Hopkins-Nanjing Center Blog

Some of you may be wondering how the HNC is moving forward with student services during this unprecedented and challenging time. HNC career services activities and offerings are being adjusted to meet the changing circumstances of COVID-19.  Below are just a few of the virtual Career Services initiatives being offered to the HNC student community. SAIS-Wide Virtual Career Services HNC students can now benefit from expanded access to virtual career services programming in DC and Bologna as well as HNC-specific programming. Through increasing connectivity and cooperation between campuses, the HNC is dramatically expanding the services available to students, even in this time of uncertainty.  Zoom Alumni/Employer Chats HNC Career Services hosts regular online video interviews and Q&As with alumni working in a variety of different sectors and regions.  Online Skills Courses Students continue to have access to online skills courses this semester through H...

Ever wonder who processes your STAMP tests, reads your applications, and posts on social media on behalf of the HNC? Meet the HNC international admissions team! We are based in Washington, DC so that we can support you every step of the way on your journey from applicant to student. You'll hear from us about everything from the application process and financial aid, to visas, billing, and pre-departure information. In addition, the Director of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center Washington Office is a graduate of the HNC certificate program and can speak firsthand to the student and alumni experience. To get in touch with a member of the HNC Washington Office team, email us at nanjing@jhu.edu . Lauren Szymanski , Director : Lauren is an alumna of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center Certificate program, and first joined the HNC Washington Office in summer 2012 following her graduation in Nanjing. She holds a bachelor’s degree from McGill University with a major in East Asian Studies, and a mino...

Cady Deck, Certificate ‘19 + SAIS MA ’20, discusses the recent career trek in DC A couple of weeks ago, about 20 students had the opportunity to participate in the DC Sino Affairs Career Trek put together by the Hopkins-Nanjing Center Career Services Coordinator. Most of us were from the DC campus, but there were also several students from the HNC. We talked to people from The Asia Group, The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and APCO Worldwide. Some of the representatives we talked to were graduates from the HNC or SAIS DC. They offered advice on how best to leverage our SAIS degree in the DC job market and also how to transition from graduate school to a full-time job. On a broader note, it was a great way to learn about the similarities and differences between consulting firms, think tanks, and public affairs companies. We met with Vice President Jennifer Schuch-Page, Senior Associate Trevor Clark, and Associates Ai Chu and Alex Renner. Their wi...

Cady Deck, Certificate ‘19 + SAIS MA ’20, shares her experience participating in the Taiwan Election Study Trip sponsored by SAIS and the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Students visited the Election Counting and Information Center in Taipei as votes were reported Every four years SAIS sends a group of 12 students to Taiwan to watch and analyze the presidential elections. This year, I was one of the 12 students who participated in the action-packed week of meetings, campaign rallies, and watch parties. Almost half of us were current or former Hopkins-Nanjing Center students and an additional few were Tsinghua-SAIS dual degree students. I didn’t think I would have an opportunity to go back to Asia so soon after leaving the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, but I was wrong. I applied immediately! One SAIS class in particular sparked my interest in Taiwan’s 2020 elections. Last semester I took Professor David Keegan’s class called “The Turbulent Triangle: Taiwan, China, and th...

Student blogger, Brandy Darling, describes a typical day at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center. 8:00am I woke up earlier than usual to prepare for my presentation on the Rwandan Genocide for my Injustices, Discrimination, and Group Identity class in the study room on the first floor of the dorm building. Since it was so early, the room was empty and quiet enough for me to practice a couple of times without disturbance. 9:00am My friend and I went across the street to Momo’s ( a walk-up restaurant that serves bagels and burgers) to eat egg and ham bagels. The location is convenient and the food is so delicious that it was the best way to start my day. Other nearby spots include my other  breakfast  favorites, such as baozi ( 包子 ) and jianbing ( 煎饼 ) . Brandy enjoys a ham and egg bagel from Momo's 9:50am We began my Injustices, Discrimination, and Group Identity class planning our course research trips. I will be participating in a research trip to Guangzhou ove...

Cady Deck, Certificate '19 + Johns Hopkins SAIS MA '20 shares her favorite class at SAIS. SAIS Paul H. Nitze Building - located just steps from many of the nation’s most prestigious think tanks, research centers, and global corporations as well as famous landmarks like the White House and the U.S. Capitol. Every HNC Certificate + SAIS MA student has to take two Asia Studies classes, and one China Studies class at SAIS in addition to taking economics classes and fulfilling core requirements. One of my favorite classes this semester is a Southeast Asia Studies class called Leaders, Followers, and Political Power. This is not a class about the “great man theory” of history. It is a class designed to answer two main questions: why do leaders lead and why do people follow them. Over the course of the semester, we have analyzed how leaders attain power utilizing different combinations of coercion, charisma, traditional authority, economic reward, or appeals to identity, ide...

Student blogger Amanda Walencewicz (Certificate '20) writes about the volunteer teaching group at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center.   HNC Volunteer teacher Jose Gonzalez leads his class in a game to learn directions. Every Friday, a group of Hopkins-Nanjing Center (HNC) students travels to a nearby elementary school to spend the afternoon teaching English to third grade classes. Splitting into groups, these HNC volunteer teachers work with three classes of 30 students each, teaching for 45 minutes. With the third-grade students' teacher not present, the volunteers lead the classes in games and English drills, giving the students the chance to interact with foreigners in a fun, informal way before they end classes for the week.   The school primarily serves underprivileged students that come from migrant families. Most students likely do not have access to resources like English tutoring outside of class, so the HNC volunteer teachers focus on simple vocabulary and gr...