Georgetown or Johns Hopkins? (Psychology-Neurology undergrad) HELP!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Johns Hopkins University
1

<p>Hi everyone!
I'm having a hard time deciding between GT and JHU (applying also to Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Duke and so on...)</p>

<p>What I really care about at the chosen University:
- Strong opportunities off campus (access to the city, opportunity to go to many events and meet businessmen/women with which I make work/conduct researches/be employed by post graduation, be exposed to new ideas and so on...)
- Strong Psychology major and neurology minor / interdisciplinary programs (highly ranked, focus on substantial practical experience and not on only/mostly on theoretical lessons)
- Variety of research opportunities ON campus (so I could take a part in them during the studies, and having the school's "support" for that)
- Variety of relevant study-abroad programs (I did not find REALLY SPECIFIC information at the GT website, for example, besides the fact they collaborate with three countries)
- Flexibility regarding the curriculum (can I really enroll courses I'm interested at, and believe they will benefit me, or os the university quite strict with its curriculum? Excuse me for making this comparison, but I wasn't comfortable with Columbia's core-curriculum)
- Anything else you think I should consider while comparing these two?</p>

<p>MY MAIN "PROBLEM"
1.I understand that D.C. is full of opportunities and students (mostly politics-lovers) get related to the people and institutions they need/want , while JHU is a very strong medicine-school.
2. From what I've heard, JHU alumni weren't very satisfied with the school's atmosphere (While not the same is said about GT)</p>

<ol>
<li>IS GT a good school-choice for psychology-neurology focus?</li>
<li>IS JHU a good school-choice for focusing on opportunities OFF campus and on campus?</li>
</ol>

<p>Thanks in advance!</p>

2

<p>Do you mean neuroscience? Neurology is a medical specialty; you can’t study that in undergrad. Georgetown and JHU both have excellent programs in neuroscience, but JHU’s is marginally better. JHU has a really strong psychology department. Both schools are major research universities, so their programs are going to be more focused on theoretical issues and empirical research as opposed to applied/professional applications of psychology. JHU does have specific internships listed directly on the psychology department website. Georgetown doesn’t, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t easy to find through career services.</p>

<p>Baltimore and DC are both cities in which you can be exposed to opportunities off campus and whatnot. I think DC might be easier to navigate without a car and might have more opportunities. Both universities are excellent research universities, so there will be a variety of research opportunities on campus at either.</p>

<p>Georgetown has a lot of very specific, detailed information about their study abroad programs on the website. They have a [full</a> list of programs](<a href=“https://georgetown.app.box.com/s/4dunifyb2soppnmdvu98]full”>https://georgetown.app.box.com/s/4dunifyb2soppnmdvu98) that’s 3 pages long and spans 39 countries. JHU also has a lot of programs. I don’t think you’ll find a substantial difference in the quality and number of programs offered between the two schools. You might find differences in specific programs that are offered that appeal to you.</p>

<p>Both colleges have general education requirements, just like the vast majority of universities in the country. They’re not as strict as Columbia’s, in that you aren’t required to take specific courses; you have choices within broad areas. Georgetown’s requirements are probably heavier than JHU. You have to take a writing class, one course in the humanities, two history courses, two math or science courses, two social science courses, four semesters of a foreign language. Being a Catholic university, you also have to take two classes in theology and two in philosophy (but they don’t have to be Catholic or Christian). That’s about 39 credits, excluding the foreign language.</p>

<p>JHU has very similar requirements. All JHU students have to take 4 writing-intensive courses; you will also have to earn credits in the humanities, natural sciences, social & behavioral sciences, quantitative and mathematical sciences, and engineering. JHU does not appear to have a formal foreign language requirement.</p>

<p>But personally I’m a huge fan of the liberal arts curriculum and the purpose of a BA is to develop you into a productive citizen in a democratic society, not just so you can study one thing. I took an honors philosophy course in college that I would’ve never taken had I not been required to do so, and I found it quite fascinating. I loved most of my GE classes in college.</p>

<p>Anyway, I think you’re safe to go with your gut on this one. Were it me, I would pick Georgetown, because I love DC and Georgetown is in such a cute neighborhood, and the schools are otherwise very comparable.</p>

3

<p>How are you able to choose between either of them at the stage since Hopkins is early decision and Georgetown is restricted Early action? Did you violate both school’s policies?</p>

4

<p>@Blah2009‌ Calm down, I’m pretty sure he was speaking hypothetically. </p>

5

<p>Let’s hope so. but in the end, it’s more likely neither will admit her, so worrying about such hypotheticals is a wast of time.</p>

6

<p>@blah2009 what reasoning do you have to make such a statement?</p>

7

<p>I can’t speak about GT, but I go to Hopkins. I didn’t do a thorough search of GT’s website, but as far as I see, GT only has a Neurobiology major and a Psych major/minor, making it the same as Hopkins (I don’t really see any Neuro minor or interdisciplinary program, unless you’re talking about the grad program). Actually, Hopkins’ Neuroscience and Psychology departments are closely linked, and their majors provide the opportunity to take courses in both fields, which might make it more interdisciplinary in that sense.</p>

<p>That being said, a lot of what JHU alumni say is probably true. It can be a stressful environment (especially if you’re pre-med or engineering), and there is not much of a social life. It depends on what kind of person you are, though. I really love Hopkins, and because I came here with the desire to be challenged immensely and have my perspectives stretched by peers and professors who are amazingly brilliant–social life was not high on my “Values” list–the school has far surpassed my expectations. </p>

<p>You really have to know yourself when it comes down to it; the “work hard, play hard” thing Duke has going on sounded nice on paper, but after one visit, I knew that I wasn’t that type of person. I also tried taking some very “social science,” “culture-y” courses during my past three semesters at Hopkins, and I realized that unlike juillet, I would die in a Liberal Arts curriculum, whereas I love my very focused, in-depth plan of study.</p>

<p>And as for the cities you might be in, I don’t know everything about where GT is, but the ideal location also depends on your interest within Psychology. For example, if you’re interested in Clinical Psychology / Psychiatry / Neuroscience, you might want to go somewhere with a nearby research-oriented hospital. Whereas, if you’re more interested in Child / Developmental Psychology, you’d want to go somewhere with nearby schools. In Baltimore, there is a lot of variety close by. I think JHU does have a lot of opportunities both on- and off-campus, but 1. There’s not much support in finding them (There are many resources, but you have to take the initiative) and 2. Depending on your courseload, you might not have enough time.</p>

<p>Ultimately, you should be able to find what you’re looking for and do well at either school, but what made the choice for me was my own values and how well the schools I applied to matched them.</p>

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<p>to fdolak:</p>

<p>statistics. I’ve been around the block and have seen absolutely amazing applicants rejected by both schools. Happens more often than not given the quality of the applicant pools.</p>

9

Hey, thanks everyone :slight_smile:
The information and advice have been very helpful!
I have chosen Georgetown over JHU.

And Blah2009, don’t worry, I’m not breaking any school’s policy. I just wanted to decide to which of the universities should I apply.
Thank you for the consideration :wink: