Biology / Pre-Med at Hopkins

<p>Hi all,</p>

<p>Prospective biology major here. Possibly planning on medical school after undergrad. I'm a hs junior.</p>

<p>I've visited Hopkins, and love the campus. I also understand that its biology program is among the nation's finest.</p>

<p>But I've heard that at Hopkins, being a pre-med major is so competitive that it's terrible. I've heard that there's so much grade deflation that unless you are your class' #1 premed student, you have no chance at getting into a great med school.</p>

<p>Any comments on this from people more in-the-know about Hopkins? I'd love to hear input from any and all.</p>

<p>If you search around this forum and on Hopkins Interactive, you can find this question discussed extensively. I’ll try to provide what seems to be the general consensus.</p>

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<p>Back in the 1970’s it seems that there was a lot of competition among pre-meds, earning Hopkins the reputation of being unusually “cut-throat”. However most of today’s students report that this simply isn’t true any more, and it’s very common for students to work together in study groups and help each other out. </p>

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<p>I actually laughed when I read this. Are people really saying that? The urban legend has now gone to an entirely new level… </p>

<p>As for grade deflation, the average GPA at Hopkins does tend to be a little bit lower than at other schools (see gradeinflation.com). Hopkins is known for challenging students, so it’s probably not a great place to go if you want an easy A. However Medical Schools recognize that there is less grade inflation at Hopkins than at many other universities, and the acceptance rate for qualified Hopkins students into medical schools is very high. </p>

<p>As for needing to be #1 in the class to get into a great medical school, consider for a moment that Johns Hopkins Medical School routinely accepts more students from JHU than any other school (usually about 10-20 per year).</p>

<p>More information [url=<a href=“Taiga”>Taiga]here[/url</a>].</p>

<p>Here is some stuff to read that will dispel the major misconceptions that you have “heard”:</p>

<p>1) [Cutthroat</a> opinion?](<a href=“http://www.hopkins-interactive.com/forums/fact-or-fiction/cuthroat-opinion/]Cutthroat”>http://www.hopkins-interactive.com/forums/fact-or-fiction/cuthroat-opinion/)
2) [Grades</a> Vs. Life?](<a href=“http://www.hopkins-interactive.com/forums/fact-or-fiction/grades-vs-life/]Grades”>http://www.hopkins-interactive.com/forums/fact-or-fiction/grades-vs-life/)
3) [Grade</a> deflation/Lack of inflation](<a href=“http://www.hopkins-interactive.com/forums/fact-or-fiction/grade-deflationlack-of-inflation/]Grade”>http://www.hopkins-interactive.com/forums/fact-or-fiction/grade-deflationlack-of-inflation/)
4) [Pre-Medicine[/url</a>]
5) [url=&lt;a href=“http://www.hopkins-interactive.com/forums/major-specific-questions/biology/]Biology[/url”&gt;http://www.hopkins-interactive.com/forums/major-specific-questions/biology/]Biology[/url</a>]
6) [url=&lt;a href=“http://www.hopkins-interactive.com/forums/ask-admissions/future-interest-in-medical-school/]Future”&gt;http://www.hopkins-interactive.com/forums/ask-admissions/future-interest-in-medical-school/]Future</a> Interest in Medical School](<a href=“http://www.hopkins-interactive.com/forums/academics-the-insider-perspective/pre-medicine/]Pre-Medicine[/url”>http://www.hopkins-interactive.com/forums/academics-the-insider-perspective/pre-medicine/)</p>

<p>Awesome! Sorry, you’re right, I really should have looked around more before I posted this question. Thanks for your thoughtful input.</p>