<p>So I'm at a crossroad and I'd like to hear some opinion. Next Monday ED is due and essentially, I need to choose between these two schools. On a realistic level, by doing ED i have like a 40% of getting into one compared to a 10% of getting into either doing RD. I have visited both and really liked them. Of course there are numerous pro/cons for each, but I would like it if students at said universities can give some insight into student/social life, difficulties of academia, and overall greatness of the schools. Please respond ASAP.</p>
<p>If I were in this situation I would most likely go with Duke. That being said, I am a huge sports fan. Academics and a great athletic atmosphere are two things I am considering heavily when applying. I believe Duke offers this and much more. What are you looking for in a school?</p>
<p>i plan on doing pre-med class and probably doing the neuroscience major that being said i love sports, both playing and watching, and I realize that both schools have their pluses and minuses in both sports. Both schools are academically rigorous and I think I’m prepared for that. I’m not huge into partying and such and I can make friends pretty easy but I’m getting stuck that their extremely similar.</p>
<p>coming from Houston where the heat is pretty bad I dont absolutely hate the cold but I could manage. Baltimore isn’t as bad as further north right?</p>
<p>I’m an hour outside of Baltimore and it does get pretty darn cold here. It’s a little cooler where I live, but there are quite a few winter days on which the temp. drops below 10 F.</p>
<p>So, I’m a sophomore in Trinity at Duke, with an intended Bio major, certificate in Genome Sciences and Policy, and a Chem minor. Also, I live in a Baltimore suburb, Owings Mills MD. The main reason I applied ED Duke, and didn’t even apply to Hopkins, was the atmosphere. On average, it’s about 10-15 degrees warmer in NC than in MD. As for the competition, being a student in maryland, I heard about horror stories of people ripping pages out of textbooks, destroying computers, hacking accounts, etc. at Hopkins. While I was never able to corroborate such things, I never even bothered to apply. Baltimore as a whole isn’t too bad, but Hopkins is literally in the ghetto of Baltimore. Duke is somewhat in the middle of nowhere, as we have our own bubble here in Durham. But, the weather’s absolutely beautiful, competition is barely seen (although people here are studying all the time), and everyone is incredibly friendly. Athletics are a massive portion of campus, so if you’re looking for stuff to do on the weekends, you can definitely find it here. However, the greek scene can be a bit overwhelming for some. The academics here are intense, but manageable with some effort. Have you visited both schools?</p>
<p>^I don’t think you ever visited Hopkins and know very little about Baltimore despite growing up in Owings Mills. The Hopkins Homewood campus is hardly in a “ghetto” (in fact, it is in one of the nicer areas of the city), and relative to Durham, Baltimore is like a thriving metropolis…</p>
<p>Duke hands down. Better athletics, girls, less of a cutthroat-competitive student body (not to say they aren’t a competitive student body in terms of their academic quality, just that it’s not an every-man-for-himself mentality), weather, location, etc.
the list is endless</p>
<p>I am biased, but cannot possibly imagine choosing JHU over Duke. JHU is even more expensive than Duke, and lacks its national reputation. And yes, while JHU’s main campus is not in a bad neighborhood, Baltimore and Detroit are the worst cites I have been in, hands down. There are so many depressing areas of Baltimore it is hard to describe - no Duke Forest there. And Duke has a real athletic program, and yet is a major attraction for arts and similar events. Unless a scholarship is a factor, the choice is not close. </p>
<p>Now, if one were to choose between Duke Medical and JHU medical, the result may be different. But for undergrad, I don’t think it is close. And I would suspect matriculation statistics absolutely support this statement.</p>
<p>First off, thank you so much to all those who commented and provided me with extremely important information, it really helped my decision process. I ultimately, decided to apply ED to Duke. I’ll let everyone know December 15.</p>
<p>^I don’t think you ever visited Hopkins and know very little about Baltimore despite growing up in Owings Mills. The Hopkins Homewood campus is hardly in a “ghetto” (in fact, it is in one of the nicer areas of the city), and relative to Durham, Baltimore is like a thriving metropolis… </p>
<p>If you want to consider I’ve lived in Baltimore for the past 17 years, minus the past year that I’ve been on campus, I’ll rephrase it like this. Homewood may not be in the ghetto, but again, it’s definitely not the nicest part of Baltimore (i.e. Federal Hill, Fell’s Point, Canton, etc, area outside of Pimlico even). Yes, compared to Durham, Baltimore is quite large. Yet, the overall area of RTP has amazing charm, with proximity to Chapel Hill and Raleigh, everything you can’t find in Durham is a short drive away. Weather, campus nicety, and school spirit reign supreme down here. On a short side note, out of the top schools past students from my high school have gone to (Harvard, UPenn, Northwestern, WashU, Cornell, and Duke) Hopkins remains mysteriously missing. The general opinion of those who live in the Baltimore area, JHU just doesn’t compare to other top schools in terms of other intangibles (attractiveness of students, friendly atmosphere, prestige, etc.). Congratulations on your decision, and best of luck with your application!</p>