I will likely major in International Studies and am interested in figuring out the academic intensity of non-Premed Courses and students at Johns Hopkins.
It’s not a beacon of happiness like Brown, Rice or Vanderbilt but if you can get accepted and put work in, you can get desired results.
I would urge you to do your research - students at hopkins are not cutthroat (premed or not). The people spreading cutthroat rumors did not go to Hopkins - it’s fa and away from people who got rejected or rumored hearsay.
@Riversider Beacon of happiness? Hardly - I had all 3 as options. They each have issues and benefits. I didn’t see students on a whole more or less happy than students at Hopkins.
I agree about most disgruntled people being ones who got rejected or got in on holistic basis and couldn’t rise to handle top notch academics. Pre-Med is a competitive track at every college and obviously more so where everyone is a high achiever but that’s also the reason behind higher academic standards of these colleges.
I partially agree with your second comment about different colleges offering different strengths but overall students at competitive residential colleges tend to be happier. Not saying you can’t be happy at JHU or are guaranteed happiness at another college. Pre-Med is competitive everywhere.
Do you have the ability to visit and sit in on some classes? My D sat in on a few engineering courses and found the students to be relaxed and friendly. She went the week before exams too and students still seemed happy. It was a good vibe!
@Powerschool8888, my daughter had been accepted to JHU for International Studies and Classics, but turned it down for Columbia. I believe JHU is actively working on creating a more collaborative environment and selecting students who demonstrate these qualities. Although she had an easier time with her final choice, my husband and I thought JHU had a lot to offer, including strong financial aid and proximity to DC. Wishing you the best.
JHU still has a certain competitive tension not in schools like Brown, Rice etc. With so many premeds there that have that personality, the school does have a stronger flavor of “cut throat”.
D is rising Junior at JHU and loves it . Sport,Sorority and Academics are GREAT. ALL students help each other and she gets notes for classes whenever shes traveling with sport from many other students (from all arenas). Counseling is crazy good and every premed need is met (research, volunteering, leadership) D says at this point only one she competes with is herself. Grades are definitely earned at Hop . Many students do fall away form premed (mostly wrong skill set or work ethic to start with). D still living the dream.
@cptofthehouse Case in point: did you graduate from JHU recently? did you go to brown or rice? Did you know Rice has a similar amount of premeds? I’d throw caution to the wind when making such comparatively broad statements. I think we’ve established on this thread and many many others through first hand info that Hopkins is more enjoyable than you think and not cut throat. This is especially considering the average GPA is inflated at a 3.6 at Hopkins. Those that are successful applying to med schools at Hopkins have a 3.5 average GPA for reference.
I know all schools in today’s setting very well and I stand by my statement. IMO, I’ve not thrown caution to the wind. Any one ask me, I’ll say Hopkins is more cutthroat than most schools
@cptofthehouse amazing, given you didn’t live in the dorms, study in groups, take the same tests as the students. if any one asks me, I’ll tell them to refer to first hand sources, not fourth (at best).
What the hooey is “happiness,” anyway? You take interesting classes, make interesting friends, try new experiences, grow. You can do that at a competitive college.
What you can’t easily overcome is flat-out mismatch (wrong college for you, or inaccessible admins, advisors, competition to successfully register for courses you want and need, limited activities, and then the rest about dorms, food and other personal prefs.)
And you don’t need to have attended to realize the breadth of reactions out there.
Anyway, though the title says cutthroat, OP asked about academic intensity. To me, that isn’t about student competition, but the nature of the courses. Expect any top rated college to have depts that include intense courses and, sometimes, difficult grading.
Lol, you can grow from that. Some kids choose their collees for this run for their energies.
Not all kids are"happy" at Brown, Rice, or Vandy.
Happiness rate of 100% is just not possible at any place, not even paradise. You’ll always find some who have personal, mental, physical, cultural, academic, social, financial or logistical issues keeping them unhappy. If overall satisfaction rate of student body is high, it’s a happy school.
How do you know I didn’t live in the dorms, study in groups, take the same tests? How do you know what I know and don’t know about this school?
I assure you, I know as well as anyone.
International Studies was a popular major when I was there, and had relatively easy grading. It isn’t cutthroat like people will sabotage you in IS or even much in premed. I was there a long time ago, but the atmosphere was too much about grades and career for my taste. Also,the school is really intense and everyone studies all the time.
Not everyone is cutthroat, a bad word. High strung is more the case , and very grades and goal directed. Again not even the majority are that way. But it doesn’t take a majority to color the air that way. A puff of smoke can make that difference. A critical core can do that with students. Schools have an atmosphere, a vibe , a feel. Hopkins has that rep for good reason. It’s not the only school that way. Very different from schools with a more relaxed, joyful atmosphere.
@cptofthehouse Again, these are qualitative statements not grounded in fact. You know how I know you didn’t go to Hopkins? if you were an alum, you could request internal surveys actually conducted on these exact same measures across the student body based on empirical data. Additionally, Hopkins alums focused on their careers don’t have hours per day to spend on this site.
I know no such things and neither do you. And I have all the time in the world because I only work 4 months a year.these days. I’ve been on CC for a very long time, but took a 4 year hiatus and worked crazy hours so I hardly have to work anymore. I don’t need to focus on my career anymore, and there are a lot of Hopkins alum in the same situation as I am.
Hopkins has long had this reputation. I agree that it fits. You don’t. You are entitled to your opinion as I am to mine.
@cptofthehouse I clearly don’t know what? That these surveys actually exist? Alums can request it here: http://oir.jhu.edu/
Seriously, stop projecting expertise.
As a current alumn who spent a more if time between the premed and non-premed realms I can say that in my experience, Hopkins students are not cutthroat. The coursework at Hopkins is certainly challenging, but for the most part that leads to a “we’re all in this together” mentality. Students will often do homework in groups, study for exams together, proofread each other’s essays, etc. The school also fosters this mentality be arranging group tutoring sessions (PILOT) for intro STEM classes, sponsoring writing workshops, etc.
Every school, especially at this caliber, is going to have their highs and lows - irrespective of rumors on CC or elsewhere - including Hopkins. However, if I could do it again, I would still choose Hopkins.