<p>Obviously, I’m not going to talk badly about either one of the schools, but I will give you some reasons as to why I think Hopkins would be a really great option for you:</p>
<p>Hopkins is located in a mid-size city. Albeit, Baltimore does not have the best reputation in the world, but from my experiences living there, I think the city is simply wonderful and has many awesome experiences and opportunities you couldn’t really expect to find at other locations i.e. Ithaca, NY. There’s more than just movies and public transport: you have the harbor, museums, aquariums, fell’s point, etc as well as the opportunity to volunteer in the mayor’s office, the city council’s building, to sit in on important health care tasks or initiatives held in the city-hall, etc. All of this, with the additional opportunity to volunteer, intern, and/or work at the best Medical Hospital in the entire World, Johns Hopkins Hospital. They regularly have job and research positions open only for JHU undergraduates, and so-on. </p>
<p>Also, Baltimore is a simple 45-minute $7 train ride away from out Nation’s Capitol, the Capitol of Global Democracy in Washington D.C. where there are numerous lucrative jobs and internships that students can easily access YEAR ROUND on a regular basis. This cannot be easily said for the vast majority of schools of Hopkins’ caliber, including Cornell, Harvard, and others.</p>
<p>The next reason why I think Hopkins presents a more compelling case is for size. I will not comment on Cornell’s size because everyone has their own opinion, but Hopkins’ on-campus size is very small for a research university of this caliber and the campus feels much more homely and classrooms more intimate as a result. </p>
<p>In terms of Academics, Hopkins has numerous programs that are at the forefront of their field. Just about every single option you have at Johns Hopkins will be ranked at the very least in the top 30 of the nation, with other programs in the top 20, 10, and numerous #1 programs in such fields as Music, Biomedical Engineering, Writing, and Public Health. Professors really do care about their students and it shows. I have had some of my favorite professors in the world here who have given me the chance to do research and land good summer jobs with me simply dropping in during office hours to see them. </p>
<p>The main argument you will hear AGAINST Hopkins is that it is cutthroat and competitive. However, I will say that that is simply UNTRUE. In my time here, the only person who has been cutthroat with me has been myself. Hopkins’ academics truly pushes you to organize and strive to be the best learner you can. They treat their undergraduates with graduate level lectures, seminars, etc. and in turn, expect high quality work. It is tough at first, but as you get used to it, it is TRULY worth it. At Hopkins, students not only work hard, but they play hard too. Look at our popular Lacrosse games, the Spring Fair with amazing food and cool rides, the large amount of people going partying every weekend whether in clubs in Baltimore, D.C., or simply in a frat house, and you will see that Hopkins is every bit as possible to allow you fun as it will allow you to grow and learn. </p>
<p>The Food at Hopkins has been getting better and better, but I really enjoy the food Baltimore has to offer. A LOT.
Advisors here are top-notch as well and our admissions rates into professional AND graduate schools regularly remains within the top of the top in the country.
Hopkins is making huge inroads into expanding and becoming an even better and bigger school in the coming years. What with the development of the multi-billion dollar Science City, the expansion of the Homewood and Medical Campus, and the billions of dollars raised and continuing to be raised for further improvement, I think Hopkins would be a sound investment ;)</p>
<p>note: I didn’t say a SINGLE bad thing about Cornell ;)</p>