Is the courseload doable?

<p>I'm a math/science oriented person (stats can be found in Can I get in? thread) thinking about majoring in chemical engineering or materials science and engineering. I've heard so much about how hard the work is at Johns Hopkins. Anybody have a personal opinion?</p>

<p>The workload is pretty hard so expect to spend some serious time on it. Its a good thing if you can get into a routine of doing work consistently instead of waiting for the last minute. Also, it really helps to find a group of people to do homework and study with.</p>

<p>how many hours per day do you study? Do you study much on the weekends?</p>

<p>Probably 3-4 hours a night if I had to guess. I usually do work on the weekends, more on sunday than saturday.</p>

<p>First, let me say there are a number of myths about the coursework / workload at Hopkins and many are a bit ridiculous. However, do know that it is Johns Hopkins University and you will not be able to just simply show up and succeed. You will have to work and especially during midterms and finals, you will have to work hard if you want to succeed. </p>

<p>Second, I have to say that a determination about "how hard" Hopkins is really relates to a number of individual factors. Each student you meet who attend Hopkins will assess the rigor of the workload differently. There really is no set standard out there. Much depends on the academic program(s) you pursue, what kind of student you are, what your time management and organizational skills are like, and ultimately what standards you set for yourself. </p>

<p>The best thing for you to do is not only consider the opinions of current students, but determine what kind of student you plan to be in college, and if you get the chance visit campus and try to sit in on some classes.</p>

<p>thanks for the input.
i'm kind of looking for a work hard play hard atmosphere, something like what my brother experienced at georgetown university. But if the workload gets to the point where I can't be social then I may or may not be unhappy</p>

<p>Short answer, it can be. Just as admissionsdan said it depends on a number of factors; raw intelligence, motivation, goals, etc. </p>

<p>From my experience I will say that the typical semester goes like this. Start the first few weeks getting back into the swing of things and getting the feel for each class. As the semester picks up you get into what I call the "weekly grind" You'll have weekly homeworks/readings/labs/exams that tend to follow a pattern (i.e. physics hw due every tuesday, math due wednesday) Typically in this "grind" students have the capability to schedule in all of the socializing they want. On a typical week students can usually go out at least one night a week, usually more. The moral of the story, is that it is quite possible to work hard and play hard (even crazy at times). Most of Hopkins does it, and somehow we get by.</p>