<p>Hi. I'm an admitted prospective student (for some background, I'm also seriously considering Vassar and Haverford and am waitlisted at Swarthmore, Wesleyan and Pomona). This might seem like an odd question, but I was just wondering, to what extent does quirkiness exist at JHU? For an example of what I'm talking about, I think of Swarthmore as a particularly quirky environment (<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=305058%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=305058</a> being one example). I see that Hopkins had a Whimsy Progress Administration (<a href="http://webhost5.nts.jhu.edu/cchan/whimsy/index.php/Abstract%5B/url%5D">http://webhost5.nts.jhu.edu/cchan/whimsy/index.php/Abstract</a>) that alleged that Hopkins was not very whimsical but hoped to change that, but it seems like they haven't been active since 2004 (also the year in which they began...).
Anyway, I was put with a sports-loving BME major for my overnight, so that didn't help matters any. I would probably be a Writing Sems major, and I imagine that at least that group has some more personality. Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts about Hopkins' personality, generally and specifically within the humanities. Thanks.</p>
<p>Having a daughter who graduated from Vassar, and a son who is at Hopkins, maybe I can be of help. Feel free to send me a private email if you wish. For now, let me say that Vassar had a very definite, particular personality. It is expected that the students fit into a certain intellectual, liberal, and artsy mode, no matter your major. You can be very science oriented, but have views that fit with Vassar's general vibe. You will get an outstanding education at Vassar. It is a wonderful place, but be sure that you will fit into that mold. Hopkins has a broader point of view...There are wonderful arts (terrific art history, great drawing classes, wonderful theater classes), a wonderful writing program, and of course, the sciences and political science/international relations, speak for themselves. It is not necessary to fit any particular mold at Hopkins. One just needs to find one's niche, which I do not think is very difficult. Of course, the education at Hopkins is phenomenal. Again, you can message me if you have any other questions that might require a more in depth response.</p>
<p>Thanks gabriellaah for your comments. You mention that it is not nec to fit into any particular mold at Hopkins. Is the generalization that people are very studious correct? Would you also call JHU students fun-loving? Would you characterize the student body as generally more liberal or conservative? As you can see, I have many questions.. our son is admitted and trying to make his decision. He plans to study history/english/social sciences. Thanks for any further insights.</p>
<p>Some people study very hard, others balance studying and a very active social life. My son falls into the later category, and still does very well, academically. This misnomer about being an institution filled with only studious students is founded upon the fact that Hopkins does have very bright, very motivated students. It is also very respected, academically. Remember, it has a very high peer assessment ranking (4.6/5).
My son could never deal with a school that had a boring social life. If your son is an interested and interesting young man, he will absolutely thrive and have a ball at Hopkins.
In terms of political bent, I would say that Hopkins is accepting of all points of view. There is no political mandate that is obvious to me. There are liberal and more conservative professors and students. For example, there is no way that ROTC could function on Vassar, but on Hopkins, it thrives. Yet, if you read through the various school newspapers, you will see that there is plenty of liberal thought and opinion. Hopkins seems to have a good balance, and consequently, political ideology does not seem to be a factor that determines the mood on the campus. Everyone's point of view is accepted, and respected.
ALL of my son's friends are fun-loving...male, and female. Being smart, doing well, and having a great time are not mutually exclusive. There are myriad opportunites for fun, and truth be told, I am constantly reminding my son that he is at Hopkins for his education, not just for all of the fun he is constantly involved in. But , I really cannot complain because he seems to have struck a great balance for himself, since he does well, academically. Your son will find his place at Hopkins, and, no doubt, flourish at the school.
Also, get yourself a copy of Baltimore magazine...It will be very enlightening. In fact, you can go online and read back issues. There is so much to do in Baltimore. Also, Baltimore is a wonderful music venue for the kids...lots of concerts...big names. Guess you can find this online, too. Lots of good luck. And ask me any other questions, regarding either Vassar or Hopkins.</p>
<p>BTW, the above post is specifically in response to mmom4.</p>
<p>Hmmm, Quirkiness... Last Friday and Saturday the Buttered Niblets show at Arrelano was entitiled "Sex AKA Weiners and Boobs" (written by the funny fellows from Stella).
The last Throat Culture show was "A Portrait of the Hot-Dog as a Young Man"
Believe me these JHU comedy groups have lots of personality.</p>
<p>mmom4, my son is trying to make the decision about Hopkins too. We went to the open house on the 17th, and I was always checking out the students, to see if any of them were alone or seemed "out of place", I am very happy to report that all of the students that I saw in the classrooms, walking around on campus, in the library and in the dorms, all seemed very happy, and were engaged with other kids. I was also happy to see so many kids wearing "Hopkins" gear ( sweatshirts, tees and hats) I know it sounds weird but it showed me that they had school pride ( or that they ran out of clothes and instead of doing laundry, decided to buy some new stuff at the bookstore! :) ) As a mom, I got a good "vibe" at the school. My son liked it and is pretty sure that is where he is going, the only thing he is hesitant about is that it is the school that is the furthest away from home, and he is a bit of a homebody.....</p>
<p>Hi! My son and I attended the 4/17 JHU open house, as well. He immediately knew that Hopkins was the right choice for him, but still went to open houses at two other schools, including Vassar. Shortly after we got out of our car, he stated, "I don't know why I'm here. I know that Hopkins is right." We toured Vassar and headed home, then sent in our registration confirmation to Hopkins that night. Baltimore is quite different from Poughkeepsie, and the science programs were different, as well. Good luck. :)</p>
<p>Thanks for everyone's comments. Gabriellaah, since you have some experience with both schools, I was wondering if you perceived any difference in their quality of academics. I went to the Vassar reception today, and I'm starting to get the impression that the people there are somewhat ditzy (also artsy, but not necessarily quirky). I'm not sure if this is accurate or if I'm mistaken. This may be a better question for the Vassar forum though...</p>
<p>Both schools have outstanding academics. The kids at Vassar are absolutely great, but one really needs to be sure that he/she will fit it. For my daughter, it was perfect...and you know, she looked in place on that campus. I knew that it was a perfect fit for her. My son, who was also accepted to Vassar, did not look in place...and you know what? He knew that immediately. It is a sense of belonging that seems to strike a person, or does not...Here's a little insight for you, though. When my daughter decided to go on to law school directly from Vassar, she was very reticent to tell all but her good friends. Although she was going to an ivy law school, which has a very liberal bent, people who were going to become lawyers were viewed as sellouts...A very immature perspective, and within five or so years of graduation, many Vassar students go on to law and other graduate schools...But, amongst the kids, while they are still students, there is this oppressive necessity to be anti-establishment. These are very, very bright kids, in an independent, creative way. I did not see or hear about much studying going on, in the same way that you hear about it at Hopkins. You get the sense that Vassar kids could mostly go to the top ivies, if they would only study. They are just a naturally bright, creative group, with an anti-establishment mentality. That being said, my daughter absolutely thrived there.
Poughkeepsie can, however, be a claustrophobic place. The kids come to NYC a lot to have fun. Baltimore is paradise, by comparison. I happen, even as a New Yorker, to really love Baltimore. The more I get to know it, the better I like it.
Just as Vassar was right for my daughter, and wrong for my son, Hopkins is right for him. The mindsets on the campuses are completely different, with Hopkins being more tolerant of different ideologies and opinions.</p>
<p>We also attended the open house on 4/17,and my son did the overnight .He was impressed with the school,the two roomates he was hosted by were really great! They took him on a tour and treated him to dinner at their favorite spot.He definately wants to go ! I was alittle nervous about the area around campus but after visiting I thought it was fine.</p>
<p>I agree with almost everything said about the two schools. Mainly I think location is a MAJOR difference (urban vs. college town) and
also the mission of the two institutions is very different</p>
<p>Vassar is a smaller liberal arts college which provides, small intimate environments for students. It is a personal place with a fairly loose curriculum. </p>
<p>Hopkins on the other hand is known as the academic powerhouse. It has very tough coursework, high expectations of students and major levels of research that are taking place at all levels in all disciplines. The environment is also small relative to other major research universities with only about 1200 kids entering every year meaning that students get a lot of attention if they seek it out. Graduate school placement is very strong. </p>
<p>Clearly both places produce successful students so ultimately it depends on where you will feel the most challenged and supported.</p>
<p>one hundred percent true, wealthofinfo!</p>
<p>I have plenty of personality!</p>
<p>This review of the recent Niblets show is proof that JHU can stand up to other schools for quirkiness: <a href="http://media.www.jhunewsletter.com/media/storage/paper932/news/2007/04/19/ArtsAndEntertainment/Niblets.Sex.Capitalizes.On.Its.Absurb.Physical.Comedy-2871585.shtml%5B/url%5D">http://media.www.jhunewsletter.com/media/storage/paper932/news/2007/04/19/ArtsAndEntertainment/Niblets.Sex.Capitalizes.On.Its.Absurb.Physical.Comedy-2871585.shtml</a>
Many of the Buttered Niblets are Writing Sems majors.</p>
<p>The comments above take me back a couple of years to my D's selection process. I clearly remember the Vassar visit because it was one of the first on the visit list. My D liked the Ivy look and the prestige of Vassar and the nifty music castle. She tried to see herself in the vegetarian dorm - although that was one of the only truly ugly buildings on campus. She tried real hard to like Vassar but with no success. Of course, the problem was not the academics, or the prestige, or the ivy, or the buildings or the location. As described above, Vassar has a strong and distinctive aura and it just did not fit my D. </p>
<p>When we visited Peabody, she walked in the front door and knew instantly that she belonged. Later, she had some difficulty with the Homewood visit. Homewood is clearly much different, but it fit another side of her personality.</p>