Looking back on my time at Hopkins, I know for sure that it was the people I met who made it so special, and they’re what I’ll miss the most. I met my friends by chance, like most people do, though I remember being really worried I wouldn’t make any friends, which many others felt too. My roommate, Olubusola, was randomly assigned to me. Aside from a few Instagram posts on a student-run Instagram page featuring my incoming class, I had no idea what to expect when we first met. During the first few weeks on campus, your roommate is sort of like your built-in buddy. Olubusola and I would go to the dining hall together, attend orientation week events, and we even started an on-campus job together working concessions at the football and lacrosse games.
As you meet more people, you’ll grow to have more and more ‘mutuals,’ and the campus will begin to feel a lot smaller. One of my best friends, Vaishnavi, was Olubusola’s lab partner, and the three of us have been inseparable ever since. Together, we attended campus events for each other’s organizations, such as the African Students Association (ASA) fashion show and South Asian Students at Hopkins (SASH) formal. We even had overlapping classes—I took a few African history courses with Olubusola, while she and Vaishnavi shared biology together
During my second year of university, the three of us lived together and did a lot. On the weekends, we enjoy going to the 32nd Street Farmers Market or the BMore Flea Market. There is always a lot to do and explore around Baltimore. Here are some of our most frequented spots around the nearby neighborhoods:
- Mona’s Super Noodle: The best fried rice
- Holy Frijoles: Amazing taquitos
- Warehouse Cinema Rotunda: Movie theater within walking distance from campus (Bonus treat: $7 movie tickets on Tuesdays!)
- The Bun Shop: Cozy study space & open until 3 a.m. (it’s the perfect late-night study spot)
- Christmas Village: German-themed Christmas market with the cutest mugs
Over the years, we’ve ventured beyond Baltimore. During fall break, we visited Ocean City, MD, enjoying their famous boardwalk and indulging in all things fried—from Oreos to the sweetest funnel cake. Junior year, our larger friend group and I went to Puerto Rico for spring break. It was an incredible girls’ trip—we spent time at the beach, cooked together, and even ran into other Hopkins students around the island!
Now that we are seniors, it’s a bittersweet time as we start planning for graduation. It’s true what they say—time flies. It feels strange to call myself a senior when it seems like just yesterday, I was a first-year student, trying to find my way around campus. My friends have been such a key part of my undergraduate experience, and I feel so lucky that Hopkins brought them into my life. While I’ll be sad to leave in the spring, I’m grateful for the strong friendships I’ve made. As Winnie the Pooh said, “How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
