Global Goodbyes with Rita's Ice from Summer Programs

As the summer is coming to a close, we decided it would be a fun idea to wish everyone a safe trip home, wherever our students come from. Every year we have students from all over the US as well as countries all over the world. We wanted to showcase all of the unique places that our students come from with our first annual Global Goodbyes Send-off Social. To commemorate the occasion, got a ton of Rita's water ice and color-changing cups for everyone, Pre-College students and the rest of the Hopkins community.

Color Changing Cups decked out in our Summer Programs logo and the new Johns Hopkins University logo!
What colors do you think they change into?

It took a lot of planning, but I think that in the end, the event went really well and we got to see how diverse the community is. We had free Rita's ice for everyone, a photobooth setup for everyone to take pictures with friends, and a world map for everyone to leave mark on their hometown.


In the planning process. Don't worry we cleaned it all up!

Where in the world are you from?

We all had a great time putting on the event, and a lot of the students had a chance to just sit back with friends at the end of an intense five weeks here. A lot of Hopkins undergrads showed up too!

Serving up some Rita's Ice, all 15 gallons of it!

Goodbye and congratulations on finishing the program from the OSIP Staff!

A Quick Trip to DC!

One great thing about going to Hopkins is that we have access to two great cities, Baltimore and Washington, DC. While I've already talked about the many transportation options we have in Baltimore, I haven't talked about getting to DC which is just as easy as hopping on the next JHMI shuttle.

There are pretty hard to miss, they run every 5-15 minutes during peak times!

Getting to DC on the weekdays is really convenient, all you need to do is take the JHMI shuttle a few stops to Baltimore Penn Station. There, you can head over to a QuikTrak machine and buy a ticket for the MARC commuter train's Penn Line to DC's Union Station for $7 each way. This is a great deal cheaper than taking Amtrak. If you have a student advantage card, you can get an evern better discount! While the service only runs on weekdays for now, it's expected to operate on weekends starting this December.

Just yesterday, I hopped on a train to have some dinner with friends in DC. This year, I'm lucky enough to be on the national board for the Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association. Being part of a national organization is really great because I get to meet people from all around that I otherwise wouldn't have, as well as extend my passions and skills to larger scale projects. A lot of fellow national board members either live in the area or are just here interning for the summer, so it was a good chance to catch up.

ITASA NB members and Pamela from Board of Directors!
(Photo credits: Jesse Chen)

After some dinner and a refreshing treat from Rita's, I hopped on a train back to Baltimore and made it back to my apartment in almost no time. So many cool places are just a stone's throw away from Homewood.

More info about MARC commuter train service: http://mta.maryland.gov/marc-train

Back in Full Swing

We're now back in full swing here in the office, coordinating more field trips for Discover Hopkins and I'm once again going on all the Abnormal Psych trips with a new batch of students. They're proving to be just as lively and passionate as the last group.

With all of our students finally on campus, we're finally finished with check-ins and giving campus tours. Don't get me wrong, as much as I love giving the tours, it does get really hot on a summer day in Baltimore! I got to meet a lot of families and hopefully give them a better feel for the Homewood campus. 

Coming down the Breezeway and talking about the Wyman Quad

In the office, we're making plans for the rest of the summer, as well as for the upcoming school year. We've even gotten inquiries about the programs for Summer 2014!

Until next time!

Goodbye to Discover Hopkins Session 1

It's hard to believe that three whole weeks since the start of the term have already passed. The Summer University kids have all gotten settled in to their classes and their dorm rooms, while the first session of Discover Hopkins kids are about to say their goodbyes.

Today, we visited each of the Discover Hopkins classes for a quick little awards ceremony and gave each student their certificate of completion.

Group picture with the DH1 Abnormal Psych class

I'm going to miss these kids, but I wish them all a good summer and hope they enjoyed every moment they had on campus. This brings me back to my own DH memories, which seemed like only yesterday.

DH 1: Health and the Urban Environment 2011 on the last day of class

This upcoming Sunday is our last orientation for the summer, so I better rest up!

Getting Around Baltimore

Part of the Johns Hopkins experience is the chance to really explore Baltimore and branch out from the small Charles Village community. There are many ways to get around the city and today I'll talk about some of the most important ones that you can utilize.

JHMI/Peabody/Homewood Shuttle
The JHMI Shuttle is a big white bus (the one that says Johns Hopkins) that transports students between the East Baltimore Medical Campus, Peabody Institute, and the Homewood campus for free with Homewood's J-Card or the JHMI Badge. The full route takes 25 minutes from Homewood to East Baltimore and there's also express service at certain times.
Going Southbound, the JHMI Shuttle originates at the Interfaith Center, Barnes and Noble, and makes a few local stops before reaching Penn Station Baltimore. You can get off at Penn Station for other connecting services or stay on to get to Peabody/Mt. Vernon or the Medical Campus.
Going Northbound, the shuttle departs from the Med Campus at the same place as the drop off point and stops at Penn Station on the other side of Penn Station on Charles St. The closests stops to the Homewood campus are at Union Memorial Hospital (1 block from Barnes and Noble) and across the street from the Interfaith Center.

Find more info at http://parking.jhu.edu/
www.nextbus.com for estimated arrival times

It's pretty hard to miss, shuttles come close to every 5 or 10 minutes during rush hour.

Charm City Circulator
This is a free bus service provided for everyone in Baltimore. The circulator is how most Hopkins students get to the Inner Harbor. When you get off the JHMI shuttle at Penn Station, you can transfer onto the Circulator's Purple Route which brings you through Mt. Vernon and then Downtown/Inner Harbor. There are many routes that can bring you all over Baltimore. Circulator stops are located at the JHMI Campus, Little Italy, Harbor East, Fell's Point, Camden Yards, and many other places.

For complete info about services and destinations: http://www.charmcitycirculator.com/

The CCC has routes all over Downtown Baltimore and is sure to get you where you need to go! There's even a mobile app equipped with NextBus for time predictions.

MTA Buses
MTA operates the public bus service in the Baltimore region and is really inexpensive at $1.60 per ride. MTA buses take exact change payments, or you can just tap the MTA Charm Card or your WMATA Smartrip Card from DC. Both cards work in both cities which is really convenient for travelling between here and DC. One of the most common destinations that Hopkins students use MTA buses for is the Towson Town Center. This is a really large shopping mall in Baltimore County, about 4 stories tall. It's also close to other stores and restaurant in the Towson area. The closest stop to the Homewood Campus is at Union Memorial Hospital.

For more info: http://mta.maryland.gov/local-bus

Having a CharmCard is really great because it works alongside the Smartrip Card in Washington, DC as well.

Happy exploring and always remember to be safe when going off campus!

Trips with DH: Abnormal Psych

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

Hopefully everyone's weeks have been off to a good start and DH students are enjoying their field trips. The trips are an integral part of Discover Hopkins courses and were some of my most memorable experiences from my time in DH.
This summer, I'm fortunate to have the opportunity to be a field trip TA for Abnormal Psych in Forensic Cases (I really wanted to take this class too, back in the day). So far, the class has gotten to go to a lot of interesting places, meeting many intelligent people of different fields. Yesterday, the students were able to meet with a psychiatrist at the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Department of Psychiatry. We kept up a really good discussion about the various effects of mental illness on different aspects on a person's life.

Today, students were able to visit the Maryland State Police Forensic Science Lab and go own a tour of the facilities and hear about many different cases that the State Police has handled. The lab has many experts in chemistry, biology, firearms, and trace evidence like fingerprints.

Aftee taking a quick lunch break, we headed right over to the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center's Sleep Disorders to learn more about how sleeping really affects humans. Dr. Schwartz who spoke to us also gave the class a a quick tour of the center as well as the observation rooms. They're pretty much like hotel rooms where you have wires hooked up and have to go to sleep by around 9!

So how does sleep really affect us?

Some students ready to learn about sleep disorders!

I'm excited for the rest of the trips, some of them include sitting in on Drug Court and Juvenille Court in Carroll County, MD and I'm expecting good things.

Welcome DH Session 1!

I would like to extend a warm welcome to all the Discover Hopkins Session 1 students who moved into their dorms yesterday. To the SU students, the OSIP staff and I hope you're having a good start to your second week of classes. Hopefully everyone is enjoying dorm life and all the activities that are being offered! Be sure to get to know your RCs, they are valuable mentors and are there to help you if there is ever anything wrong duing your stay here.

Discover Hopkins students are in for an exciting two weeks, exploring the Baltimore area on field trips that allow for a hands-on approach to learning. Term 1 Discover Hopkins classes include, Abnormal Psych in Forensic Cases, The Hospital, Intro to Lab Research, Nanoparticles in Drug Delivery, and Fostering Healthy Communities. Students in the last two classes get to have their lectures in the Johns Hopkins Medical Campus! Enjoy your trips and maybe you'll see me and the other OSIP workers tagging along.

July 4th Fireworks!

July 4th is always a great time because you get to spend time with your friends at barbeques and watch fireworks together. This week, Summer University students got to have a barbeque on "The Beach" with activities all afternoon long. (Pictures from the event will be posted on http://facebook.com/jhuprecollege) Fireworks from the Inner Harbor ended the night in Baltimore.

As for me, I decided to venture into DC with some of my friends for fireworks by the Washington Monument. One of the perks of being in Baltimore, is our easy access to two great cities, one of them being our nation's capital.

Set up on the lawn with the perfect viewing angle.

The city was packed with people and everyone around us was just as excited. The weather was perfect for relaxing on the lawn with friends.

Our perfect view ended up being not so perfect so we had to move, but nonetheless, it was a great show!

After a long day of celebrations with friends, most of us have returned to work today and students have returned to class. Hopefully all the Summer University students are enjoying their courses and being thoroughly challenged. The first weekend is almost here, and the residential students will be going on their first weekend trip. This week the destination is Baltimore's Inner Harbor, have fun everyone!

SU Advising Week

Summer University is now underway! After orientation and move-in, all students have the opportunity to meet with an academic advisor to discuss initial thoughts on classes as well as study skills and other important resources. This week, my job will be working the Summer Help Desk that we have set up in the conference room.

Come stop by if you have any problems and need to speak to someone, or simply want to change a class.

All students will check in with me and the other student workers before going into their appointment. For all other students, we will be doing "Triage" in here to determine what kind of help everyone needs. Thanks to all the students who made it to their appointments on time! For the rest of the week, feel free to stop by if you have any issues. Even the students workers and I can help you with some of your smaller problems. Our office is located at 3505 N Charles St., just around the corner from Wolman Hall, across the street from the AMRs and the tennis courts.

We're in the building highlighted purple, the same building as the Public Health Studies office

 

We'll be in the room on the right as soon as you walk in! (aka not the left)