<p>Hey, yall! I'm thinking of JHU but haven't decided yet whether I want to apply...can you please help? Here's what's discouraging me...</p>
<p>1) It's a premed factory
2) Competition is cutthroat (I heard people steal library books so others can't use them)
3) I've never visited so I don't know what the campus is like.
4) People at JHU have no life.</p>
<p>All of these are rumors that I've heard, but they're really tainting my view of the school...Please help!</p>
<p>1) Pre-med is popular here, but not so much that every person(or every other person) is pre-med. If you look at what the biggest majors are you will see all are not pre-med related: BME (1/5 are pre-med, most pre-meds drop out), International Relations(a few are pre-med actually), Biomolecular/Chem E(more pre-meds than BME, but not majority), Biology (most are pre-meds, but not necessarily the most competitive), Writing Seminars(not many pre-meds), etc, etc. Johns Hopkins gets the pre-med factory reputation because of it's world-class med school, which accepts a large number of JHU undergrads(in comparison to other schools).</p>
<p>2) It isn't cut-throat competitiveness. Competitiveness comes from the fact everyone works hard due to the curved classes. And if anyone decided to steal library books, we'd mess 'em up. Do you think the admissions officers pick jerks? And a jerk is a jerk no matter which institution he/she is in.</p>
<p>3) Campus is small(very small) and nice. Brick walkways make it look like an amusement park. The only thing that bothers me is when the major school hours are over, few people walk around the campus. There are more squirrels and birds(not afraid of people I may add), then students walking around the campus most hours.</p>
<p>4) If by "no life" you mean study 24/7 and make no friends, well that would be your problem and not the school's problem. Your life here is what you make of it. The work load isn't backbreaking, you'll find plenty of free time. You can either use this time to join some clubs, get into greek life, go out (to Towson, outside the campus has been deemed ghetto), watch a movie, go to one of the school sponsered events, drink up at the frat houses, or stay in your room and complain about why you didn't get into an ivy.To be honest it is harder to make friends here then at most colleges, and thats only because of the lack of students. Students here are generally friendly.</p>
<p>So if you apply here realize it isn't the easiest school in the world. Getting an A here is much harder than many institutions, but if you do you know you earned it. Life isn't bad like everyone says it is. If you feel you still don't like the atmosphere you can always transfer.</p>
<p>Wow! thanks so much for the detailed post...I have another question, though...
from your post, I'm inferring that you're a current student. Is that right? And if so, why did you choose JHU? Also, do many people go to JHU only because they didn't get into an ivy?
Thanks so much!</p>
<p>I chose JHU, because of BME(being the best), but for the longest time(since middle school) I've always wanted to go to JHU. Dr. Ben Carson is also my hero.</p>
<p>I get two impressions from students at Hopkins. You either love it or hate it (mostly love it). But I would bet a few students don't like it here because they were denied from their dream ivies. JHU should never be put as a safety, because many students were denied from here that made it to the upper elites.</p>
<p>I'm a Freshman at JHU majoring in International Relations and am not pre-med. I agree 100% with every point in Javis' post, especially that part about the squirrels. I was ED last year and while I regreted my decision time to time thinking I might've wanted to give a shot to a "better" school I realize now that that was due to nothing but prestige. In fact, I love it over here and couldn't see myself at any other school and I realize why I feel in love with the school in the first place and went ED.</p>