Joe N.
Class of 2013
Ask Joe a Question!Follow me on Twitter: @JHU_Joe
Hometown: Belmar, NJ
Majors: Neuroscience, Psychology
Current residence: Wolman 7W Resident Advisor
Past residence: McCoy Hall—Check out my Cribs video
Campus involvement: Admissions Student Workers, Blue Key Society, Admissions Representative, Resident Advisor, NeuroJAYS, Student Admissions Advisory Board, Tutorial Project
Why I chose Johns Hopkins: I could go on and on about why I chose Hopkins, the neuroscience program, research opportunities, the close relationship with the medical school, academic reputation, no core curriculum, etc. But in the end it all comes down to the one thing I saw at Hopkins that I didn't see at any other colleges—amazing people. On the Hopkins campus you'll find that everyone is always so willing to help you if you look confused, or even talk to you if you want to know what the school is like in general. In the end, that was the main reason why I chose Hopkins—I wanted a campus with friendly/helpful students and a positive environment.
Favorite class: Introductory Social Psychology. The description Dr. Drigotas gives of Social Psych is "(the study of) how we are influenced by the real, imagined, or implied presence of others." (Yes, the imagined/implied presence of others can actually affect our behavior) The class was amazing and we learned about so many interesting topics, it really changes how you look at interactions between people. My favorite experience in the class was when Dr. D sent a volunteer outside of the room, and told the other 400 students in the class to try to get him to drink a glass of water on the podium without speaking. Basically you had 400 students cheering when he walked towards the cup, and booing when he went away from it.
Favorite professor: Dr. Stewart Hendry. Dr. Hendry taught the neuroscience course I took during my freshman year (An Introduction to Neuroscience), he teaches the Neuroscience course I'm in right now (Nervous System I), and he's also my faculty adviser. Dr. Hendry is one of the smartest people I've ever met, and he's able to explain an extremely complex topic in ways that all of the students can understand. Plus, he does research and teaches at the medical school so he's always aware of the most recent developments in the neuroscience world, which he'll incorporate into his lectures. He's also an awesome person to talk to if you just want to learn more about neuroscience that's outside the span of the course.
My favorite character from a movie/ book/television series: It's a tie between Jack Shephard from Lost, and Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother. (Lost was my all-time favorite TV show [I own the collector's edition box set] and Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson in HIMYM is one of the funniest things to watch on TV.)
Favorite place on the Homewood campus: Decker Quad at night, the night-time lighting shows off the outstanding architecture of all the buildings. Actually any part of the campus at night would be my favorite. A close second would be the new Gilman Atrium at night. (I absolutely love the Hopkins campus at night.)
Coolest (spring/summer/winter) break experience: Over this past summer (2010), I worked as a member of the Orientation executive staff. Seeing Orientation not even a year ago and brainstorming how to make the program even better than it was before was an amazing experience, and hearing all the positive feedback from the Class of 2014 and their parents was unforgettable.
Three unusual things about myself:
- My favorite kind of music is metal.
- I don't like the beach at all (even though I live 10 blocks from it).
- I don't eat anything with sauce on it (pizza, pasta, etc.). I actually have to get it without sauce.
