Johns Hopkins vs. Tufts vs. WashU vs. Emory... HELP!

RenaissanceMom
Sun, 24 Apr 2016 18:18:06 +0000

If possible, I’d advise sitting in on writing classes at JHU. My son almost applied there ED two years ago but decided against it after doing an overnight visit and sitting in on 2 writing seminars classes. Kids on the hall he stayed on told him that they felt like second- class citizens majoring in the humanities at JHU, that the engineers called the school of arts and sciences, the school of arts & crafts. One of the 2 classes he sat in on was dismissed 10 mins early by the prof bc no one could discuss the reading. It was utterly dead. Prof spent the 10 mins w my son telling him to overlook what happened bc the dept was terrific. But then the second class he sat in on that day was a redux.

Comparing this experience to the classes he visited at WUSTL, brown and tufts, where there was super student engagement, made him realize that that was his most important criterion, and those 3 schools became his top choices over JHU. He’s an English lit major at tufts (was also accepted to WUSTL and a finalist for their writing merit award; was deferred ED at brown and withdrew app after ED2 acceptance to tufts) and hasn’t been disappointed either in his dept, the academics overall, and most especially in social life. And oddly enough, his three best friends are engineering majors.

He also preferred Boston over Baltimore. He’s having a blast going to Davis square & Harvard square on weekends to eat out, catch movies, and into Boston too. Although he grew up in New York, he’s been a big celtics fan since childhood, so it’s been cool to attend a game or two each season.