Like most of the other Yelpers below, I have a LOVE-HATE relationship with my former alma mater. Here is why:
LOVES:
*THE LIBRARY: basically the only social mecca of this campus. which is pretty sad because college is supposed to be a social experience, no? I'm guessing the Hopkins library is the equivalent of a "student union" at a large state school. But I have many fond memories of studying at the "MSE" - nice large well-lighted desks, although you will have to fight for them, nude people streaking through during finals, the comfy couches where you could take naps in between class, and late night study sessions with friends.
*PUBLIC HEALTH (MAJOR). Yes, I switched around my major from "Undecided" to "Premed" to "International Relations" and finally settling on Public Health. But seriously, Public Health is a great major that allows you to take a breadth of different courses. You get to take all your senior year classes at the Graduate School of Public Health, which is on the med school campus. Classes there are easy by comparison and super specialized - i took a "Water & Sanitation" class for example.
*CAMPUS: It's actually quite pretty - lots of marble and bricks. Just don't stray further than one block from campus or you might get shot.
*ACADEMIC REPUTATION: Let's face it - it's a hard school to get in to and a hard school to survive in for 4 years. That being said, virtually everyone graduates within 4 years unless you have Academic Probation. I am proud to have a degree from this school though, although you have to pay some insanely high tuition for it.
*GYM: Or the "A/C" as we fondly referred to it. There's a nice indoor track, racquetball courts, exercise classes, and a rock-climbing wall. It never really got super crowded either - probably because most students at Hopkins spend more time in their dorm room or the library.
HATES:
*BALTIMORE WEATHER: California people - here is a forewarning - YOU WILL BE MISERABLE IN BALTIMORE! The weather sucks, the campus is only nice within a block, and you will need to bring something to cover your feet (flip flops are insufficient year-round). Of course I was the poor naive California girl used to wearing sandals all year and had to buy my first pair of "Timbs" (which I thought only ghetto rappers wore). Apparently they're an all-purpose shoe there - but yes, bring waterproof shoes. Also the weather is dreary here 90% of the time and totally unpredictable.
*BALTIMORE SAFETY: Baltimore gets a -10000 stars on safety. No joke - at least 3 people in my graduating class passed away due to crime, break-ins, and murder. And these happened within blocks of campus. Very tragic and very unsettling.
*LACK OF PARKING: I brought my car junior year and found it to be quite a pain in the ass. You pretty much have to rent an indoor parking spot otherwise you will end up having to shovel your car out of snow occasionally or deal with parking tickets. That, and circling around looking for parking takes up time when you should be darting to class.
*LACK OF STUFF TO DO NEAR CAMPUS: There really isn't much within walking distance of campus. You will need to take public transportation everywhere (to go to Inner Harbor downtown, take the Collegetown shuttle to Towson mall, etc.). Not exactly a college town. There's also probably a total of 5 restaurants within walking distance. Since there's only 5 each basically has a monopoly on its style of food and there's no incentive to improve the cuisine or lower prices.
*FOOD: If you're stuck on meal plan, it's among the worst i have ever experienced (I have visited my friends at other schools and been insanely jealous at their meal offerings). Unlike other schools, Hopkins does not have any "chain" restaurants - instead they contract with Sodexho, which is a catering company that provides prison food. Every day was a monotonous meal - buffets filled with stale salads, stale cereal, two types of fruit (apple or banana), pizza, pasta with white sauce, or pasta with red sauce. Basically the only exciting meal I had to look forward to was Sunday brunch with the omelette bar (sad huh?). Often times the food would either be too bland or way too salty.
GENERAL COMMENTARY:
*SOCIAL LIFE: It is what you make of it. If you decide to get yourself involved with lots of activities (on-campus organizations, Greek life, etc.) you will make friends - about 25% of students did that. The other 75% are hardcore nerds who are cutthroat and who never experience fresh air because they are either in the library or computer lab. Also, because everyone is kind of limited to campus and there is only so much to do, most people end up bonding and it's a small school to begin with. I've made some of my best friends in life through JHU.
*INTERSESSION: It's fun to stay for Intersession! Take the Wine Tasting course...nothing better than getting trashed with your fellow classmates, then trudging home in the snow afterwards. read more