JHU vs UVA vs W&M

Hello all!
I am a community college transfer student who needs to decide very soon whether to go to Hopkins, UVA, or William and Mary.
Price Comparisons:
JHU: (full need-based grant for 22-23 years, but might have to study 5-6 semesters)
UVA: 15k (including loans (in-state)
W&M: 10k (in-state)

I am interested in pursuing a neuroscience or biology degree and doing pre-med, but in the JHU portal, they said that getting my first choice of major is not guaranteed. So, if that happens, I have to go with my second choice of major, which is Biology. At UVA, I heard getting into a neuroscience major is also competitive, so I am not sure about that either. But W&M, I do not have to think about any of that, and I already know one of the professors in W&M compared to other schools (I thought it would be helpful when getting LORs). Honestly, I don’t think I do worry if I have to change my major becasue I am fine with both of them tbh.

Everyone around me says getting into JHU is the best choice, but I am worried about the classes because I heard they are challenging and competitive for pre-med students. In addition, I need to maintain my GPA, so I am concerned if I can handle the academics at JHU compared to other schools.
Thanks.

It will be very challenging at all three schools to get & keep the GPA you need for med school. The thing that will help that best is being in a place that you feel comes the closest to suiting you.

Are the totals for UVa & W&M per year or total?

If you took any standardized testing (doesn’t matter if you submitted it), that should be your first estimate as to how challenging you’ll find the coursework. JHU will probably have pre-med classrooms where a large number of undergraduate students scored 1500+ on SATs and all. How comfortable are you competing?

1 Like

pre med - your MCAT will matter most as will your GPA, etc.

Obviously the environments are different with W&M being most “rural” although it’s not quite rural and obviously different in size.

I think it comes to comfort - you have to go to where you can excel, to where you feel most relaxed, to where you can get the most support.

Also, does any have more opportunities for the ECs, such as shadowing, that will help you for getting into med school?

Did you check advising and statistics at each for med school placement?

1 Like

I’m a little confused about how you describe your JHU costs. Won’t need-based aid continue for as many semesters as you need? I can’t tell if you’re saying the potential extra time would be costly.

What I would do first is eliminate one of the VA publics. For what you want and need, I’m not seeing the benefit of paying more for UVA, and having more stress about getting into your major of choice, when W&M is just as well-respected and has ample research and mentoring opportunities for undergrads (and you already have a head start on connecting there, which can be important when trying to “hit the ground running” as a transfer). Is there any reason not to rule out UVA at this point, and simplify the decision to JHU vs. W&M?

People are going to say “OMG, Johns Hopkins, medicine, you can’t turn that down, blah blah blah
” but a LOT of people don’t realize that going to JHU as an undergrad doesn’t convey any special advantage in med school admission. It can do the opposite, since so many highly-competitive premeds are drawn there and are competing for committee endorsements. Make sure you’re drawing a distinction between what impresses the average person on the street, and what actually confers an advantage in terms of your ultimate goals.

My sense of med school admissions is that there’s a “sweet spot” in terms of undergrad school quality/reputation, to position you best. The very tippy-top schools can get you there, sure, but there can also be an unnecessary level of competition. At the other end of the continuum, schools that don’t have “critical mass” in terms of a student cohort that’s equipped to earn high MCAT scores and be competitive for med school can make it harder to build the resume you need. The ideal premed school, IMHO, is one that has a solid peer group of highly capable and motivated premed students, but where that peer group doesn’t comprise an overwhelming share of the undergrad student body. William and Mary is a school that 100% fits that description, and IMHO, people who protest that you can’t turn down JHU for W&M are mostly people who don’t understand how getting to med school works.

That said, if the intensity of JHU is what you want, go for it! Just don’t do it because people in your life are starry-eyed about the reputation and conversely suffering from a “familiarity breeds contempt” attitude about the truly excellent top public U’s in Virginia.

Congrats on having great options - you really can’t go wrong here!

3 Likes

Premed classes will indeed be very competitive at any of these universities. I would expect them to be a bit more competitive at Johns Hopkins.

In terms of getting into medical school down the road I would be surprised if it makes much difference at all which of these three universities you attend.

I just looked up the US News rankings. One warning: These rankings do not mean much. However, all three of these schools are ranked very high.

I think that going where you are the most comfortable would make the most sense. Saving money, leaving college funds in the bank for medical (or graduate) school, and avoiding debt being the other major consideration when deciding between three very good universities. If you are the most comfortable with William and Mary, then it looks like a very good choice to me.

Given that you are choosing from such strong choices, I am going to guess that you did pretty well in community college!

3 Likes

I’ll pass on to you advice from my personal physician who is a JHU alum but went to State U for med school: “I should have done it the other way around.”

This seems like an easy choice to me with W&M being the clear winner. Medical school is expensive, so don’t take on debt as an undergrad. You already have a contact with a prof at W&M and it’s the cheapest. W&M is well respected, so what’s the problem?

2 Likes

Hopkins is the cheapest tbh because of the full grant, and I think since it’s a need-based grant it will renew every year according to my need.

The only concern about Hopkins is the difficulty of academics compared to W&M.

Baseline: You are going to find smart, competitive students at each of these colleges. If you plan to go to med school this is the pool you’ll be swimming in. JHU might be slightly more competitive but all are going to be strong programs with very strong students so the differential is small. Go for the least expensive program ( med school is $$$).
My kid applied to and was accepted at 2 of these 3 schools for another major. Not really much of an intellectual difference IMO. All these schools are strong. Check admit stats for med school from each.

Don’t underestimate the strength of other med school candidates at all of these schools. They will be excellent AND hardworking. You’ll need to excel so pick the school that fits you best and consider the money you’ll eventually pay back. If you attended a rigorous high school and excelled with MANY other strong peers than you might have an idea of the competitive nature of these programs. If not, then you will have to weigh your comfort level. Coming from a CC is going to be a huge transition. Are you a super strong student with an amazing work ethic? then one thing might be your choice. If you are a stronger student but don’t work that hard or lesser student who works harder than anyone else. It depends on you.

3 Likes

Sidebar:

“not quite rural”? @tsbna44 have you actually been to W&M? it is actually in a town, and the campus is porous to the town. Granted it’s a small town, but the I64 corridor between Richmond - Williamsburg/Yorktown-Newport News /Va Beach- Norfolk makes it part of a conurbation. Charlottesville is bigger as a town (though still pretty small) but just as ‘rural’: once you are outside Charlottesville it’s a good hour in the car before you come to any other town of size (Richmond).

3 Likes

Yes, but might have to be there for 5-6 years and my impression m he post is that it’s only guaranteed for 2022-23. At JHU prices, it would be financially devastating if the student stumbled and failed to maintain the required gpa. That was my thinking. I’d take the bird in the hand.

2 Likes

Yes, I’ve been to W&M - my daughter and I went in the Summer of
2020. Had to think - she graduated in 2021.

it has the little touristy part adjacent to campus and as I recall the grocery stores were a mile away on the other side of campus (opposite the little cute touristy part).

We came from the Raleigh area (UNC, DUke) and then circled back to Richmond (UR and then UVA) after. It’s a small town - especially by the college - and it was an hour or whatever to Richmond and an hour to Va Beach - I know maybe 30-40 mins from Newport News - and there’s not much in the immediate surround. Hence, to me it’s “not quite rural” but I would not classify it as suburban per se - because it was a small town in the middle of nowhere - which between Richmond and the Norfolk area - is what it is.

That said, the campus was “gorgeous” and my daughter applied.

Charlottesville is a bigger town, with more existence (more crowded too) - even an airport - which is why I’d put it as less rural than a Willamsburg. That’s just my opinion.

But yes, I have been to W&M and UVA and in the vicinity of JHU.

Thanks

The airport for Williamsburg is the Newport News/Williamsburg Airport. Other options are the Norfolk and Richmond International
Airports.
I do not find Williamsburg to be “in the middle of nowhere” at all.

1 Like

@Thehara11 , Congratulations on 3 great choices! Good luck with your decision!

It’s a need based award. Unless the kid doesn’t meet satisfactory academic progress
it will be available if need remains the same. Need based awards don’t usually have a GPA requirement for renewal (other than meeting SAP)

1 Like

Sorry. I missed that. Thanks for the correction.