Hey everyone. I’m a junior in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, and I intend on pursuing a career in medicine. I’m interested in applying to Johns Hopkins; I have the GPA and SAT score, and I’m working efficiently on building my application in many areas. What worries me most is the horror stories usually associated with the difficulty of pre med at Hopkins.
I’m at the top of my IB class in a school with a relatively high IB ranking compared to other schools, and I have sustained a perfect GPA. As I will obviously need a very strong undergrad GPA for medical admissions, I don’t want that to be threatened by grade deflation or other factors. I’m also a perfectionist, and it would kill me to have anything but a perfect GPA, to be honest. That being said, I am very, very dedicated and no stranger to challenge and very hard work; by the end of high school I will also have a strong science background (1 year physics, 3 years bio, 3 years chem). Does anyone have a good idea about the difficulty at Hopkins, or a good evaluation of these horror-story rumors? Should a strong high school student struggle there with pace or coursework?
All the students I met during HOME said the classes were challenging but doable. Also I noticed you have a strong interest in pre-med so a quick word of advice: Hopkins counselors gave us an admissions workshop where they answered questions and gave tips on writing essays etc. and one of the tips was not to mention wanting to go into Medicine in your essays. Yes, it may be your life passion but Hopkins undergrad will not give you your medicine license. They want to know how you will excel only in your undergraduate years of study and if you are a person that will add value to the school if that makes sense.
I was also a perfectionist in high school, lol. I chose Hopkins because I vibed with the student culture that seemed very passionate and focused on their academics. I also considered choosing schools that I knew would be easier in the sense that I wouldn’t have to work as hard for good grades. But Hopkins was a compelling challenge and I believed it would make me a better student.
The difficulty of your experience here will really depend on your major and how much you take on. If you feel so much pressure to be successful, you’ll probably be one of those people who feels the need to juggle a rigorous courseload with many extracurriculars. When that happens, that’s when things get intense. The courses are challenging but not impossible, and the curves are generally generous IMO. Things can be hit or miss depending on the professor, but if you’re the kind of person who can adapt quickly to different environments, you’ll be okay. Covered grades will give you a semester to transition and get used to the pace, but things differ from semester to semester, and most of the courses won’t be a cakewalk.
If you go to Hopkins with the mindset that you must get a 4.0, then one of two things will happen. Either you’ll go through a lot of grief and unnecessary anxiety, because it’s likely that you’ll be challenged. Maybe you’ll be successful, but you’ll also be very stressed. Or, you’ll end up like me and realize how tiring it is to be obsessing over grades all the time, and that there are so many more important things in life. And you can still have a very good GPA, and also a life, and also your sanity.
If you want guaranteed success (success meaning a 4.0), don’t go to Hopkins. But hopefully, wherever you go, you’ll reach the point where you’ll be able to give yourself a margin for error.