This is taken from the perspective of a masters applicant, but should be applicable to everyone interested in Hopkins.
A bit of background: the MPH at Hopkins is geared towards those with work experience, so many students who came in seemed like later 20s or professionals, though the MSc/MHS degree programs are younger. There looked to be a good mix of student backgrounds and experiences, ranging from current undergraduates to physicians getting additional training within public health. All the meetings took place over the course of one day.
The Visit Day was very well structured, with seminars, department meetings, and student panels throughout the day. We were given some interesting videos about the work being taken on by the faculty in the school, and listened to what was probably one of the most entertaining speeches by an associate dean welcoming us on behalf of the Dean. He (along with every other speaker) drilled in the reality that the school's ranking and reputation are unbeatable. Hopkins is ranked the best they kept saying, and it's a well-deserved ranking. The faculty, networking, and international presence is extremely strong for the school, and it is the largest school of public health in the country (which I take as a positive, though some might disagree).
I really enjoyed the seminar series that followed--I attended a lecture focusing on future humanitarian emergencies given by a prof in the International Health department. They had speakers talking about HIV/AIDS, economics, and obesity, and it's clear that there's a wide variety of faculty backgrounds for students to interact with.
The Student Outreach group (SOURCE) held a housing panel with currrent students, and the range for the rent is astounding. One guy living a few blocks from campus in Middle East was living with a roommate who paid $380 for a room in a rowhouse, and the average seemed to be around $650 for a nice apartment with a roommate. Some paid more to live downtown, but the major neighborhoods where students came from were Fells Point, Charles Village, Mt. Vernon, Butcher's Hill, and Canton. There's a surprising amount of mass transit in Baltimore, including the Charm City Circulator and JHU Shuttle that are free and go by the school. Definitely do some research to check out these areas. On the question of cars, the jury's out. Half had cars, the other half didn't, but the consensus is that cars make things much easier. I think an out-of-state permit for street parking in Baltimore (if you don't get an apartment with a spot) is $55 a year, which is crazy reasonable.
The quality of education is extremely rigorous for the masters programs (I can't speak to the MPH program, someone else can chime in there). The department chairs speak about the goal of creating leaders and pioneering researchers, and that Hopkins is always on the cutting edge for public health research. Hopkins alums are everywhere, and that makes networking much more simplified. Washington DC is a train ride away, the state and local health departments are only a subway ride away. There's a huge push to get students to take the theory they learn in class and apply it to the community, something that SOURCE works pretty hard at organizing. Internships seem plentiful, and I get the sense that there is good support from the school for career services.
Safety, safety, safety. There's no getting around that Baltimore as a city is still relatively high in crime. However, Hopkins has made it very clear that they recognize the situation, and they've invested heavily in making the campus and surrounding area safer. There are little security booths on what seems like every intersection, escort programs, and safety patrols to ensure that students are kept safe. The girls that participated in our session seemed to agree that the efforts were paying off, and that with some street-smarts they felt like they were able to go about their lives without intrusion. The neighborhoods I mentioned seemed to be safer on average, but the point is that crime can happen anywhere according to the staff. That's a reality for every city, in my opinion, but so long as you aren't involved with drug trade in the city, you're likely never going to encounter anything remotely threatening in your time in Baltimore
It's a little drab around campus in terms of the environment, but the neighborhoods where students live have a lot of nightlife, bars, restaurants, and culture. Mt. Vernon and Fells Point are mentioned as great areas for hanging out among students, and are very accessible. JHSPH is served by a Metro station, several bus stops, the JHU Shuttle, and the Charm City Circulator, and these connect with BWI, Penn Station, and the interstates.
I'm sure there's tons of stuff I missed, so if anyone has anything more to add feel free to do so. You can PM me if you want more detail, hope this helps in people's decision making.
A bit of background: the MPH at Hopkins is geared towards those with work experience, so many students who came in seemed like later 20s or professionals, though the MSc/MHS degree programs are younger. There looked to be a good mix of student backgrounds and experiences, ranging from current undergraduates to physicians getting additional training within public health. All the meetings took place over the course of one day.
The Visit Day was very well structured, with seminars, department meetings, and student panels throughout the day. We were given some interesting videos about the work being taken on by the faculty in the school, and listened to what was probably one of the most entertaining speeches by an associate dean welcoming us on behalf of the Dean. He (along with every other speaker) drilled in the reality that the school's ranking and reputation are unbeatable. Hopkins is ranked the best they kept saying, and it's a well-deserved ranking. The faculty, networking, and international presence is extremely strong for the school, and it is the largest school of public health in the country (which I take as a positive, though some might disagree).
I really enjoyed the seminar series that followed--I attended a lecture focusing on future humanitarian emergencies given by a prof in the International Health department. They had speakers talking about HIV/AIDS, economics, and obesity, and it's clear that there's a wide variety of faculty backgrounds for students to interact with.
The Student Outreach group (SOURCE) held a housing panel with currrent students, and the range for the rent is astounding. One guy living a few blocks from campus in Middle East was living with a roommate who paid $380 for a room in a rowhouse, and the average seemed to be around $650 for a nice apartment with a roommate. Some paid more to live downtown, but the major neighborhoods where students came from were Fells Point, Charles Village, Mt. Vernon, Butcher's Hill, and Canton. There's a surprising amount of mass transit in Baltimore, including the Charm City Circulator and JHU Shuttle that are free and go by the school. Definitely do some research to check out these areas. On the question of cars, the jury's out. Half had cars, the other half didn't, but the consensus is that cars make things much easier. I think an out-of-state permit for street parking in Baltimore (if you don't get an apartment with a spot) is $55 a year, which is crazy reasonable.
The quality of education is extremely rigorous for the masters programs (I can't speak to the MPH program, someone else can chime in there). The department chairs speak about the goal of creating leaders and pioneering researchers, and that Hopkins is always on the cutting edge for public health research. Hopkins alums are everywhere, and that makes networking much more simplified. Washington DC is a train ride away, the state and local health departments are only a subway ride away. There's a huge push to get students to take the theory they learn in class and apply it to the community, something that SOURCE works pretty hard at organizing. Internships seem plentiful, and I get the sense that there is good support from the school for career services.
Safety, safety, safety. There's no getting around that Baltimore as a city is still relatively high in crime. However, Hopkins has made it very clear that they recognize the situation, and they've invested heavily in making the campus and surrounding area safer. There are little security booths on what seems like every intersection, escort programs, and safety patrols to ensure that students are kept safe. The girls that participated in our session seemed to agree that the efforts were paying off, and that with some street-smarts they felt like they were able to go about their lives without intrusion. The neighborhoods I mentioned seemed to be safer on average, but the point is that crime can happen anywhere according to the staff. That's a reality for every city, in my opinion, but so long as you aren't involved with drug trade in the city, you're likely never going to encounter anything remotely threatening in your time in Baltimore
It's a little drab around campus in terms of the environment, but the neighborhoods where students live have a lot of nightlife, bars, restaurants, and culture. Mt. Vernon and Fells Point are mentioned as great areas for hanging out among students, and are very accessible. JHSPH is served by a Metro station, several bus stops, the JHU Shuttle, and the Charm City Circulator, and these connect with BWI, Penn Station, and the interstates.
I'm sure there's tons of stuff I missed, so if anyone has anything more to add feel free to do so. You can PM me if you want more detail, hope this helps in people's decision making.
