Hello, I’m currently a high school senior interested in applying to JH 2016. I have a couple questions, targeted mainly at students interested in Medicine or something along those lines. 1) Why did you choose JH? 2) What is the campus life like currently? 3) What do you enjoy the most about JH? 4) What science courses have you taken thus far? 5) Would you say that the courses prepare you well for the MCAT? 6) What is the JH community like? Friendly? Diverse?
Sorry if I have to many questions but just just want to have an insight into what JH has to offer.
Hello! Hopkins junior, Applied Math major, pre-med.
- Uh, Hopkins wasn't on my radar at first, lol, because I wasn't interested in medicine at the time. I applied because my parents wanted me to. Then I was rejected from many of the schools that I applied to. Then, out of the ones I did get into, my parents refused to pay for several of them because they weren't prestigious enough. So I was down to two. And out of those, I liked the environment at Hopkins better; it just vibed more with my personality and the things that I believed were important to me.
- Campus life... I don't really have anything to compare it to, since I've never been to any other school. The campus isn't dead by any means--there are always groups holding performances, meetings, events, etc.--but outside of clubs, everyone's pretty independent. So I know that many schools have little "traditions" like Harvard's Primal Scream or Bryn Mawr's Hell Week, but not Hopkins. Lighting of the Quads is the only event where people gather to do one thing together, although the school also has different random events and holiday events, as well as Spring Fair, where people can do things at their leisure.
- I really like the friends I've made at Hopkins. You will meet some of the most passionate and deep-thinking people here. Not to mention funny and down-to-earth. I also love the classes, of course, especially in my major; you don't know what you've been missing in high school until you're taking classes that are tailored to your interests. And finally, I like that there are always things to do. Some people really value down time, but I get bored very easily, and I enjoy that Hopkins always keeps me busy.
- So far, I've only taken General Chemistry I and II, and Physics I. I AP'd out of Biology, though.
- I haven't taken the MCAT yet, and don't know much about it except that it's going to involve more creativity and intuition than rote memorization and problem-solving. But I think that the courses I've taken so far have given me a good foundation of information, so that when I do start studying for the specific types of questions I'll be answering, I won't have to do *too* much reviewing what the material actually is. But I might be taking a gap year, so I'll of course forget some things.
- Independent is the first word that comes to mind. That and driven. I've made my own little communities at Hopkins for sure, but I don't think the campus as a whole is very unified. "Friendly" is a relative term. I haven't had problems with anyone, but like I said, everyone's kind of doing their own thing, and I haven't really encountered random strangers who just emit friendliness, if that makes sense. I know that some of my friends from the South, and especially the West Coast, find most people to be a little standoffish. As for diverse, I'd have to say no. Most people at Hopkins are White / Asian, upper-middle / upper class, straight, nonreligious, and of course, science- and engineering-oriented. That's something that bothers many of my friends who don't fit in those categories, but I don't have as much of a problem with being in an environment where I'm in the minority. And that's probably because 1. I learn a lot about others, and 2. I enjoy the intimacy of the small communities I'm a part of. You tend to realize how different individuals are even within those larger categories.