Choosing a college was arguably one of the hardest decisions in my life. Ultimately, I am beyond glad that I ended up at Hopkins and applied Early Decision. To decide this was where I wanted to be, I conducted hours of research and deciphered what I truly valued.
These were the key factors for me in my college search:
1. Distance from my hometown
As a Boston native with all her family in Massachusetts, I knew early on I wanted to stay on the east coast—ideally in or near the northeastern region of the United States. Staying close to my family for the first few years when living alone had a heavy influence on my college search. I set time limits for how long I was willing to travel and boundaries for the farthest I was willing to go for school.
Hopkins was the furthest south I was willing to go. Although I was hesitant to travel a greater distance alone, this was likely one of my only chances to explore the country on my own. I decided a one-hour flight was something I could commit to.
2. Interdisciplinary academic programs
I love biology and environmental science. Once I was introduced to psychology, it quickly became another favorite of mine. When I searched for programs at schools, I prioritized universities with departments that merged aspects of biology with psychology. Hopkins first caught my eye because of its Behavioral Biology program. This program entwined psychology, neuroscience, biology, and earth sciences in a perfect merge that piqued my interest and was matched by no other department I found. Outside the classroom, it offers expert research opportunities and a group study abroad trip to conduct field observations.
As much as science will always be a top interest of mine, I have also always focused on being well-rounded. As an avid language learner, I took German classes in middle and high school and planned to continue studying the language in college. In addition to strong sciences, I looked for schools that offered a well-developed German program. This course of study at Hopkins is small yet robust, complete with a wide variety of language and culture courses as well as immersion experiences abroad.
3. Small student body
Going into the college search, I knew I was not a big city person. Even if the school I ended up at was located in a city, I was adamant the city ‘could not be in the campus.’ I prioritized a medium range of undergraduate students on campus when applying. I knew if the student body was too large, I would struggle to find my comfort space and be consistently overwhelmed with unfamiliar faces and personalities every day. Likewise, if the student population was too small, I would get bored and feel like I was confined. Hopkins was the Goldilocks of this range, offering a perfect number of students in the undergraduate body (5,600 to be exact). Paired with the enclosed campus, I felt confident I’d be stimulated each day without getting overwhelmed.
4. Swim and other extracurriculars
As an avid competitive swimmer, I knew I wanted to continue the sport in college. At first, I looked into varsity teams at the schools I was considering academically. However, it was difficult for me to find schools that matched my needs both academically and athletically. Towards the end of my college search process, I decided that being a recruited athlete asked for too much time out of my week. With this in mind, I considered the presence and involvement of club swim teams at the school. This way, I would be able to continue the sport I grew up with while also focusing on academic growth. Outside of school and swim, I wanted to be as involved as I could while rediscovering a few of my other childhood passions.
At Hopkins, I found too many extracurricular activities. Not only is there both a varsity and club swim team, but I also found peer support, academic, and other athletic groups on campus. I was confident that, if given the chance, I would keep myself busy outside of classes.
5. Beautiful campus all year
After I had completed my background research, I made sure to search for as many pictures and videos of campus as I could. My mood heavily depends on my environment. Hence, I made sure I would fall in love with campus and find it charming to live on. This was hard to gauge before arriving on campus and walking around. But, on my tour in the winter, Hopkins still checked the box for a beautiful campus. I loved the brick and marble combination as well as the smaller, home-y feel it produced. It also perfectly aligned with my hopes that the campus would be easily accessible in a city but still enclosed and safe.
My research truly made a difference in my choice to attend Hopkins. I approached the college search process much like a game of elimination. I started with the broadest category of criteria and slowly made my way down to my ideal schools. When it came to applying, Hopkins was a clear top choice, making the decision to apply Early Decision a simple one. Each experience in Baltimore has only affirmed my decision to attend Hopkins!
