<p>I am very dissatisfied with my current school and am strongly considering transferring to Johns Hopkins. Yes, I am very aware that admission is extremely competitive, but it is a risk I am willing to take. On this thread, I don't want to focus on admissions as much as I want to ask questions about student life.
If I am going to transfer, I want to love my new school exactly as it is, not as a romanticized ideal. For that reason, I want to know both as much of good and the bad as possible. Here are my questions:</p>
<ol>
<li>Is Johns Hopkins considered an environment where workaholism is common, or is it a 'work hard, play hard' school?</li>
<li>I intend to be apply as a Writing Seminars major. How are they treated on campus versus the hard science and engineering majors? Are they taken seriously, or are they mocked horribly and thought of as 'lesser' students?</li>
<li>How much is there to do on Johns Hopkins' campus? Is there a lot to do in Baltimore, or are students bound to the campus because the city is generally deemed 'unsafe'?</li>
<li>Can Johns Hopkins ever have the feel of a 'social bubble'--a world in which life, news, and joy from the outside world is absent on-campus?</li>
<li>Is there one social group that overpowers everybody else and dominates campus life?</li>
<li>What do students commonly do on a Friday or Saturday night?</li>
<li>Is Johns Hopkins considered a 'red tape' environment because of its size?</li>
<li>Do graduate students receive priority over undergraduates in all departments?</li>
<li>How possible is it for a non-music major to take classes over at Peabody? From your experiences, are there any open spots available for someone who is not in the major or is it restricted to music majors only?</li>
</ol>
<p>At Hopkins, half never go out and the other half party hard. I have had several nights where I’ve stopped at around four parties and had quite the evening no matter where I went. It’s like any typical smart college, kids need some type of way to release, right? </p>
<p>If you ever get bored of Baltimore, a train ticket to DC is $7, and I would highly recommend getting away sometimes. As for the city of Baltimore itself, it’s quaint but has a good vibe and really good restaurants. As for the writing seminars portion, they’re taken just as seriously as other classes. </p>
<ol>
<li>Work hard, play hard is pretty much a good way of describing it. Though some people only work hard and don’t play very much.</li>
<li>There are always some ignorant, jealous people out there who will mock you for doing what you love to do. You really shouldn’t worry about this. But to answer your question, Writing Seminars students (I am one of them) do get respect on campus.</li>
<li>There’s a decent amount to do around campus…obviously this isn’t New York City but Baltimore is still a relatively active, interesting city. </li>
<li>I haven’t experienced any sort of “Hopkins bubble” at all.</li>
<li>Not really, though Greek Life is pretty popular.</li>
<li>Either stay in and watch a movie with their friends or go out and drink.</li>
<li>No.</li>
<li>No.</li>
<li>Extremely easy. You just fill out a form.</li>
</ol>
<p>Hey there! I’m a freshman at Hopkins right now, so hopefully I can answer a few of your questions.</p>
<ol>
<li>From what I’ve seen, the attitude at Hopkins is definitely work hard, play hard. You can choose to stay in the library all the time if you want to, but it’s really easy to go out on weekends (and even weekdays) to different parties or just hang out with friends around campus.</li>
<li>In my experience, people aren’t treated one way or another based on their major. Writing Sems is a very popular major at Hopkins, and I wouldn’t say people get “mocked” for majoring in it.</li>
<li>The city is really not that “unsafe.” I’ve been to the Inner Harbor and Fell’s Point multiple times and I’ve never felt threatened. Regardless, there’s always events happening on campus, so you will easily find stuff to do. </li>
<li>I have never experienced anything like that, and neither has anyone else I’ve talked to.</li>
<li>Definitely not. I haven’t felt any sort of social hierarchy at Hopkins…everyone that goes out to parties is pretty friendly with one another. </li>
<li>Most of the people I know go out to frat parties or bars. Some people stay in and take it easy with their friends. Some are in the library. It’s a distribution that’s seen evenly at most colleges.</li>
<li>Nope.</li>
<li>I have not witnessed that.</li>
<li>I know a lot of people that are taking lessons at Peabody without majoring or minoring in one of its music departments. I’m not too sure how it’s done, but I don’t think it’s difficult to do.</li>
</ol>
<p>I hope this helped! If you want to get a better feel for Hopkins, you can read some blogs by current students at Hopkins Interactive, it’s a pretty helpful resource I used when deciding to apply and eventually attend Hopkins: [Hopkins</a> Interactive | Home](<a href=“http://www.hopkins-interactive.com/]Hopkins”>http://www.hopkins-interactive.com/)</p>
<ol>
<li>I would say it’s work hard, play hard. A lot of the students here have a drive for learning and at the same time, a lot are really social and like to go out. You’ll see students on both sides of the spectrum, and many in the middle too. It’s a really diverse school.</li>
<li>I would say everyone is taken seriously here - almost everyone has respect for each other (we all got into Hopkins for a reason).</li>
<li>Of course not - there is so much to do in Baltimore! Security is solid on the campus. You can take the Collegetown Shuttle (free) or a cab to many places outside of Hopkins (such as Towson mall, the Inner Harbor, etc). I’ve had great experiences there and have not yet felt unsafe. Every city and town will have its own unsafe areas. Just be smart when traveling - I always go with groups.</li>
<li>No…I learn something new every single day. I’ve never felt like missing out on anything.</li>
<li>Not really.</li>
<li>A lot often go to frats, bars, or hang out in the dorms. Many also go to other places like the Inner Harbor or Fell’s Pt.</li>
<li>No.</li>
<li>I would say no - at least I have not experienced or seen that.</li>
<li>My suitemate takes lessons at Peabody and she’s an engineering major - so I am pretty sure that you don’t have to be a music major.</li>
</ol>