<p>My D got accepted and wants to major in International Relations. I understand JHU has a good school. D is a bit concerned about the school being "cut throat" and "ultra competitive".
She's also concerned that JH is such a Math/Science school that she'll have to take a lot of math (and she is not great at math). No way she'll survive JH level Calculus..... Finally, her aid requires her to keep a 3.0. Is that hard to do at JHU? Is Grade deflation an issue?
Thanks.</p>
<p>Hopkins is far from ‘cut throat’ and if your daughter is interested in IR at JHU, she’ll be A-OK with a HUGE variety of courses to take. There is a critical mass of math/science students at Hopkins but International Studies is one of the most popular majors there so she’ll be in good company. Here is their student journal:</p>
<p>[JHU</a> Politik](<a href=“http://jhupolitik.com/]JHU”>http://jhupolitik.com/)</p>
<p>If she works hard she’ll be just fine. Average GPA at Hopkins is about a 3.30. Grading is depending on the prof but it’s nothing outrageous. A’s are hard to come by (a change from most HS’s) but B’s are quite common. </p>
<p>You guys should go visit and see it for yourself! Good luck - JHU is a great place.</p>
<p>My son is a student at JHU. Not majoring in Intl Relations (or is it Studies) but has friends who are. The department is supposed to be very good. What my son says is that IR majors must be prepared to do ALOT of reading. If your D visits, she should ask students about their reading load and determine if she’s comfortable with it. </p>
<p>I’m pretty sure they offer some kind of lighter Math for the Humanities majors. JHU tends to be requirement-light in terms of classes outside one’s major. The kids have to satisfy some distribution requirements but have a lot of leeway to choose. They don’t even require an English 101 type class-- you have to take 3 writing intensive classes but they are offered within many departments. As least this was the case as of 2 years ago when my son started. </p>
<p>The first semester of Fall the grades are “covered” so there’s no GPA. May be a good semester to get any Math requirement out of the way. </p>
<p>My son has been very happy at JHU and has made a ton of great friends. He does not find it to be cutthroat competitive in terms of the students’ attitudes. However, the students there are smart and hard working. That in itself creates a certain pressure to keep up and to produce good work that you would find at any of the very selective universities.</p>
<p>Thank you both. She will be visiting (again) later this month. We were surprised and a bit taken aback by her award…Even surprised at her acceptance to be honest.</p>
<p>@westchester mom…If I PM’d you would you be willing to ask your son to have an IR major call my D? Or maybe exchange Facebook information? We visited in the rain and didnt see the entire campus…what we did see was cold and wet! i’d like her to get a more rounded view on the school</p>