<p>I won't say "Don't apply to JHU", I'll just say that I live practically next door to the campus and:</p>
<ol>
<li>I've never met anyone who went to JHU and loved (or even really liked) their school</li>
<li>The stress/pressure/misery factor is THROUGH THE ROOF</li>
<li>The campus is awful (in my opinion)</li>
<li>Baltimore is awful (in my opinion, and I was born and raised here!)</li>
<li>The only real reason to go to JH is if you are 100000% sure you will be pre-med</li>
</ol>
<p>I'm sure some would disagree with me, but that is just my experience from having been in such close contact with the school.</p>
<p>Well, to counter BMS (not that your opinion is wrong, just to give a different one from a similar perspective). I too am from Baltimore, near the campus, and:</p>
<ol>
<li>I know several people who are quite happy at JHU.</li>
<li>The stress/pressure factor seems very high, but not so much for the non-pre meds</li>
<li>The campus is ok (IMO)</li>
<li>Baltimore is kind of sweet, and has some pretty good college hang outs if you know where to look (in my opinion, and I was born and raised here!)</li>
<li>JHU is a really strong school in a lot of subjects.</li>
</ol>
<p>I mean, I'm not actually the biggest JHU fan--there is a stress/competitiveness there that is, as far as I can tell, higher than at many schools, and it isn't necessarily that supportive of undergrads. But it makes some people happy, and is a very strong school is a lot of areas, not just pre-med. And as much as I was ready to go somewhere new, I think B'More would actually be a pretty cool place to go to college.</p>
<p>Johns Hopkins is one of the best schools in the nation... of course it's going to be hard. That's not to say I haven't heard about the cut-throat mentality in the Pre-Meds, but you shouldn't not do something because its hard. You might have more fun being more relaxed at a different school, but if you excel (or even survive) at JHU in pre-med, you're set. <--Period. Med schools know this and students know this. There's a reason its cut-throat.</p>
<p>I think Weskid's post is very accurate. H went to JHU back in the day (i.e. 35+ years ago). He wasn't pre-med, and while the social life of the school left something to be desired (it had just gone co-ed), he loved his classes and is still very good friends with one of his professors, as well as a bunch of his classmates. He says that the pre-med environment was and is very intense, but most students understand that going into it.</p>
<p>One of D's closest friends just finished her sophomore year there. She's doing Creative Writing, and loves it. Baltimore is an interesting city, with some lovely areas and some very sketchy parts...like all cities. Hopkins is not a particularly nurturing college environment, but it provides a superb education and can be a great choice for the right kind of student.</p>
<p>That sentence is kind of oddly phrased. No one is happy "in your opinion"? Whether or not people are happy is a matter of empirical fact, not opinion. On another note, your opinion is demonstrably wrong.</p>
<p>"The school is overrated and only good for premed."</p>
<p>^ I have a few friends that go there. Its a little bit work oriented but I think the most I hear them say is the horrible male/female ratio. I suggested some of the colleges nearby, I think including an all female one? However, the complaints are still evident everytime we meet up, haha. So check it out for yourself.</p>
<p>This is coming from a Duke person. How funny such a post coincides with Hopkins defeating Duke in NCAA lacrosse semi-finals</p>
<p>Just a sample of the types of programs at Hopkins that are the very top in the nation: art history, cell biology, french, public health, army rotc, BME, biochemistry, and a ton other fields that warrant Hopkin's reputation.</p>
<p>Face it, Duke and Hopkins are rival peer institutions in sports and academics. It doesn't help anyone to come here and flame. You didn't even boast about Duke. :-)</p>
<p>This JHU grad would love to move back to her hometown of Bawlmer. Had a job interview there in fact not long ago; it was like going home again.
This JHU grad is sending her youngest to JHU.
This JHU grad says that JHU is not for everyone, just as HYPS or the state U are not for everyone. Some thrive on competitiveness, some like very laid-back. I do hope the 2 miserable undergrads mentioned by the OP transfer or change majors, if they are so unhappy.</p>
<p>When i visited hopkins i was so turned off by the atmosphere (everyone seemed miserable and my tour guide told us how competitive and cut-throat people are). I decided not to apply...</p>
<p>For the record--I went to Hopkins and loved every minute of it. Both of my kids recently graduated Hopkins, and they loved it. The opportunities there are enormous. Admittedly, it is not for everyone (insecure and less than highly motivated students will do better elsewhere). But for the right student (smart, self-assured, inquisitive, directed), it is a wonderful place to go to school. The majority of Hopkins students are quite happy there. There is a minority who are not. You'll find exactly the same thing at other challenging schools, such as MIT, CalTech, Chicago. Hopkins (and those other schools I mentioned) do a great job of preparing students for the rigors of the real world. I've got news for some of you--the professional world (medicine, law, academia, business, etc) is not easy. Hopkins' graduates do very well after college because they were properly prepared. </p>
<p>I thought Hopkins was competitive, not cut-throat. but a look at this week's Sports Illustrated might change your mind (great picture of a Hopkins' defenseman (Big Z) with his pole across the neck of a Syracuse middie during the lacrosse Div I championship game).</p>
<p>By the way, I also think JHU's campus is one of the most beautiful urban campuses around. And Baltimore, while it has many challeges and problems, also can be quite charming and a pretty good college town. Yes, it doesn't compare favorably to Boston--but I'd rather live in Baltimore than Durham any day!</p>