The great thing about this program is that you meet so many people with varied experiences and backgrounds. You will also meet lots of people with lots of opinions and some with no opinions (on certain subjects) at all. You will have many opinions, change your opinions, and develop new incites related to research, your own experiences, and others’ experiences.
I dare you to have your own opinion based on research and real experiences. It’s okay to agree with the group sometimes but do your own research when you find subjects that interest you. What you will learn to do at Johns Hopkins – School of Nursing is to learn to back your opinions with evidence and not emotions. Professors will respect you for it and so will your colleagues. Hopkins has many resources in faculty who do research and publish, it has a wonderful relationship with the School of Public Health, world travellers, etc. Your resources will be endless here. Learning and knowing how to find evidence to back your thought processes, learning when to speak up and advocate, and knowing how to best come to a decision will not only help you and your colleagues, it may allow you to effectively manage and care for your patients. Nursing and health care thrives on evidence-based practice. So will your class discussions, assignments, and group projects. 🙂
I also dare you to respect the opinions of others, whether you agree with them or not. Be open to listening and learning. You were accepted here because you are smart, not because you have all of the answers. Opinions are just what they are; opinions. People will get offended, embarrassed, frustrated, and irritated with others because of various opinions. If you’re the one to get upset because of an opinion you’ll have to ask yourself what is it about you that you have taken someone’s opinion so personally. At times you will have to take a step back, be quiet, and just agree to disagree. Just stay open to learning from others and what they’ve experienced. Getting your education here will open you up to an invaluable experience if you allow yourself to be open to learning about life as well as what’s in your textbooks.
Think about it. Groupthink about it. Think different. It doesn’t matter here, as long as it’s evidence-based.