Warning for Perspective Students from a Current Student

Colleges and Universities A-Z Johns Hopkins University
1

Hello,

I’m a student at JHU and I just felt it important to inform perspective students of what they would be getting themselves into here. As a student who has been a part of this campus for 2 years, I can honestly say that I hate it here. Lets break it down:

-Teachers are uncompromising and lack sympathy for students. While there are a handful of professors who are extremely helpful, this is not the general rule. A while ago my computer hard-drive broke and I lost all information from the semester on my computer. When I contacted teachers informing them of the situation and asking if I could be sent lecture notes to compensate for my problem, many of them told me that they could not and would not do that.

-Next week I have three large midterms and two papers due. What school allows students to be put through that much in one week?

-As a student with mental illness, I find that sympathy towards students who are struggling is extremely lacking. While there is a counseling center, with very helpful counselors, the school administration itself does very little to promote the happiness of its students. We have a large population of students here who struggle with depression - it’s sometimes joked that the counseling center is the hot place to be - which in my opinion speaks to the general happiness of students here.

-To top it off, this school has cracked down on much of the student life that is meant to promote stress relief and “blowing off steam.” While I do not condone the certain fraternities that have committed illegal acts including drug use and rape, I find that the school is so concerned with its outward appearance, that it has cracked down on all fraternity and sorority life unnecessarily. While I myself do not frequent fraternity parties - I know that it is a way that students with exceptionally rigorous schedules relax on weekends.

-Lastly, this schools grading system is extremely unfair in most of its classes. The policy that majority of classes use in which they grade on a curve promotes a cut throat nature to the school and a lack of student cooperation. Not only do classes curve - they often curve down. I have had friends in multiple classes in which the teachers have informed the class that because the average was so high, a score in the 80s was graded down to a C. In fact, some more reasonable teachers on campus that I’ve had have said things along the lines of: “I want everyone to get an A in the class. The registrar may not like that but I think that you should all get an A.”

I do hope that people consider this post. This all being said, if you do decide to come here - I wish you all the best.

2

Uh…everywhere? I go to my state school. Coming up, in a week-and-a-half long period, I have exams in Physics, Chem, Calc, and Spanish, with a paper and a project due in English. It sucks. It happens.

3

Fair enough, but it doesn’t detract from the rest of what the school does unfairly.

4

https://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/2016/2013/03/is-hopkins-cutthroat/

5

You could be describing the state flagship school I went to, back in the dark ages. It’s called the real world.

Have you gotten accommodations for your mental illness through the disabilities office? If not, do so immediately! That will relieve at least some of the stress you’re feeling. You can get extensions for assignments and extra time on exams if you have a documented illness.

6

I am wondering how the OP would know if the JHU faculty are really any different and less sympathetic than any other faculty at similar institutions. Also, it is common for midterms to cluster in the same weeks, but you can avoid this by looking at the syllabi and making different choices about courses.

7

As someone who went to Hopkins, i’m both sorry you feel this way and sorry you go to Hopkins. You come off as incredibly whiny. Really-what other school has tests and papers due the same week? (here’s a hint, most every other university in the country). Really- what other universities grade on a curve? (again, most other universities in the country) Hopkins grades down severely to a C? Is that why the average GPA is a 3.4 (hint a B+ is a 3.3) - do you even go to Hopkins? To prospectives, go visit and see how happy the students are first hand - or trust an anonymous bitter poster who may not even go to hopkins.

I went to Hopkins and absolutely loved it. PM me for proof.

8

@misshonest I’m currently at Hopkins too, and I am very sorry that your experience here wasn’t what you expected it to be. I do appreciate your honesty, because the reality is that not every person who attends a college will enjoy everything–sometimes, anything–about it. And I get a little leery about the Hopkins blog posts where everyone says they’re being honest, but they’re also not going to say anything worse than, “Hopkins is really hard sometimes and stressful sometimes.”

However, at the end of the day, all perspectives are just perspectives. You see malicious professors, but even the “meanest” professors I’ve had were courteous and willing to help their students. You see a schedule that’s so busy, it could have been purposely planned that way. But I know that classes really can’t predict what classes you’ll take and plan their exams around that.

You see a campus that’s apathetic towards students’ happiness. But I think that the school does do a lot to promote happiness. There’s Hoptoberfest, Lighting of the Quads, and Spring Fair at the very least that are school-wide, really big and really fun events, along with many smaller events, that make me happy. I also struggle with depression and anxiety since high school, and there are many reasons people go to the Counseling Center besides “being depressed because this school is a terrible place.” No shame if it’s a hot spot; having people to talk to about your problems is a really healthy practice. I’m glad I got over the stigma about it, because it’s really helped me.

As for the parties, I do think that the school is concerned about its reputation–especially since this is not the first instance of frats being settings for physical and sexual violence, illicit drug use, etc.–but it’s like, how exactly do you get the perfect balance of freedom and safety with these kinds of things? I think Hopkins is working really hard to get some solutions to that, and I think (hope) that whatever measures they have in place now are just a transition point to finding that balance.

And finally, you think that Hopkins is trying to destroy your GPA. But I’ve found that in my experience, the work is hard but the grading is very generous. I failed two Physics exams and still got an A in the class; I was crying tears of joy, haha. Let me know what classes curve down to a C so I can avoid them, lol. Moreover, I have not been in a single class where I didn’t make a new friend, form study groups, do homework together, and complain about the boring parts of lectures, haha. My peers are really what make the hardest moments of this school bearable, and even fun.

I know it must feel like you were pouring your heart out and then, suddenly, ALL THESE HOPKINS PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO DIMINISH WHAT I HAVE TO SAY, but I’m really not trying to do that. I do get what you’re feeling. But it’s really easy (and comfortable) to remain in negative-mode about things. And it doesn’t have to be like that. You can change the situation you’re in, but Hopkins isn’t going to make you happy, for you, you know? Maybe you need to drop some stressful ECs so you don’t feel as bogged down with the work. Or really try to find some friends in your classes that can help you out. Or even take the bare minimum course load and do things that make you happy.

And to all the little pre-frosh reading, there are days when I really think about all the free time and extra sleep I would have gotten if I went to a state school, lol. And at the peak of my depression (last semester), I was literally skipping almost all of my classes and hiding out in my room, waiting for the semester to end. But I’m staying up past 3:30 AM, knowing that I have classes at 9—not the best move, I admit—to write this essay offering another perspective because at the end of the day, I do love Hopkins. Not always the classes. But the chances to be stretched, the opportunities, the people, Baltimore, the experiences I’ve had here. And a fair amount of the classes, too, haha. So don’t let all of our opinions about Hopkins make you doubt the ones you’ve made or will make.

9

You mean “prospective”, not perspective.

I agree Hopkins, along with some other school like it (CMU and Cornell come to mind along with a number of IT schools) is more cut throat than many schools. Something to keep in mind, especially, prospective pre meds who might want a boost for med school admissions rather than a challenge and gauntlet.

But some of your complaints would be at home at most colleges. THough some of the smaller LACs with a lot of tenured profs might be more nurturing in terms of helping out those with mental problems,mood disorders, the larger schools, state schools, most schools are not. This is a stepping stone to the real world, and your employer isn’t likely to care an instant other than to be wary about such health issues. Might as well get used to the attitude and learn to cope in what is likely to be a hostile and unsympathetic world. Believe it or not, JHU has above average, some of the better mental health facilities available to students with counseling and support. There are over 3000 colleges in this country and JHU is probably way up there in this regard, like in the upper 5%. Some do quite well with the support there. A good indicator is the the 6 year graduation rate for the school and the freshman attrition rate. JHU has good numbers. They are doing something right. Most schools give little more than lip service and this is reflected in the completion rates. A lot of kids drop out due to emotional, behaviorial, mental, learning issues when they have the desire and the ability to make it. Doesn’t happen as much at JHU.

10

I’m a current Hopkins junior premed. I’d like to offer my perspective as well. Hopkins is a stressful school. We are graded according to how other people perform, and unfortunately geniuses will always exist. In our cell biology class, exams are normalised to 2% which means the top 2% is 100% and everything is scaled accordingly. The top 2% grade is something like 95%, which means there is basically no curve. The average score after scaling is usually something like 73%. Everyone is really smart here, and you have to study your ass off just to not fall behind. If you are extremely smart, Hopkins will be the best thing for you. We have so many amazing research opportunities that you will not get at other schools. As an undergrad, I have a publication. I was a high school valedictorian, like most people here, and I study really hard and only get slightly above average in some classes. I am not failing or being weeded out. I get As and Bs mostly. However, I have a lot of friends who were smart kids in high school who are getting weeded out. They get C’s in challenging and harshly graded classes like physics, organic chemistry, and cell biology (which is probably like a B at other schools) and give up on the premed track. If they had attended a more relaxed school, I have no doubt they would have gotten good grades and gone on the medical school. So if your are premed and wondering if JHU is for you, think about how willing you are to take risks and how you will measure up against the rest of the Hopkins students. Grading for science classes is also very test centric, which is the main difference from high school. Tests usually account for 90-100% of your grade. If you’d like to succeed as a premed here, you MUST be a good test taker.

11

About those lecture notes. If are were intended for student distribution, then they are probably already available. Maybe they are online, or maybe a classmates can lend you a copy.

But not all professors have lecture notes that are in a format that is ready to be distributed. That is certainly the case with a lot of my own lecture notes (where I actually have notes). If I don’t have a handout, my notes are likely to be a mess, and nobody’s business but my own. Most of the time, they would be fairly useless to anyone who does not also have access to my brain. No way I’m sending anyone a copy of stuff like that.

12

I do concur with @shanghaigirl‌. I’m premed too. Choosing Hopkins as a premed isn’t a decision you should make lightly, even though it seems like the most natural thing to come to here. You get an abundance of research opportunities and the opportunity to be exposed to some of the best medical professionals around, yes, but you also get all that rigor, which comes with the risk of hurting your GPA (big thing to consider, especially if you intend to apply to top med schools) and burning out before you even really start.

I think that these people can really flourish at Hopkins:

A. The geniuses. They have a considerable amount of expertise in their fields of study by the time they get here, which I do see. This may be you if you’ve had a lot of pre-college education and/or experiences in your intended field of study.

B. The people who are good at adapting to changes. After that first blissful semester, Hopkins picks up the pace and doesn’t stop (unless you’ve planned everything out for a really chill senior year). These people can quickly figure out the best ways to learn, study, and get help for each class. This may be you are quick at picking things up, knowledgable about your own strengths and weaknesses, and observant about how different classes work.

C. The people who really love what they’re studying. Yes, the premed circuit is the gauntlet, but not every class is like that, especially those that you are actually interested in. You’ll know if this is you if you actually like going to certain classes, study above and beyond the required material, and procrastinate from other homework by doing homework for these classes, lol.

D. The people that love a good challenge. Not competition, challenge. For me, it’s really cool being thrown into classes for which I have 0 background, and I like putting in the work to understand those subjects. Many of us say that we’re so stressed out and bogged down with work. But (especially for the premeds), we often intentionally take on large courseloads and try to juggle them with many extracurriculars. Even though I get stressed out by Hopkins sometimes, I know that I would die of boredom if things were too easy. You’ll know this is you if you are still interested in / excited about Hopkins after hearing all these horror stories, lol.

E. The people who can see things with a balanced perspective. There will be times that you feel overwhelmed, inadequate, and hopeless when it comes to the schoolwork. If schoolwork is your everything, you might feel that way a lot. But these people can remember the end goal when things get rough, not be too proud to realize that we’re all here to help each other, and hold onto all the positive experiences and victories they’ve had here. This is something you have to figure out when you get here. It may be that you start out with this perspective and Hopkins sucks it away from you, or that Hopkins actually shows you what you’re capable of, or both at varying times for varying durations, lol.

13

Just another, different perspective: Based on the experience of good friends’ kids who attend hopkins but have majored in international relations and writing seminars, they have done very well without killing themselves. One joined a frat, the other joined a sorority. They’re both involved in other ECs on campus. Despite not having strong SATs or being at the very top of their high school class, they were admitted & have both made the dean’s list throughout their Hopkins career. And they’ve loved it. Perhaps the culture, rigor, & grading is different for non STEM kids.

14

non-stem majors definitely seem to be easier across the board. Be it at highly selective universities like hopkins or duke or slightly less selective schools like usc or tufts

15

Going forward, it does seem the freshman class will be getting more and more intelligent at Hopkins as the school gets more selective:

http://hub.jhu.edu/2015/03/27/johns-hopkins-class-of-2019

This year’s pool:

Acceptance rate: 12% overall
SAT range: 1430 to 1560
Average GPA: 3.92
Top 10% of class percentage: 93%

16

I am so sorry for what the OP is going through and very much appreciate the candor. Thank you to @shanghaigirl and @OnMyWay2013 for sharing your perspectives, as well.

I was accepted RD to Hopkins earlier this week and am truly happy about that! My stats are strong (took SATs once: 750 CR/800 MA/780 W; took subject tests once: 800 Math2/800 Chemistry/800 French) but the admissions process is a black hole so was nervous up until I got the news. Once I get decisions on Ivy Day, I will make up my mind about where to attend, but I am a STEM person and certainly expect academic challenges wherever I attend.

17

tl;dr
But heres my take.
Hopkins is hard. Not everyone will like it. Not everyone likes the college they choose to go to. Though it is hard it is extremely rewarding. Rewarding with the people you’re surrounded with and with the work you are doing. If you want a challenge and meet lifelong friends that are amazing, don’t be afraid to come here.