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Or blinded by alum loyalty? Nah, that never happens. ;)</p>
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Dartmouth is more selective, but I’m not sure I agree it’s better, especially for molecular biology.</p>
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It’s worth noting that molecular biology is one of the few areas in which Dartmouth offers a PhD program. This results in increased course offerings but detracts slightly from its LAC-like bragging point. Admittedly, the very small number of such students (14) may not change things very much. </p>
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I’m always amused by statements like this, which strike me as incredibly naive. When a college like Chicago brags that it has the largest private police force in the country or when JHU announces that it installed gunshot detectors around campus, I tend to be more alarmed rather than less. One wonders why they feel the need for such things! :rolleyes:</p>
<p>You don’t hear about the mayor of Hanover attempting to put the city under martial law to curtail violent crime, or a Dartmouth student admitting on CC that he’d been viciously mugged and beaten with a baseball bat only a couple of blocks from campus. For JHU, they’re both true. Some urban areas are much worse than others; anyone who thinks one is as safe going three blocks off campus in Durham as in Westwood is woefully misinformed. Reality is what it is. Since only freshmen and sophomores are guaranteed housing on campus at Hopkins, safety is more of a concern to prospectives than at urban colleges which guarantee housing for all four years (e.g. Harvard and Columbia). </p>
<p>All of that said, I disagree that campus safety should play a role in this decision. It’s something to keep in mind while a student, certainly, but I think the other glaring differences between Dartmouth and Hopkins far outweigh the few incidences of crime either has. The vast majority of Hopkins students stay safe and are very satisfied with their college experience.</p>
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Agreed. </p>
<p>The focus of the student bodies may be something to consider as well. Hopkins slants heavily toward STEM fields, with slightly less than 2/3 of students majoring in engineering or the sciences; Dartmouth leans toward the social sciences and humanities and has only about 25% of students majoring in the sciences.</p>
<p>Mike01071994 – I recommend that you also consider where you would be happier if you decide NOT to be pre-med. I think it too often clouds the waters, especially at a school like JHU, which has pre-meds salivating at its name like Pavlov’s dogs. After all, only 50% of people taking the MCAT apply to medical school, and quite a few people drop out before that point. If you decide, for example, that you instead want to major in history and go to law school…where would you be happier?</p>