Questions about JHU

Colleges and Universities A-Z Johns Hopkins University
1

Hey guys, I’m going to JHU as a freshman, so I have a couple of questions:

1- What is intersession? As an international student, do I have to attend it? Or can I take the 3 weeks off, to have a 5 week vacation back at home?

2- Which date do we go back home? I’m not really familiar with college terms on calendars, so can anyone give me a vacation breakdown? (for example, summer vacation is 3 months, winter is 5 weeks, etc.)

3- How’s the food? I do not eat pork, I do not drink, and I am the antithesis of a vegan. So, is it good? Should I pay a couple of hundred bucks more to get the unlimited meal package? Or is the 19-meal package that was offered to me in FA enough? (I eat a lot)

4- How are the dorms? Are they big? I’m still between the AMRs and Wolman. I want a really dynamic social life, but the idea of having a shared bathroom with a whole floor terrifies me.

5- I know that the housing lottery takes place on the 27th of May. I also know that not all people get what they want, so can a person who picked living with the same sex get a coed roommate?

6- Does Johns Hopkins have a strong name like Harvard/Princeton/Stanford/etc. ?

7- Will I need to go off-campus a lot? What is on campus (like gym/cinema/etc.) ?

8- Do you have any advice for me, as a future JHU student?

Thank you for your time! :slight_smile:

2

Congratulations, excellent choice. To answer your questions:

  1. Intersession is a three-week, optional opportunity to take a class or two as pass/fail. These are not classes offered during the semester, but are normally passions of the professors or grad students who teach them and are focused on a particular topic of interest. This occurs during the last few weeks of January after your two-week Winter Break. Tuition dollars already cover it so some students feel they might as well take advantage of the program if they've already paid for it. Additionally, the course load is easy (it's pass/fail for one or two 1-credit classes, what a breeze!), so students have ample time to have fun with friends and recharge their batteries. It's great if you want to enjoy Baltimore without the pressures of school going on, and is also life saving if two weeks home with your parents was already more than enough. Having the freedom of a college student for a few months and then coming home is normally pretty jarring. Lastly, this gives you a chance to take a course on content you may be interested in but is outside of your major. I was a Neuroscience major but enjoy philosophy, so I took a class specifically on the select works of Nietzsche. Having a class with maybe eight other students in a low-stress environment and a world-class professor was a great experience for me. Do note though that most Northeast (and some Mid-Atlantic) schools have long Winter Breaks because of the cold climate, so it will be cold in Baltimore and there may be snow (last few years there has been), which is good or bad depending on if snow has lost its novelty on you yet.
  2. Here is a school calendar for next year: http://web.jhu.edu/registrar/academic_dates/Revised_FINAL_academic%20calendar%202016-2017.THNKSGVG.WK.Fall%20Break%203.FINAL.Commencement%20Date.revised.pdf . The exact dates of finishing a semester depends on the courses you take and when the final exam for that course is scheduled. There is no way of knowing when you'll be able to leave until you know what classes you are enrolled in and can then identify the final exam date. The final exam dates are released by the registrar at the beginning of the semester. You can play is safe and buy your ticket for the last date (December 23rd for this upcoming semester), but that may mean you have to hang around campus for a few days if you finish before then. Also note that Reading Period is a few days without classes where students can study before Finals. I noticed that it has been shortened down to just a few days, it used to be longer.
  3. As for food, Hopkins has improved drastically over the last 15 years. I remember hearing horror stories when I was a freshman about food quality, sanitation and options, and that apparently the school was called out in an exposé in the early 2000s resulting in a complete overhaul and new vendor contract (Bon Appetite, considered one of the best). The results have been a huge improvement in quality and variety as well as upgrades in facilities and a focus on locally grown, organic foods as well as vegan and gluten-free options. Hopkins now does appear on ranked lists for some of the best cafeteria food (US News #9: http://college.usatoday.com/2015/04/28/36-of-the-best-college-dining-halls-in-the-u-s/ and The Daily Meal #3:http://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/75-best-colleges-food-america-2015/slide-74 ) That being said, people will still complain because that's what people do. It doesn't matter how creative you get with your Taco Tuesday or Fajita Friday, people will get tired of the food since vendors have limited numbers of suppliers and chefs only have so many recipes they can feasibly cook in huge batches. Rest assured though, the on-campus dining is more than adequate (even for the vegan, locally-grown freedom fighters) and off-campus dining continues to improve as more retail spaces open up and more options become available. As a side note, the quality and variety of restaurants throughout Baltimore truly surprised me given the city's relatively small size (it's no NYC or LA) and limited diversity. I still remember the great sushi, Indian, Korean, and Vietnamese foods I found in Baltimore, and I grew up in Los Angeles where I definitely developed an appreciation for quality Asian food.

For most people the unlimited meal plan is unnecessary. The 19-meal plan means you’ll be having two meals a day: breakfast and dinner (or lunch and dinner if you’re not an early riser and don’t have time to eat before class), with a few extra lunches or midnight meals during the week or on the weekend. The FFC is all you can eat, so most people stuff themselves and are more than fine for a few hours. I can tell you normally the problem I faced (along with most students I knew freshman year) was not getting through all of the meals, and then you feel like you’re losing out. Additionally, there normally just isn’t enough time in the day to be having three sit-down meals when you’re running around for group projects, classes, finishing homework and participating in all the extracurriculars you’ve signed up for. Meals plans also come with dining dollars so you can buy snacks on the go from the Charles Street Market (school operated convenience store at the base of Wolman) and other food locations on and around campus.

  1. Ahh, the old AMRs vs. Wolman discussion. Wolman is a newer facility (much newer) and includes suite-style living (either two or four people to a suite living in doubles or singles) with kitchenettes, which some students use and others never touch, and an in-suite bathroom. It's true that floor bathrooms (as in the AMRs) create the nightmare of zero accountability, and you are quickly reminded that humans, with all our great achievements and intellect, are still filthy animals. The two biggest benefits of Wolman are the bathrooms and the climate control AC. In the summer and start of fall it is usually very humid and AMR students normally struggle with their fans. On the other hand, AMRs are cheaper, are directly on campus (Wolman is across the street from the library) and people claim that the AMRs are more social since students live the traditional college experience with rooms off of a main hallway. Honestly though, the social scene will entirely depend on you and the people around you. I lived in Wolman and we were all very social leaving our suite doors open and going out to restaurants and trips to DC together, etc. Completely depends on how outgoing you want to be and the people who ultimately get placed around you.
3
  1. Both freshmen and sophomores (both years require on-campus housing) are required to live with the same sex. There are coed buildings and floors (all are), but no one is officially rooming with the opposite sex. As for who that roommate will be? Unless you know people in advance and request them (efforts are made, or so Housing claims), most people just opt for the random assignment after filling out a survey (which everyone lies on). Nobody admits to being a slob or playing music loudly at night, so you get 1500 surveys all saying that the student goes to sleep at a reasonable hour, doesn't drink, etc. etc. and of course this is rarely the case. The best you can do is sign up for substance-free housing (typically floors of AMRs filled with students who want nothing to do with the drinking culture) or find someone online you trust and hope you get paired up. Of course, students are concerned that substance-free housing means they're surrounding themselves with prudes and nerds, and that is the risk you're willing to take if being anywhere near alcohol is a big concern for you. Additionally, a big part of the freshman experience is living with a roommate who ultimately will annoy you. Everyone has their quirks and bad habits, and living with someone will eventually reveal to you what those are. A big part of college life is learning to accommodate others and compromise (or forking out the money for a single). There are valuable life lessons to be learned with the housing situation, so take the struggles you will ultimately encounter as learning experiences and opportunities for growth.
  2. Internationally Hopkins is better known than some other top names in the U.S. primarily because it is the largest research university in terms of annual R&D expenditures and because of the healthcare empire it has built. Elite schools like Princeton and Brown, which are largely undergrad focused, are very well known in the U.S., but outside of the U.S. are not as well known as schools with well-established graduate schools and large research expenditures like JHU, Harvard, Berkeley and Stanford. Within the U.S. Hopkins is also primarily known for its healthcare and engineering by the public, though academically it is known for many other stellar programs including International Relations, Writing Seminars, the School of Education, Classics, French, and History. Normally people who haven't heard of JHU nationally is due to the simple fact that the school does not have many Division I collegiate sports teams, and Americans love their athletic programs. But from an academic perspective, everyone knows the JHU name. For an undergrad experience Hopkins is often labeled as an "IVY+" school meaning that it is often grouped with the Ivies. As far as rankings go (which have limited value when you start comparing #3 vs #5, etc.) there is Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, and MIT which are seen as the creme de la creme, and then a second tier of schools including Columbia, JHU, Duke, UChicago, Northwestern, Brown, Caltech, WashU, Dartmouth, Cornell, Rice, Berkeley and a few others that are seen as peer schools with similarly competitive stats for admissions, access to resources, and stellar reputations. Choosing between these schools largely depends on what you want to study, geographic location, price, and legacy since they are all great schools and you will get a stellar education at any of them.
  3. Hopefully you will want to go off campus and explore the city. There is much to do with world-class museums (The small Baltimore Museum of Art is attached to JHU and has some great collections including the famous Cone collection and the renowned Walters Museum of Art has one of the largest Greco-Roman art collections in the U.S.) a large underground music and art scene, fantastic restaurants, the Inner Harbor, Fells Point, Fed Hill and nearby NE cities like Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Richmond, Annapolis and (for the slightly more adventurous) NYC, Boston, Charleston and more. The East Coast is very accessible and you should explore as much as you can while you're here in the U.S. As for local things to do, there is a brand new "luxury" movie theatre (a Cobb Cinema at the Rotunda) which should be opening this year that is replacing an old theatre that was within walking distance. There are plenty of bars, clubs, etc. if you're into that scene (not just the drinking, but the dancing). Simply google map "restaurants" "groceries" etc. to see what is within walking distance. You don't need a car and the school does operate free scheduled shuttles and a call-ahead van service that can get you to most places of interest for shopping, etc. Additionally, there is a college shuttle to take you up towards Towson (a fun place a few miles north with a large number of college students) and the Charm City Circulator now goes up to JHU so you can take that to Penn Station, Inner Harbor, and throughout the downtown for free. Basically, plenty of free public transportation options. While the surrounding area is improving, it is more of a suburban than college town feel, so students who ultimately enjoyed themselves at Hopkins were the ones who explored and ventured more than ten blocks from the campus to enjoy what a city with over 600,000 people and a long history has to offer. Lastly, the undergrad campus has its own athletic facilities with tennis courts, indoor and outdoor track, fields, squash/racquetball courts, equipment rooms, swimming pools etc., which should satisfy all your workout needs. School groups also organize great intramural sports if you're interested in soccer, cricket, etc.
  4. First off, stay focused on your studies since there are a lot of things to do on campus, but ultimately GPA is what matters above all else (that's why you're here at school, to get a strong GPA and learn things). But also make sure you have fun. There is plenty to do on campus, in the city and across the East Coast. People who complain that they had nothing to do were the ones who wouldn't venture off campus and didn't join student groups, etc. Studying all day will become counterproductive and make you miserable. Find hobbies and people you enjoy spending time with - ultimately this makes a college experience enjoyable, not some silly ranking by US News on what campus has the most fun or what school produces the happiest students. Take advantage of the resources and opportunities for research and community outreach - ultimately that makes a college education informative and stellar - not some US News program study ranking. Schools can't force you to do anything, they can only provide you opportunities - and JHU provides many - but it is ultimately up to you to make this experience an awesome one.
4

1- nothing to add

2- nothing to add

3-you mentioned you don’t eat pork and don’t drink. Are you Muslim? If so you should know that (in addition to what has already been said) all of the chicken in Nolan’s Cafe (the predominantly sophomore cafeteria) is zabiha / halal as are the Indian meals catered from My. Everest.

4- Having a dynamic social life in the dorms is really a product of how much effort you put in. That being said, given your preferences I would recommend that you list Wolman as your first choice.

5- no

6- in general yes though a schools “brand recognition” is not necessarily the best indicator of how good the school is for your chosen field

7- nothing to add

5

Thank you @NixonDenier and @saif235

Yes, I am muslim, and I intend on double majoring in Physics & Mechanical Engineering, with a possible minor of robotics/business. Is that doable at JHU, or will it take up all my time?

Another concern I have is the medical insurance. The JHU office of financial aid & office of international students haven’t responded to my emails yet, and it has taken two weeks. My financial aid & bill had a breakdown of all my expenses, except medical insurance. What does it cost? What is the process? I have no idea about medical insurance in the US, but I do know that it is EXTREMELY important. So, what should I do?

6

The schools cites that about 20-30% of students each year will complete a second major/minor (or more). It is doable but I recommend to everyone not to enter JHU (or any school) with the mindset that you’re going to double major. It really confines one’s perspective, can leads one to make bad decisions with scheduling and can cause one to risk poor grades (and good grades are the whole point of an education - anyone can come to a school and get bad grades). Most importantly, you need to ask yourself what is the benefit added for a second degree? You should ask people in your industry of interest if they see added value with a Physics degree on top of a MechE degree. Personally, it seems like the MechE degree is the application that you are truly interested in (hence the interest in the Robotics minor as well), so I don’t really see the value of jumping through all the extra hoops for the Physics degree if its just detracting from what you really want to study. Nonetheless, keep an open mind and prioritize a strong academic performance above all else - that will serve you far more than a list of related degrees. Take a normal course load when you start off and incrementally add on if you can handle it. If it happens to work out that you just need a class or two to complete a minor or major, then sure, but don’t make sacrifices just to add something on a resume that may not even be helping you.

As for the medical insurance, it really isn’t that complicated. If you (or your parents) don’t have U.S. insurance (and you’re on a F1 or J1 Visa) then you will need to buy the University’s plan. I imagine most international students would opt for the University plan anyway out of convenience since insurance shopping in the U.S. can be nightmare (which you may have heard about). JHU has much of the information you will need here: http://web.jhu.edu/registrar/students/health

7

I would also mention that there are a few Halal markets and a Punjab market near school. They might have certain packaged foods you are looking for or miss if you’re feeling nostalgic. I used to frequent a Punjab Grocery for my spices - it was awesome.

8

As NixonDenier has already mentioned, while many Hopkins students end up double majoring your shouldn’t go into Hopkins (or any school) expecting do double major. And honestly if you’re interested in Robotics a degree in MechE focused on robotics (look at the Robotics and Computer Integrated Surgery minors) will serve you much better than a degree in Physics. Similarly if you want to go into engineering biasness and management doing MechE paired with electives from the econ department (maybe look at the Entrepreneurship and Management minor) will serve you better than a double major. The physics degree, while amazing, is geared towards people interested in studying theoretical physics, not applied stuff like robotics.
And just from a time and workload perspective, the MechE and Physics programs are both very difficult and have very little overlap in terms of courses. I haven’t looked very closely as the graduation requirements, but I’m having a hard time believing that you can easily graduate in four years with both degrees while keeping your sanity. And as a reference I’m a BME / CS double major which have lots of overlap, and I’m still having trouble fitting all my classes into four years without overloading.

In terns of Halal food on or within waking distance of campus there is:

  • Nolan’s Cafe (on campus) - all chicken is Zabiha halal as are the hot dogs
  • Mt. Everest Restaurant (on campus in Levering Food Court and Crepe Studio) - all food is halal
  • Masala Kitchen (five minute walk from campus) - all food is halal
  • UniMini (two minute walk from campus) - cheesesteak is halal
  • Halal Cart (five minute walk from campus) - all food is halal
  • Punjab grocers (about 7 minute walk from campus) - all food is halal.

There may be more, but these are the places that I go to.

9

Thanks again @NixonDenier & @saif235 !

Do all rooms have an internet connection? If not, how can I get internet into my room?
What does a cinema ticket cost normally in Baltimore?

And I love physics, always wanted to be a physicist, but in Egypt, a physicist has no job but a teacher. That’s why I wanted to major in both physics and MechE (MechE will earn me a living, and I love physics).

And finally, for the university health insurance plan, do you know how much it costs in total? I couldn’t really understand the cost from the link provided, and my family needs to know to add to their cost calculations.

10

This was a link off of the previous link provided which has last year’s billing (it should be similar). Looks like it was $900/semester for coverage, but that doesn’t include copays and deductibles (Google these terms if you’re unfamiliar with U.S. insurance billing practices). http://web.jhu.edu/registrar/forms-pdfs/JHU%20ASEN%201516%20Flyer.pdf

Every dorm room has Internet. While I was there everything was ethernet for residential housing and wireless on campus, but I’m sure everything is wireless now. Utilities are covered in room and board costs for on-campus living (first two years), so you don’t need to worry about paying for electricity, water, gas, Internet, etc. If you want cable television (who does these days?) then you can opt to pay a monthly fee for that.

We tend to say “movie” ticket in the U.S. (let the cultural immersion begin). Depends what time a day you go (morning matinee vs regular evening show) and whether it is a fancy theatre or an old one. For the new “luxury” cinema they’re building within walking distance of JHU, it will probably be $12-15 for an adult ticket (hopefully they have a student discount). Morning matinee tickets at many cinemas can be as low as $4-7. People often complain of expensive movie prices in the U.S. (can be attributed to Internet piracy), and everyone complains about prices for concession snacks (popcorn, sodas, candy) that theaters sell (everyone sneaks their own in, a common practice).

11

Can confirm all dorm rooms have wireless and Ethernet internet access. Many students also bring their own routers (costs maybe $50) and piggyback off the Ethernet connection to improve their WIFI speed/bandwidth in their rooms.

12

@NixonDenier @saif235

Guys, can I switch to BME, just like I can switch to any major?

And does JHU offer financial aid to Masters/Doctorate degree-seeking students?

Thanks again!!

13
  1. While switching into BME is theoretically possible, it is very uncommon and contingent on the number of available spaces in the department. BME is very selective at Hopkins and they try to limit the number of transfers.
  2. I believe students who enroll in the 5 year masters program get about a semester of tuition in aid. I'm not sure about the other graduate programs though.
14

There aren’t any five-year Masters programs; usually (though it depends on the program) YOU must pay for a Masters degree whereas for a PhD (which are five-plus years) the department will cover your tuition and pay you a stipend. You’d have to check with the specific program you have in mind.

Now, some departments (such as math) allow you to simultaneously earn a bachelors and Masters but since you’re still technically an undergrad, you don’t get (or pay) anything above what you normally would.

15

Hopkins does offer 5-year Bachelor/Master’s programs. I know quite a few students apply to the Neuroscience BS/MS program their senior year first semester of undergrad and I’m sure other departments at JHU offer similar programs, just Google it. Here are more details on the Neuro program, which offers half tuition for the fifth year: http://krieger.jhu.edu/neuroscience/bams-program/

16

I know for a fact that many departments, including most of the engineering and some A&S offer 5 year BS/MS/A/E programs (the engineering school’s process is a bit more streamlined and I’ve included a link to that information below. You’ll have to check the individual A&S departments websites for their specific info).
Additionally some physics majors have graduated in four years with both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees. And I believe the math department (maybe the AMS department too but I can’t say for sure) has a 4 year track.

http://engineering.jhu.edu/academics/combined-bachelors-masters/

17

@saif235

Is it possible to double BS/MS major? And is it possible to, say, major in normal engineering (4 years, bachelor’s), while also majoring in physics/math/etc. while getting your master’s in 4 years?

This time I’m asking out of curiosity, as the websites aren’t really clear about double majors and BS/MS xD

Also, is it possible to finish the engineering BS/MS in only 4 years (if I finished my BS requirements early)?

18

It has been known to happen, but only in very specific programs. I know a couple of people who are double majoring in Physics and math and getting their masters in physics all in four years. However these people are extremely intelligent and motivated.

In general though no. If you’re looking at your options within four years you can go the regular route and get a single degree in four years, double major in four years, or graduate with your BS in three and spend the fourth year pursuing your masters. Anything else seems impossible unless you’re on an established track like the physics/math track described above.

I think I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again just to make sure: you really shouldn’t approach college with the intention of double majoring. You may decide that you want to do that later on, but -take it from a guy who is going through it now- getting two degrees takes a lot of work for a relatively small reward. Graduating in three years takes about the same amount of work, but the reward is much more (in my opinion).

19

@saif235

What is the reward of graduating in 3 years? Why makes you say so? (Other than the obvious that you’re a year ahead of your class and are relatively younger)

20

I think the obvious reason is you’re saving on tuition.