their schedule. That's just my 2 cents though. You can always enroll in Calculus III initially and if it proves to advanced, you can drop down to Calculus II before the drop/add deadline. Or vice versa, in which you could enroll in Calculus II and switch to Calculus III if the class proved too remedial. If you drop before this deadline, the switch won't appear on your transcript.

Hope that helps!
Kaitlyn
 

Hi, Kaitlyn! My name is Jennifer and I currently live in The Woodlands, Texas. I thought it was it was really neat to find a JHU student from the same town I am in, so I thought that you were the perfect person for me to ask my question to. I am currently a sophomore in high school and I am really considering applying to JHU (I know it's a little early for me but I like to be ahead of the game). I was wondering if there were any specific things that I should really focus on to better my chances of getting into JHU. I'm planning on applying early decision as I REALLY want to attend this school. Any tips that you could give me would be great! :) Thanks!

-Jennifer

Hi Jennifer!

That’s awesome that you’re also from The Woodlands! My little brother is a sophomore as well, and he’s been asking me similar questions lately. While it’s hard to spurt out specific tips and suggestions, I’ll try to be as specific as possible.

First off, I would definitely get in touch with your college advisor. It’s always beneficial to build a relationship with your advisor early on, and I’m sure that he/she will have some helpful tips and guidance.

I would also pursue something that you’re passionate about outside of the classroom. It seems cliché, but “following your passion” can really allow you to accomplish some amazing things (and have those amazing things to eventually put on your resume). Whether you’re an artist, musician, athlete, scientist, debater, or all of the above, I think that it’s extremely healthy to really pursue an activity outside of the classroom. If you love a certain subject, you can even enroll in advanced courses in that subject at Montgomery Community College or even apply to take those courses at Rice. I think that the admissions counselors at JHU (and at really any university) are looking for passionate, interesting, and mature students that are self-motivated and ready for the challenges of a rigorous institution.

I would also make sure to be an active participant in the classroom and foster positive relationships with your teachers, especially during your junior and senior years. In addition, taking advantage of the AP courses that your high school has to offer can demonstrate that you're ready to take on a college course-load.

Lastly, I would look into taking the SAT maybe towards the end of your sophomore year or at the beginning of your junior year. Taking it a little earlier than normal will give you time to assess your weak areas and even take a prep course if need be. In my case, studying the prep books on my own helped me more than the prep course actually did, but a lot of my friends found the courses super helpful. I hope that some of these suggestions help! Please let me know if you have any more questions.

Kaitlyn

Hey kaitlyn,

I would like to major in International Studies but I am also interested in doing pre-med. So you seem like a good person to consult. Do you think it is possible to pursue both of these interests and still have time in your schedule to take other “fun” classes that interest you but don’t necessarily correspond to your major? I am also interested in Public Health. do you think it would make more sense to major in Public health and do pre-med than do international studies?