<p>Is it safe to say that Johns Hopkins University is comparable or on the same level as other elite private schools, such as Duke, Northwestern, etc, and the lower Ivies, such as Brown, Cornell, UPenn, etc.?</p>
<p>In terms of prestige is it on the same level? </p>
<p>What is the popular perception of Johns Hopkins University?</p>
<p>Johns Hopkins is a wonderful place for students who are interested in scientific research, especially biomedical engineering, which is one of Hopkins' specialties. Hopkins also has a few other renowned programs, such as creative writing.</p>
<p>For those with other interests, though, Hopkins doesn't seem as well-rounded as some of the other universities that you mention.</p>
<p>I know that my daughter, whose interests do not lie in scientific research, was totally turned off by the information session and tour of Johns Hopkins because of the incessant emphasis on research. After that presentation, she immediately crossed Johns Hopkins off her list (and she eventually ended up at what you call a lower Ivy).</p>
<p>But other kids, with other interests, are thrilled to go there.</p>
<p>I agree with Marian, it's more like Carnegie Mellon. Top of the heap at what it's good at, but not as well-rounded as some places.</p>
<p>Popular perception: JHU=one-trick pony. Let's be honest here, JHU is known for premed and of course the outstanding med school. In the healthcare world, there is no name more respected than Hopkins. However, it doesn't have enough strong programs in the other areas (even in the non-biomed sciences) to be considered on par with some of the other top schools.</p>
<p>are you interested in the school or the prestige?</p>
<p>Hopkins is quite strong in international relations, psychology and all the social sciences (remember CTY is a Hopkins program), and has one of the finest creative writing programs in the country. </p>
<p>As far as research is concerned, a lot of research is done in social sciences and in humanities. My d had a similar reaction to University of Rochester until our tour guide mentioned the research she had done in history and geneology, tracing the history of some of the folks buried in the historic graveyard next to campus. My d is currently doing psych research as a freshman at Rochester.</p>
<p>So don't write off Hopkins because it's "only science." It's not. (Hopkins also recently opened a School of Education and a School of Business. It's also associated with Peobody Conservatory of Music.)</p>
<p>Short answer (from a Hopkins alum): Yes, it is on the par with the Iview for undergraduate education.</p>
<p>My sister was told she needed to get a Masters from JHU to have the connections she needed to get State Dept jobs in health care. She did it and immediaterly got a job. She already had another Masters, but seemed she needed this one.</p>
<p>Great in English, writing, International Studies and great social sciences...plenty of field placements for obvious location reasons...</p>
<p>It is a great university in many realms..with a conservatory that counts.</p>
<p>Another Hopkins alum chiming in here. JHU started an undergrad major in international health. Very few schools offer that. The Bloomberg school of public health is #1 in the nation and was the 1st school of its kind. Have a Master's from there too and took classes there as an undergrad- met my thesis advisor and found a fellowship for my master's through him. Not a 1-trick pony at all. The econ department is quite strong, so is the German department and the history of science department.</p>
<p>My D will attend in the fall for creative writing with a minor in music at Peabody. Should add the DH has a PhD from the school of medicine. In the interest of full-disclosure.</p>
<p>H is a Hopkins alum, and decidedly <em>not</em> a science person. He had a great time there academically (less so socially, but that was in the early 70's and the campus has changed a lot since then.) As others have said, there are many strong humanities depts. at JHU: one of D's closest friends is a sophomore who is there for creative writing and she loves it. And yes, I agree with Chedva that it's on a par with the Ivies.</p>
<p>You should be aware that students in all areas at JHU (not just in the sciences and engineering) conduct research, and that includes students in history, creative writing, sociology, political science and yes, even students at the Peabody! Anyone who believes JHU is just about pre-med or engineering is making a serious mistake. Look more closely.</p>
<p>Its hard to accurately answer the question because I don't know what "on par with an Ivy" really means. While all Ivy's are good schools, there is a tremendous difference between, say, Cornell (large diverse research university with a number of schools that are public) and Dartmouth (small university with emphasis on undergraduate education).</p>
<p>Hopkins is small (like Dartmouth) but has more emphasis on research and graduate education. That's not to say it is not a good place to be an undergraduate because it is. It's just that undergraduates at Hopkins are treated like novice graduate students more than college students. For the right student (mature, independent), that approach is wonderful but it is different than the typical college experience. Because it is small, it can't do everything well so it has an intentional policy of "selective excellence." Everything it does it does well. If a department or program can't compete at a world class level--it gets eliminated. While Hopkins is best known for its sciences, many of its humanities and social science departments are top rated. If you compare Hopkins' top rated departments with Brown and Dartmouth, for example, Hopkins comes out on top hands down. In that sense, it certainly is "on par" with Ivies. Do the same comparison with Harvard, Yale and Princeton--Hopkins holds its own in the sciences but will lose out somewhat in the humanities and social sciences.</p>
<p>Hopkins tends to be less PC than most Ivies--so if you want to major in Womens Studies or the like, you'll be unhappy there.</p>
<p>Strongly disagree with norcalguy: The Hop is also (surprisingly) strong in humanities, such as classics.</p>