As I write this article, I’m at the exact midpoint of my college existence. Two years down and two more to go. Before college, I scoured the internet for lists of college advice: “Here’s what you should do. This is what you shouldn’t do. You should take the hard class, get the internship, join the club, and that looks good.”
But this is not one of those lists.
These are small things I picked up in my first two years that weren’t on any list but turned out to be just as important. These are things I picked up in the process of romanticizing my college life, trying to find beauty in everything and really, really soaking things in. These activities help me be intentional in the moment and not treat college as just a steppingstone to what’s next.
1. Trying one new thing each week
This is my favorite category. Every week, I try one new thing. Some days it looks like book talks, usually in Gilman, advertised on flyers taped up all around campus. I’ve gone to talks on subjects I knew nothing about and come out knowing slightly more than nothing, which is a wonderful return on a Tuesday evening.
One of the great gifts of being at a research university is that world-class scientists are constantly passing through, and you can just walk in. Another time was astronomy nights. There’s a big observatory under a dome on the roof of the Bloomberg Physics and Astronomy Building, and it’s open to the public on Friday evenings. Whatever the activity is, it’s just important to remember, a weekly side quest keeps boredom far away.
2. Working Out for the Fun of it
In college, I discovered the joy of working out just for fun. One of my favorite discoveries has been the free workout classes at the Rec Center. I have really enjoyed going tospin and yoga classes with friends and hope to cultivate working out into a lifelong habit. There’s also a Pilates class at the Bloomberg Student Center that is super popular. I also hope to try a ballet for everybody class sometime.
The magic of a class is that it’s a room full of people and someone at the front telling you what comes next. You don’t have to already be good at it. You just have to show up, and showing up with friends barely feels like any work at all. What makes me want this one to last is that it was never attached to an end product. I’m not training for anything. I just like the process of working out, and I’d like to keep being someone who likes that.
3. Reading
I read all through the semester. Not just for class, not just for research—just for pleasure. While this is something that many people are super avid about in their teenage years, it’s easy to let this habit sit on the back burner during college. In fact, that’s what happened to me right at the beginning, but now I am adamant to keep reading. Before the semester starts, I buy 15 books, one for each week. This keeps me motivated. I like seeing the books line up. A stocked Kindle in August is a very nice promise to make to yourself.
Kindle also solves a practical problem. Carrying a hardcover everywhere isn’t realistic, but the Kindle is light and lives in my bag, which means I get to read outside. That’s a real draw: the Beach in September, a bench between classes, and picnics that start out being about the food and turn into four people quietly reading, talking, and touching grass. Some book recommendations from my side: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, and Lab Girl by Hope Jahren (who worked at Hopkins for a while!) And since I’m a computer science student, I had to build an app about books. I made an app called Reader Central, and I even shared it with the Hopkins Book Club, which now has a page on it.
4. watching a live show at hopkins
You don’t have to be in a performing arts group to build a little of your life around them, and this might be the most underrated thing available to Hopkins students. Watching live shows is a big part of my own escapism and immersion in the arts. I’ve shared on this blog before that I love watching The Barnstormers shows and that I love watching the Hopkins Symphony Orchestra. Most are free for students, and where there is a cost, it’s minimal and goes straight back to the group. I’ve never once walked out of a Hopkins show and thought, “Wow, I wish I had spent two hours scrolling on my phone instead.”
And if you want to go past campus, Hop Art runs a lottery for free tickets for performing arts events around Baltimore.
I’ve realized all of these things are really small, but that’s kind of the point. College is filled with things that very loudly announce their importance. There’s always another deadline in college, but it is important to do some things just for yourself. Nobody is going to make you sit outside with a book. Nobody is going to make you prepare for hours for your friend’s birthday. Nobody is going to make you step outside your comfort zone. But I think you’d really be missing out on something in the college environment if you don’t.
I have two years left at Hopkins. There are a lot of things I want to accomplish in them, but I also want to try the ballet class. I also want to keep my Kindle full. I also want to follow more mysterious Gilman flyers.
I don’t know which parts of my Hopkins life will actually follow me after graduation. I probably won’t always have the opportunity to watch a show or go to an observatory whenever I want, but I hope the instinct does stay with me. The instinct to see the flyer, go to the thing, bring the book, buy the ticket, and try the class.
