Last week, I was riding the bus to the med campus with a friend when we started talking about why we ultimately chose to go to Hopkins. In explaining her college application process, she told me that she had only applied to schools that would excite her to attend; there were no “just in case” safeties on her list, she was content to try again in the next application cycle if it meant preserving her desire to attend a college where she could constantly have intellectually stimulating conversations with her peers.
We reflected on how lucky we felt for the community of students in our shared class, Science Studies and Medical Humanities: Theory and Methods, which is a requirement for the MSH major. To me, this class is the epitome of why I chose to go to Hopkins. In it, we cover an incredibly diverse range of fascinating subjects, from the rhetorical tactics used by tobacco companies to the potential applications of palliative care in the treatment of anorexia. We study knowledge and ignorance, how facts are developed, and how the ways in which humans learn to “know” things affects how they are applied.
When I sit down to read the assigned papers before each class, I often feel a bit in over my head, unable to fully grasp the complicated scientific, anthropological or philosophical concepts they cover. But then, I go into class and get to listen to the most intelligent, passionate and well-spoken group of people break down the papers, relate them to their own experiences or to other pieces of media, and overall make the covered information more accessible to me, so much so that I am able to add to the conversation, to feel comfortable in my seat at the table.
With this class experience, I have become even more certain in my belief that when it comes to universities, it is truly the people that make the place. Every school has interesting courses and educated professors, and I think that at baseline, most educational experiences sit on an equal plane. However, what sets Hopkins apart for my friend and me, and for so many other students here, is the access it gives us to peers who are curious and driven, who learn for the love of the game, not simply to get a degree.
I think so many parts of university — such as learning how to integrate by parts — can make us doubt whether our time at school will actually contribute to reaching our professional goals, but when I am in courses such as Theory and Methods, surrounded by people who truly treat college like the privilege it is, I am reminded that every conversation I have here is making me more intelligent, more empathetic and more curious about the universe I inhabit. This is exactly the sort of adult I hope to be.
Being able to attend a school where my best friends are some of the most inspiring, driven and accomplished people I have ever met is a privilege I do not take for granted. I am always in awe at how we can go from gossiping one minute to having an intellectually stimulating conversation the next, and it is comforting knowing that I will always have a very lovable math nerd to help me with my Calculus homework when I need it. My friends here are also some of my biggest role models, and I’m honored to be surrounded by people who are so generous with their talents, who freely share their passions with others. At Hopkins, I am surrounded by tech whizzes and photography prodigies, musicians and mathematicians and everything in between. There is so much joy in knowing people who love what they do.
As our bus ride continued, my friend started telling me about her work in a monkey lab (the coolest thing ever, I know), and about her recent experience watching monkey surgery. She explained her passion for IVF and hyperemesis research, and how her interest in women’s health stemmed from the experiences of family members. Every conversation I have at Hopkins teaches me something new — maybe about monkeys, or maybe how beautiful it is to love to learn, and to use your education to positively influence the people and places that matter most to you. We are lucky to live in a place with people who can do both.
Hailey Finkelstein is a sophomore from Ardsley, N.Y. majoring in Medicine, Science and the Humanities. Her column shares miscellaneous prose on current issues, the collective Hopkins experience and growing up with a pen in hand.
