<p>I have heard mixed reviews about how Johns Hopkins is outside of their education. Anyone have any input?</p>
<p>JHU freshman here! Anything specific you want to know?</p>
<p>The campus is beautiful, IMO. People complain about the food in the cafe sometimes, but there’s <em>a lot</em> of variety, and there’s a lot of really good places close to campus. Sports are their own little world; you can be a part of the athletics-school-spirit thing if you want to, but for the most part, you don’t see it. We take way more pride in our academic/research accomplishments than general school-spirit camaraderie.</p>
<p>Greek life is probably not as big as at other schools, but it’s still a pretty big part of the social scene here. 90% of the parties I hear about are frat parties. I hear the frats are pretty nasty, but people still go because that’s all that’s happening. If you drink or go with a group of friends, you’ll have more fun than if you go by yourself. Dorm life is pretty good, at least if you end up in AMRs. Because if you’re like me and aren’t that close with your house, you can just walk down a hall and meet whole other groups of people. As for clubs, you can be a part of whatever you want to do, pretty much. Keep in mind though, most people at Hopkins take academics super-seriously. Snow days, weekends, and nights, the library is packed. </p>
<p>I’m a minority, but I’ve had no trouble finding people of my same race to hang out with. People do self-segregate, but there are still lots of places where you can meet diverse groups of people. I’m also a Christian, and Hopkins has a lot of Christian groups, and some huge ones too. </p>
<p>It’s not perfect, but as someone who came to Hopkins reluctantly, I’m really, really glad I’m here, and I love it.</p>
<p>@onmyway2013 Thank you for this! Would you care if I asked how you did as a high schooler? I’m currently a junior in high school and JHU is currently considered my “reach school” (a school that would be challenging to get into).</p>
<p>@onmyway2013, what are some of the Christian groups like? I was accepted to Hopkins ED this year and will be attending next year and I’m really interested in this. </p>
<p>Sorry for the late reply; exams…</p>
<p>High school for me was ehh… On one hand, I did really well academically overall. Good GPA (3.94/4.0 UW), good SATs (I: 2300, II: Bio M 750, Math IIC 800), not valedictorian-status, but still in the top 10%. </p>
<p>On the other hand, I only had one big, consistent EC (Color Guard), very few honors (only NHS, AP Scholar, things like that), and some volunteering I had done with my church. My essays also really, really, really sucked; I’m such a slow writer, I ended up only having one of the two essays done by the day of the deadline, so one was really rushed. </p>
<p>So as to whether or not you have a chance, I’d say academics are a big part. But if someone with as gaping holes in my application got in, anything’s possible :)) </p>
<p>As for the Christian groups, I really love them. I got bombarded with invitations from 4 or 5 different ones before I actually got on campus, so it was a little overwhelming. But after a while, you find your niche. The two I’m a part of are Hopkins Christian Fellowship and Bethel Campus Fellowship. I like them because they’re so different, but they complement each other really well.</p>
<p>HCF is the largest Christian group on campus. It’s very diverse too, and it’s interdenominational. They hold Large Groups, which are worship and a speaker on some topic (right now it’s Unity in Diversity). They also hold Bible studies which are tailored to different demographics (women’s, men’s, freshmen, Greek life, etc.) and happen all throughout the week. It’s a really chill environment, and I always look forward to going to get a break from a hectic week.</p>
<p>BCF is the newest group, an extension of a national organization (now becoming international!) that specifically works on college campuses to win souls and prepare the next generation of ministers. Right now, they just have Bible studies, but they also have occasional things off-campus. </p>
<p>It’s really exciting to be a part of. BCF is a lot smaller than HCF, and more intimate as a result. HCF is like, “Let’s have fun and learn something new about God!” BCF is like, “How can we get closer to God? How can we tap into the power, the academic excellence, the unshakable faith that we have as children of God? How can we turn this campus upside-down for God’s glory?” The atmosphere is always striving, which is really cool and something I’ve never experienced before. But it’s still really fun; the leaders host parties and have Bible studies to discuss topics like Christianity and Fashion (even topics no one wants to ask but everyone still wants to know about, like Did God predestine people to go to Heaven or Hell?)</p>
<p>Everything’s optional, of course, to fit in with academics. And events are so flexible (mornings, evenings, etc.) and in all sorts of locations. Even if you want to just drop in and out every once in a while, they’ll be really welcoming. And they’ll plug you in to so many churches, which are either close by or send transportation!</p>
<p>Sorry for rambling, lol, Christian life is a huge part of my non-academic life. Hope that was helpful!</p>
<p>I heard Hopkins has a different semester schedule. Is that true? @onmyway2013</p>
<p>We have fall and spring semesters like anyone else. We also have an optional winter session called Intersession where you can take up to three one- or two-credit courses, or just hang out/work for three weeks in January. </p>
<p>If you mean “different” as in the dates of these things, then yeah, they do fall kind of differently compared to other schools. School started later than others did, but we don’t get a full week off during the fall like other schools did (we do get a Thanksgiving break, though). The Fall Break thing might be changing next year. Also, my Spring Break is starting when those of my friends are ending.</p>
<p>Ya, I meant the dates of everything. Does every college have Intersession? I have never heard of that.</p>
<p>A few colleges do, or they do but the programming is more informal (vs. actual classes) but most of the ones I know about do not.</p>
<p>Gotcha. Are you out of state? I would be, and I’m wondering if it would be worth going to Hopkins for undergrad. I want to become a surgeon and some say it would be worth it to go somewhere in state (Indiana) for undergrad (for finance purposes) and apply to places like Yale and Hopkins for medical school.</p>
<p>Yeah, I’m from PA. I got a grant, and my parents’ income is kind of high, so I can’t say how Hopkins ranks compared to other schools in terms of financial aid. But you probably would get a better deal in-state. If money’s a serious issue, I’d definitely apply and compare your offers. My family initially got a super-low FA offer, but after some negotiation, they re-adjusted it very generously.</p>
<p>I’m also pre-health, thinking about pre-med. On one hand, Hopkins claims that the average rate of acceptance to medical school is 25% higher than the national average by application year, and that 80% of students who apply get into at least one med school. Moreover, because Hopkins has such a reputation, there are literally research opportunities, places to volunteer, shadow, work, study abroad, etc. that you won’t find anywhere else. Definitely, if you like research or are thinking about MD/PhD, consider Hopkins. Also, there’s a real camaraderie that comes with being pre-med here, because you’ll be part of a huge community.</p>
<p>On the other hand, pre-med at Johns Hopkins still is hard. Like at many schools, many people actually give up on pre-med because of certain courses such as Organic Chemistry. I would even say that some Hopkins classes are a lot harder than at other schools. For example, my General Physics I class is Calculus-based, which it is not at many other schools. A C curves to an A. I brushed that off at first, but now I can see why that would be… @-) Also, curves will be smaller <em>because</em> there are so many pre-meds trying to do well. There’s no antagonism by any means, but it does end up being competitive. Still, there are a million resources that will help you do just fine in these classes. </p>
<p>Many people agree that post-graduation is all that really matters. But personally, I think it’s worth it, sometimes. I don’t feel like I’m guaranteed to get into med school, and I hate that I spend a lot of time studying when I want to be doing some extra volunteering or something. But I do feel like I’m snapped out of my high school lazy mindset and am learning what’s important to me and really building a perseverance and work ethic that’ll be useful in med school. </p>
<p>But if you want a concrete “Yes,” I couldn’t tell you until I get into med school 
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<p>@onmyway2013 This was really helpful! Money isn’t a huge issue… I would just need more loans and such. I definitely feel like Hopkins would be ideal. I want to go into pre-med too.</p>
<p>Glad I could help! Best of luck!</p>