Is life at JHU really that bad?

Colleges and Universities Johns Hopkins University
#1

<p>hey my friend's brother is a sophomore at JHU and he convinced his brother (my friend) not to go there cuz its not that great of an environment when you get outside of campus. of course, my friend is the valedictorian and got into rice, upenn, and caltech.</p>

<p>im wondering if i should go to JHU or not since i got into WashU and Northwestern, but waitlisted at JHU and Cornell. I pan to major in biology at any school besides JHU and biomolecular engineering if i go to JHU. this major really attracted me to hopkins, but now im starting to reconsider if hopkins is the place i should spend the next four years.</p>

<p>im basically a book worm, computer geek, video game addict right now so im thinking ill spend most of my time on campus in my room. but i do want to become more outgoing/social in college. does the quality of baltimore really outweigh the small bump in academics and prestige that hopkins has over WashU/Northwestern?</p>

#2

<p>Hopkins is an unbelievable academic instituition the resources of which are matched only by the very best schools. The problem is that not everyone belongs at Johns Hopkins and many just end up there because they realize its a good school, yet may have not been admitted to any schools of equal caliber. JHU is a school for people who dont need hand holding, who go out and want to learn their field first hand. Its a school for people who believe learning doesnt just take place in the classroom and dont need to go out and get smashed just to have a good time. </p>

<p>Hopkins was my first choice, because i believe it fits my personality better than any other school. I'd say, look into it, visit campus and talk to some current students, see whether you'd fit in and then make a decision.</p>

<p>Good luck with the waitlists and your college decision, any of these schools would be great, and all 4 are among the best in the world. Nonetheless, go Blue Jays!!!!
Good luck</p>

#3

<p>Allow me to clarify. When i said Hopkins students dont need to be hand held, what i meant is that there isnt going to be the grade inflation, everyone graduates with honors nonsense of some of its peer institutions. Not that they werent there to help. Hope that clarifies</p>

#4

<p>"JHU is a school for people who dont need hand holding, who go out and want to learn their field first hand. Its a school for people who believe learning doesnt just take place in the classroom and dont need to go out and get smashed just to have a good time."</p>

<p>isn't that true of almost every academically rigorous university? i know they're not gonna hold my hand at hopkins or any of the schools i plan on attending. i'm just wondering how bad baltimore is since i've never seen the place.</p>

#5

<p>Baltimore is probably my biggest complaint about JHU...but like any big city you should use a little common sense and not go about wandering in unknown alleys at 3am in the morning. While I was there for campus day, I stayed overnight at a hotel in downtown Baltimore and someone broke into our car and almost tore it apart looking for money/valuables. Luckily, we didn't have anything of much importance in there. I'm sure with all the extra security at and around campus you should feel pretty safe. No matter where you go, you would need some common sense no matter how serious the college is about security.</p>

#6

<p>as far as security goes, the security on campus and a considerable amount around campus is amazing. there are patrols everywhere,t hese blue light things, and the patrols will even pick you up if you get lost somewhere. one of the undergrads there told me that they picked someone up all the way from PA (dont know how they ended up there). umm the buildings to your dorms are all locked and you have an access key, and a coupel blocks around campus (where most upperclassmen live) there are also patrols too. so as long as you dont go wondering around the bad areas of baltimore, you'll be fine.</p>

#7

<p>ditto nguyent...
its a big city school, like nyu, bu, columbia, etc etc... as long as you dont do anything stupid, and stay prudent, you will be fine. USE common sense, dont take rides from strangers, and dont walk around alone (duh)</p>

#8

<p>I've been talking to a lot of students who plan on going there and everyone seems really social and outgoing. So if you want to be social my guess is that it wont be hard. Also, I've heard Baltimore is like half an hour from DC by train, so if Balitmore ends up dissapointing you, theres no reason why you cant head down there for a little while.</p>