<p>Can anyone compare for me the social lives of students, Pre-Med academics, and reputations of Johns Hopkins, Wake Forest, and Vanderbilt?</p>
<p>I can tell you that my D loves it at Vandy. She is not greek and never lacks for things to do (everyone thinks greek life rules the roost at Vandy and it isn't true). The reps seem to be somewhat similar. I think WF lags behind Vandy and JHU.</p>
<p>Here is my take on it. </p>
<p>JHU will probably have the best academics and a very good reputation. JHU will also lag behind Vandy in social life, but not as much as everyone thinks.</p>
<p>Vandy will have very good academics, and a very good reputation. The social life is good if you want to drink and party, but that is a stereotype. I could imagine its a bit above JHU.</p>
<p>Wake Forest will be behind both schools I think to some degree. </p>
<p>I think Wake Forest</p>
<p>bump bump bump</p>
<p>JHU is cut-throat, especially in pre-med. The academic competition I feel would impede on your social life. I feel like Vanderbilt has a good academic rep as well as a social offering- a nice share of both.</p>
<p>Wake Forest, which is near me, is not so good with the pre-med rep/social life. WFU's MS is well-known, though.</p>
<p>I think the JHU cut-throat stereotype is a little exaggerated. But otherwise I'd agree with ferrel's comment.</p>
<p>JHU is challenging by design. It is not cut-throat as I understand the term (where students don't cooperative with each other and try to undermine one another). While of course you will come across the occasional jerk (which is true anywhere), most students are very cooperative and helpful. You can visit the Eisenhower Library anytime during the semester and see how crowded the group study rooms are. In fact, many courses require students to work in groups and cooperate in joint projects.</p>
<p>Hopkins is challenging for a number of reasons. First, you will take approximately 2 more course a year than you will at the typical Ivy. That amounts to an extra year of coursework during the 4 years. Second, Hopkins professors insist on high standards of work. Yes, this can be painful at the time but since you are paying (or someone is paying) a fortune for your education, don't you want it to be the highest quality possible? Yeah, I know that Harvard students are smart but do you really think 60% of them deserve "A's? Finally, Hopkins hasn't had the degree of grade inflation rampant at some other schools. You have to work very hard for an "A." But the reward is, if you can do well at Hopkins, you can do well anywhere.</p>
<p>I think people make a huge mistake by intentionally looking for laid-back schools. Many of those people end up floundering after graduation because they are insufficiently prepared for the rigors of the real world. Employers and graduate and professional schools love Hopkins graduates because they know they are well prepared and aren't afraid of working hard.</p>
<p>Compare it to the NFL. There are laid back coaches who pamper their players--and the players love them for it. There are other coaches who drive their players hard to get the best out of them. The latter coaches are the ones who usually win championships, not the former. </p>
<p>Think about it.</p>
<p>Bonanza- Thanks for your comments about JHU. My d and I visited recently.
I think it's an awesome school but my d is afraid it will be too rigorous (she's
interested in non-premed chemistry) and she would not have the options
for other courses of study at a school less science-oriented. She's a varsity
level athlete on the low end of the incoming stats. I'm not sure whether to
encourage her to revisit when students are around in the fall - I think
it would be a great fit for her but she's not in love. The surrounding area
was also a turn-off. You sound like a current or former student - any advice?
I really think she should apply.</p>
<p>thanks for the comments on JHU, anyone have anything about either the pre-med academics or social scenes at Vanderbilt and Wake Forest?</p>
<p>Go with Vanderbilt. I think the reputations of both schools nationally are about equally good although Hopkins holds the edge for sure internationally. Vanderbilt is the best top school by a long shot when it comes to social life and you'll have a lot more fun there than you would at Hopkins for sure. Nashville vs. Baltimore? No competition. If you're a guy, then I would go to Vandy no question. I hear the ladies are smoking.</p>
<p>I agree with EAD.</p>
<p>Vandy girls have hotter girls overall than JHU.</p>
<p>Eiffel13--</p>
<p>Hi. I tried to pm you so as to not hijack the thread but apparently you don't receive pm's. Anyway, I am a former student with 2 Hopkins degrees (from a long time ago) but both my kids went to Hopkins (My son graduated in 03 and my daughter in 06) and I am active in alumni activities so I stay in touch with whats happening on campus. Both my kids loved JHU by the way. </p>
<p>Hopkins is competitive but, if a student is admitted, you can be assured that they have been deemed capable by the Admissions Office of making it at Hopkins and doing well. Hopkins has its share of geniuses but most students are not in that category. Both my kids were near the median for admitted students and both did very well. Hopkins is hard, but it is not impossible. If you are willing to put the time in, you can do well. </p>
<p>Being a D3 varsity athlete (unless she is a lax player, which is D1 and therefore more heavily recruited) may help with admissions, but Hopkins does not relax its standards for D3. if she gets admitted, she can do the work.</p>
<p>If she has any interest, the best thing would be for her to spend a day or two on campus, attend classes, and see if she feels comfortable or not. I'm sure the coach could arrange for her to stay in the dorms with a team member.</p>
<p>Hopkins has the best reputation, then vandy, then wake forest.</p>
<p>hopkins' best programs are in biomedical sciences/biomedical engineering.
vandy's best programs are in education.
wake forest i don't know a whole lot about, but i hear from the grads that econ is very popular.</p>
<p>socially:</p>
<p>hopkins is up there with chicago and cmu as nerdy schools mostly because everybody is premed when they start for some odd reason.</p>
<p>vandy is a heavy drinking, heaving partying/greek life, d1 sports, if you like wake up in puke and then head to the library, this place cannot get anymore perfect.</p>
<p>wake forest is vandy-lite, according to hawkette, one of the best teaching institutions in america. (i said according to hawkette)</p>
<p>any more thoughts on Wake Forest?</p>
<p>National reputation, Johns Hopkins ranks higher than Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt's reputation holds stronger in the South. Hopkins has very reputable programs in creative writing, art history, french, italian, spanish languages, public health, BME, cellular biology, international relations, among others.</p>
<p>Wake Forest, has a very good medical school that is very expensive. The most expensive in the nation.</p>
<p>I wasn’t planning to post in this thread, but with keefer’s references, I feel somewhat obliged to offer my two cents….</p>
<p>I concur with keefer’s general description of prestige among academics for these three colleges. J Hopkins has a top-of-the-class rep in the medical fields. However, I think that this can also have harmful effects as the school attracts so many med school wannabees that the numbers that enter the pre-med program undeniably dwarf those who exit. While this is true at nearly all universities, this is particularly so at Hopkins and the competition and the environment, as already alluded to earlier, can be quite, quite stressful for an undergraduate student. I’ll let the reader decide if he/she finds this attractive. </p>
<p>While Wake Forest has nowhere near Johns Hopkins’s profile in the academic community, it is known as being one of the most exacting of undergraduate academic experiences, hence its nickname of Work Forest. Still, Wake is a very cooperative environment and the faculty teaching and support offered to students is fantastic. You will be challenged and you will work hard, but you will learn and you will graduate and be well-prepared for whatever challenges await you in postgraduate life. Prospective college students should take note as IMO Wake is a very underrated college that has its undergraduate students as its priority and not its research reputation. </p>
<p>Vanderbilt is a blend of these two with its own medical center providing lots of resources and learning opportunities for aspiring med students, but in a learning environment that is probably a lot more friendly and a lot less stressful than either of JHU or Wake. Not that it’s easy (is this ever the case with folks who are trying to get to med school?), but Vanderbilt (and Rice) students probably lead the most balanced college lives in the USA. </p>
<p>Key point-you can get to a great med school from any of Johns Hopkins, Wake Forest, or Vanderbilt. Med schools will focus most on your GPA and your MCAT scores, so do well wherever you go, but try to choose a place whose approach matches your own personality needs. DON’T choose one or the other of these because of perceptions of prestige.</p>
<p>As for social life considerations, there have been numerous CC threads about the social life at top colleges. Vanderbilt always finishes at or near the top in any comparisons. I would take issue with keefer’s outdated stereotype above about the people and the available social life. Greek life is prominent, but hardly the only social option available to students. If you have not experienced it first-hand, you will likely be very pleasantly surprised at the beauty of Vanderbilt’s campus and what an interesting and fun place Nashville is. </p>
<p>I would also give high marks to Wake as the students there find time to enjoy themselves. There is a Greek scene, but it is housed in the dorms and has a lower profile than what you'd find at Vanderbilt. Given its size, Wake is a big-time overachiever on the national stage with GREAT results across a variety of sports, small and large (including football and basketball). School spirit is extremely high and the students that graduate from Wake typically work well with others, are very solid and very grounded. </p>
<p>Socially, Johns Hopkins is a different flavor. I think that bonanza’s comments above show the great contrast between it and Wake/Vanderbilt. If you love lacrosse, then it might be Mecca. If not, then take a close look and be sure that it is a match.</p>
<p>bump bump bump</p>
<p>wow hawkette!!! thats exactly what i was looking for. I'm going to be visiting each of the three colleges this summer. Thanks for your imput.</p>
<p>The way I see it, you're going to have work at whatever college you go to. So you may as well apply/go to where you would enjoy the social life and I think most people would definitely prefer Vanderbilt's to Johns Hopkins'. I've heard the social life at WF is similar to Vandy's, but unless you get merit-based aid at Wake Forest, you're probably not going to want to go there instead.</p>
<p>Overall, Hopkins has changed so very much over the past 10 years and I would really have your D visit during the school year. The reputation is much, MUCH worse than what actually happens day-to-day at Hopkins. </p>
<p>Hopkins actually specializes in areas outside of the sciences and I believe that International Relations is the #1 major at Hopkins. I also know their History of Art department is ranked #1 in the USA as well. </p>
<p>Hopkins may offer you some pleasant surprises if you can see past the myth's about the college. Best of luck on the search.</p>