The Philosophy

Medium sized (5,300) private university in a large city
Program to teach you how to study
Introduced with pronouns

The Classes

Professors give out phone numbers, pick you up if walking in the rain, and want to build a relationship
Average class size 19
9:1 Student to faculty ratio
96% of classes taught by faculty

The Path

ED Nov 1, notified
RD Jan 1, notified March 15
Financial Aid Priority Feb 1, notified March 20

52 majors
48 minors

The People

60% of students double major
95% of students living off campus live within 3 blocks
20% international students
62% students of color
40% faculty of color
60% female faculty

The Aid

Meet 100% financial need
No loans

The Hop’s reputation as a top-notch premed factory can be misleading. It’s true, of course, but Hopkins also has fine programs in international studies (with D.C. close at hand) as well as in the humanities and social sciences. Hopkins is smaller than most people think. Major effort underway to diversify the student body, in part by eliminating legacy preferences in admissions.

One of the few U.S. universities initially founded (in 1876) as a graduate school, The Johns Hopkins University has garnered widespread acclaim for its exceptional professors, extensive resources, and abundant research opportunities. Though the university has a reputation for churning out premed students, the administration has been working for a number of years to make it clear that this midsized Baltimore university has plenty to offer undergrads whose interests are decidedly nonmedical or nonscience based. Students who attend this elite university burn the midnight oil to stay at the top, but a freshman insists that they also “let loose every once in a while.”

The arts and sciences and engineering schools are on the main Homewood campus, 140 picturesque acres in Baltimore’s Charles Village neighborhood, just three miles north of the revitalized Inner Harbor. Tree-lined quadrangles, open lawns, and playing fields make for an idyllic setting on the edge of a major urban center. The architecture on this woody urban campus is mainly Georgian redbrick, with several recently built, more modern structures scattered throughout. Malone Hall is a state-of-the-art building that houses several collaborative research institutions. Planning is in the works for the Hopkins Student Center-the university’s first space dedicated solely to student socialization and relaxation-slated for completion in 2024. Hopkins’s medical campus is easily accessible via a crosstown shuttle.

Although Johns Hopkins is a firm supporter of traditional and interdisciplinary scholarship, there are no university-wide requirements, other than a four-course writing component. Each major has its own distribution requirements, and there are several creative seminar offerings for freshmen. Freshmen are assigned a premajor advisor, and arts and sciences students are encouraged to wait until at least their sophomore year to declare a major. Hopkins no longer “covers” first-semester freshman grades by recording them as satisfactory or unsatisfactory-ending a policy that had been in place since 1971. Freshmen must now buckle down to a Herculean workload right from the get-go. Even so, the university has developed and strengthened several student support resources over the last few years to help ease the transition to college. Students may also get some relief during the optional January intersession, during which they can take courses or pursue independent study for one or two credits. “Intersession is one of the best times of the year,” cheers an international studies major. “The classes are pass/fail and so much fun: everything from profiling mass murderers to a Harry Potter literature class to a chocolate lab!”

As much as some try to deny it, students bound for medical school dominate the campus. Public health studies is among the most popular majors, along with biomedical engineering, neuroscience, and molecular and cellular biology. The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Medical School play such a major role in the identity of Hopkins that students sometimes fear it “overshadows the vibrant undergrad life that exists at Homewood.” But administrators say the school is paying more attention to the undergraduate programs and emphasizing interdisciplinary, cooperative approaches to the coursework, and students seem to agree. “Hopkins is a rigorous institution, but with its collaborative academic culture, learning is very manageable and enjoyable,” says a behavioral biology major.

Engineering majors enjoy strong departments, such as mechanical engineering, chemical and biomedical engineering, electrical and computer engineering, and computer science. Students can receive a B.A. in creative writing through the Writing Seminars program, where they study with the likes of novelist Alice McDermott and poet Andrew Motion. The film and media studies program is notable, bolstered by the JHU-MICA Film Centre and the annual Maryland Film Festival. Musicians can pursue a dual degree in music performance with the university’s Peabody Conservatory. There also are broad “area majors,” such as natural sciences and romance languages, and students can choose from a cluster of related disciplines to design their own program. An interdisciplinary major in medicine, science, and the humanities has been added, and business and leadership studies are now available as minors. Students are generally happy with the quality of teaching at Hopkins, which is enhanced by small class sizes-77 percent of undergraduate classes enroll fewer than 20 students. “The professors here are awesome,” enthuses a neuroscience and music double major. “I feel like I’m part of a conversation, engaged, and enjoying my time in class.”

The well-developed graduate side of Johns Hopkins proves to be a boon to undergraduates as well. The international studies program, for example, is enriched by its offerings at the university’s Bologna Center in Italy, its Nanjing Center in China, and its Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in nearby Washington, D.C. About 40 percent of all undergraduates study abroad in these and other locations across the globe. Undergraduate research is a Johns Hopkins hallmark, with 80 percent of students having at least one research experience. “Without any prior experience, any student can get a meaningful research job,” says a political science major. “I was able to secure a research position within my first month as a freshman at JHU.” Programs such as the Woodrow Wilson Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program and the Provost’s Undergraduate Research Awards offer funding and faculty support for research projects. The Clark Scholars Program offers special academic and networking opportunities to top engineering students. Those interested in service can apply for one of 50 paid summer internships with Baltimore area nonprofits and government agencies through the Community Impact Internships program.

“Generally, Hopkins students are curious, hardworking, and intelligent,” observes a computer science major. “They have high standards for success.” Geographically, most students come from the Mid-Atlantic states and New England; only 10 percent are Maryland natives, and 11 percent are international. Twenty-seven percent of undergrads are Asian American, 8 percent African American, 16 percent Hispanic, and 6 percent multiracial. Children of alumni no longer receive admissions preferences. Politically, the campus leans liberal. At $4.3 billion, Hopkins’s endowment is among the top 25 in the country. In addition to moving to a need-blind admissions process for domestic students, the university guarantees to meet 100 percent of admitted students’ demonstrated need with loan-free financial aid packages. Hopkins rewards the extraordinarily talented with hefty Hodson Trust scholarships worth about two-thirds of tuition annually, regardless of need. Forty-five athletic scholarships are also awarded in women’s and men’s lacrosse, where Hopkins is a perennial national powerhouse.

Fifty-one percent of Hopkins students live in student housing; freshmen and sophomores are required to do so. “The freshman-year dorms are classic and encourage social interactions,” explains a student. “The sophomore-year dorms are spacious, new, and have excellent amenities.” Most upperclassmen choose to scope out the row houses and apartment buildings that surround Hopkins, but some stay on campus in the Charles Commons or university-owned “luxury” apartments. Campus dining gets positive reviews, as does security, thanks to the consistent presence of security personnel. The Sexual Assault Resource Unit student organization is active in raising awareness about sexual violence.

The image Johns Hopkins students once had as antisocial bookworms is giving way to a more balanced social life. Rowdy dorm parties and all-campus festivities may be few and far between, but fraternity parties can be found on the weekends; 24 percent of the men and 35 percent of the women belong to the Greek system. There are also more than 400 clubs and student organizations to pick from. Students speak fondly of the Lighting of the Quads celebration each winter, but the biggest and most popular undergraduate social event of the year is the student-organized Spring Fair. “Tons of Baltimore food vendors and shops come and line up on the quads, there is a concert, and the campus is generally full of merriment,” says an international studies major.

In addition to on-campus events like lectures and performances, says a senior, “You have the whole city of Baltimore and its social scene to explore.” Downtown and the famed Inner Harbor are not too distant, and some of the city’s best attractions, such as the Baltimore Museum of Art, Wyman Park, and the funky Hampden neighborhood, are right near campus. Trendy Baltimore hot spots-like Canton, Fells Point, and Little Italy-are favorites. Students also head downtown for plays, the symphony, films, clubs, restaurants, the zoo, and major league sports; Camden Yards, home of MLB’s Orioles, is the most commodious park in the country. Annapolis is less than an hour away by car, while Washington, D.C., only an hour’s train ride, beckons with tourist activities and ample nightlife. In the warmer months, a trek out to the Delaware and Maryland beaches takes the mind off the books.

When the nationally acclaimed Division I men’s lacrosse team takes to the road, students often take advantage of the opportunity to road-trip with them and cheer them on. Women’s lacrosse is Division I as well, but the rest of the Blue Jays athletic program competes in Division III. Women’s cross-country is a recent national champion, and Centennial Conference champs include men’s basketball, baseball, and football; women’s volleyball; and men’s and women’s tennis and track and field. The Woodrow Wilson Debate Council has also had national success. Twenty percent of undergraduates compete in intramurals.

With one of the world’s premier medical schools, top science programs, and first-rate programs in areas as diverse as writing, international studies, environmental engineering, and philosophy, Johns Hopkins is clearly among the best schools in the country. Students here take pride in the fact that they belong to the cream of the academic crop. “Hopkins is a place of discovery and exploration, and it really embodies creating new knowledge and expanding your horizons,” says a junior. “It’s a place for people who like to go the extra mile and find out something new.”

-Fiske Guide