The Pros and Cons of Johns Hopkins

The chart above ranks the Top 10 US universities based on annual research funding for 2022, and is fairly consistent year-to-year, with JHU always ending up on top. And it’s not even close. In 2022, for example, Johns Hopkins conducted nearly $3.5 billion in research, and the next closest university was UC Berkeley with nearly half that: $1.8 billion. Bear in mind that all of the other top 10 universities like UCLA, Duke, and Stanford are some of the leading research institutions in the world, which tells you just how good Johns Hopkins really is.

The Pros of Johns Hopkins…

#1 Access to undergraduate research: If it’s not clear already, attending JHU means that you will have unparalleled access to research opportunities in just about any academic field you can imagine. Though the majority of funding with be for medical, engineering and other STEM fields, there’s really something for everyone. And since it’s such a small university, you won’t have to fight tooth and nail to get on a project.

#2 Pre-med program: Johns Hopkins has one of the best pre-med programs in the country, and it’s estimated that nearly 70% of incoming freshmen are pre-med. The university reports that 85% of graduates who apply to medical school are accepted, which is more than double the national average of 40%.

In addition to providing cutting-edge research and world-renowned professors, JHU offers abundant opportunities to work in a lab, volunteer in a clinic, shadow local doctors, and do everything else you need to do to boost your med school application. While there are undeniable advantages to surrounding yourself with so many other gifted pre-med students, it also means that you will face considerably more competition.

#3 PILOT programs: The university has popular peer-led study programs of 6-10 students, led by trained student leaders, to make homework and course study a fun and collaborative process, and to provide students with a valuable peer support system.

#4 Ethnic diversity: JHU is considerably more diverse that most top-tier universities, though it does skew heavily Asian. Their undergraduate population is 30% Asian, 20% Latino, 20% White, 15% African American, and 15% International. Compare that with a typical Ivy League which looks more like this: 30% White, 20% Asian, 10% Latino, 8% African American, 10% International.

The Cons of Johns Hopkins…

#1 Academic rigor: JHU is notorious for its rigorous coursework and harsh grading, giving students little free time to do much of anything beyond studying. It’s considered a “grind” school, similar to the grueling academic culture at UChicago, MIT, Caltech, Princeton, Columbia, Swarthmore, Carnegie Mellon, and Georgia Tech, to name a few.

#2 Lack of a social scene: There are a number of top universities that balance out difficult coursework with a fun, vibrant social scene and tons of school spirit such as Duke, UMichigan, Cornell, Dartmouth, Northwestern, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Yale, etc. Those schools are “work hard/play hard”; Johns Hopkins is more “all work and no play.”

#3 Baltimore: While there are some students who love the city of Baltimore for its rich diversity and gritty charms, it’s also notoriously dangerous. It has the feel of Chicago, St. Louis, or parts of New York City. While most students report feeling safe on campus, which is guarded by private security, they must exercise caution when venturing into surrounding communities.

How to get into Johns Hopkins…

#1 Spell the name correctly: Many students misspell the name “John Hopkins” or “John’s Hopkins.” It’s neither. It’s Johns Hopkins. It’s little details like that that can sometimes make or break an application.

#2 Talk about research: JHU’s core identity is world-class research. Make sure in your supplement essays that you talk about the research you want to do, and ideally, the research you’ve already done.

#3 Be different: The vast majority of students who apply to JHU will be interested in pre-medicine or engineering. A good way to stand out from the competition and vastly improve your admissions odds is to apply to a different field like behavioral psychology or comparative government or journalism. (Just make sure it’s properly supported by your resume.)

#4 Show ambition: Perhaps the best word to describe JHU students is ambitious. They’re looking for students who are hungry for difficult challenges, and who don’t shy away from academic rigor. So you want to highlight how you challenged yourself in high school, and how you thrive when you’re out of your comfort zone.

#5 Apply early decision: If JHU is your first choice, it’s a good idea to apply early decision, either ED 1 in November or ED 2 in January. Of the two options, ED 1 typically gives you better odds, but they both help. Overall, the acceptance rate is 13% for ED vs. 6% for Regular Decision. And you should note that about 1/3 of the freshmen class is made up of ED applicants (which come from a much smaller applicant pool), so they strongly favor ED candidates.

Should you submit your SAT/ACT?

As of Fall 2024, JHU is test-optional. Generally speaking, if you apply to a top 20 university that’s test optional, you have a much better chance of getting in by submitting your SAT or ACT score. But JHU may be an exception. For the Class of 2027, for example, about 40% of freshmen got in without submitting their scores, which is abnormally high for a university of this caliber. So this may be one of those rare schools where you can get away without submitting your scores. Nevertheless, if you have an SAT above 1520 or an ACT above 33, it’s probably helpful to submit your score.