Compare JHU and WashU for nonpremed

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Considering one or both as match/low reach (hopefully) schools. Not premed, likely science (biology, neuroscience, cognitive psych) but not sure, like languages and social sciences as well. Likely won't get to visit before applying. Can someone do a compare/contrast for me?</p>

2

<p>Let me start by saying that I wish you the best of luck, although JHU and WashU can be very unpredictable even if you consider them to be a match or low reach.</p>

<p>Hopkins is especially well known for its programs in medical science like biology, biomedical engineering, etc. That being said, your intended areas of study probably do not help your chances at JHU because you place yourself in a more competitive applicant pool.</p>

<p>On the other hand, I believe WashU is well known more specifically for its pre-med program, which you’ve mentioned you’re not interested in. That may increase your chances at WashU.</p>

<p>In comparison, both schools are quite similar: they are regarded as two of the best universities in the country with excellent opportunities for students. The quality of education you would receive at one is likely to be no different than at the other.</p>

<p>On that note, some smaller factors like location may come into play in your decision since the schools are quite similar at times. I’m sure you’re well aware that WashU is in the Midwest and JHU is in the Mid-Atlantic. Just something to think about.</p>

<p>JHU’s campus is beautiful. It has many traces of Federalist and Greek revival architecture like tall stone columns, as seen [here.[/url</a>] I believe that’s Gilman Hall. WashU’s campus is equally beautiful; it features mostly collegiate Gothic architecture like the iconic Brookings Hall, [url=&lt;a href=“http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Brookings.jpg]which”&gt;http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Brookings.jpg]which</a> you may recognize.](<a href=“http://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/shared/files/upper-quad-1.jpg]here.[/url”>http://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/shared/files/upper-quad-1.jpg)</p>

<p>You can’t go wrong with either school. If you would like to know more about any other aspects of either school, feel free to ask. Hopkins was my first choice for a long time but I will attend WashU this fall and cannot wait.</p>

3

<p>I didn’t apply to WashU, but I have a couple of friends who go there - they absolutely love it! None of them are pre-med, but I would probably agree with Ravnz who made a very informational post. I was accepted to JHU though, so I’m a little more familiar with that than WashU, but at both schools you’ll find a helping of pre-med oriented people. Perhaps JHU is better in terms of research, but I’m no expert on the matter. </p>

<p>I hear WashU is a splendid campus, but I’ve seen JHU first hand. It strikes me as a very traditional, very colonial inspired campus with its red brick buildings, white roofs. I went to the accepted students day in spring, and it was just stunning. The area is not the best, but that is mostly to one side of the campus. In the sciences, they remain quite equal, and you really can’t go wrong with either.</p>

4

<p>Since Tinfoyl reminded me, I’ll say this: WashU’s campus is in an affluent suburb of St. Louis called Clayton. Right outside of campus is the enormous Forest Park (I think it’s like twice the size of Central Park in NY or something) and numerous free museums and other attractions (a zoo and more). JHU certainly isn’t in a very nice location, but the blocks immediately surrounding the campus are safe and JHU-affiliated. There are some neighborhoods you shouldn’t walk through (especially alone), but you just have to use your common sense like you would anywhere else. And once you’re on campus, you would never know you’re in the middle of a city except for the occasional siren. The campus is completely enclosed and you’ll get no sense of an urban environment. In fact, I stayed at JHU for a month during a summer program last year and not once did I feel threatened at all. If you ever see anyone count JHU’s location as a factor against the school’s overall quality, ignore them. It shouldn’t be any concern.</p>

<p>I really can’t say enough about either campus. They’re both great.</p>

5

<p>Both schools are beautiful although architecturally very different, as mentioned above. Having visited both, I came away thinking that academically they are on par. The main difference I noticed was in lifestyle. Wash U has the nicest dorms I saw on any of my son’s college visits and very good food, plus impressive dining halls. Most upperclassmen at JHU live in apts off campus and the on campus food is only tolerable. My own son doesn’t consider these aspects of campus life as terribly important. He’ll apply to both schools and would love to attend either.</p>

6

<p>This is my own personal experience, based on my time spent visiting friends at both schools (and disclaimer I’m from baltimore, my family has affiliations with hopkins, I’m biased, I admit). But, of the people at both schools I’ve been around, in general, the people at Hopkins loved Hopkins, loved Baltimore, were so glad to go to Hopkins, even if they had originally had a different first choice. At WashU, they liked it, they liked the area, they had an overall positive experience, but they still would have liked to go to x. Or they still wished they’d gotten in to y. Or they were still hung up that this person from high school got into z and they didn’t. Not like constant complaining or anything, everyone seemed happy. But it came up at WashU. It never came up at Hopkins. Hopkins has a lot more school spirit, probably in part b/c they have a stronger athletic program. Hopkins has rivalries, at least for lacrosse. It helps to have someone to hate.</p>

7

<p>

If what you said is true, school spirit aside, Hopkins students loving their school is probably because of the reputation of JHU. Many students did realize how good JHU is when they applied, mainly because of relatively low selectivity and low yield compared to some of the peer schools, but after they matriculated, they found that there are a number of areas that JHU can claim #1 in the country or even in the world. Most people, of course, would love to be in a #1 position.</p>

8

<p>^^Supposed to say “Many students didn’t realize …”</p>

9

<p>You’re from Baltimore. Of course you’re going to feel warmer and fuzzier towards JHU than WU. The opposite would be true if you were from St Louis. So this observation isn’t terribly meaningful.</p>

10

<p>I would have to agree with the previous statements. Saying people who go to WashU are angry and jealous is a gross overgeneralization from what - maybe the handful of people you know? The same goes for Hopkins. You can attest to the feelings of every one of the thousands of undergraduates? When you say bogus things like that, you are committing an injustice to a terrific school like WashU where the student body is every bit as intelligent as the one that goes to JHU. Don’t try to extrapolate data from one person you met in order to assess a university as a whole. C’mon!</p>

11

<p>

This is not quite ture. A lot kids don’t feel warmer and fuzzier about their local colleges. To the contrary, “other people’s lawn is greener” is quite popular.</p>

12

<p>Where did I say they were angry and jealous? I said they seemed very happy, they just didn’t have as much school spirit. And where does intelligence come into it at all? They’re both fantastic schools, I didn’t say anything bad about WashU, just that people there seemed less crazy in love with the school. I’m not exactly extrapolating from one person…my bet friend goes there, and I spent a week visiting her last fall. I had a lot of fun, St. Louis is a great city and I never intended to imply anything bad about it. But since the question was asked by someone who isn’t going to visit before applying, I thought I’d share my impression of both campuses. and my impression is that people at Hopkins have more school spirit and are more inclined to tell a visitor all about how much they love Hopkins.</p>

13

<p>“But, of the people at both schools I’ve been around, in general, the people at Hopkins loved Hopkins, loved Baltimore, were so glad to go to Hopkins, even if they had originally had a different first choice. At WashU, they liked it, they liked the area, they had an overall positive experience, but they still would have liked to go to x. Or they still wished they’d gotten in to y. Or they were still hung up that this person from high school got into z and they didn’t.”</p>

<p>That’s what you wrote. You typecast the entire university by claiming that everybody at Hopkins is madly in love with the school while at WashU, although they still like their school, they are all “hung up” because they REALLY don’t want to be there. They still linger over the thought of going to another school and maintain college grudges from high school. Did I miss something? Perhaps you didn’t intend to mean it this way, but that’s how it turned out when you wrote it. Your description paints a very negative image of the school. I don’t care if you met 10 or 15 people and a few of them expressed these emotions. There are roughly 6000 people you didn’t meet, and that’s just undergraduates. </p>

<p>You just made it seem like they lived their lives with regrets because they go to WashU. That’s not exactly flattering.</p>

14

<p>It’s just not believable. There’s no a priori reason to believe that JHU and WUSTL students aren’t equally as happy at their chosen schools.</p>