Johns Hopkins University

Date: Jun 28 2007
Major: PreLaw and Legal (This Major's Salary over time)
I don't understand why so many people have negative opinions about Hopkins. I just finished my freshman year a couple months ago, and I am so incredibly happy and successful here that I can't imagine being anywhere else. True, Hopkins is not the school for everyone, but those who complain that there is a "lack of a social scene" will clearly not be happy anywhere else, because a college social scene is what you make of it. We don't go out to bars every night (though there are some who do), and there aren't 15 frat parties going on at the same time on a Saturday night, but if that's what you want, go to a state school. As for complaining about academics, I agree that the courses are challenging. But these courses aren't designed to be impossible, just challenging. It is not unheard of to get A's in your classes: I did it, and I worked hard, but I didn't pull all-nighters and have panic attacks, and I know very few people here who have (that includes engineers and pre-meds I know, who are also doing very well). If you manage your time and don't try to make things more complicated than they are, then you will do fine, and this is the same at any elite institution. Because of the absence of core requirements throughout the school, Hopkins is a school for those who are mature enough to know their strengths and weaknesses, and are able to take those strengths and apply them to a major that will help them grow intellectually and succeed professionally. It is a wonderful school, and I look forward to another three wonderful years.