Ask a Current Freshman

<p>Yes - there’s the Ladybirds and I have seen them perform at football games (not sure about lax games since I’m a freshman). But my friend just started a new cheerleading team - it’s still in the works - they’re working out the details. There are about 18 girls on the team and they are planning to do football, basketball, and lacrosse. Hope that helps!</p>

<p>There used to be a cheerleading team, but I believe it disbanded in 2007-ish due to internal issues and at least until I graduated in 2009, I believe the Ladybirds were the ones performing at football and cheerleading games.</p>

<p>hey i was just accepted to jhu 2015 (neuroscience)</p>

<p>my question is do you know anything about weight lifting at jhu?</p>

<p>is there a team by chance? club or otherwise? is the gym for weight lifting nice? how can i get in touch with someone who would know if you guys dont</p>

<p>Hey hopkid, I have another question. Well, it’s actually my dad’s question.</p>

<p>What’s the competition like at Hopkins? I know its students aren’t cut-throats but the competition is allegedly very fierce. Is this true? And if so, what should we do to prepare for the year ahead? Thanks!</p>

<p>@R3d3mpti0n this exact question was asked on the first page haha </p>

<p>hopkid said "At Hopkins are the people are competitive? Yes. Everyone wants to get good grades - that’s why you’re at one of the best universities in the world. However, it is definitely not cut-throat or even “overly competitive.” The students are very friendly, always helping one another out in classes, sharing notes, studying together… it’s actually a rather collaborative atmosphere. In my experience, no one has ever been cut-throat. Everyone just wants to do well and get good grades, so we all help each other out! "</p>

<p>Oh, sorry. Ugh, I should’ve known that. My bad.</p>

<p>Can you also tell us more about the grading curves for science and humanity classes? What is the average? How easy is it to get 3.75 GPA based on your experiences?</p>

<p>The average grade depends on the professor. Some will curve to a C+ (though I imagine this is rare), others up to B+ or even A- (also, fairly uncommon). As the classes get smaller, it becomes easier to get good grades because you’ll know the professors well and they don’t really want to give out low grades in upper-level courses. Particularly in upper-level math/science courses, as one professor put it to me a few years ago, the people who do poorly on the first midterm are likely to drop so those who would get the low grades would probably drop the class.</p>

<p>How easy is it to get a 3.75? Perhaps not the best way to phrase the question, since a 3.75 is in the top 10th percentile. However, if you work hard and are sufficiently intelligent, it’s more than doable. Also, picking the right classes helps. Knowing which professors are easy A’s and which give a lot of work make the process easier.</p>

<p>Hey candynobad373, congratulations! And thank you for posting my response to R3d3mpti0n.</p>

<p>I honestly cannot say I have a good answer to your question. I have not heard of a weight lifting team or club, but you are always welcome to start one yourself. If you are a part of the Class of 2015 Facebook group, you might want to try posting this question on there. Sorry about that!</p>

<p>Hopkins is greatly valued for its research. My question is, how easy is it in there to do research for any major. I know Hopkins excels in sciences but if someone were to do a relatively not-so-well-known major (like Computer Science, as a user above discussed), what are the opportunities for such a person there? Will she/he get any, if at all, opportunities to pursue research? How do you start a research? How do professors interact with freshmen students who want to start research? </p>

<p>Sorry if the questions are generic, but your insight would be very valuable.</p>

<p>ok I havent been accepted yet but I am just curious to know… are there any Pakistani students on campus? If yes are they treated any differently from all the other students or anything like that? Are they seen with suspicious eyes or people are more friendly towards them or hows the scene?</p>

<p>@ fanboy: It’s fairly easy to do research in some capacity. What capacity depends on the department. For example, it’s generally difficult to do research in pure math because it requires a lot of background knowledge and the department just doesn’t have the time or the money to impart this knowledge to undergrads. In the bio and hard science departments, you’ll be able to do more. Since I’m not in those departments, I can’t give you precise details but usually, if you ask a professor, they can steer you in the right direction. In departments like these, they’re usually more willing to take on undergrads. When I was a freshman, I asked a physics professor about research, and he basically asked me what I wanted to do, and then told me who would be good people to contact (I ultimately didn’t pursue physics, but I have several friends that are currently doing physics research). I can’t really give you much insight into the humanities departments. However, a lot of departments offer a senior thesis course, so you’ll be able to do some research as a senior, at least.</p>

<p>Hope that helps a little.</p>

<p>Yes, it did. Thanks! Have your friends found it cumbersome to do research and keep up with the school workload at the same time?</p>

<p>Just bumping this thread for everyone to check out - all current students are invited to respond to any questions!</p>

<p>How do JHU students fare in terms of internships? Have you taken on any internships, and if so, have they been beneficial to your direction in college and/or employment afterward? Have the internships been paid? Have you been able to find an adequate amount of time to take on an internship concurrent to your course load?</p>

<p>I am entering JHU as political science/economics major, so any insight from that side of the college would be much appreciated!</p>

<p>lots of internships! I’m a senior majoring poli sci, and I’ve interned for, in college: politicians, an NGO in DC, a think tank, a non-profit consulting firm…JHU is a great base, because you’re so close to DC!</p>

<p>I personally have not pursued any internships yet, but a lot of my peers and older friends have - the opportunities are endless. As MasterMargarita said, IR/Political Science/Econ/etc internships are readily available since you are so close to DC. If you’re majoring in Public Health, there are tons of internships and research positions available in Maryland and DC. It’s really easy to find an internship or conduct research at Hopkins - they persuade students to do so, so it’s very accessible.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, I don’t think top internships are readily available for economics/finance. The reason is simple: Hopkins does not have a well-established, top business school known for producing Wall Street-types. I got an internship at Citi, I have a friend who got one at Goldman, but we both got them through connections, not on-campus recruiting. For political science/IR I imagine opportunities are readily available and easy to get.</p>

<p>What is the best choice for dorms? I want to meet new people and socialize but I feel that the AMR’s won’t be as comfortable to live in as Wolman.</p>

<p>Does the choice of housing and meal plan you choose affect your financial aid?</p>

<p>AMR’s are fine. The only down side is the floor bathrooms but you get used to them. I absolutely dreaded living in them but I ended up not minding it. Definitely the most social of the dorms, though.</p>

<p>No idea about the financial aid. Probably not but I have no idea.</p>