Most students who attend this school are quite intelligent and academics-oriented. Students tend to be ambitious, but are fun and friendly as well. It's definitely not a party school, though there are plenty of activities, clubs, events, and parties going on all the time. The professors are accessible and actively interested in the students. I would go to this college again. People should know that it's NOT just a school for pre-meds. Numerous non-science majors are quite popular and highly rated.
My advice for students going to Johns Hopkins Univerity is study hard. No matter what other people tell you about how they aren't studying much don't believe them-- they're lying. Remember the grades are on a curve, so if you slack someone else isn't and you're screwed. I would also watch your lab experiments with an eagle eye to mae sure there is no sabotage. If I had it to do over again, I definitely would still choose JHU, knowing what I now know. PROS- superb education, great reputation, on campus bar was pretty good CONS- not the hottest women I've seen, aggressive, ultra-competitive cacademic culture.
I was in the education technology program. The classes were hit or miss. A few of the courses were excellent but most were only so so. The difficulty level of most classes was below what I would expect for graduate level work.
The students were by and large pre-med, and the majority of those were highly competetive and unwilling to collaborate with peers on study groups, note taking, or other academic endeavors. The social life was very small, and often limited to events hosted by Greek organizations. The administration is difficult to interact with, and the priority is definitely the graduate programs.
Hopkins has a reputation for having a stale social life. With the opening of a new residence hall and dining facility that reputation is increasingly undeserved. Every year the parties get wilder and the freshmen get hotter. If you go to JHU, be sure to get involved in extra-curriculars first thing freshman year. It's almost impossible to join most groups mid-year, but if you get started early, you can develop a group of close friends with shared interests.
Overall, Hopkins isn't the sad old prison it used to be. A Hopkins degree will open any door for you, and the proximity to DC is a huge plus. I would definitely choose JHU again today.
This is pretty rigorous academic environment. Most of the people here are extremely intelligent and motivated, and you should be, too, if you plan on keeping up. There's plenty of time to socialize on weekends but if you plan on drinking every night of the week, you might want to look at some other school due to the difficulty of classes here relative to most other colleges.
It was a tough social environment for me to break into as a transfer student, since I didn't know anybody and obviously didn't belong to a fraternity. Fraternities and sororities dominate the social scene here, so if you like to party that's your main option. There are a few bars in the neighborhood if you're like me and don't care for the frat party scene.
None of the sports teams are that great with the obvious exception of the lacrosse team which is always one of the top programs in the country and has won numerous Div I national championships. They're the team everyone gets excited about. Unfortunately there isn't much to look forward to sports-wise until the spring.
The area surrounding campus is a little dicey. You have to know how far you can go before you get into a really bad area. Crime is a big problem in Baltimore and you need to be aware of yourself at all times, especially when walking around town at night. That said I always felt extremely safe on campus as the campus security team was seemingly ever-present. Security is pretty tight in the dorms and overall I believe theft and other crime on campus is not much of an issue.
After you are done with Hopkins, people will be impressed that you went there. They will ask if you are going to med school. It may even open up some doors for your first job, like it did for me. But this glory is short lived. About 5 years after graduation, people stop asking or caring where you went. And you will still be paying off the student loans.
My advice: go to a good state school with good co-op program. If you really want to go to JHU, try graduate school (on assistantship) or and employer funded part time graduate degree from Hopkins.
I was attacked at gunpoint in front of a campus housing building - in broad daylight. That same year, a woman in my department was raped behind the WAWA. Pay close attention to the "safety" of this city-based university.
The teachers and facilities at Johns Hopkins are amazing. The only problem I can think of is the food. Students are offered a meal plan where there is an alloted number of meals per week given to the student. However there is only ONE cafeteria that accepts meal plans, so food is very limited in choice. People here are very nice but arrogant. Greek life is fairly large.
If you shy away from cut-throat competition, you are unlikely to be happy at Johns Hopkins. The upside is, you are surrounded by some very talented professors. The downside is, you are surrounded by a lot of other students clamoring for their attention.
Johns Hopkins is a very wealthy place, and this shows in many places. You will have unparalleled access to material resources. However, there is also a certain reserve (one might so outright coldness) that is fairly pervasive through the university.
