Pre-Orientation

Explore the vibrant creative landscape of Baltimore while engaging in an immersive, hands-on arts experience designed to inspire, challenge, and connect you with both the city and campus community. This Pre-Orientation program invites students of all experience levels to explore drawing, painting, and mixed media through guided workshops, collaborative projects, and site-based creative activities. Whether you are an experienced artist or simply curious about making art, this program emphasizes experimentation, observation, and creative confidence. Beyond the studio, participants will be introduced to major art destinations throughout Baltimore and at Johns Hopkins University. These visits will highlight the city’s rich artistic history, public art, and creative spaces, while also familiarizing students with JHU’s arts resources, facilities, and creative communities.

Join the CMC (Creative Media Center) to learn how to take amazing photographs while exploring Baltimore and getting a behind the scenes look at the city’s art scene. Visit local arts organizations and galleries to see the work of local artists. Take trips to beautiful and exciting locations where you will be given the chance to explore the photographic skills you learned at the CMC. All materials will be provided including high-end cameras and lenses. No photo experience needed – we will teach you everything you need to know from the basics of how to use a camera to advanced photo editing techniques!

From Frederick Douglass to David Rubenstein, from labor organizers along the Inner Harbor to the journalists and entrepreneurs reshaping the city today, Baltimore has always been a city that’s been influenced by its leaders. This program invites incoming first-year students to step into that legacy — not from a lecture hall, but from the sidewalks, neighborhoods, and institutions where that leadership has unfolded and continues to evolve.

Designed around the JHU Center for Leadership’s core learning outcomes, this immersive orientation experience uses Baltimore itself as a classroom. Students will develop their capacity to lead with purpose and vision by studying the leaders — civic, cultural, industrial, and entrepreneurial — who have shaped one of America’s most dynamic cities. Through guided walking explorations across Baltimore’s most storied neighborhoods, including Mount Vernon, Druid Hill Park, Penn Station, Harbor East, and Fells Point, participants will encounter the forces that built this city and the people working to reimagine it. Excursions are designed to connect students directly to Baltimore’s leadership ecosystem, past and present.

Walking is central to this experience by design. Moving through the city on foot allows students to slow down and attend to what faster travel obscures — the architecture of historic neighborhoods, the texture of daily life, and the layered stories embedded in every block. These experiences cultivate the kind of observational awareness and contextual thinking that effective leaders rely on.

This program fosters a sense of place and belonging while encouraging critical reflection on urban life, community power, and the responsibilities of leadership. Students will leave with a deeper understanding of how Baltimore’s history has shaped its present, and with the confidence to navigate, appreciate, and contribute to the city that surrounds Johns Hopkins University.

B’More Community Bound is a program that seeks to build and foster intersectional communities with your fellow JHU peers, the institution, and Baltimore City! We do this through immersive workshops, educational conversations, and energizing excursions! This includes trips and meals to various areas of the city, and opportunities to learn how to navigate the city resources to make you feel comfortable calling Baltimore your new home!

Students who participate in our program will be able to connect with some provided resources and build conversations with others surrounding Baltimore City prior to arrival.

This is the best way to start your semester. Through art, connection, reflection, and lots of fun, we’ve created a pre-orientation experience focused on your health and well-being at Hopkins so you can begin school feeling confident and supported. You’ll get a great start learning about JHU resources and take actionable steps toward integrating self-care into your semester.

Visit offices and meet with service providers in various Student Health and Well-Being departments. You will have the opportunity to tour a clinician’s office and a patient room and learn how to schedule appointments, so everything feels familiar and stress-free. Enjoy evidence-based, hands-on workshops that build healthy habits for sleep, stress management, relationships, and more to carry you through orientation and your first weeks of classes.

These curated experiences are shared with fellow participants and leaders from Student Health and Well-Being, and include outings for treats like ice cream, group fitness classes, game nights, and more. Come ready to connect, explore, and celebrate a strong start to your semester! This program is welcoming for all students. FLI students are strongly encouraged to apply.

As a part of the A. James Clark Scholars Program, all incoming scholars are required to attend this Pre-Orientation facilitated by the Clark Scholars Program Staff. The 2030 Clark Scholars cohort will explore the Johns Hopkins University campus and the surrounding Baltimore area. Students will develop a deeper understanding of the A. James Clark Scholars Program at JHU through interactive, hands-on experiences on-and-off campus. Participating students will build community with other scholars in their cohort and learn about both critical JHU students’ resources and the A. James and Alice B. Clark Foundation. After participating in this Pre-Orientation, students will understand what it means to be a Clark Scholar. This program is only open for Clark Scholars of the 2030 Cohort. Please contact [email protected] with any questions.

The Cummings Scholars program requires incoming Cummings Scholars to participate in this pre-orientation to experience the home cities for both Washington, D.C. and Baltimore-based Cummings Scholars. Students will have the opportunity to identify academic resources on campus, build community and belonging with fellow first-year and upperclass Cummings Scholars, as well as explore Johns Hopkins’ academic and social landscape. As part of this pre-orientation, students will have the opportunity to visit on-campus resource areas, historical sites, local restaurants, and museums, and engage in community-building activities. This is a great opportunity to connect with your incoming Scholars cohort as you launch your JHU undergraduate journey!

The Hodson Scholars program invites incoming Hodson Scholars to participate in this pre-orientation to identify academic resources on campus, engage in the Baltimore community, navigate modes of transportation surrounding Homewood, and connect with other Hodson scholars. Upperclass Hodson Scholars will lead students to explore Johns Hopkins and Baltimore’s academic and social landscape. As part of this pre-orientation, students will have the opportunity to visit on-campus resource areas, historical sites, local restaurants, and museums, volunteer at local nonprofit organizations, and engage in team-bonding activities. This opportunity is a great way to connect with fellow Hodson Scholars and better acclimate to campus and the surrounding community!

HopkinsLEAD is the premier leadership program for incoming students who want to build a community while at Hopkins. Held the week before Orientation, students will learn how to identify and communicate their values, inspire a shared vision and create positive, sustainable change at Johns Hopkins and in Baltimore City. HopkinsLEAD is held in collaboration with Orientation and First-Year Experience and is one of many opportunities to begin building community before classes begin. In previous years, HopkinsLEAD students:

Build a tight-knit community
Practice important leadership skills, such as self-reflection and public speaking, with support from returning student mentors.
Develop a leadership mission and involvement plan to guide them through their first-year at Hopkins.

The Center for Diversity and Inclusion invites all incoming students especially international students studying in the US for the first time to learn how to navigate Hopkins towards academic success and available resources within a U.S context, while connecting and having fun with other new students representing a variety of backgrounds. Students who are underrepresented, first generation and/or limited income, students with disabilities, and part of the LGBTQ+ community are also welcome to participate. Students will be paired with a student ambassador, and together with their small group will explore campus, US culture and the city of Baltimore. Previously, planned activities included workshop presentations from campus departments, karaoke night, a tour around Baltimore, and a movie night at the historical Senator Theatre.

The Kessler Scholars Program invites incoming scholars to a pre-orientation designed to introduce new students to the culture and community of Baltimore, enhance their connection to one another, and instill aspects of the programmatic mission dedicated to supporting academic exploration in Humanities and Social Science disciplines. Throughout this pre-orientation, students will form bonds with one another while engaging in a series of robust team building activities, exploring the cultural and historical richness of Baltimore, and participating in academic discussions that lay the groundwork and prepare students for a successful fall semester.

Embark on an enriching adventure with the Recreation’s Experiential Education Program to explore the Appalachian Trail and immerse yourself in the John Hopkins Outdoor Community. Accompanied by a seasoned Student Instructor team, you will gain invaluable insights into hiking and backpacking techniques while receiving a wealth of information about life at John Hopkins. Throughout this expedition, you will engage in physical activities along a predetermined route, fostering camaraderie with your fellow participants through interactive discussions and challenges facilitated by your instructor team.

*Please be advised that this trip will require multiple nights away from campus. You will not return until the conclusion of the trip.*

Get ready to spark your academic and social journey at Hopkins! The SPARK-On In-Person Experience is an exciting pre-orientation program designed for students who have participated in the SPARK Online Course. It’s your opportunity to connect with peers, explore campus, and build confidence as you transition into college life.

SPARK-On is for students enrolling in Pre-Calculus or Calculus I. Invitations will be sent via email by June 20.

Build Your Community. You’ll join a welcoming group of peers who are also beginning their Hopkins math journey in Pre-Calculus or Calculus I. Together, you’ll form a supportive network of friends and study partners. Near-peer mentors—upper-class students who have served as teaching assistants in first-year math courses—will guide the experience, offering insights and encouragement as you begin your first year.

Dive into Math in a Fun, Hands-On Way. Through interactive activities, you’ll deepen your understanding of key mathematical ideas introduced in ALEKS. Students will engage in collaborative activities with peers, near-peer mentors, teaching assistants from the Mathematics Department, and faculty teaching math courses in the upcoming fall semester. These experiences provide opportunities to practice mathematical communication and problem-solving in a collaborative environment.

Explore Beyond the Classroom. Take your learning to new heights with a day trip to Washington, DC. During the trip, we will screen the film Counted Out and explore connections between mathematics, democracy, government, and Johns Hopkins’ engagement with the nation’s capital. Students will visit the National Museum of Natural History and other Smithsonian museums, as well as the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue. This outing highlights the real-world impact of mathematics in society.