<p>JHU is most competitive on the lacrosse field. Thethoughtprocess is a Duke student who just watched his team fall to Hopkins in the national championship game 2 out of the last 3 years. I don't blame him for being bitter.</p>
<p>Seriously, Hopkins is a competitive place--particularly for premeds, many of whom are grade obsessed. This is just as true at Duke as JHU. Its even true at--gasp--Brown. Yes, there are no University wide requirements at Brown and you can skip grades if you want---but if you want to go to med school you must take the normal complement of requirements and get good grades in them. But competition is different from cutthroat competition--which I consider to be where one student will try to sabotage another. I never found Hopkins to be cutthroat--although students do like to revel in the myth. Hence a comedy improv group on campus is named "Throat Culture." Most students are cooperative and help each other. I never considered competitiveness to be a bad thing. In fact, in tends to bring out the best from people. If find it odd and somewhat amusing that so many people on CC are proud to have gone to a competitive high school but shy away from competitive colleges.</p>
<p>I have news for you all. The REAL WORLD is competitive. Best to be ready for it.</p>