<p>When I compare the two schools, I can "see myself" much better at Hopkins. What I like:
-closed campus with a bus to Baltimore
-really good facilities
-less hype about prestige
-strong sense of community
-hardworking people
-lots of funding for research
-open curriculum
-I have some friends there already which gives me the idea that if they love it, I'll love it too. </p>
<p>I want to major in Cog Sci, and Ed-ing at johns hopkins would really give me an edge in getting in!
HOWEVER, Eding would mean that I may never be able to attend Brown PLME, which has been my dream for a while. I like Brown, but I just don't see myself being happy there, for some reason. I don't like Providence, and I don't like how the campus is so spread out. BUT, I DO love the Brown-PLME program (and the Brown undergraduate concept of education) as well. </p>
<p>Should I ED to Hopkins, or RD to both Brown and Hopkins?</p>
<p>Brown PLME is extremely extremely hard to get in. Since you like Hopkins better, I would recommend Hopkins to hedge your bets. I would definitely recommend Brown over Hopkins if you like Brown better, but that doesn’t appear to be the case in this scenario.</p>
<p>ED at Hopkins would definitely boost your chances. ED is not a guarantee by any means since lots of legacies and recruited athletes apply which boosts the acceptance rate - but you will definitely get a greater push on your application. I might equate ED as the difference between a RD waitlist to acceptance but not a RD rejection to acceptance. If you don’t get into Hopkins ED however, you would have little to no chance at Hopkins RD, Brown RD, or Brown PLME. That’s based on my experience with applicants however.</p>
<p>The reason why I’m doing ED is because I really only like Brown and Johns Hopkins. Yes, safeties schools are important, but I’m pretty sure that I’d be wasting money by applying to 10 schools because I really am not going to be interested in any of them other than Brown and Hopkins.
So you think giving up the possibility of getting into PLME (slim) is worth it when I can secure myself a position better at Johns Hopkins?</p>
<p>You’d have better chances at Hopkins. The people who get into PLME have high chances at Harvard or Stanford regular decision (they likely aren’t stressing over Hopkins or Brown RD). Are you one of these people or one of the lucky 5% from the entire applicant pool? Do you have a 4.0/2250+ as that program demands high scores and academic profiles? That should answer your question.</p>
<p>^those stats, while accurate, are highly misleading because you are comparing apples and Oranges. The 140 acres at Hopkins is within the walls and does not cover the significant part of JHU which is adjacent but beyond the walls. If Brown counted the same way, it would be about 10 acres so, instead, it counts everything beyond its walls. Hopkins feels like a larger campus because, if you compute size consistently, it is.</p>
<p>While Providence is not a booming metropolis I prefer it to Baltimore. Lots of rough neighborhoods there and the surrounding neighborhoods of JHU are not good. Brown is in a very hip part of town with RISD sharing the neighborhood. Much safer area IMO and I would never choose JHU based on location. Having said this its been a while since I’ve been to Providence but still, I work with graduates of JHU and they agree the surrounding area leaves a lot to be desired.</p>
<p>^If you actually knew stuff about JHU, you’d know part of campus borders ritzy million dollar houses and private schools - not all of the surrounding area around campus is bad. The city (fed hill/fells point, downtown baltimore with major sports and bars, and the business school district) would be a definite selling point based on location over Providence.</p>
<p>^You’re lead sentence is unnecessarily argumentative unless you have some agenda or history on this topic. I’m just sharing what I know to be helpful and otherwise have no agenda. If you have firsthand experience with neighborhoods surrounding JHU (as it exists today) then feel free to share. There’s no need to argue. From what I saw of the city a few weeks ago and from what my colleagues tell me, the city has many dangerous areas now that were not there a decade or so ago.</p>
<p>Roland Park is the rich neighborhood which immediately abuts JHU’s campus to the north and the one I was referring to. It is the absolute antithesis of danger. Charles Village and Mount Vernon are also great neighborhoods.</p>
<p>My only agenda is when people make generalized unfounded statements. Based on my statement above, JHU’s surrounding neighborhoods are not all bad. The immediate area surrounding campus is not bad at all.</p>
<p>OP - You need to start figuring where else you would be happy considering how selective both of these schools are. Your posts make it sound like these are the only two schools you care about, and that is not a good strategy. Whatever features you like about these schools you can find in varying degrees in other schools. There is no “dream” school, it is an illusion.</p>
<p>@Beantowngirl, I know, but I ask as I am considering ED-ing. </p>
<p>But thank you all for your help! I am going to go with Regular Decision. It seems as though the majority believes JHU’s neighborhood isn’t all that bad and that I shouldn’t NOT choose JHU because of it’s neighborhood? What’s so great about Providence?</p>
<p>@rhythmMeleon, I suggest you read and inquire in the specific forums for these schools. I think current students and recent grads can give you the best answers to your questions. Then I recommend a campus visit so you can decide for yourself whether the campus and surrounding areas are to your liking. If possible try to talk to current students rather than just admissions which will give you only the positives. Also try to articulate, at least to yourself, what made Brown your dream school just a few weeks ago. Its good to have dreams but as others have pointed out, a backup plan is essential when considering reach schools like these.</p>
They are typical urban campuses.</p>