<p>I have returned from my hiatus. I celebrated, relaxed, and recharged. A lot has happened since last I visited -- decisions have been released and now the flood of questions begins. I will try in the next few days to answer as many questions as possible on the CC threads.</p>
<p>As well, I encourage you all to continue to check-out these following sources of information:</p>
<p>To the Admitted Students:
CONGRATULATIONS! As you have learned this was the most competitive year in Hopkins admissions history so you should really feel proud. We look forward to meeting you if you visit campus in April, or connecting with you through our various virtual visit options. I personally hope you enjoy the "really cool" acceptance packages and that you find the Admitted Student Web Site helpful. A lot of work went into both of those projects.</p>
<p>To the Wait Listed Students:
I personally remember being wait listed at one of my top choice schools and I can sympathize with you. Soon I will post information on the Hopkins Insider Blog to help you through the wait list process, and I will try to answer questions as best as I can. </p>
<p>To the Denied Students:
Back when I applied to colleges I was denied from my first choice school and was devastated, so I understand how you all feel. Please understand that myself and my colleagues take not offering admission to applicants very seriously, and struggle every moment with being a competitive institution. This year it was extremely difficult. Do know though that whatever school you choose can become the perfect school for you. I encourage you to read this blog entry (<a href="http://ben.mitblogs.com/archives/2006/03/the_only_answer.html%5B/url%5D">http://ben.mitblogs.com/archives/2006/03/the_only_answer.html</a>) by a colleague of mine at MIT -- it expresses in perfect language how us adcoms struggle with our decisions and don't take our jobs lightly.</p>
<p>OK, I have been on for two hours answering as many threads as I could get to. Now I am off to enjoy my Saturday night...and enjoy it I will.</p>
<p>I will try to check CC as much as I can in the next few days and weeks, but if you really want to reach me posting a comment on the Hopkins Insider blog or Hopkins Message Boards will get a quicker response.</p>
<p>You know BEN at MIT. That's awesome. Ben is such a cool guy. Even though I got rejected from MIT in the end, I think tha the way BEN and his admissions team handle admissions is awesome...they try a lot.</p>
<p>I look forward to meeting with you, Daniel too when I come for my overnight visit - April 13-15 (Asian Weekend)</p>
<p>And oh yeah, one piece of advice...
The threads comparing different schools are pretty much useless. Do your research, visit the schools, ask your questions, and in the end you will make the right decision. Basing decisions on the biased, opinionated posts of other CC people is a bit sketchy in my humble opinion.</p>
<p>And last thing...
If you are visiting this month, say hi to me!</p>
<p>hi adcom dan, i am a waitlisted student and i am very very disappointed. i didn't even apply to the competitive bme program to increase my chances of getting in. i don't even know if i didn't get in as the result of defensive admissions, or because i'm just not good enough. </p>
<p>can you please give me my regional adcom's phone number so i can ask what was wrong with my app and hopefully improve myself to get off the waitlist? i live in new york city.</p>
<p>As you have read on the boards, admission to Johns Hopkins University this year was the most competitive in history. Unfortunately we are unable to extend offers of admission to many qualified applicants each year. Since Admissions decisions are comprehensive decisions that take into account many factors we are unable to inform applicants why we were not able to accept them. </p>
<p>As far as the process of the waitlist at Hopkins, I encourage you to read the Hopkins Insider blog next week as I will be posting a thread discussing the waitlist.</p>
<p>AdmissionsDaniel - will you be at the Hodson Reception on Monday night? If so, I will meet you then! I might also say hi during the open house the next day</p>
<p>AD: Is there a language requirement in Engineering or Arts&Sciences. Also, I'm developing an interest in economics. Is it possible for me to do a double major of applied maths/economics even though they are different schools and may have different core requirements?</p>
<p>I'm not AdmissionsDaniel, but I am an applied math major. There is no schoolwide language requirement in either Engineering or Arts & Sciences, however, individual majors may require a language. For instance, IR majors have to take at least one year of language beyond the intermediate level. As for double majoring, yes, it is definitely possible - I'm considering a double major in psychology, myself.</p>
<p>fjchowdhury: Yes I will be there. It is a great event.</p>
<p>gatorade: dnbmathguy answered you perfectly. Ain't he great!</p>
<p>maguo1: If I am around say hi, but I know the 13th is one of the few days in April I have little scheduled so I may be taking some time to catch up on sleep. It never hurts to ask at the front desk though.</p>
<p>AdmissionsDaniel, I'm on the waitlist and I want to send additional recommendations. What form should I use? Just a letterhead or the actual JHU teacher recommendation form?</p>
<p>Also, I want to send my most recent grades. Do the grades have to be quarter grades? Or can it simply be the MOST recent grades, the grades I can check by using a gradecheck? If my teachers and counselors approve that these are the right grades, then they don't necessarily have to be quarter grades, right?</p>
<p>I've read a lot of the comments online and at the blogs you've recommended, but I still have a lot of apprehension regarding competition and the cutthroat "infamy" of JHU.</p>
<p>I know JHU has changed a lot since then, but what from that article has been addressed specifically? What's different now since then?
Also, what's school spirit like? My High School is pretty low on school spirit and also very competitive so I really want a College experience that's completely different.
Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>collegeboy121 -- I'm not sure there is much more I can tell you. Have you visited??? The blogs and the message boards are not filtered - we do not tell our students what to write. I am not sure if you will be able to hear or read anything that will make you feel that the cut-throat, competition myth is based in an old sense of Hopkins. The school is much different then even three years ago, but to get that sense I really think you need to visit the campus and interact with our students.</p>
<p>I will never say that there aren't students here at Hopkins who are cut-throat and enjoy a competitive sense to academics. They are just in the minority now, and dwindling each year. Admissions has a lot to do with that. </p>
<p>Following the research done explained in that article, the Hopkins administration made it priority one to improve student life and distance ourselves from these old myths. Coincidentally I began working at Hopkins at this time and have been witness to the changes over the last three years. Here is just a sampling of the things I have been witness to:</p>
<p>*Improved housing - especially with the opening of Charles Commons this fall. All freshmen will live together for the first time and we have housing options for upperclassmen finally.
*Improved dining - we have a new vendor that will start this Fall and the universal reaction is that food will drastically improve.
*More campus events. Improved Spring Fair, Fall Festival, more speakers, more theatre presentations, Culture Fest, etc.
*Constant tweaking to the curriculums as a whole and in each individual department. Investigation into freshmen seminar experiences, the scheduling of classes with a focus on MTW scheduling, a strengthening of the covered grade policy.
*The expansion of humanities and social science options for students.
*The re-engagement of faculty with undergraduates and the increase of research opportunities for undergraduates.
*Revisions in academic advising to help prepare students from day one of freshmen year to obtain the past four year education to help them with grad school or job placement.</p>
<p>My summary would be this. In terms of student life changes we have been overwhelmingly successful. In terms of academic changes we have tried a lot of things and many have improved the academic experience. Much more will be done in those areas over the next couple of years. </p>
<p>Finally, isn't it re-assuring that a school investigates the attitudes of its undergraduates and adjusts to suit them. Hopkins in 2003 could have rested on its laurels - we were a great school doing quite well enrolling and graduating our class. Instead we decided to shake things up and will continue to do such.</p>
I've read a lot of the comments online and at the blogs you've recommended, but I still have a lot of apprehension regarding competition and the cutthroat "infamy" of JHU.
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Read my write-up about my visit to JHU. There are students at JHU who never leave the library (I saw one). There are students at JHU who get drunk every night of the week (I met some). There are also serious students who like to have fun. College is what you make of it.</p>