<p>Any thoughts? I want to study biology and then go to medical school. It will cost about 10K more per year at Hopkins. Thanks for your help.</p>
<p>jhu is not worth 10k more per year than michigan, especially if your parents arent billionaires</p>
<p>not to mention, JHU is not a great place to be a pre-med.</p>
<p>Academically, JHU and Michigan are peers. Both are awesome. I agree with Bearcats, if you are planning on pursuing Medical School (very expensive) and your folks aren’t wealthy, Michigan at $40,000 (over 4 years) less than JHU makes sense.</p>
<p>If money is not an issue, I would say JHU is slightly better in the life sciences, but not sufficiently so. If money is not a concern, I say go for fit as both schools have significantly different cultures and environments.</p>
<p>Thanks for your help. I think I really need to visit both again and decide on fit vs. money. </p>
<p>CCRunner - why do you think that jhu wouldn’t be good for pre-med?</p>
<p>IBIS09, I think he meant that JHU’s having a top ranked Medical school does not translate into it being the best at placing students into Medical school. That is true of Michigan too…as well as of many universities that are criticized of not having grade inflation. JHU, like Michigan, has a fair but tough grading structure and that does not make them ideal for pre-med majors.</p>
<p>That is not to say they are bad, but some schools that are known for grade inflation make it easier on their students.</p>
<p>IBIS, I recommend you go to the school where you can get the best grades possible. Unlike business or law, where you did your undergraduate work is not particularly important in medical school admissions. Getting the highest possible MCAT and GPA, and not going into significant debt before medical school, should be your primary concerns.</p>
<p>In addition to what Alex said, Hopkins is not a great environment for a pre-med because it has a fiercely competitive environment and is known to screen their applicants. However, if you are very intelligent and achieve a high GPA, Hopkins will open any door for you. If you screw up though, the Hopkins brand name probably won’t save you. Michigan is also pretty competitive as well, not in the dog-eat-dog type way, but in the sense that many of the pre-med students here are very bright and work very hard. </p>
<p>A moot point, but I’d take Ann Arbor over B-more any day of the week.</p>
<p>Johns Hopkins is a much better school, this shouldn’t even be a question</p>
<p>Care to explain how JHU is a much better school?</p>
<p>I lived in Baltimore for many years and am a JHU alum. Don’t know much about the med schools so I can’t comment on them. But I can vouch for what CCRunner says - Ann Arbor >>>>> B-more. (Especially now that crabs have become unaffordable!)</p>
<p>U Mich is a state school… and while it’s a good one, you’ll get a lot of in state kids who arn’t as quallified or capable as the kids at Hopkins. JHU has a world renowned rep for its med and bio department, and if that is something you are interested in studying I would strongly suggest going to Hopkins. If money is an issue I understand that, but w/o the money issue, Hopkins > Mich for biology.</p>
<p>Stevster, your analysis about Michigan is off. I agree that JHU has a better Biology program and a better Medical school. But that does not make it a better place to prepare for medical school. Internationally, JHU and Michigan are both very reputable, JHU for its medical school and Michigan for pretty much everything. So you are incorrect in your assessment. JHU is not better than Michigan. Both are elite universities.</p>
<p>This is a tough choice. I was thinking that JHU would be the best place for biology, but not sure about social life and B-more. You raise some good points regarding the challenging academics at both schools and the effect on GPA. I could also go to my state university that has offered me full tuition for 4 years. I’m not as sure of the academics there and the caliber of the students. I could really keep the GPA up there, but I don’t think I’d find the four years as interesting.</p>
<p>Crackerlady - You said you would pick Ann Arbor over B-more, but did you have a good experience at JHU itself?</p>
<p>I really can’t go wrong as long as I think it’s a good fit for me. Thanks again for your help!</p>
<p>What’s your state school?</p>
<p>I can SO help you! (in one respect, anyway) Because I live in Ann Arbor, which is basically the whole campus, and spent last summer studying at JHU.
and town-wise, Ann Arbor completely owns Baltimore. It’s smaller, personal, multi-cultural, gorgeous, and very… quirky. OH, and the football games rock 
Baltimore is OK, but the scene outside of the campus isn’t nearly as fun. yeah. so, at least with environment, Ann Arbor is amazing.</p>
<p>Thanks again to you guys. </p>
<p>I agree that Ann Arbor trumps Baltimore. It’s a real college town. I’m just trying to understand if I’d come out ahead academically or “presitge” wise going to JHU over U Mich (for biology/pre-med). What if I switch majors and decide not to go to med. school? I also sort of like the idea of leaving the midwest for a new experience. </p>
<p>CCRunner: My state school is Indiana Univeristy. I could go there, probably do well, come out with little debt, and then head off to med. school. </p>
<p>Klee: How did you find the classes, professors, students at the two schools? What are you studying?</p>
<p>IBIS - My experience of JHU was as a music major (Peabody Conservatory). I feel I got a great music education but the conservatory is a whole separate entity in itself, located in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood. The Homewood Campus is quite nice and is in a somewhat cool area. The hospital, and I believe medical school ( don’t know about premed) are located in what, at the time I attended at least, was a horrendous slum. Friends of mine who went to Homewood campus seemed very happy with it. Sorry I can’t be of more specific help!</p>