I’m an old Hopkins grad – non-premed variety. When I was at Homewood, we heard horror stories about people known as “throats.” The kind of people who would razor blade key pages out of books in the reading room, etc. Now, did these people actually exist? Who knows. If the term has been watered down to just mean very focused, driven, competitive people, of course there are plenty of them at JHU and other top schools. My advice: Don’t worry about other kids, just bust your ass and do your best. NB: There should be enough gut courses for you to get a breather each semester. Good luck in Baltimore!