<p>I went to the open house/overnight program at Johns Hopkins this week. I thought I would post my thoughts to help anyone else deciding</p>
<p>Dorms-The dorm I stayed in was compact although it was big enough to allow two kids to sleep on the floor. The dorm building was very old but the interior looked like it had been rebuilt in the last ten years. The dorm I stayed in had climate control but I my host said the freshmen dorms don't.</p>
<p>Security- I walked around the campus alone at 1:00 am and saw more security guards than other students. There was always a security guard watching over every quad. I never felt unsafe. However, the desk clerk at the dorm let me walk in with another student without dropping of my drivers license. When I tried to drop off my ID I was given a "you know we just wink at the policy" look from the guard.</p>
<p>Social Life- My host complained about the "Hopkins 400". He said only about 10% of the students at Hopkins ever go out and party. He said that are several bars neat the campus that don't bother checking IDs. One of them is in the basement of the building next to the dorm I stayed in. Many of the students in the dorm I stayed in wanted to get drunk simply because it was a Tuesday night and there was nothing else to do. Although underage students can't have alcohol in the dorms I saw a lot of bottles hidden away in clothing drawers. I want into the library at 9pm to look around. I went back in at about 8am the next morning and saw a student in the same chair wearing the same clothes. Apparently a good percentage of students never stop studying.</p>
<p>Campus- I have visited about 12 colleges this admissions cycle and have never seen a campus as beautiful as Johns Hopkins. Every building looked like it could be put on the cover of a viewbook. There were a lot of unnecessary fences built to prevent students from walking across the grass. There was a lot of construction going on to build a new quad</p>
<p>Academics- The academic offerings were outstanding. I sat in on some classes and the professor were brilliant. Some of them had accents but they were easily understandable. They seemed to be less than enthused about teaching undergraduates but this was made up for by their world-class knowledge of the subject matter. My host told me that it takes a lot of studying to get an A+ but a B isn't that hard to earn. Most students I talked to admitted being Ivy League rejects.</p>
<p>Hosting- Johns Hopkins seemed the most hospitable to admissions guests. There were dozens of admissions officers willing to speak to students informally. I went up and introduced myself to the actual Admissions Daniel. When I was eating the dean of the college came over and introduced himself to me. There were activities scheduled all day. The food we where given was not all that special. The Cater forgot that meat doesn't taste that good after being left out for three hours unrefrigerated. There were activities scheduled until 1 am to prevent students from seeing the drinking the dorms. I bet the admissions officer loved being assigned to supervise teenagers at 1am on Wednesday morning.</p>
<p>Food- The food was typical college fair - bland but filling. The dishwasher broke down when I was in the dining hall so the people began to pile dirty dishes in the hall. It ended up becoming a big mess.</p>
<p>Math Department- I was the only student who went to the math department presentation. There was a cheese plate and folders for about twenty students. I met personally with the department chair for about 20 minutes. He hinted that he had asked the admissions office to let in more math majors. I think that his might have been the hook that got me into Hopkins.</p>
<p>And yes, I am going to Johns Hopkins this fall.</p>