<p>I would like to know how many other freshman like me want to transfer out.
Are there anyone who want to leave hopkins?</p>
<p>The freshman retention rate at Johns Hopkins is 96% University</a> Planning & Analysis
Since this CC board is far more populated by those applying to JHU than JHU students you probably won't find many replies. However since JHU has been a poor fit for you, you may want to expound on why you are unhappy there.</p>
<p>qwerty620,
Just curious. What do you major in? Why do you want to transfer out?</p>
<p>I might attempt to transfer out this year, qwerty--and I'm a freshman just like you. I dont rly want to--i just want to see if I can get into Columbia.</p>
<p>I think transferring is not really worth the effort - especially at this tier of school. Schools at the stature of Hopkins et. al. are almost interchangeable in what they offer and to whom they offer it. From the moment a student walks on to campus, it becomes less of an issue about the school, and more about the student and what they are going to do with their time there. Similarly, once you graduate from college, once again at this level, it becomes more about what you do to take advantage of your resources. </p>
<p>As far as most people are concerned, transferring between the top 15 private schools is really a lateral transfer in most situations with respect to opportunity generated. </p>
<p>that's my $0.02</p>
<p>What about transferring to Hopkins? Does it yield more opportunities due to its prestige than a lower tier school? I was thinking of transferring to Hopkins (or trying to transfer), but I will be paying a lot more than what I am paying for the lower tier school that I attend now. Would it be worth it?</p>
<p>qwerty620 :
Why do you want to transfer so soon?
I've applied to JHU, so I was just wondering.</p>
<p>I'm speaking from an international student's point of view.
I'm did not get the quality education as I thought I would have had. I'm paying way too much for this level of education. I would not say Hopkins isn't a good university, I would just say the education system in America isn't the right fit for me. I will transfer out back to Europe for a higher quality education and a 15 times less tuition fee to pay.
Again, these are only my reasons for transferring out. I respect a lot this university, but it's just not the right fit for me.</p>
<p>I would be interested in finding out what do you consider a "quality education" and why do you think the level is higher in Europe?</p>
<p>I think that this is a good question to ask for students looking to apply to JHU. When looking at colleges, you really should analyze both the good and the bad, and this question offers a good, insider way at looking at the bad. As a member of the class of 2011, I'm not particularly happy here. I don't HATE it, yet I constantly find myself asking why in the world I applied Early Decision here. I know admission daniel will probably read this entry and will not be happy with it, but AD, if you are reading this I urge you to take serious note and maybe try to fix some of these things.</p>
<p>The school has a lot of little problems. And, honestly, which school doesn't? I'll list out some of the things I dislike about Hopkins (and then some of the things I like). </p>
<p>First of all, the biggest drawback about JHU is the social life. I know you may say "academics are first" at school like JHU, but college WILL be the best four years of your life (hopefully, at least thats what my uncles tell me) and social life is important regradless of the school.</p>
<p>Baltimore is a dispicable city. Various sources (Baltimore City, JHU, etc.) try to pass off Baltimore as having some things fun to do, saying that you just have to find them. But that is total bunk. The inner harbor gets old after one or two visits (and it smells awful and there are tons of homeless people) and other than that Baltimore is truly a terrible city, and I cannot imagine anyone ever wanting to live here (its dangerous, many homeless and impoverished). The campus is completely safe, but despite having a few other colleges in the area (towson, umbc, loyola, mica) Baltimore is a truly terrible town to be a college student in.</p>
<p>Tieing in with this, the social life on campus is not great. I'll be the first to admit I'm not a party guy. I'm content with staying in my dorm on Saturday nights playing Madden with my roommate. But every so often (maybe one day every other or third weekend) I would like to go out and have a good time. Hopkins apparently has 13 fraternities (I can count 7 at most, only four of which have parties) and no sorrority houses (does have sorrorities). The problem is that being the school that JHU is, there is no guarantee that there will be a party on any given night. And when there is, there is no guarantee that it won't be beyond crazily packed - since it could be the only party that night and everyone is rushing to get into it (twice in the month before winter break I left a party I was at with friends because after 20 minutes we still could not make our way into the basement.) While this is also caused by people from neighboring schools showing up at our frat parties, it can get trying. Also, while as a freshman I have not experienced this yet and it is just speculation, almost all juniors and seniors live off campus in apartments. But many of these are real apartments, with tennants that are not just students. I would be scared that when it comes time for most students to move into off campus apartments and out of dorms, the social life will cease to exist. But that's neither here nor there yet.</p>
<p>There is a stigma with this school that the only people who can have fun are the athletes. Hopkins does not really have a jock culture, as most accepted athletes would not get in if they weren't good students in high school. Yes, we are defending national champions in Division I lacrosse, but we are Division III (basically a step above high school) in all other sports. Thus, nobody ever really goes to the games. I feel that this bonds a lot of the athletes from different sports together, because of a sense of empathy. Thus most of them only hang out with other athletes, blocking out other students, and athletes do represent a sizeable chunk of our student body, which is not huge. That being said, many of these athletes are very nice, personable people (i'm not a jock hater, i lettered four times in high school). But there is definitely a stigma (a junior mentioned this in class once and I completely agreed) where the only REAL way to have FUN is to be a varsity athlete. This, in some sense, fosters a school bred resentment toward athletes.</p>
<p>Another thing on campus which I notice is a serious racial divide. Hopkins is the most diverse place I've ever been. Any ethnicity you could ever possibly imagine is here at JHU. But there is extreme segregation along racial lines (blacks ONLY hang out with blacks, koreans ONLY hang out with koreans). I know what I just parenthisized may sound racist, but I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true. One of my best friends in high school was a peruvian immigrant, so I know how important and rewarding it is to meet people different from yourself. The school made all incoming freshman read a book called "Why are all the black kids sitting in the cafteria?" The book, written by a college administrator, gave interesting insight into why this is the case. I see this book as an excuse for segregation. If you read it (I won't summarize it here, but you should read the book) you will see what I mean. The school sent almost all of the black kids on a pre-orientation trip. So by the time orientation started, they all knew each other and ever since have pretty much only hung out with each other (I'm not racist, i'm really not, but this is completely true). Many people are turned off from Hopkins because of the large percentage of Asians. But as a white student I have never felt overwhelmed by the abundance (25%) of asian students. My roomate is chinese and he's an awesome guy. Also, take serious note that if you are a Korean student looking to apply here, know that you will be severly stereotyped from week 1, and I have yet to meet one Korean who does not exclusively hang out with other Koreans.</p>
<p>As far as the good, the academics are FANTASTIC. All this crap about professors only being worried about their studies rather than teaching is absolutely ridiculous. I had two classes in engineering and three in arts and sciences, and I can say I never felt neglected. Professors were fantastic in office hours, my grades were VERY good, and the TA's were awesome. Many of the kids here are awesome too. I have great friends, and although some kids here are a litle strange (I feel like many kids here don't have good friends from high school, as they were too busy studying all the time, and are looking for a fresh start) but there's nothing wrong with that. There are also very good clubs at Hopkins, and it's not an overly politically active school, which I sort of like.</p>
<p>In the end, I'm not completely regretting the decision to come here, but I am somewhat unhappy with the fact that I feel Hopkins misrepresents the social life of the school to extreme degrees. I have friends, and academics are great (if I didn't enjoy classes first semester I would be gone). Hopkins has things that are fixable, and I'm hoping that as this next semester begins I'll enjoy JHU more than the first semester.</p>
<p>Once you hit 21, the social scene completely changes. Trust me. =]</p>
<p>Afrattar89---A bit of advice from an alum:</p>
<p>1) Don't assume that your "truth" regarding social life is universally perceived by your classmates; I've spoken to many of them and the vast majority seem to be having a good time.</p>
<p>2) Maybe the problem is that you seem to expect that the University will make a social life for you. That's not how it works. You acknowledge that your class is full of interesting people--go meet them and do things. Get out of your dorm room. Get passionate about some non-academic interest and join a group. For example--like theatre? Join the Barnstomers and get active. You'd be amazed at the number of parties/events they have on weekends. Not into theater--you name it and there will be people of similar interests. The bottom line is that the key to having a good social life is expanding your circle of friends (and being a good friend in return). Work at it and you will find that there is no excuse for not having a great time while at JHU.</p>
<p>3) Baltimore has it share of problems to be sure but--if you scratch below the surface--you will find that it can be a wonderful city. Yes, the Inner Harbor gets old quickly (it is meant for tourists after all) but Baltimore is full of wonderful neighborhoods that I'll bet you've never been to. It is harder when you're under 21 but there are still plenty of new experiences you can try out. As an example, when I was a freshman (and a white, Jewish one)--I decided to attend a Black, Evangelical service just for the experience of listening to great Gospel music. It was wonderful--and I met a lot of interesting and welcoming people. Have you been to Lexington Market? Federal Hill? Fells Point? Canton? Mount Vernon? Bolton Hill? Go to an Orioles game--or a Raven's game--or a horse race at Pimlico. Look in the newspaper--there's far more fun stuff to do than you can possibly have time for.</p>
<p>4) You've only been at Hopkins for one semester. Believe me, things change as you go along.</p>
<p>5) Look at the Calendar portions of the Gazette and the Newsletter every week. You'd be amazed how much stuff is going on. Have you gone to a concert at Shriver Hall? How about at Peabody?</p>
<p>6) After you've really tried out everything that is available both on Campus and in the City (and don't forget other nearby campus' too--there are 100,000 college students in Baltimore)--then tell me that the social life at Hopkins is not great. I'll bet you'll change your mind. </p>
<p>Good luck. Work at it and I'll guarantee that you'll discovery that JHU does indeed offer a great deal of fun things to do.</p>
<p>Oh--and as to the problem that people tend to hang out with others of the same racial/ethnic/ religious background--that unfortunately is true not only at Hopkins--but at every institution with people of diverse backgrounds (and in our society as a whole). It's simply easier to interact with similar people--and freshmen students quickly seek their comfort zones. But that doesn't mean that they are anti-social (well, maybe a few are) or aren't willing to interact with others. Be proactive! Have you asked someone of a different background to do something with you and been turned down? If you seek out new friends--the odds are great that they will reciprocate. Also, this problem tends to change significantly over time. You will have many more friends of diverse backgrounds by the time you graduate --provided you make the effort.</p>
<p>I think that different people see Hopkins very differently. I'm currently a junior here, and I can honestly say that there are more things I hate then love about it. One of the biggest advantages of attending Hopkins is the academic resources available- research labs/professors/the prestige of the programs...etc. However, what I dislike about Hopkins is the extent to which most of the students study, including myself. The social life at Hopkins is not HORRIBLE, and it's true that it is what you make of it...but with work/papers/exams shoved down your throat every day, how many students really have the time to go out and carve out their own social life? This is speaking from a pre-med's point of view. On the other hand, my boyfriend, an alumni of Hopkins, had a great time during his time here. He made a great group of friends with whom he still keeps in contact with even after graduating. So I think that how you perceive Hopkins really depends on what kind of person you are, and there are some good and bad things about the school (as is for every school). One more thing: I've heard many freshmen wanted to transfer out, but it gets better.</p>
<p>"and I have yet to meet one Korean who does not exclusively hang out with other Koreans."</p>
<p>lol I don't hang out with Koreans too much...I met all of them on day 1 of orientation, and by the end of orientation, I couldn't stand it anymore. I understand that a good portion of those people are from Korea and feel more comfortable around Koreans, but seriously, they give off such a negative vibe, like this "I'm better than you" attitude, as if they were some exclusive club that only a korean can join. It rather sickened me =/</p>
<p>I have some korean friends that are actually not part of this circle here, and thank god other asians don't form their own exclusive circle. Otherwise I would lose a lot of friends =[</p>
<p>And I'm not saying every korean is like that. I know those guys, and as long as you avoid the "korean circle", meaning when 4++ koreans gather and go out, you'll find that they are all individually really really amicable people. You'll usually find that koreans have a hard shell, but on the inside, they are really soft. Of course, this is why meeting a circle of koreans makes it hard to click, since you would have to break that many more shells ;-)</p>
<p>Don't limit yourself to a group...it's always the same old thing. Having more friends usually isn't bad =]</p>
<p>Everyone is different, and everyone is going to have different outlooks on the school. Don't take one persons opinions for granted, I just think its important to avoided relying solely on things like JHU Insider Admissions or whatever it is called because it will only give the positive perspective (which is not a bad thing), but far from every student here is happy.</p>
<p>I have only been here for one semester. My first semester of high school was awful, but by the end I didn't want to leave. Like I said in my post, I don't hate it here. I'm just not particularly happy here. I'm not anti-social either in the sense that I have friends and we have ventured off campus (went to a bunch of Orioles games, Towson) but I just wish there were more things to do on campus (concerts, comedians - not the occasional speaker about bioethics in eastern eurasia, etc.) Hopefully Lacrosse season will be great and I am really really looking forward to it.</p>
<p>I just wanted to add a comment on juniors and seniors living off campus, and your fear that that would limit the social life. I just want to reassure you that your social life only gets BETTER once people get older and start getting their own places. As a freshman, pretty much your only opportunity to really go to a "party" comes from Frat parties, which, as you said, can be crammed, have extremely suspicious floors, and generally are too loud to actually talk to many people. Once people start getting their own apartments, though, the parties get way more manageable, people invite groups of friends over to their houses for drinks, the scale shrinks and the opportunity to meet people and have fun goes way up. My roommate and I live in an off-campus apartment and we just threw a really classy cocktail party last month where my roommate cooked a bunch of hors d'oeuvres and we invited all of our friends over that we knew from clubs, freshman year in the dorms, and wherever else. Frat parties can be good for meeting people, sometimes, but we would never DREAM of going to one now. House parties are much better.</p>
<p>afrattar89: Excellent posts to show "the other side" (again the happy student blogs are here:Hopkins</a> Interactive )
Your comment about not enough comedians hit home however. You must have missed the professional comedians that had a show in December as well as the "Student stand-ups" who had a well received show the next day. Please bookmark this page Calendar</a> of Events for events on campus. In February you will have shows by the campus comedy groups "The Buttered Niblets" and "Throat Culture". You can also see Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs at Arrelano. I'm sure the student standups will also have shows.
Also listen to Shelly! Son is a sophomore with many off campus junior and senior friends. The good parties are not in frats but in the apartments. Also most of the hundred or so "clubs" on campus throw some very nice parties for their members and friends.</p>
<p>afrattar89,
What you said about Korean students is COMPLETELY untrue. I'm a current Korean freshman, and over the past semester, I have never hung out "exclusively" with only Korean students. Out of all the friends I've made this semester, I only consider one of them as a close friend. I also know I'm not the only one who doesn't hang out exclusively with a huge group of Korean friends. Just because you see the same one or two huge groups of Korean kids (probably only about 30 students total) walking around does not mean that "Oh, ALL KOREAN KIDS STICK TOGETHER."<br>
Yes, there is a tendency for Korean students who have just arrived from Asia, but that's the same with all other nationalities. Also, I think the Korean groups stick out for you because they seem "different" to you. There are plenty other groups of kids hanging out together, but just because the aforementioned students are congregating in some public locations (i.e. downstairs of Wolman instead of meeting at individual common rooms for each floor) they do not seem as noticeable to you. Did you notice that all the white kids hang out ONLY with each other too? Why don't you point that out? I've noticed that people usually are surrounded by the SAME GROUP OF PEOPLE each day. People just tend to congregate with others they know and like.<br>
I'm a little bit annoyed that you call yourself "not racist," but make some pretty sketchy observations.<br>
For your information, I'm not a part of this Korean "group" at all. I don't even know who those people are.</p>
<p>lol, I'm Chinese and I can back Afrattar89's observation. It's not a racist comment, but I've noticed too that on the first day of school, all the Koreans told each other to recruit other Koreans and go out to parties together. It should be stereotyped that all Koreans hang out with each other. I know plenty of Koreans that don't exclusively hang out with the Korean crowd. </p>
<p>Hopkins NEEDS a larger endowment. With only 2.8 billion dollar endowment, I simply cannot imagine how a university of this size could do so well academically compared to it's peer schools.</p>