Getting To Know: Johns Hopkins University (MD)-Again
Thanks to the Baltimore Collegetown Network I had the privilege to revisit Johns Hopkins University. I always find it silly to “rate” schools such as Johns Hopkins by using a report card. Any diligent student will find considerable academic support and a strong global alumni network at Johns Hopkins. However, whenever a student and their family have a considered set of ultra-selective schools, they should look at the unique aspects to be able to choose among them. I updated my Johns Hopkins Pinterest page for you and invite you to read on!
Johns Hopkins is noted as a research university.
In fact, it was established as the very first research university in America in 1876. Today Johns Hopkins receives more federal research funding than any other American university. Johns Hopkins has approximately 5,700 undergrads, about the same as Princeton. But in total, Johns Hopkins has nearly 24,000 students-undergraduate, graduate, professional and medical–on its Baltimore and Washington DC campuses. That’s about the same total number as Harvard and Penn.
Notable Johns Hopkins undergraduate alumni include:
- Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States
- Billionaire and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg,
- Actor John Astin, whom I remember as Gomez Addams in the Addams Family and the Riddler in the second season of the 1960’s Batman.
- Journalist Russell Baker.
The University of Rochester might be the most similar school.
- Both schools structure undergraduate education much the same way with schools of arts & sciences, engineering and a music conservatory.
- The medical centers at both schools are close to campus, making shadowing opportunities possible for pre health students.
- They both have excellent engineering schools, though Rochester has some specialities (Optics, Optical Engineering) that have developed around the economy of the Southern Tier of New York State.
- These schools take similar approaches towards an open curriculum. Aside from prerequisites there are no specific required courses. ASs a result, it is easy to carry more than one major or minor.
- Admissions are, for the most part, “single doorways,” outside of music programs that require auditions.
Johns Hopkins has often been synonymous with “becoming a doctor,”
There’s some truth to this. Johns Hopkins has the oldest medical school in the US, founded in 1893, which adds to the perception. I also checked this further by using College Results Online, a robust database managed by the non-profit Education Trust. I learned that just over 10 percent of Johns Hopkins bachelors degrees are granted in the health sciences. Over 20 percent are in science, technology and engineering (STEM) subjects. In comparing Johns Hopkins with similar size, similarly selective schools I found that::
- Only Emory University (GA) and the University of Rochester (NY) grant a higher percentage of undergraduate degrees in health sciences.
- Case Western Reserve University (OH) was the only school that grants a higher percentage of undergraduate STEM degrees
Admissions to Johns Hopkins are quite selective as well as test mandatory.
Over 45,000 students applied for just under 1,300 seats in the current freshman class. The middle 50 percent of the class scored between 1530 and 1570 on the SAT and between 34 and 36 on the ACT. Their average GPA was a 3.95 in exceptionally rigorous studies.
Those who see Johns Hopkins as a first or second choice should apply ED or ED II.
Between 50 and 60 percent of a freshman class is admitted through Early Decision. With the exception of Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins can be considered a “single doorway” school. Accepted students can switch from the liberal arts to engineering (except Biomolecular Engineering), and vice versa–even before they set foot on campus for their first day of freshman classes!
Johns Hopkins tries to be affordable.
This is one school where students could feel comfortable applying Early Decision, Johns Hopkins meets 100 percent of need. Over half of the student body received need-based scholarships. The university also instituted a “no-loan” policy. Prior to initiating the policy graduates who borrowed owed, on averages, less than $25,000. That’s $2,000 less than the maximum they could have borrowed over four years through the Federal Student Loan Program.
There’s really no such thing as a “weak” academic department at Johns Hopkins.
The university has recently expanded its Computer Science major and introduced new majors including:
- Latin American/Carribean/Latinix Studies
- Moral & Political Economy
- Systems Engineering
There are also new minors in:
- Civic Life
- Cultural Diaspora Studies
- Energy.
Johns Hopkins also offers special opportunities, such as:
- A dual degree from the university and its Peabody Institute, the nation’s oldest music conservatory
- Direct matriculation paths towards master’s degrees in Global Public Health and International Relations.
- Opportunities to do paid research with faculty or funded independent research as early as freshman year.
- A choice of 14 bachelors/masters programs after they have completed eight semesters. Those accepted receive a Dean’s Masters Fellowship, a 50 percent discount off tuition and fees for their fifth year when they are full-time in the master’s program.
Johns Hopkins’ main campus is in Baltimore’s Homewood neighborhood.
The campus offers a look and feel that students and their parents hope to find in a traditional college setting in the heart of a big city. I saw similarities to walks through Brown, Harvard and Rochester’s main academic quad . The setting features red brick buildings, tree-lined pathways, an iconic clock tower, an expansive green quad and an overlook called the Beach,. There students can spread out a blanket on the grass to read, hang out with friends, or people watch in warmer weather. I dropped some campus photos below. This place really came alive in December for the Lighting of the Quad.
However, the view across from campus is more urban than many similar schools.
I had visited this school once before and felt safe walking around the neighborhood. While Homewood is not as crowded as Cambridge, Massachusetts, nor as tony as downtown Princeton, it has its charms. The most visually similar place I have visited is probably Rogers Park near Loyola-Chicago, though the streets are wider there..
Johns Hopkins is probably more spirit and sports than its most similar competitors.
This is thanks, in part, to an exceptionally successful lacrosse program that competes in the Big 10. The men were conference champions last season, their third title since joining the conference in 2014. They have won nine NCAA D-1 titles in their history. The women have not taken the conference crown but they have made nine NCAA Tournament appearances since joining the Big Ten.
Johns Hopkins students also run the largest student-run Spring Fair in the country. About a quarter of Johns Hopkins’ undergraduate student body is involved in Greek life, higher than many similarly selective schools.
Conclusions
Students who are seeking an exceptionally selective urban research university but do not want to feel smothered in the middle of a large city should plan a visit to Johns Hopkins.
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