Could I get advice from a Hopkins student?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Johns Hopkins University
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<p>Hi! I just got accepted to Hopkins last week with potentially 50k in aid :) sounds good right? Well, I've visited the school in the past but didn't continue to do so because I didn't think I'd get in (and was honestly fine, I had a nice little backup planned...) Once I got in, everything changed. I want to visit again to get another feel for it but...</p>

<p>I want to know how current students feel about it.
What is the rigor of the classes? I'm an A student with the occasional B... I'm top 5% of my class and I'm scared I'll fall to the very bottom at JHU :/
I don't mind too much the social aspect, I'll be visiting plenty of friends at local schools and not too much of a party girl, although I'm not super nerdy, I actually don't have GREAT study habits :(
What kind of extracurriculars are very prominent?
What are the class sizes for freshmen?
Are the teachers helpful?
What's the school spirit?
What's the FOOD like??</p>

<p>I've lived around Baltimore all my life so I'm a Ravens and Orioles fan and am aware of the sketchy neighborhoods.... but does that interfere much with the atmosphere?
What are the dorms like? Are people typically friendly?</p>

<p>Thank you!!!</p>

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<p>don’t worry. I barely ever studied in high school so my study habits aren’t the best either. And there is a good chance your friends will come here to party.
The classes are a lot harder than high school, but if you keep up with the material, readings, and homeworks, you will be fine.</p>

<p>There are a lot ofextrecuriculars on campus so there will definitely be something for you. If you tell me what kind of actives you are looking for, I’ll try to point you in the right direction. </p>

<p>The class sizes vary greatly. It can be anything from 6 students (my spanish class last year) to well over 100-200 students (Macroeconomics). However, you will find that most classes with a lot of people break up into sections of 10-20 students on thursday or friday. Also, even in most large classes, the professors are still very approachable. In calc 3, I met with my professor every friday during his office hours to go over the material he taught the passed week after getting a bad grade on the first midterm. It helped me learn to material more effectively than just studying on my own, and he dropped subtle hints on what would be on the next midterm/final. Also, I believe that he also gave me a small boost to my grade at the end. Same thing happened to me in DiffEq. Oh, and the professors are extremely helpful in working with your schedule. I’ve had professors come to campus on a weekend, stay later in the evening, or come in on their off-day to talk with me.</p>

<p>The school spirit for sports has a lot to be desired. We’re working on it, but it just won’t be the same as an all D1 school. To Hopkins, studies usually come before sports. However, there is a lot of school pride. Most people are very proud to go to Johns Hopkins.</p>

<p>The food isn’t five stars, but it’s not terrible. I’d place it above average. However, the university is bringing in a new food company (chosen by a group of students who went to different school to taste the food) so it’ll probably be better next year. Also, there are tons of amazing restaurants all around campus and in nearby areas.</p>

<p>The sketch neighborhoods are usually pretty isolated from Hopkins. As long as you keep your street smarts (don’t walk off campus alone at night), you should be fine. The dorms are actually really nice. There are a few types so you should look into which you’d rather. I lived in Wolman which was 2 doubles in a suite that had a kitchenette and bathroom. Wolman also had a mailroom, a full kitchen, a mini gym, a study room, and a movie theater downstairs. And there a few stuck up people, but for the most part, everyone is really friendly.</p>

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<p>Thank you so much! That was super helpful :slight_smile: I can deal with not a lot of sports spirit. I’m not sure what extra curriculars I’d want to try, but probably something artsy maybe to balance schoolwork</p>

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<p>well there are A Capella groups, a JHU wind Ensemble and Orchestra, and student run theaters. I don’t know much about painting or drawing (since I’m a bit of a joke in that field) but I’d imagine there is something. I am in the Band and I take trumpet lessons at Peabody. Also Hopkins is near MICA so if you were really passionate about the arts life I’m sure you can join stuff there (since there have been MICA students who have joined the JHU band).</p>

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<p>Congrats on your acceptance!!! You should join the JHU admitted facebook group for the class of 2017 if you haven’t done so yet. There’s current students there that can answer your questions too.</p>

<p>I just wanted to comment on one thing - although you have friends at local colleges, which is great, you should definitely still try to branch out and meet some new kids. I thought I wasn’t going to be social (and was afraid to be social) but I got involved in a few clubs and I met so many people. I’m really glad that I tried to branch out because the people you meet are incredible. Hopkins has a really diverse student body and everyone comes from such interesting backgrounds and their passion for learning, the arts, whatever it may be, is really inspiring. A few ways you can get involved is Greek life (again, I didn’t think I was going to join a sorority, but I did, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made), Admissions (i.e. tour guides), academic oriented clubs, ethnic/cultural clubs, community service, etc. All of the clubs often do fun events (i.e. ethnic buffets or fundraisers at bars) so you will definitely have fun!</p>

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<p>Thank you! :slight_smile: sounds great, I’ll join the page too!</p>

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<p>Big Congrats on your Acceptance! :smiley:
Maybe I can help you; I’m a high school student who takes classes there, and I spend 2-4 hrs/day there when I do have class. It might offer you an interesting perspective.
The class sizes really do vary; obviously the more common classes like Calc are 100+, but even some of the lower level undergrad classes can be pretty small - 10-20 if you pick a more specialized class if you have a good idea of what field you want to explore.
I really liked the vibe and friendliness of people, and the beauty of the campus extends into some of its buildings - notably the library, of course.
Course load isn’t ridiculous, but neither can you shrug it off. If you had good study habits in h.s., and you can maintain them along with the other free time you’ll have, you’ll be good to go. I could still toggle my courses there and at my h.s. with commute time because I stayed to a personal, fairly flexible schedule. You’ll do fine! :smiley:
Food is alright; I’m not impressed, but it’s still good. I LOVE the various cafes around campus (go to Levering Hall! :wink: ), but obviously, we can’t eat pastries always…
Teachers are often helpful; however, some not so much (ya know, the type only hired for research but still teach). All are receptive if you go to office hours and reach out for help. TAs are typically good, some stellar, some not-so-much.
Anyway, good luck; enjoy it, next year! :smiley: Hope this helped from one high schooler to another :)</p>

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<p>Thank you! It actually did, I feel more confident about attending :slight_smile: definitely want to go for another visit but have a good feeling!</p>

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<p>I hope you got to do SOHOP or whatever, because visiting and getting to see the school and doing all the pre-frosh programming (read: “bonding”) actually made me feel really great about my decision. I was choosing between Hopkins and another school, and the visit really secured the deal. </p>

<p>Acappella’s pretty big here (at least one of our groups makes it to semifinals, if not finals every year), if you’re into artsy stuff. if you wanna try less music-ey things, mica and the baltimore museum are right there too!</p>

<p>Also, regarding socializing and all that, i felt pretty socially awkward coming into college, but i’ve managed to make a bunch of friends! something to get used to is not having one centralized group of friends, but rather, a bunch of friends from different activities and circumstances.</p>