JHU vs Northwestern

<p>hey i was recently accepted to both colleges
i want to eventually become a doctor someday so i'll be studying premed with a major in biological sciences or maybe economics.
my question is; which school is better for premed? i know jhu is better know for premed but i hear it's really cutthroat because every smart guy there is premed. on the other hand, nu offers good premed and has a nice social scene.
also, which school is more prestigious (i know it sounds shallow but it's really important to me, please)</p>

<p>i posted a response in the NU thread. lol</p>

<p>ok so i’ve decided that i will pretty much get an equal pre med education at both schools. however, which undergrad program one has more prestige WITHIN ACADEMIC CIRCLES? my ultimate goal is getting into a good med school, so which undergrad program would help me get into a better med school?</p>

<p>this is my dilemma too.
=[</p>

<p>i think northwestern is in a better area lol.</p>

<p>i still need to DECIDE.</p>

<p>NOOOO…</p>

<p>TIMES article rates Johns Hopkins with academic peer review score 99 vs. Northwestern with 88…(basically what other top academians and elite researchers think of each other’s schools) </p>

<p>USNews’s peer review for Johns Hopkins is 4.6 (same as Columbia, Cornell, UChicago)… whereas I do not have the figure for Northwestern. Peer review is what university Presidents, Provosts, Deans, and faculty members think of other schools…</p>

<p>Johns Hopkins has a lot of respect among medical school admissions boards because of the meticulous nature that the JHU’s premed advising board (arguably I read somewhere, among the top 3 advising committees in the nation) that the board puts on your committee recommendation letter that they send out to medical schools when you apply to medical school. It’s a massive 10-13 page university approved committee letter that is tailored for each individual based on their entire application package that basically states why you are a qualified candidate for medical school.
Hopkins’ committee also has former deans of admissions from Hopkins med school so you can ask a lot of questions if you want, they do mock interviews, provide assistance and help on writing resumes, give you weekly updates on internship opportunities, and basically try to get you into the best med school possible.</p>

<p>Hopkins’ “academic excellence” assessment from “those in a position to judge a school’s undergraduate” rating has risen and remains among the top 10 school in the country within ACADEMIC CIRCLES based on peer reviews from times and usnews…</p>

<p>ah. does that mean NU pre meds are at a disadvantage to JHU pre meds? im kinda leanin’ towards nu right now so that’s why i ask.</p>

<p>^ go with whichever one you feel more comfortable being in. JHU may enjoy a slight advantage, but it would be meaningless to you if you didn’t enjoy the JHU experience.</p>

<p>

While I have much respect for many rating methodologies, I have absolutely no repect for the Times. The University of British Columbia’s perfect peer review score of 100 makes a mockery of the methodology as is the rediculous Australian bias. Any survey that has less than a 1% response rate (1,600 of 190,000 contacted in 2006) is incredibly flawed.</p>

<p>Alright here is my feedback. JHU pre-meds do not get any preference AT ALL to there medical program; there is no correlation between the schools, unlike some others. Johns Hopkins is seriously, cut-throat material. Even those who are smart and had a dream of becoming a doctor since the age of 1 will feel disappointed when they get weeded out in their rigorous courses. I would choose Northwestern because it’s in Chicago which is a nice city and it will be slightly less competitive but just enough to give still keep that hope of becoming a doctor and not dropping out of the major. Northwestern’s School of Medicine is very good, ranking 51 in the nation. Just one hint. You can never really predict whether you will get into a good, top-notch medical school unless you have flying stats like 3.95 or so with 38 MCAT (not to mention that A-'s are 3.700 GPA). So I would just recommend NW and study very hard, because if your gpa drops below 3.7 or 3.6, you may be seeing yourself in a low medical school; the MCAT is a very difficult exam too.</p>

<p>An A- is a 3.7 at Hopkins as well. It’s not like all of the courses at Hopkins are insanely hard courses that will crush your dreams. Work hard and you will do well.</p>

<p>How many hours of work is required for the chem and physics classes? And how many people are inorganic chem or higher level physics classes?
Is it possible to just prepare for the mCAT by learning the material from a book?</p>

<p>wait i thought northwestern’s feinberg was ranked 20 not 51…</p>

<p>^yea, 20 not 51.</p>

<p>Phead128,</p>

<p>I don’t think applying the slightly higher “peer assessment” to say JHU is superior in appropriate. There’s no way people would think JHU is better in fields like law, business, or economics. Compared to Cornell, Columbia, and Chicago, JHU is an oddball in the sense that it’s liberal arts department rankings don’t have a clear edge over Northwestern. In the sciences, JHU is better in bio and physics but Northwestern is better in chemistry and math. Out of the six humanities & social sciences fields ranked by USN, JHU is better in english/history but NU is better in econ/sociology/poli sci and they tie in psychology. Now those department rankings are also peer assessment scores. </p>

<p>Also, Northwestern is ranked higher in WSJ feeder ranking and has produced more Rhodes, Marshall, or Cambridge Gates…etc scholars. JHU is better in bio/med-related fields but not more or less prestigious in general.</p>

<p>Screw the rankings.</p>

<p>Go where you’ll be happiest. If you’re meant to get weeded out of the med school process, it’s going to happen eventually whether it’s Northwestern or Hopkins - there is no difference. </p>

<p>If you are horrible at Organic, you’ll be horrible at Organic no matter where you go. Going to JHU or Northwestern will not keep you out of med school nor will it guarantee you’ll be admitted.</p>

<p>At either school, just be prepared to work hard, have fun and live life to the fullest in College. Go where you think you’ll have the best overall experience. Both will set you up for success… if you’re willing to take advantage of everything each school has to offer.</p>

<p>Just for the record, IndianJatt doesn’t know what he’s talking about. While it is true that Hopkins Med doesn’t specifically reserve seats for Hopkins undergraduates, it is also true that there are more people (by far) with BA’s from Hopkins at Hopkins Med than any other undergraduate school. Hopkins grads are also in significant numbers at Harvard, WashU, and all the other top-rated medical schools.</p>

<p>The “cutthroat” thing is a myth. Yes, being premed at Hopkins is competitive. It is also competitive at Northwestern, and every other school I know of. Less than half the applicants for medical school get admitted anywhere. Nonetheless, about 90% of the applicants for medical school from Hopkins get admitted.</p>

<p>Don’t listen to ■■■■■■. Visit both and go with the one which feels right for you.</p>

<p>I visited and northwestern and I hoping to visit johns hopkins soon.
Northwestern’s atmosphere seemed pretty laid back yet academic at the same time. The weather sucked thought (freezing w/30mph winds)
But during the spring, the campus is gorgeous.</p>