<p>Im a high school senior, and I am thinking about applying to JHU, and even making it early decision. But i have read a bunch of reviews that say the university is much more focused on their graduate students. So i am wondering if it would be a better idea to go somewhere else for my undergrad but then apply to JHU for my grad school. I want to be a neuroscience major, so that is why i am looking at JHU for undergrad. so from experience, JHU for grad? JHU for undergrad? or JHU for both?</p>
<p>It is definitely worth it for undergrad. Unlike Harvard and other similar schools, you will be taught by professors. All of my classes are taught by professors and my biggest class is no more than 40-50 people. Then again, I'm not taking any intro classes.</p>
<p>Yeah beause I heard that alot of the intro classes are taught by TAs. i also heard rumors that alot of the profs dont really care too much about the students but are more involved with their research? is this true? what are the negatives of this school?</p>
<p>The intro classes are all taught by professors. Theres like 3 hour of help sessions almost every night thats held by TAs. The profs care as long as you approach them. If you just set back and never go up to them, they won't care unless you're failing. If you're failing, they will have a chat with you.</p>
<p>During orientation the speakers always seemed to emphasize that undergrads are the heart of Johns Hopkins...and as a freshman I don't feel that there is any more emphasis on graduate students. Then again, what do I really know I'm a freshman =P</p>
<p>Professors do care -- at least mine are and they are passionate about what they teach. (This doesn't necessarily mean that they are good at teaching or that you will understand the material and this differs from student to student)</p>
<p>The only intro course I'm taking is Physics and the professor does teach...in a "different" manner. He believes that Intro Physics is taught wrong by all of the textbooks out there and he introduces his students to the "hidden" parts of intro to physics. You might like it, you might not. =]</p>
<p>And TA's are awesome btw. They are very knowledgeable (or at least all of mine are) and I wouldn't mind having them as professors either. Just because someone is a TA doesn't mean that they don't know the material. The TA's here are freakishly smart =]</p>
<p>Most professors care. Especially in the neuroscience department. There are some great professors there. Even the few professors in neuroscience who split their time between Homewood and the Medical School make a lot of time for their students. It's really nice.</p>
<p>I have gotten the sense that the professors really do care. My physics professor turns office hours into practice-problem sessions for the midterm, and my calc professor, well, Qiao Zhang is the best professor at the school.</p>
<p>Other posters have pretty much addressed the question of TA's vs professors, but I wanted to add that even though I'm a BME major, I took an upper level Neuro class last semester, and the professor was one of the best I've ever had at Hopkins.</p>
<p>This is one of the myths of the undergraduate experience at Hopkins that I have been asked about before and have also read in those horrendous guide books and general web sites. What I have learned is that those stating that Hopkins favors graduate students over undergraduates probably have little to no experience with the Hopkins undergraduate community. </p>
<p>nerdygirly90 ... basically what you have been hearing about Hopkins is coming from people who don't know what they are talking about! (Wait, was I too blunt in stating that ... oh well I mean it.)</p>
<p>Listen to what the students have said in response to your question ... they are all actual undergraduates and are living the undergraduate experience on a daily basis. </p>
<p>Some things to note:</p>
<p>(1) The Undergraduate and Graduate units at Hopkins are quite separate. The large grad programs (Medicine, Public Health, Advanced International Studies, etc.) have separate campuses, separate resources, and separate funding. The are run as different divisions.</p>
<p>(2) The Homewood campus is an undergraduate focused campus. The graduate programs in the Krieger and Whiting schools are smaller and definitely play second fiddle to undergraduate programs. </p>
<p>(3) Faculty on the Homewood campus must teach undergraduates. All are required to have open office hours and be accessible to undergraduates. Most also do research and use undergraduates on their research teams.</p>
<p>(4) Only 3% of classes are taught by TAs - and they are always advanced grad students and are rarely in large classes, but rather in smaller specialized classes. </p>
<p>(5) One of the great perks of going to Hopkins is the access that you will have to the Grad divisions to bolster your undergraduate experience.</p>
<p>Thanks AdmissionsDaniel! you really cleared some stuff up for me =] do you know anything about the neuroscience program at JHU? Thats what im mainly interested in at the University.</p>