Moving On Up!

Hello Readers!

It's been some time since I last posted, but I just wanted to report back with what's been going on with me lately. I've just started my junior year here at Hopkins, which means I've moved on up, out of university housing and into my own apartment close by! I'm getting settled in for what will be my new home for the next two years, and getting accustomed to my new schedule of pretty small classes. This semester, I'm taking a variety of classes like Youth and Youth Movements in 19th and 20th Century and Early Modern China in the History department, Housing and Homelessness in the United States in the Sociology department, and Fundamentals of Epidemiology and Foundations of Healthcare Management and Leadership in the Public Health Studies program. I'm really looking forward to learning a lot from my incredibly knowledgeable professors.

Some of you might have noticed that I wasn't at Homewood this past Summer. I was actually not too far away, in Washington, DC doing a congressional internship. While I missed the Charm City a lot while I was gone, I got to meet a lot of cool people and see the inner workings of Congress for 8 weeks, which is pretty exciting (I was actually walking a few feet behind John McCain once when I was on the Senate side of the Capitol). Here's a quick shoutout to the awesome program that placed me in my internship, the Taiwanese American Citizens League(TACL) - Political Internship Program. It's an awesome program that places interns in the office of an elected official for 8 weeks, teaches about the legislative process through an advocacy project, and provides much needed mentorship. I even got to talk about my experience at the TACL National Convention over Labor Day weekend. I'm so glad I got to be a part of this, even though I missed out on some of Baltimore's summer festivities.

Nevertheless, now that I'm back, I'm looking forward to another great year of learning, laughing, and excitement here at Homewood. This year I'm serving as the Executive President of the Inter-Asian Council, the Chief Advisor of Taiwanese American Students Association, and the National Programs Director of the Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association (ITASA). When I find some free time, I'm definitely going to check out the great lineup of speakers hosted by the Milton S. Eisenhower Symposium and the Foreign Affairs Symposium, and other fun events put on by The HOP or SGA. I'll try to post a little bit every now and then, I'd like to introduce a new contributor to our Hopkins Summer Blog, Sherry! Sherry is also a Pre-College alumnus, so stay tuned for updates from her!

Ringing in the New Year!

Hey World!

After a semester long hiatus, I'm glad to announce my return to blogging! It's been a pretty tiring, but all around rewarding fall semester for me. I moved into my new dorm room in Charles Commons, helped Freshmen move in during Orientation, and got settled into all my new classes. This past semester I took Environment and Your Health, Public Health Biostats, Intro to American Politics, Intro to Social Policy, and Second Year Heritage Chinese. I thought it was a good mix of classes while still making for a cohesive learning experience. There were some days where a lot of the topics overlapped and it was a pretty exciting feeling to be able to relate all these different areas.

Outside of class, I've been fully immersed in all my clubs and organizations which has kept me busy and never bored. In the Taiwanese American Students Association, I organised events as the Cultural Chair like our traditional Taiwanese umbrella painting night, and the annual Taste of Taiwan. I'm also a chair in the JHU Chapter of Innoworks, a national organization that seeks to improve to close the learning gap in underprivileged youth. We plan a one-week, no-cost summer camp for Baltimore area kids every August and we're ready to start planning the 2014 camp in full gear. I'm pretty excited for what spring semester has to hold in these and all my other clubs.

Pokemon themed umbrellas - with my TASA little

After a much needed month of R&R, I'm back and ready to take on Baltimore this spring. I'm looking forward to taking a new set of classes, new events to plan, and most of all new applicants for 2014 Summer University and Discover Hopkins.

Happy New Year! What are your New Year's Resolutions? Leave a comment!

Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/JHUPreCollege/

Home for the Summer

So after a long, fun, but tiring summer, I'm finally heading home. Just a few hours ago I packed up all my boxes in Baltimore, and hopped on a train headed back for New Jersey. For the next few weeks, I get to finally eat some home-cooked food and sleep in (hopefully, if my parents let me!). I'll also be taking a trip to SoCal in less than two weeks! Anyway, I'm getting settled in back at home, waiting for dinner right about now. I'll be sure to fill everyone in about my month at home once I get back to campus on the 25th! I'll be moving into my new dorm, helping out with JHU Freshman Orientation, and settling into my new classes as a Sophomore, officially declared Public Health Studies Major!

Have a great rest-of-the-summer!

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!

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)

Getting Ready for PreCollege!

Happy Friday everyone!

I've finally gotten through all my studying, and took my Macro final this morning. Hopefully I did as well as I liked, but I'm feeling fairly confident about the results. (Keeping my fingers crossed) In the meantime, I'm back in the office getting ready for the event we've been waiting for all year, Orientation!

Time to get organized!

 Today I'll be helping to tie up some loose ends and get together everything we need for this Sunday's Summer University orientation. We'll be setting up at Wolman Hall in time for our first arrivals at 12:30 PM and we can't wait. (Hopefully the weather will be good) It's sure to be a great day. Apart from Check-In and the Academic Info Sessions, there will also be Campus Tours and I'll be one of the tour guides. I hope everyone's excited for an amazing Summer at Hopkins.
See you on Sunday!

Finals Again!? My Favorite Places to Study on Campus

After having just finished my spring semester finals, I have finals again?! Thankfully, I'll only be taking one exam for this round as opposed to five scattered around two weeks. (Two weeks that I ended up spending in my PJs and half asleep while attempting to study...)

One of the great things about the Homewood Campus is that there are so many places that you can study if you ever need a change of scenery. You definitely don't need to stay cooped up in your room or in a cubicle on D Level in MSE library. Here's a list of my favorite places.

Brody Learning Commons - Quiet Reading Room
The quiet reading room can be found on Q level of the BLC, straight ahead once you pass through the turnstiles by the Daily Grind. I really enjoy this space because it provides you with the silence of C or D level of the library while having an abundance of natural light, comfortable seating, and enough room to spread out a little. You never need to worry about your devices having no power because there are outlets built into every table. You can even go to the circulation desk in MSE to borrow charging cables if you've forgotten yours.

View of the Quiet Reading Room at the BLC, from JHU's Facebook albums

If you ever need to take a break from your work, you can check out "The Archaeology of Knowledge". This is a collection of Hopkins-related artifacts located in display cases and drawers which can be perused by anyone in Brody.

You'll definitely find some interesting things here.

Brody Learning Commons - Atrium Floor on B-Level
If you're one of those people who can't focus in dead silence, then B-Level in Brody is the perfect place to be. There's a lot of comfortable seating and places to work, including individual chairs with side desks and longer tables with stools for group work. The Atrium is a really nice space because of all the open space and natural lighting provided by a whole window wall. It's a great place to be if you just want to hear the chatter amongst all the students and feel like you're in what is very plausibly, the new central hub of the school. The Atrium is the perfect place to catch up with friends on a school night.

So yes, this happened. Harlem Shake, Hopkins edition
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TikJdWYwNCQ

Brody Learning Commons - Any Group Study Room
The group study rooms in Brody are one of my favorite features. If you and a group of friends ever want to get away from the hustle and bustle on B-Level, you can easily reserve a study room online with your JHED login. You can reserve a time slot for a specific room exactly 24 hours before your intended start time. The competition for a room is intense during the school year, luckily during the summer there are way fewer people to compete with. Check out this website to reserve a room. http://rooms.library.jhu.edu/

All you need to access the study room is your J-Card, swiping it at the reader on the door. Each room is complete with a projector and speakers, with plenty of space to work.

These rooms are dotted all around Brody and all of them have ample space to write. The white glossy walls are dry erase safe and most of the windows are too. You can get more markers from the information desk if you ever need more! A cool feature in the rooms is TeamSpot, which is what allows you to connect your laptop to the room, to project your screen to the group or easily exchange files. I've personally spent many a productive night in these study rooms (and maybe some not productive ones...those projectors are really great for watching movies with friends)

Gilman Hall - The Hut
The Hutzler Reading Room (aka The Hut) is a room located in the back of Gilman Hall. It is an extension of the Sheridan Libraries, having the same printing amenities and housing some of its collections. It has maintained its original integrity even after the renovation completed in 2010, and still uses the same stained glass windows. The Hut provides a quiet atmosphere and always has copies of the latest Hopkins undergraduate journals. Located in the Hut are the Learning Den (group tutoring) and the Writing Center.

The Hutzler Reading Room in Gilman Hall

Levering Hall - Lobby Area/Pura Vida Cafe and the Student Lounge
Levering Hall is like the quasi-Student Union on campus. It features spaces for large events like the Glass Pavilion or the Great Hall, and many other spaces like the food court and Arellano Theater.
The lobby of Levering Hall features comfortable seating with ample lighting, and is only a stone's throw away from Pura Vida, a cafe run by JHU Dining. It's the perfect place to stop by between classes to get a coffee, and sit down with some light work. However, there are some exciting changes. This week, Pura Vida will be closing at the end of the week for renovations. As a result of the new dining vendor on campus, the cafe will be reopening as the Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company on Monday, 7/8. There is also a student lounge that is located a little further into the building, to the left of the Great Hall.

Levering Hall Lobby

Hopefully all of you are excited to start your summer at Johns Hopkins. Of all these places, you're sure to find the perfect fit for your studying needs. In the meantime, I have to study for my final. Wish me luck! I hope to see you all at orientation on the new few Sundays!

Where to Eat Around Campus

One of the great things about the Homewood Campus is its location in the Charles Village neighborhood of Baltimore. There's plenty of places to choose from if you ever need a break from dining hall food.

Niwana
If you're looking for decent Asian food in the area, Niwana is your best bet. Their menu contains a good selection of Korean and Japanese food that is sure to satisfy. Some of my favorites include Agedashi Tofu, Bibimbap, and Sushi. It's conveniently located across 33rd Street from Charles Commons.



The Salmon Teriyaki Bento I got last time was pretty tasty too.

Tamber's
Tambers is a diner located across St. Paul Street from Wolman Hall and Hopkins Inn, but it's probably unlike any other diner you've been to.

Along with the usual diner staples you might be used to like BLTs or Spaghetti and Meatballs, Tamber's serves a variety of Indian dishes. Some of my favorites are the Chicken Curry, Lamb Saag, and Chicken Vindaloo. You can also order Samosas and hot Naan to go with your meal. But even if you're not in the mood for Indian, the rest of the menu items are pretty good too. (I really like the cheese fries!)


The Chicken Tikka Masala is the perfect blend of creaminess, tartness, and spiciness. It hits the spot every time.

Just below the Village Lofts, you'll find a block full of shops and places to grab a bite.

Subway
It's open 24/7, enough said.

And the cookies are delicious

University Market "Uni Mini"
Also open 24/7, you can drinks, ramen, candy, snacks, and even breakfast sandwiches and other food made to order. Personally, I like to make 10 PM runs to Uni Mini for Mozzarella Sticks.

Potbelly
The newest addition to Charles Village, Potbelly has been a hit with most people around campus. The sandwiches never fail to satisfy, especially if you get their signature hot peppers. If you're feeling indulgent, definitely get the smoothies and milkshakes.

Chipotle
You can never go wrong with Chipotle. You have your choice of Bowl, Burrito, or Tacos and whichever way you choose, you can't go wrong. A tip, if you get Vegetarian, you can get guacamole for no extra charge. Also, if you get a bowl, you can ask for taco shells or a tortilla on the side for no extra charge.

Ajumma
Ajumma is a good place to chill out with some friends and get quick stir-fried Korean and Japanese food over rice. like Bulgogi, Chicken Teriyaki, or Beef Sukiyaki. They also have fried dumplings or Bibimbap (Rice with mixed veggies and meat). If you're in a hurry, you might want to try their Bulgogi sandwich.

Carma's
While I've never been to Carma's Café, I've heard awesome things about it and the menu looks promising. It's right across the street from Ajumma so I'm definitely going to try it out this summer. However, I have had their Pink Dalmation cookies and you definitely won't be disappointed with them.

Vacarro's
If you ever find yourself down by the Inner Harbor, you can catch a bus and head over to Little Italy not too far away. Vacarro's is a great Italian pastry shop that has these unforgettable desserts. Some of my favorites are on their special $5.95 menu.

How does nutella cheesecake sound? It even comes with Baci gelato. Tastes like Ferrero Rocher in ice cream form.

A Year Ago Today

Sometimes, it's hard to believe that just a year ago today, I walked across a stage to pick up this piece of paper. This paper symbolized so many challenges, accomplishments and good memories. In a way it brought a sense of relief, having finished a chapter of my life, and at the same time it made me feel so much more anxious about the future. 

I wonder what I was thinking about...

Graduating high school felt like such a significant moment at the time, and in many ways, it always will be. I think in the heat of the moment, most of us just wanted to be finished, and move on to our new lives as college students. By the time I had realized how much I actually missed my high school years, they were already long gone. 

Where did the time go...

My advice to all you Pre-College students, don't do anything only for the sake of college admissions. If anything, do what you do because you think it will add some kind of value to your life or just because you truly enjoy it. Life goes by too fast to worry so much about something that is ultimately not in your control. Savor every moment you have while you're still technically a kid. One day you might look back and regret not taking that risk, or going after something while it was still within reach. Make every moment count because one day the people who you spent four or maybe even twelve years with, who probably shaped the person you are today, won't be at your side anymore. The good memories can bridge the gap between you all. Whether you're in Baltimore or 300 miles away, wherever you are, just remember to make the most of every moment. One day the people you know may move on, the streets you knew may change, and even the places you hang out might not look the same anymore.


Our old high school hangout got a whole new look while I was gone. 

A Day In The [Summer] Life of Austin K

8:00 AM: Time to wake up for class! This summer is the first time since being at Hopkins that I've had a class at 9:00 AM. My high school used to start at 7:40 AM, and took 30 minutes to get to. There's just somthing about being in college that makes waking up so much harder... 

Maybe one of these days I won't need to set 4+ alarms and then hide it on the other side of the room.

8:30 AM: Just enough time to grab a bowl of cereal for breakfast! Then it's off to class.

9:00 AM: Made it to class right on time, before the instructor too! We're going over practice problems to prep for our midterm on Wednesday.

10:15 AM: Time for a 15-minute break. I decided to take notes by hand instead of on my laptop like I usually do. Helps to stay awake and not get distracted by the internet.

Hopefully I can decipher this later...

11:10 AM: Now that we've gone over the practive problem set, I'm feeling pretty good about the midterm. I'll just need to go over my notes one more time to make sure I've covered everything.

11:20 AM: Having lunch in the Brody cafe, The Daily Grind. Taking the time to check e-mails, Facebook, and catch up on school news. www.hub.jhu.edu is a great website for news covering the entire University. In just the last month, two major changes have taken place. JHU has updated its visual identity to give all its school a sense of cohesiveness and the new designs definintely have my seal of approval. http://identity.jhu.edu/
Also, after being independent for over 100 years, the Men's Lacrosse Team at Hopkins has announced that it will join the Big Ten Conference as a Lacrosse Affiiliate in 2015. Hopefully this announcement will cause a renewal in school spirit. Go Hop!

Q Level entrance to the Brody Learning Commons, where The Daily Grind is located. The frozen drinks are really good for cooling off from the summer heat.

12:15 PM: Time to get to work at Summer Programs. I start off by replying to e-mails and processing any new forms that you all have sent in. I've already answered a few phone calls too!

Ready to take your calls and any other questions you might have!

3:00 PM: After talking to many of our excited Pre-College students and their parents, I just want to point everyone to the enrolled students section on our website. The information there is up to date and being updated as more details are finalized. Click on "For Enrolled Students" under the program you are attending, either Discover Hopkins or Summer University (http://jhu.edu/summer/precollege/index.html). You can check out information about Move-In Day, and find out more about your RAs for the summer!

5:00 PM: Time to head home. I'll be back bright and early tomorrow morning!

6:00 PM: After getting settled down, I made myself some dinner and it tasted pretty good if I do say so myself.

Spaghetti with Vodka Sauce! I decided to play around with Photoshop Express on my phone for the first time. Haha maybe I'll go back to Instagram.

8:23 PM: Sitting in front of the TV and surfing the channels. Moving into my apartment this summer was the first time I got to watch TV since my parents cancelled our family's cable service back in my sophomore year of high school. There's so many shows I used to watch, now in reruns, it's making me a little bit nostalgic.

9:57 PM: I'm finally getting around to reading all those random articles on the internet that I didn't have time for before. BuzzFeed and Thought Catalog are a student's worst nightmare, every click brings new distractions.

11:30 PM: Time to go to bed, I don't have class tomorrow so I'll be heading into the office first thing in the morning. Good night!

Living at Hopkins

This summer, our Pre-College residents will be staying in Wolman Hall and the Hopkins Inn, two of the many residence hall options available to undergraduate students here at Hopkins. Both are great places to live, socialize, relax, and study with your friends.

Each floor gets 1 or 2 RAs, Resident Advisor's, there to make sure you're enjoying your new living environment, helping to resolve and conflicts, and planning activities to make sure you're having an overall good time this summer outside of your classes.

Your RAs are sure to be planning activities throughout the summer including anything from a picture scavenger hunt, water balloon fights, tie-dye, or even trips to the mall! There's also Saturday trips for the whole program to places like Washington, DC.

Found posted in the Wolman 3 East elevator lobby, Summer 2011
What is this even? I don't even know. Why didn't I go? Wondering if there was a choice of backseat or frontseat...

Wolman Hall
Wolman Hall features suite style living. Each suite includes two bedrooms (singles, doubles or triples), a bathroom, and a kitchenette with sink, stovetop, and mini-fridge. On each floor, there is also a common lounge equipped with couches, tables and stools, as well as a TV for optimal floor bonding space, as well as a place to do light homework with a group.

Another cool feature of Wolman Hall is that the common spaces for the building received a major renovation in 2012, increasing the amount of usable space for students. Now, Wolman Hall's first floor and terrace levels include a full common kitchen, a multi-purpose room, a movie theater, a full-sevice mailroom, fitness room, study spaces, a computer cluster, laundry room, as well as a video game lounge.
Read more about the renovated spaces here: http://gazette.jhu.edu/2012/03/12/the-big-reveal-homewood-style/

My mom and I during DH Session 1 Check-In in 2011, Right in front of Wolman Hall

Hopkins Inn
As a result of the expanding student body at Hopkins, the Hopkins Inn, (located just around the corner from Wolman Hall) was added to the one of the many housing options for students. Hopkins Inn features suite style living, with adjoined double and single rooms sharing a private bathroom. This is another great place to live and learn, with common spaces including a TV room, study lounge, common kitchen, exercise room, and laundry.

Hopkins Inn Entrance

Some of the other residence halls on campus include AMRs (Alumni Memorial Residences), Buildings A & B, McCoy Hall, Charles Commons, Rogers House, Bradford Apartments, and the Homewood Apartments.
All of these buildings feature different living arrangements, from traditional hallway style to full apartments.
You can read more about them at the Johns Hopkins Housing and Dining Services website.



Wolman 3 East - Summer 2011, SU and DH 1
There's me in the upper right!

What We Do Here at OSIP

A lot of people, even Hopkins students, aren't quite sure who we are. We even get the occasional call asking if our office is CTY (Center for Talented Youth).

Our office is located at 3505 North Charles Street, just a short walk from the dorms where Pre-College students will be staying! The building is just a block away from Wolman Hall and across North Charles Street from the AMR Tennis Courts, the same building as the Undergraduate Public Health Studies Program.

Stop by if you have any questions, or just to say hi!

The Office of Summer and Intersession Programs (OSIP) coordinates the undergraduate courses for both Intersession (a one month term between Winter Break and Spring Semester) as well as the Summer terms. During the Summer, there are so many programs being held on the Johns Hopkins campus, but OSIP is responsible for coordinating the summer courses, visiting undergraduates from other universities, as of course the Pre-College Programs, Discover Hopkins and Summer University. From academics to student life, we're the ones who are making sure that you all have a fun and worthwhile Summer.
For Summer University students, the staff in our office will function as academic advisors, making this the place to come if you're facing any problems academically.

For those of you hoping to one day be Hopkins undergrads, our office also coordinates Intersession, which is a three-week term which begins after Winter Break and ends before Spring Semester. The term is optional so some people choose to take an extended Winter Break, but many students come back to live in the dorms and take 1 or 2 credit courses on a Satisfactory/Unsatifactory grading scale. A lot of these classes are very different from what's offered regularly in the Fall and Spring, including many unique lab courses, Humanities, and Science courses. We even have a special 1-week program at the end of the term, called B'More where Freshmen can take courses discussing topics like Urban Planning or Sustainability. B'More courses even go on field trips to explore Baltimore in depth. (It's kind of like Discover Hopkins in the Winter!)

Make sure to stop by office while you're here. We'd love to meet you, get to know you, and make sure that you're having a successful summer at Hopkins!

Taking a Summer Class at Hopkins

Summers between school years are a great time to do anything from chilling out, a part-time job, a cool internship, taking a summer class, learning to cook something new, or just trying something fun that you wouldn't normally have time to do.

This Summer, I've been taking Elements of Macroeconomics. Because it's a summer class, the class size isn't as big and we cover a whole semester's worth of material in just five weeks.

My class is in Gilman Hall, technically the oldest and one of the newest buildings on campus. Gilman Hall was the first building on the Homewood Campus. Originally built in 1915, Gilman Hall underwent a three-year renovation that was completed in 2010, completely modernizing the building, yet keeping its character intact.
Check out 95 Scenes of Gilman Hall



The lecture room where Macro takes place this term, located right under the Hutzler Reading Room.

Gilman Hall is home to so many resources for Hopkins students, like the Hutzler Reading Room (aka The Hut) where you can study, go to the writing center for help on a paper, or to the Learning Den for group tutoring.

The Gilman Atrium, my favorite part of the building. There's space to study, and a coffee shop to get a drink and some snacks.

My Discover Hopkins class back in 2011 was in Room 400, the classroom that provides access to the clock tower.


Couldn't quite get up to the top of the tower, but it's still a good view



 While some people might not want to come right back to school after finals, there are definitely a lot of pros (and some cons) to taking Summer courses.

Pros:

• Small Class Size: Instead of having a big lecture, then TA sections to ask questions later, you can just ask the instructor during class
• Taking Fewer Classes at a Time: You can really focus on 1 or 2 classes instead of the usual 4-6 during the Fall or Spring. It's the perfect time to take a harder required class (i.e. Organic Chemisty) or something just for fun (there's a ton of courses to choose from in the Humanities, Film and Media Studies, Psychology, and many other departments)
• Cost: For undergrads, based on the tuition we pay during the school year, taking summer classes is less expensive. There's even the potential to get financial aid for the summer based upon the previous year's application.
• Free Time: Although I'm taking a class and studying, I still have time for my job at Summer Programs, explore Baltimore, experiment with cooking new foods, and chilling out with friends.

Con:

• A Summer Term is Only 5 Weeks Long: Because we need to cover 15 weeks of material in 5 weeks, each lecture is packed with information and you really need to pay attention and study to stay caught up.