Hopkins vs Bowdoin HEEELPPP

College Search & Selection
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<p>(you may have read a similar version of this thread Chicago vs Hopkins vs Bowdoin...which uhm...has been narrowed)</p>

<p>Alright by Johns Hopkins, Bowdoin, and some other schools I'm not considering. After getting rejected by half the Ivy League (including my ED school Dartmouth via deferral) I'm left with a fairly difficult choice. </p>

<p>I'm a History/International Studies Major who is very involved in Music and Theater, maybe even pursuing a minor in one of the two. I'm a very social person, so basically I want to be somewhere I can have fun.</p>

<p>Johns Hopkins: I visited and really loved the campus. If I were to attend, I would definitely major in their International Studies program and try and get into the 5 year MA program. My best friends are attending, and we are both very social, so I'm not too worried about the (lackof?) campus life. Theater and music programs seemed good. I worry about the competitiveness and lack of attention from professors.</p>

<p>Bowdoin: I feel it matches what I originally wanted in Dartmouth. Strong PoliSci program, beautiful rural campus. I liked the flexibility and individual attention in the music and theater programs, the a cappella group I saw was fantastic. However, it seemed that the student body wasn't very academic, or at least some people weren't. I worry that it won't get me the same reputation and recognition in the job market/grad school.</p>

<p>So, is Hopkins as competitive and apathetic to undergrads, and would Bowdoin open as many doors for me/would I feel challenged and satisfied by academics?</p>

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<p>^ in short:</p>

<p>no, Hopkins is not competitive in the sense that people are out to get you. TO be honest, everyone who is about to attend Hopkins hears the “cutthroat” rumor, and possibly for these reasons, make their best efforts to be as un-cutthroat as possible…making for a LOT of collaboration and group work. The faculty is definitely not apathetic to undergrads, especially since you are doing International Studies. The department is phenomenal and when you take upper level classes, you will have the luxury of LAC-sized classes with a lot of support and discussion.</p>

<p>Bowdoin is a fine school. However, I will just let you know about Hopkins. It sounds to me like you are leaning more towards Bowdoin either way.</p>

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<p>To be honest, you will only encounter lack of professor attention in premed classes where introductory organic chemistry has probably 270 to 300 students over two sections, cell biology, intro chemistry, general biology, etc…</p>

<p>The classes I’ve taken that are small (20 people or less) the professors are EXTREMLEY open and attentive to undergraduate needs. My History of Art professor <em>almost</em> hooked me up with this Technology Fellowship grant worth up to $3000 to implement improved notes taking system for digital arts images for students to follow along… I didn’t even really know her that well and she was really resourceful… :smiley: I was actually getting like a B- in the class, she had no reason to help me out but she did. I cannot say the same for my organic chemistry or general biology professors… Professors are more open to student contact in the humanities (smaller classes, greater opportunites for open discussion to know each other’s names, etc… than in the sciences… but I’m not sure if it changes or not in upper elective major requirements where the intro sciences classes get smaller (less premed students and engineering students)</p>

<p>Both Bowdoin and JHU will get you the places where you want to go. Bowdoin is a really good place for college. I’m just bias towards JHU since I’m a student here :smiley: History and IR are strong combos here. History is top 10 at JHU…</p>