Congrats on being accepted to three amazing programs. Double congrats on the hefty JHU scholarship, that is quite an accomplishment. After graduating from HS in California I was faced with a similar dilemma of choosing between two awesome state schools (UCLA and Berkley), but also had the same concerns as you do about staying in state and within my comfort zone (my HS was also a large feeder into these schools). I decided to go to JHU instead, and looking back I am thrilled with the decision. College is an opportunity to mature, and can be a chance to redefine yourself. People are inherently lazy and prefer comfort, so forcing myself to go across the country and challenging myself to make new friends, explore new places and gain new perspective definitely added to my growth during those years. I remember coming home for Winter Break my freshman year to my HS friends who stayed in CA and was surprised to learn how many more new people I had met and places I had explored having left the state, while many of them maintained the same HS friendships and perspectives. Starting over in a brand new environment is difficult but can be truly rewarding. Additionally, the hefty scholarship to JHU makes it even more tempting since the finances are less of a factor (of course finances should always be a factor, in fact, since these are all great schools, it should be a primary factor).
Did Hopkins say that entrepreneurship on campus was not well established? I find that surprising if they did since I remember being inundated with ads for undergrad business competitions, elevator pitch competitions, design competitions, idea conventions, etc. all the time. It seems silly to be the nation’s first research university with a 35-year streak for the largest university R&D annual expenditure and not have a well-established means by which to develop this research into marketable products for a return on investment (http://www.bestcolleges.com/features/colleges-with-highest-research-and-development-expenditures/). Not only is that silly, but, given what I saw, was not the case. Maybe they are trying to refocus on it and more actively recruit. Some of the thinktanks and organizations devoted to entrepreneurship associated with JHU (at multiple levels of development and for various fields) include the Social Innovation Lab, the Commercializing Academy, FastForward, CBID, JHTV, BHI and I’m sure many more I just can’t remember. There are countless companies, many of them biotech and medtech related, associated with alumni/students/faculty of the University: http://ventures.jhu.edu/fastforward-companies/ . But beyond the healthcare/engineering application, JHU has renewed its commitment to establishing new industries and markets in the Baltimore and Maryland area, and has devoted considerable talent and finances to supporting undergrad/grad students and locals with their entrepreneurial endeavors. There are also undergraduate scholarships like the O’Connor Award and the JHU Entrepreneurship Award, which involve $10,000 scholarships for developing student ideas.
Lastly, the same three rumors that come up again and again are that Baltimore is a war zone, people at Hopkins don’t have social lives and that Hopkins is a cutthroat premed environment. Honestly, none of these are true, so make sure you speak with actual students when making this important decision and not just rumors or assumed stereotypes. Hopkins does have many premeds (probably about 30-40%), but being a premed is not a major, there are History of Art majors who are premed, so it definitely is not a homogenous bunch and (in my opinion) it doesn’t take away from the diversity of the student body. It surprises people to know that (often) some of the top ten most popular majors on campus include International Relations (often the second most popular major, and a feeder into the well-respected DC-based SAIS program), English, Writing Seminars (a creative writing major), Economics, and History. Additionally, the Classics, French, and History of Art departments, while small, are very well-respected academically.
Here are some previous threads where common JHU misconceptions are addressed:
Safety: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/johns-hopkins-university/1821701-questions-about-baltimore.html#latest
Social Life/School Pride/Greek Life/Food: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/johns-hopkins-university/1878658-johns-hopkins-vs-cornell.html#latest
Hope this helps!