<p>I recently was accepted to both Johns Hopkins and Northwestern with similar finical aid. I applied to the BME major for both, yet was not accepted into the major for Johns Hopkins. I am now unsure of the major I would like to pursue at Johns Hopins, I am thinking of either chemical and bimolecular engineering or biology and I hope to pursue medicine. I really love the field of BME yet still think I want to go to medical school. I am just looking for some opinions on which school I should go to, any advice would be much appreciated!</p>
<p>Any help please?</p>
<p>Hey I’m in the exact same situation here, except maybe the certainty of wanting to go to med school. From what I’ve heard about Johns Hopkins, it seems like the place to be for pre-med regardless of your specific major. However, Northwestern has really high ratings as far as medical school placement as well. Northwestern also seems to be stronger in a variety of other fields when compared to Johns Hopkins, and is a very well-rounded school (which is why I’m leaning towards NW in my situation). Thanks for posting though… I have the same conflict. Hopefully more responses will come!</p>
<p>Given JHU’s ability to attract pre-med applicants, there’s probably a higher concentration of pre-meds there who are GPA-conscious and are competing for a limited number leadership positions in clubs/medical research. NU has historically attracted students of more diverse interests, e.g. communications, economics, music, sociology, education, journalism, etc.</p>
<p>I feel that NU provides a better quality of life, in terms of location, campus vibrancy and social life. However, some people would rather have a poorer quality of life so they’re forced to concentrate on academics.</p>
<p>And it’s not like NU doesn’t offer any strong pre-med programs either. I don’t know about BME, but the Engineering programs at NU are very strong as well.</p>
<p>Visit both schools to get a feel. I had a blast at Hopkins and chose it over NU back in the day. I also have friends that chose NU over JHU. The freezing winters and larger impersonal feel caused me to choose Hopkins. I’d say JHU is on par with NU for most undergraduate majors (JHU is held in higher regard for writing, history, music, physics, and statistics and in certain engineering majors, while NU is more esteemed for journalism, economics, and chemistry) It’s a myth that Hopkins is full of premeds. The most popular major there is International Relations after all. It’s not a myth to say there may be a higher percentage of premeds at JHU relative to other peer schools like NU, however. But then again, this doesn’t necessarily translate to a worse campus dynamic. JHU is also located in the nicest part of Baltimore, minutes away from the harbor. You are also a train ride away from Washington D.C., which rivals Chicago (near but not exactly adjancent to NU) anyday. But honestly, instead of getting biased responses from strangers online to help determine an important decision in your future, go visit the schools and get firsthand opinions from real students and people. In particular, try to ask students roaming campus and not just tour guides or other people taking part in the open house. They will give you the best perspective of campus.</p>
<p>You “Think” you should go to med school? What do you see yourself doing, engineering or medicine in 10 years? Have you been to either campus?</p>
<p>Hey nimportequi and wko2314, do you mind telling me what you did in high school like classes, ec’s and things of that that one would put on a chance me bulletin? JHU is my dream school and I’m wondering what the typical accepted applicant is like. I’m not an average student but I have no idea what type of student gets in JHU.</p>
<p>Thanks you.</p>
<p>L+P=John: I think I want to do medicine, but the field of engineering is very intriguing to me and that is why I want to do it for my undergrad. I actually live about 20 minutes from Northwestern and took a class there this past summer, so I am much more familiar with the school as a whole. </p>
<p>As for what I did in high school, I took all honors and AP classes and have a good GPA, but more importantly (i think) I found something I was passionate about and went after it. In my case that meant starting up a Habitat for Humanity club and being heavily involved with service. I also played a lot of sports, mostly for fun, and did random stuff like Model UN and student government. I think it truly depends on the person though as to what they look for. Some fantastic students who got into other great schools got rejected, so I am unsure as to who the “typical student” really is. I hope that helps slightly!</p>
<p>Blah,</p>
<p>NU may have more top-5 (material sci, industrial) and top-15 (applied math, chemE, biomed, civil, mechanical) engineering programs than JHU but I can’t be sure. </p>
<p>As far as location goes, I don’t think there’s any comparison regardless of what part of Baltimore JHU is in because because Baltimore is simply just “blah”. 
</p>
<p>DC is still 45 miles away and I live there now. It is not nearly as happening as Chicago and in some ways, has a bit of a mid-sized town feel (DC may be very happening to some peopole but I grew up in Hong Kong and I’ve lived in big cities almost all my life). It’s inclusion of the surrounding metro areas that makes it look bigger. The weather is definitely nicer though.</p>
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<p>Nah. JHU is just as strong in international studies, history, poli sci, philosophy, etc. It’s not just medicine. JHU has more pre-meds than other schools (it’s like 20%) but it’s not like they dominate life on campus.</p>
<p>In Reply to SamLee:</p>
<p>While you are in DC, have you checked out Adam’s Morgan or Dupont Circle? Those areas are usually quite happening with young professionals. Baltimore has something better called Fells Point and Federal Hill that definitely rivals the nightlife and bar scene of Chicago anyday. Granted parts of Baltimore in general sucks in comparison to Chicago, the surrounding area of Hopkins is quite awesome. They’ve definitely made (and are still making) strides in improving it as a true college town. </p>
<p>FYI using US News grad rankings (we could also use NRC rankings, but the rankings change depending on user criteria selected):</p>
<p>NU vs JHU:</p>
<p>BME NU #15 vs JHU #1
Chem E NU #16 vs. JHU #23
Civil NU #12 vs. JHU #22
Comp Eng. NU #28 vs. JHU #28
Electrical Eng. NU #31 vs. JHU #25
Environmental NU #27 vs. JHU #7
Materials NU #3 vs. JHU #22
Mechanical NU #11 vs. JHU #16
Applied Math/Statistics #48 vs. JHU #5 </p>
<p>JHU doesn’t have industrial engineering. Among common engineering majors, I’d say both engineering programs are on equal footing.</p>
<p>^Applied math is not the same as statistcs. NRC puts NU’s program between 4th and 12th. The program at NU is in the engineering school with very different focus from those in typical statistics programs.</p>
<p>[Prospective</a> Students : Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics : Northwestern University](<a href=“Engineering Sciences & Applied Mathematics | Northwestern Engineering”>Engineering Sciences & Applied Mathematics | Northwestern Engineering)</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, NU is unranked by USNews in applied math.</p>
<p>I’ve been to Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle many many many times. Like I said, they are very happening to some but for someone like me that has lived in big cities, they are just okay and not that big (several blocks). Dupont Circle is DEAD past 10pm during the week. Chicago’s Halsted/Clark streets have shops/restaurants that go for couple miles and with more 24hr places. Also food in DC is mediocre at best but for some, it may be world-class. It’s all about perspective.</p>
<p>^Applied math in US News is a subspecialty of math. It’s based on responses from others in math departments. Like I said, NU’s ESAM is a separate department in the engineering school, not arts and sciences. For what it’s worth, NU is ahead of JHU in math by US News.</p>
<p>It’s true. All based on perspective. I personally didn’t find Chicago all that awesome.</p>
<p>^Well, Chicago is considered a world-class city by many.
[Chicago</a> - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago]Chicago”>Chicago - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>Baltimore not only compared to Chicago, but argued to emerge victorious? Are Paris and Hong Kong next to fall?</p>
<p>ChemE is tough on your GPA if planning on medical school.</p>
<p>Based on the fact that neither nimportqui or I was admitted into BME at Hopkins, I think it largely comes down to whether or not the other majors at Hopkins stand out above NU BME. Any thoughts</p>
<p>Although you were not accepted into BME at Hopkins–that is far less momentous then you might think. BME is the only major which requires separate admissions. You can still go to Hopkins and major it, e.g., biomaterials engineering, biomechanics, chemical and bilmolecular engineering, biotechnology, etc. You could also skip engineering altogether and major in biophysics, biology, etc at the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. The bottom line is that you can do almost the same thing outside of BME–and still be in programs that are tops in the world.</p>