<p>Hopkins Writing Seminars program sounds perfect for my D, but we've heard alot about the intense atmosphere at Hopkins and are concerned that while it might be academically amazing, it's just not a fun place to be for 4 years. We went to the Hopkins Preview session and tour. They talk about the fact that they have this bad rap, but didn't really address how true it is. I have heard some say that the "fun goes to die" reputation is mostly for pre-meds. Is this true? Is there another side to Hopkins that's got a good social life and scene?</p>
<p>I thought "Where Fun Goes to Die" is Chicago's slogan-we're "Where your best hasn't been good enough since 1876." :)</p>
<p>The experience is what you make of it. If you plan to spend all four years crammed into textbooks on D-level, then yeah, you'll have a pretty miserable existence here. If you take classes that you enjoy, make friends, and get involved in activities that interest you, then you'll have the opposite experience. Thanks to comet88, I now have a few new things I need to try (although he's insisting I buy him dinner-he knows the conditions!).</p>
<p>^^ I agree. I think the atmosphere over the past ten years has definitely changed for sure. Hopkins is an out-going, lively and engaged campus that is really easy to get involved in. Theatre, music and arts are definitely big as is community service. Parties are on going on thursday nights, friday nights and saturday nights if you want to - some Greek life and some not. Lots of major speakers come to campus every year and rec athletics is pretty popular. </p>
<p>No one is going to make you have fun if you don't want to but I think you have to try very hard to not be involved on campus. Hopkins attracts kids who want to be involved and that doesn't change when they get to campus. I tend to consider the Hopkins environment fairly similar to Georgetown and Penn - vibrant campus in a city with more than enough going on. Alcohol is ubiquitous. </p>
<p>Particularly, with Writing Seminars - that department is amazing and the students are phenomenal. The classes are small, discussion and workshop-based. As a side note, I think the best pre-meds are the most fun - they don't take anything to seriously and often nail a great interview for med school.</p>
<p>DS1 just graduated JHU as a writing sems major. I wrote about his experiences here <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/273875-other-johns-hopkins-no-final-exams.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/273875-other-johns-hopkins-no-final-exams.html</a></p>
<p>thanks for this!</p>
<p>roberthid, yes, thank you. I had seen your thread on "the other Hopkins". It certainly sounds as if your son is quite an amazing, talented writer. I got the impression that most of your son's social life revolved around the theater. Theater kids develop deep connections though hours of rehearsal and shared involvement in show after show. Since my D isn't a theater or music kid, I'd love to hear more perspectives on the social atmosphere at JHU. One thing friends of mine who visited Hopkins have told me is that when you walk around campus, you don't see kids just hanging out, goofing off, relaxing, playing frisbee on the beautiful lawn...etc. They say it feels "serious". Comments?</p>
<p>Hi OP, </p>
<p>My daughter just finished her freshman year. I think I can give you some perspectives as a parent. I understand where you are coming from and I had the same concerns as you did when my daughter was applying and even after she was admitted. My daughter is a very social and fun-loving kid. She will not survive in an environment for more than 3 days if it is where "fun goes to die". She likes to be involved (and she is not at all into theater or music that kind of things), loves to hang out and not be in the library 24x7. I can tell you that she had a lot of fun last year, despite being pre-med. If anything, I think she was having too much fun :)</p>
<p>Yes, the academics are challenging, and the students there do take their studies seriously. But at the same time, they also know how to have a good time. I don't know any of my daughter's friends who are not like that. Most of them are engaged, active, and love to have fun.</p>
<p>Hey folks, </p>
<p>Hopkins and Chicago are both fabulous universities whose undergraduate programs are unfairly maligned as not fun enough. But "Where Fun Comes To Die" (and its variant Goes) is a dearly held trademark of the University of Chicago (actually, it's owned by one of the residential Houses, which finances its activities by selling the t-shirts). It has enormous economic and non-economic value, not least the power to scare away people unimaginative enough to miss the irony. There are lots of other great Chicago t-shirt slogans besides that: "Where The Only Thing That Goes Down On You Is Your GPA", "If It Was Easy It Would Be Your Mom", "Beat Me, Whip Me, Make Me Read The Iliad". They're all taken.</p>
<p>Hopkins, get your own wry, self-deprecating sense of humor!</p>
<p>See my first post above.</p>