<p>Hey Everyone,</p>
<p>I've been admitted into JHU as a transfer student majoring in sociology. I'm seriously considering going there, but everyone tells me that JHU is very cut-throat and competitive. After digging through the forums, I've come to realize that it is only a myth. I guess the worst thing is that sociology majors and social sciences majors in general have really bad stereotypes regarding their futures. This is what worries me the most! Does anyone on this forum happen to know any sociology graduates who have trouble finding a job? Can someone please shed some light on this? Are social science classes curved or do they depend on what grade you study for? Coming from Southern California, I'm planning to move back after I graduate so I'm just worried that a sociology degree from JHU will give me a hard time finding a job. I ultimately want to get my MBA from a top 10 biz school so would Johns Hopkins be the correct path to follow or stay at USC and major in business administration? I guess it ultimately comes down to one question: Will a Johns Hopkins degree and the prestige that comes with it take me farther in life or would a business degree from USC take me farther. The way I'm looking at it is that employers out here in Southern California must get tired of looking at many UCLA, UC Berkeley, and USC graduates' resumes everyday so if they stumble on mine that says JHU, wouldn't that kind of make me stand out in any way? </p>
<p>Thanks in advance!!</p>
<p>I just graduated with a double-major in sociology, and I don't really know any of my fellow departmental graduates who had trouble finding a job after graduation. However, I don't really know many of them who had plans of going directly into something that was specifically sociology-related; a number work in non-profits or for governmental agencies. Some used sociology as a flexible major to combine with pre-med requirements. Personally, I'm going to be working for a management/strategy consulting firm - not exactly sociology, but still research-intensive, like much of the department's coursework. It also seems like that might be what you're looking for, with a future in business. In addition, the "business" minor at Hopkins would be easy to combine with a soc major, since sociology is SO flexible. See here for more info: <a href="http://www.soc.jhu.edu/undergrad-prog.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.soc.jhu.edu/undergrad-prog.html</a></p>
<p>If you have specific questions about the major or the department, you might want to email Karl Alexander, who heads up undergraduate advising: <a href="mailto:karl@jhu.edu">karl@jhu.edu</a> - he's really friendly and actually tracks the plans of soc majors after graduation, so he might be able to calm your fears a bit. (He's a little aloof sometimes, though - so he might take a while to respond.)</p>
<p>With regards to grading, social science classes at Hopkins can be either curved (in larger courses usually) or just personal-work based (smaller classes, most likely). In my soc coursework, I've had both - curves (that could only help you) in social stats and intro soc, and straight grading in pretty much everything else. In general, I didn't find the grading too tough in any way - if you do the reading, prepare for exams, and participate in class, you should be fine. If you ever have problems the professors are really truly willing to help - it's a small department, and they're all very friendly people who often leave their doors open to encourage you to stop by. </p>
<p>Let me know if you have any more questions - you definitely have been asking good ones.</p>