<p>Question says it all: Northwestern or Johns Hopkins?</p>
<p>I'm a pre-med. Intended major is chemistry. I'm more used to the East Coast/Mid-Atlantic area, but I'm willing to explore different parts of the country, too.</p>
<p>I know both schools are very good for pre-med, so I can't really decide. Is one any better than the other? Any feedback would be appreciated.</p>
<p>I heard that premed at Hopkins is extremely cut-throat. I'm not sure about NU.</p>
<p>every pre-med program is competitive. i've never heard anyone speak of a "cut-throat" atmosphere at JHU except for ill-informed prospies.</p>
<p>consider that last year 95% of JHU pre-meds were accepted to med school. not bad, eh?</p>
<p>and there will be people who criticize this statement by saying the JHU filters its pre-meds to boost its acceptance rate. NOT TRUE. they simply require that you take a certain base of classes if you want their letter of recommendations. sounds fair, if you ask me... and the number of pre-meds they deny a letter too is MINIMAL.</p>
<p>I think NU has a better overall atmosphere and offers a more enjoyable college experience than Hopkins. In terms of med school acceptance rates, it seems that JHU is unbeatable, however. Rank your priorities.</p>
<p>Also, NU is top-ranked in Chemistry. (#9 I believe).</p>
<p>Bah - rankings. Throw those to the wind and really think about what you want.
Hopkins has a great environment; it's collegiate, medium-sized and located in a city. Northwestern is in a college town and is a little bit larger than Hopkins. The student body at Hopkins is extremely strong in multiple areas. </p>
<p>I would try to visit both - you can't really go wrong with either. I think in the sciences area the quality of student and the resources at Hopkins (the medical school, the school of public health, the hospital) those experiences and opportunities will not be found at Northwestern to the same degree.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of your comments.</p>
<p>For me, getting into med school is a little more important than having fun... and I prefer smaller schools, so I think I'm going with Hopkins. But is there anything else that I should be aware of before I make my final decision?</p>
<p>Both are good schools, but Hopkins is more pre-med oriented. It does not matter which school you go to for pre-med, because the med schools will be looking for a high GPA and high MCAT. If you get these at either school , you will get into med school.</p>
<p>::is there anything else that I should be aware of before I make my final decision?::</p>
<p>Now that I look at NU's med school acceptance rate numbers compared to Hopkins', the difference is really negligible. Also, NU's student body, at under 8,000, hardly makes it a big school. Baltimore is not exactly the nicest city, whereas Chicago is awesome (few people will dispute that fact). I know people who have transferred from Hopkins to NU, their reasons mostly being that Hopkins is cut-throat (especially for pre-meds!) and a rather depressing environment. Obviously this is anecdotal evidence, but I would definitely do more research into Hopkins before choosing it if I were you.</p>
<p>Btw, since I didn't mention it before, NU's med school acceptance rate is in the 80s.</p>
<p>
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Baltimore is not exactly the nicest city
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</p>
<p>Uh uh? tell that to Tony SiragOOsa. He will probably bodyslam & pancake you. </p>
<p>You are wrong- Baltimore is nice and a very charming city.</p>
<p>The published medical school acceptance rates are misleading, to put it most charitably. A huge percentage of JHU and NU freshman arrive with the ambition of attending medical school. Although nearly all are extremely capable, the majority become discouraged for one reason or another (usually physics or orgo) and never apply to med school. The lofty stats that they publish are for acceptances of those ultimately apply, generally those who wind up in the top 20% of the class and do very well on the MCATS. If you could determine the raw number of students accepted to med school vs the number who wanted to become physicians when they first stepped onto the campus, you would have a much better measure of whether an "elite" college enhances or diminishes your chances.</p>
<p>Baltimore has nice parts, but I think there is a great deal of consensus that overall, it is not known as being one of the more exciting or "charming" U.S. cities, whereas Chicago is. </p>
<p>Don't take it personally ... I'm from Philadelphia, we have a bad rep too :D</p>
<p>I think NU is better in terms of social life...etc but if getting into top med school is more important than anything else, I'd pick JHU. It's what they are most known for.</p>
<p>Rabban,
If Baltimore is nice and charming to you, I guess you like A LOT of places. Good for you! ;) Unfortunately, I am much more picky.</p>
<p>LOL Sam, care to join in BodySlam contest with LilyBloom? I guess you are too young to know about Tony SiragOOsa, he is the best thing since William Perry, "The Fridge" ;). Tony will do the 2 for 1 body slam for you guys (wear tight pants & sports bras both of you), while I am watching, munching in Blue Crabs Cooked with Chesapeake bay seasoning?.. hmmm? </p>
<p>Wow, tough decision. You honestly can't go wrong w/ either. I'd go with JHU just because of it's reputation as a medschool feeder.</p>
<p>
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Blue Crabs Cooked with Chesapeake bay seasoning
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</p>
<p>Not heroin? </p>
<p><a href="http://www.geocities.com/grantorino.geo/topten2003.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.geocities.com/grantorino.geo/topten2003.htm</a> ;)</p>
<p>For your further reading:</p>
<p>For fresh sea foods & aged fillet mignon, I'd recommend this:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.theoregongrille.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.theoregongrille.com/</a></p>
<p>Probably one of the best French restaurants around DC-Baltimore, check this out:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.tersiguels.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.tersiguels.com/</a></p>
<p>& Don't forget to watch Tosca** @ the Lyrics - just a short walking distance from the Homewood Campus</p>
<p><a href="http://www.lyricoperahouse.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.lyricoperahouse.com/</a></p>
<p>** Personally nothing beats Callas Tosca with Gobbi :)</p>
<p>It seems like whether Baltimore is a good place to live in is the main issue, eh?</p>
<p>I'll be visiting Hopkins next week, so I'll have a chance to make sure I'll be okay in Baltimore before I decide to go there. Thanks for all the help, btw.</p>
<p>JH no questions</p>