2009-2010 Johns Hopkins Application Thread

[asaCatom]

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When I interviewed the first class to have the new curriculum had just finished anatomy, which I heard went kind of roughly. I heard the administration had been really responsive about fixing the problems. Could any current students elaborate on any other issues with the new curriculum and how the administration is planning to fix those problems? Also, does the new curriculum allow for any clinical rotations to be completed before taking the USMLE1/end of 2nd year?

Thanks!

Anatomy was rough, not because of the amount of material, but because we were learning clinical skills at the same time. The class before us had their afternoons off during anatomy and thus we had much less time to study the same amount of material. The administration, after hearing our complaints, cut down the number of afternoons we had classes during anatomy and the number of assignments we had for our clinical skills class. Next year's class will start off with less afternoon classes from the beginning. That being, said, I am very glad that we had clinical skills this early. This has allowed for us to begin our Longitudinal Clerkships in January. This actually counts as our first clerkship - we see patients and do full histories and physical exams every Tuesday.

That really has been the biggest complaint in our class so far - other issues have been due to logistics. Until we start a block, we usually have no idea how much classtime/studytime will be required and when we will have downtime during the week. This makes it hard to plan other activities far in advance. Administrators are working on creating a website that will basically have our detailed 4 year schedule on it along with course descriptions and expectations on it.

With the new curriculum, you have the option of taking your Step 1 right after you finish with your basic science classes in March of year 2 or after you do 1 or 2 clinical rotations.

 

[vadd0]

.

At the time of that post, poindexter. There were more acceptances at this point compared to last year. As a result, the people who did go somewhere else did not open up any spots for the people on the waitlist until the very end. Around 3 people got in from the waitlist last year. That's not likely to happen this year.

 

[questions99]

i know they interview till mid march, but does anyone know till when they give out invitations usually? for someone who recently got an invite, how far later was ur interview? im guess maybe 2 weeks at the least, so invites till late feb? i dunno 🙁 just tell me already!

 

[vadd0]

i know they interview till mid march, but does anyone know till when they give out invitations usually? for someone who recently got an invite, how far later was ur interview? im guess maybe 2 weeks at the least, so invites till late feb? i dunno 🙁 just tell me already!

No idea. I'd guess there are still invites to be had, but I am not sure how late they'll be giving them out.

 

[longhorn09]

i know they interview till mid march, but does anyone know till when they give out invitations usually? for someone who recently got an invite, how far later was ur interview? im guess maybe 2 weeks at the least, so invites till late feb? i dunno 🙁 just tell me already!

I got the invite about 1 month before the interview.

 

[neuro raqs]

Anatomy was rough, not because of the amount of material, but because we were learning clinical skills at the same time. The class before us had their afternoons off during anatomy and thus we had much less time to study the same amount of material. The administration, after hearing our complaints, cut down the number of afternoons we had classes during anatomy and the number of assignments we had for our clinical skills class. Next year's class will start off with less afternoon classes from the beginning. That being, said, I am very glad that we had clinical skills this early. This has allowed for us to begin our Longitudinal Clerkships in January. This actually counts as our first clerkship - we see patients and do full histories and physical exams every Tuesday.

That really has been the biggest complaint in our class so far - other issues have been due to logistics. Until we start a block, we usually have no idea how much classtime/studytime will be required and when we will have downtime during the week. This makes it hard to plan other activities far in advance. Administrators are working on creating a website that will basically have our detailed 4 year schedule on it along with course descriptions and expectations on it.

With the new curriculum, you have the option of taking your Step 1 right after you finish with your basic science classes in March of year 2 or after you do 1 or 2 clinical rotations.

ah, i see, that seems like an easy fix. thank you. and I ask b/c I'm MSTP, would the 1 or 2 clinical rotations technically occur at the end of second year or would this be getting into third year? (or is that a silly question because USMLE 1 has to be taken before one starts year 3? I don't actually know, that just occurred to me.)

 

[DMB]

eat my poop swinesue

 

[questions99]

I got the invite about 1 month before the interview.

oh so i guess they're pretty much done 🙁 maybe a few here and there left, oh well

 

[violincuty]

I got the invite about 1 month before the interview.

Same for me... Mid-December invite for a Jan 22 interview. I think most people in my interview group were also notified a month in advance.

Best of luck to those still waiting!!! I can tell you that I screamed when I got that email...it comes at the most unexpected time; I had no idea I was even still being considered for an interview and was pleasantly surprised 😀

 

[RunningDiva]

eat my poop swinesue

i answered this same question a mere handful posts above yours. don't need to go all 3rd grader on us. i guess i'm in line behind swinesue with a spoon ready! 😛

 

[violincuty]

ah, i see, that seems like an easy fix. thank you. and I ask b/c I'm MSTP, would the 1 or 2 clinical rotations technically occur at the end of second year or would this be getting into third year? (or is that a silly question because USMLE 1 has to be taken before one starts year 3? I don't actually know, that just occurred to me.)

I asked about this during the interview as well (because I too applied MSTP)...one of the first years told me that you don't need to pass Step 1 in order to move on to the 3rd year, but you do need to complete it before applying to residency. Their rationale is that their students historically perform very well on this exam; thus, they leave it up to the student to decide when they feel it would be best to take it. Again, this is second-hand knowledge from a 1st year, so I could be wrong...

 

[masturhu]

My interview got cancelled due to the snow storm. Anybody have any idea when we'll be scheduled?

 

[w8ting2exhale]

ooor, if you're really torn... you could skip out early on one and try to make it to another (doable for cornell and jhu since mega bus goes between baltimore and nyc)

I'll probably have to do something like that (ie. split the days). I currently have 3 schools with basically the same second look days and 2 of them are must-go's. not cool. thanks for the tip!

If anyone else is in a similar situation, please let me know how you ultimately decide.

 

[neuro raqs]

no prob w8ting2exhale, and good luck with the decision-making. btw, the kitty in your avatar reminds me of my boyfriend, he's got red hair and smirks the same way. loving it 🙂

 

[w8ting2exhale]

no prob w8ting2exhale, and good luck with the decision-making. btw, the kitty in your avatar reminds me of my boyfriend, he's got red hair and smirks the same way. loving it 🙂

haha. If only he saw you post this!

 

[wordswordswords]

How do people feel about Baltimore as a place to live in, safety-wise? I think I'm letting my mind go around in circles too much, and I've somehow talked myself out of my initial excitement/"oh of course I'm going to go there" feeling I had right after I heard the news. Only waiting to hear back from two more programs, though, and I'm not sure if either school would end up changing my mind... It's just unfortunate that there is no place that is absolutely perfect (for me). I vote we pick up Hopkins and move it to Seattle.

edit: It has crossed my mind that I should give up worrying for lent...

 

[violincuty]

How do people feel about Baltimore as a place to live in, safety-wise? I think I'm letting my mind go around in circles too much, and I've somehow talked myself out of my initial excitement/"oh of course I'm going to go there" feeling I had right after I heard the news. Only waiting to hear back from two more programs, though, and I'm not sure if either school would end up changing my mind... It's just unfortunate that there is no place that is absolutely perfect (for me). I vote we pick up Hopkins and move it to Seattle.

edit: It has crossed my mind that I should give up worrying for lent...

I am not sure if I can be useful in helping you assess the safety of Baltimore, but I will say that everyone I have ever met from Baltimore (my roommate who lived there for over 20 years and students I stayed with at Hopkins) really REALLY love it there. I had a chance to spend a couple of evenings on the town- Fell's Point and the Inner Harbor. The community seemed really great! There was a ton of energy, people were extraordinarily friendly, and I felt surrounded by intellectuals of every field (much different from Vegas, where I am from). Also, if you like Seattle, you can appreciate how close Hopkins is to water. I have been told that safety-wise it is like any other big city. The Hopkins campus goes out of its way to ensure the safety of the people there, so much so that I could not get in the hospital to look around even though I was interviewing there. While I was a tad bit annoyed, I had to respect the lengths they go to in order to make it a safe environment. Also, if you go out of the immediate Hopkins area, Baltimore is quite beautiful and clean, in my opinion. You're also really close to DC, the NIH in Bethesda, NYC, etc., which is great for inter-disciplinary collaboration and diversity on places to visit & train. I think if you look for the positives- you'll find it is an amazing place to live!

 

[bearforce]

There is a new application on here to review schools, Any current students please fill out the survey. There has to be at least 4 reviews to view the school and currently there are 2. Thanks the link follows: http://www.studentdoctor.net/schools/

 

[penguins15]

Just got an interview for next week..... anyone have any idea how many slots are left? (or if I am most likely competing for a wait list?)

 

[SwineSue]

Just got an interview for next week..... anyone have any idea how many slots are left? (or if I am most likely competing for a wait list?)

according to a first-year student who posted here and may or may not actually know, 150 acceptances have been given out as of a week or two ago. According to the admissions dean, between 200 and 225 outright acceptances will be given this year. 600-700 total interviews.

 

[questions99]

according to a first-year student who posted here and may or may not actually know, 150 acceptances have been given out as of a week or two ago. According to the admissions dean, between 200 and 225 outright acceptances will be given this year. 600-700 total interviews.

ooh so we're not really at a disadvantage if we interview now

 

[longhorn09]

ooh so we're not really at a disadvantage if we interview now

That's great.

 

[wordswordswords]

I am not sure if I can be useful in helping you assess the safety of Baltimore, but I will say that everyone I have ever met from Baltimore (my roommate who lived there for over 20 years and students I stayed with at Hopkins) really REALLY love it there. I had a chance to spend a couple of evenings on the town- Fell's Point and the Inner Harbor. The community seemed really great! There was a ton of energy, people were extraordinarily friendly, and I felt surrounded by intellectuals of every field (much different from Vegas, where I am from). Also, if you like Seattle, you can appreciate how close Hopkins is to water. I have been told that safety-wise it is like any other big city. The Hopkins campus goes out of its way to ensure the safety of the people there, so much so that I could not get in the hospital to look around even though I was interviewing there. While I was a tad bit annoyed, I had to respect the lengths they go to in order to make it a safe environment. Also, if you go out of the immediate Hopkins area, Baltimore is quite beautiful and clean, in my opinion. You're also really close to DC, the NIH in Bethesda, NYC, etc., which is great for inter-disciplinary collaboration and diversity on places to visit & train. I think if you look for the positives- you'll find it is an amazing place to live!

I definitely feel this way--excited by possibilities & the future, all the different ways my life could be enriched--when I think about Hopkins itself, the administrators I've met, and the students that I know there. The school I think will be really great for me, and it's a wonderful research environment for me to train in. At the same time, I haven't seen enough of Baltimore's good things, and I've heard too much about the bad, and so my impression right now is a net negative. I'm really hoping revisit will fix this, and I'll see for myself that Baltimore can be fun & safe & quirky.

 

[JasonE]

I definitely feel this way--excited by possibilities & the future, all the different ways my life could be enriched--when I think about Hopkins itself, the administrators I've met, and the students that I know there. The school I think will be really great for me, and it's a wonderful research environment for me to train in. At the same time, I haven't seen enough of Baltimore's good things, and I've heard too much about the bad, and so my impression right now is a net negative. I'm really hoping revisit will fix this, and I'll see for myself that Baltimore can be fun & safe & quirky.

well careful about revisit. my guess is they will take you to nice places in the inner harbor. but those are usually pretty expensive and not somewhere you'd go often as an actual student. and since the public transportation sucks, you have to cab it to go anywhere, so it just adds up and becomes pretty difficult.

 

[ciufo88]

Also just got an interview for next week (Friday), when are you penguin?

Pretty excited btw.

 

[wordswordswords]

well careful about revisit. my guess is they will take you to nice places in the inner harbor. but those are usually pretty expensive and not somewhere you'd go often as an actual student. and since the public transportation sucks, you have to cab it to go anywhere, so it just adds up and becomes pretty difficult.

Are you living in Baltimore now? How do you like it?

When I was first starting to think about the city I would like to live in for the next seven-eight years (MD/PhD... gah), I wanted a place where nature was easily accessible, where I could sell my car and rely on timely and widespread public transportation, where ridiculously delicious organic produce was plentiful (San Francisco), where it doesn't get too humid and doesn't get too cold (again, SF, or Seattle--I like the rain). I also wanted there to be lots of cultural events, lots of museums. In basically all of these counts, Baltimore isn't what I was hoping for. I almost didn't apply. But then I got there, and the school itself felt really right, and the program has the exact structure and philosophy that I was looking for. So I'm pretty torn: city that doesn't meet all (or any?) of my wants, but a program that exceeds what I was even dreaming about. Part of me thinks that the city doesn't even matter so much, not when I'll be working so hard and so much of my experience there will be defined by the people in my life, not the restaurants or coffee shops or libraries or museums. At the same time, the Seattle Public Library? Living five blocks from the Met? Delicious co-op bakeries on the hill up to UCSF? It's just a lot to think about.

 

[JasonE]

Are you living in Baltimore now? How do you like it?

When I was first starting to think about the city I would like to live in for the next seven-eight years (MD/PhD... gah), I wanted a place where nature was easily accessible, where I could sell my car and rely on timely and widespread public transportation, where ridiculously delicious organic produce was plentiful (San Francisco), where it doesn't get too humid and doesn't get too cold (again, SF, or Seattle--I like the rain). I also wanted there to be lots of cultural events, lots of museums. In basically all of these counts, Baltimore isn't what I was hoping for. I almost didn't apply. But then I got there, and the school itself felt really right, and the program has the exact structure and philosophy that I was looking for. So I'm pretty torn: city that doesn't meet all (or any?) of my wants, but a program that exceeds what I was even dreaming about. Part of me thinks that the city doesn't even matter so much, not when I'll be working so hard and so much of my experience there will be defined by the people in my life, not the restaurants or coffee shops or libraries or museums. At the same time, the Seattle Public Library? Living five blocks from the Met? Delicious co-op bakeries on the hill up to UCSF? It's just a lot to think about.

especially if you are doing an mdphd, where you live matters. unless you dont care about the quality of life for the next 8 years. you know, the ones where you are still young.

jhu is mostly the psychology speaking to you. rename it to San Juan Bautista, and you'd think the place is a dump. through the whole interview trail, ive found it so funny how the whole thing is one big test of psychology. see a name, you get an image in your head, and suddenly everything you see is gold.

i dont see how the "philosophy" of medical schools vary. they all seem pretty much the same, unless you can explain further. the mission statements in the msar for every school is the same except for maybe the christian ones.

 

[wordswordswords]

especially if you are doing an mdphd, where you live matters. unless you dont care about the quality of life for the next 8 years. you know, the ones where you are still young.

jhu is mostly the psychology speaking to you. rename it to San Juan Bautista, and you'd think the place is a dump. through the whole interview trail, ive found it so funny how the whole thing is one big test of psychology. see a name, you get an image in your head, and suddenly everything you see is gold.

i dont see how the "philosophy" of medical schools vary. they all seem pretty much the same, unless you can explain further. the mission statements in the msar for every school is the same except for maybe the christian ones.

The philosophy that's relevant for me is much more how the MD/PhD office is structured, how flexible they are, how much guidance/mentorship there is, how large the program is, how many resources the school has at its disposal while supporting you. Hopkins has an incredible MSTP administration, the director is very involved and happy to give out advice, and the students were all very welcoming. I think on points like these, I can see how other schools are concretely different; at one school, for example, I never met the director or more than 2 current students. At others, I met the director right away, spoke with him (all directors I've met have been male, now that I think about it), and had multiple opportunities to speak with current students. I know that the interview is not necessarily reflective of what it would be like as a student, but I suspect the general attitude (How important is it to speak to the director? Hands-on vs hands-off?) is pretty consistent.

I definitely get what you're saying, about the seduction of prestige; but I've tried, as best I can, to separate out my feelings for the pretty pretty buildings & the name/history of Hopkins, from the more concrete good that I think it will do me to be in that kind of environment. If I'm going to be spending 8 hours a day in a building, I want it to feel open and have lots of natural light. And Hopkins has a rep of being the best, but also a rep for training extremely hardcore, dedicated, diligent residents--and that's the kind of doctor I want to be. But yeah, quality of life matters. And I'm trying to figure out how much--because I can be happy (and am currently happy) in a city that isn't my ideal.

 

[JasonE]

The philosophy that's relevant for me is much more how the MD/PhD office is structured, how flexible they are, how much guidance/mentorship there is, how large the program is, how many resources the school has at its disposal while supporting you. Hopkins has an incredible MSTP administration, the director is very involved and happy to give out advice, and the students were all very welcoming. I think on points like these, I can see how other schools are concretely different; at one school, for example, I never met the director or more than 2 current students. At others, I met the director right away, spoke with him (all directors I've met have been male, now that I think about it), and had multiple opportunities to speak with current students. I know that the interview is not necessarily reflective of what it would be like as a student, but I suspect the general attitude (How important is it to speak to the director? Hands-on vs hands-off?) is pretty consistent.

I definitely get what you're saying, about the seduction of prestige; but I've tried, as best I can, to separate out my feelings for the pretty pretty buildings & the name/history of Hopkins, from the more concrete good that I think it will do me to be in that kind of environment. If I'm going to be spending 8 hours a day in a building, I want it to feel open and have lots of natural light. And Hopkins has a rep of being the best, but also a rep for training extremely hardcore, dedicated, diligent residents--and that's the kind of doctor I want to be. But yeah, quality of life matters. And I'm trying to figure out how much--because I can be happy (and am currently happy) in a city that isn't my ideal.

go with what you feel. personally, i want to be excited to live in the place i end up going to for the next 4 years or so. but other people value different things. id find it hard to believe other schools arent welcoming/friendly. who you meet on interview days is completely up in the air. and remember, current students arent gonna come in and start bashing their school, of course they are going to be happy. ill give you an example. i met a current student at a medical school interview and he seemed really nice and down to earth. saw the same person later the next week standing in line for food talking on his cell, and all he was talking about was how he could get into any residency he wanted very arrogantly. thats what i think interview days are so dumb because coming out, every just loves the place and the students, but thats how those days are designed!

 

[Tara with socks]

Speaking from a JHU graduate viewpoint I can say Baltimore is a fabulous city. Don't be afraid or concerned in any way to live there. If you look, you will find everything you want in Baltimore. I would return in a heart beat! I suspect the med school is as challenging and competitive as the undergraduate school. I find this a positive not a negative.

 

[neuro raqs]

On the topic of Baltimore... I haven't lived there long term myself, but I have a lot of family there, so I've visited quite a bit. I also did some summer programs there while I was in high school. For one, the city has changed a lot (for the better) in the last 7-10 years. I think it's still in it's upward trend. But also the city is fun and quirky with stuff to do. In terms of nature, there is druid hill park, I'm more of a water person so I love that the harbor is right there. There's a big farmer's market too. Baltimore has a lot of stuff, but it's not obivously there, you've got to look. You do seem to need a car though, which is sort of problematic. I think b/c the city is actually becoming much nicer (visibly so, I was so pleasantly surprised when I came for the interview), I think there will continue to be more and more to do in the city.

Also there are D.C., Annapolis (apparently a lovely city), and Philly reasonable distances away ^_^

 

[wordswordswords]

On the topic of Baltimore... I haven't lived there long term myself, but I have a lot of family there, so I've visited quite a bit. I also did some summer programs there while I was in high school. For one, the city has changed a lot (for the better) in the last 7-10 years. I think it's still in it's upward trend. But also the city is fun and quirky with stuff to do. In terms of nature, there is druid hill park, I'm more of a water person so I love that the harbor is right there. There's a big farmer's market too. Baltimore has a lot of stuff, but it's not obivously there, you've got to look. You do seem to need a car though, which is sort of problematic. I think b/c the city is actually becoming much nicer (visibly so, I was so pleasantly surprised when I came for the interview), I think there will continue to be more and more to do in the city.

Also there are D.C., Annapolis (apparently a lovely city), and Philly reasonable distances away ^_^

I have a car, but it's a manual. The summer I commuted to Bethesda via this manual car is still a haze of painful knees & people-hating. DC traffic is horrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiibbbbbbbbbbblllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

But if I live in walking distance to the school--or I suppose, within walking distance to a shuttle stop--the amount I have to drive would be vastly reduced. And there are all those buses you can take to Philly and New York. I'm definitely a water person too, and it would be so very nice to run along the water on a summer morning. (Though I hear it's very important to run with a partner. At least according to that student life guide that's floating around.)

*I am doing such a crap job at remaining indistinguishable on this board.

 

[violincuty]

Hi all!

Someone forwarded me this link today, and I thought I would share it with all of you. I've always dreamed that I would go on a medical mission prior to the start of medical school! This program seems to be impressively well-organized for how inexpensive it is. If anyone else is interested in Ecuador specifically, please contact me. It would be nice to know someone else who is pursuing this initiative! 🙂

http://www.aideabroad.org/internship/ecuador.asp

 

[violincuty]

I remember someone telling me that the committee is not meeting this month for some reason...does anyone know when the next meeting will be? I interviewed on 1/22, and I am just wondering when I can expect to hear. I read from previous posts that some people called the office to ask when their application will be reviewed; is this recommended? This waiting really has me on pins and needles.

Although I've been fortunate enough to have had several interviews, no school holds a candle to what Hopkins can offer me both culturally and intellectually. I don't think I have ever wanted anything in my life as badly as I want this acceptance... *sigh*

 

[wordswordswords]

I remember someone telling me that the committee is not meeting this month for some reason...does anyone know when the next meeting will be? I interviewed on 1/22, and I am just wondering when I can expect to hear. I read from previous posts that some people called the office to ask when their application will be reviewed; is this recommended? This waiting really has me on pins and needles.

Although I've been fortunate enough to have had several interviews, no school holds a candle to what Hopkins can offer me both culturally and intellectually. I don't think I have ever wanted anything in my life as badly as I want this acceptance... *sigh*

No idea if the committee meets this month but, good luck!

 

[neuro raqs]

There's two reviews for jhu on the sdn review thing, it's so annoying that they can't be seen! Any med students up for doing one more review please? pretty please? 😀

 

[masturhu]

Interviewing sooooon...

Do you guys know what the protocol is for sending updates?

 

[longhorn09]

Interviewing sooooon...

Do you guys know what the protocol is for sending updates?

Are you interviewing this thursday?

Just hand the updates to your interviewer I guess.

 

[shgy]

Hello, guys. I have questions to those who were interviewed at Johns Hopkins.
I received unexpected interview invite from JHU yesterday scheduled for 3/11.
Isn't it kinda late(or last) interview that its possibility of acceptance is very low?
What are their criteria in selection of interviewee, because I think my numbers on application paper are not enough(or way below) to meet the line for the selection. What is the format of interview?(one-one? how many? the length?).
Does it help to attend the previous night's informal meeting at the Reed Hall?
Please give me any(and many hopefully) helpful informations about the interview. Thank you very much.

 

[violincuty]

Hello, guys. I have questions to those who were interviewed at Johns Hopkins.
I received unexpected interview invite from JHU yesterday scheduled for 3/11.
Isn't it kinda late(or last) interview that its possibility of acceptance is very low?
What are their criteria in selection of interviewee, because I think my numbers on application paper are not enough(or way below) to meet the line for the selection. What is the format of interview?(one-one? how many? the length?).
Does it help to attend the previous night's informal meeting at the Reed Hall?
Please give me any(and many hopefully) helpful informations about the interview. Thank you very much.

Hey, congrats on the interview!! 🙂

I know how you feel about the numbers, I felt the same way. I think it's best to take the attitude that you wouldn't have been invited for an interview if they didn't feel that you're qualified. I haven't heard anything post-interview yet, so I can't offer much in the way of confidence in getting an acceptance. I will say that I did not feel under-qualified to be there, though, regardless of my suboptimal scores.

As for the Reed Hall visit- I would definitely say to go. It supposedly doesn't affect your interview outcome, but it was helpful in hearing about the first years' opinion of the school and the new curriculum. They will also invite you to one of their lectures the following morning before your interview- go to that! I was the only one from my interview group who did, but I thought it gave a lot of insight into how lectures are conducted there. It's also one of your only opportunities to interact with 1st years (at the social event the night before your interview), so take advantage of this...

You can expect to have 2 formal interviews- one with a current 4th year student who is on the AdCom (closed file) and one with a faculty member (open-file). I wish I had asked who I was going to be meeting with and what time before my interview day, so I would suggest doing this because I was definitely caught off guard. (I had one of the first faculty interviews of the afternoon and our tour group came back late...it didn't make the best first impression). While people are having their afternoon interviews, everyone not interviewing at any given time will be in a reception area. There will be 4th years there speaking with you, and they are on the committee. Technically they are evaluating you, but it's very informal and relaxed. It was my understanding that they just want to see how well you interact in a group. I am naturally energetic and I may have come off as loud/obnoxious with my energy (which was really from adrenaline as a result of not having slept the night before), but in any case, I wouldn't recommend being that way. Most people were normal and conversational, it's not meant to be a stressful group interview where people fight for the attention of the 4th years. There is a TON of information about the interview process that I found helpful on the school specific interview-feedback site if you want additional information about what to expect: http://www.studentdoctor.net/schools/school/jhu/survey/26

Aside from the logistics of the interview day, I can tell you from my experience that it was the most inspiring interview I have had on this trail! I learned so much about myself and what motivates me to go into a medical career during my 3 days there. Walking through the hallways and watching the history come to life is an experience I will never forget, and it gave me something to work for- whether it's med school, residency or even an MPH at Hopkins. Their simulation lab is like none other- they have mannequins that deliver babies! The new buildings are gorgeous, the intellectual energy of the campus is incredible...And above all, the cohesive and collaborative nature of the students and faculty is just something you have to experience for yourself. I also got extraordinarily lucky because I randomly ran into a Hopkins patient whose son is benefiting from the research field I am interested in, and she spent 1.5 hours on the Metro telling me about her son's surgery and what they have done for him at Hopkins. It brought me to tears and made me realize the impact we make in people's lives as physicians and scientists. I come from a city without active medical research, so it was quite a unique experience to be able to meet a current patient who is hoping that the field I am choosing to spend my life pursuing could save her son's life.

In summary, my Hopkins interview was not AT ALL what I had expected it to be, and in retrospect, that interview changed my life. If I were you, regardless of whether you may or may not be accepted, I wouldn't pass up that experience for the world.

Sorry for the novella, I just had to share. I wish someone had told me these things beforehand so I could have been more prepared. Best of luck if you decide to go!! 🙂

 

[longhorn09]

Hey, congrats on the interview!! 🙂

I know how you feel about the numbers, I felt the same way. I think it's best to take the attitude that you wouldn't have been invited for an interview if they didn't feel that you're qualified. I haven't heard anything post-interview yet, so I can't offer much in the way of confidence in getting an acceptance. I will say that I did not feel under-qualified to be there, though, regardless of my suboptimal scores.

As for the Reed Hall visit- I would definitely say to go. It supposedly doesn't affect your interview outcome, but it was helpful in hearing about the first years' opinion of the school and the new curriculum. They will also invite you to one of their lectures the following morning before your interview- go to that! I was the only one from my interview group who did, but I thought it gave a lot of insight into how lectures are conducted there. It's also one of your only opportunities to interact with 1st years (at the social event the night before your interview), so take advantage of this...

You can expect to have 2 formal interviews- one with a current 4th year student who is on the AdCom and one with a faculty member. I wish I had asked who I was going to be meeting with and what time before my interview day, so I would suggest doing this because I was definitely caught off guard. (I had one of the first interviews of the afternoon and our tour group came back late...it didn't make the best first impression). While people are having their afternoon interviews, everyone not interviewing at any given time will be in a reception area. There will be 4th years there speaking with you, and they are on the committee. Technically they are evaluating you, but it's very informal and relaxed. It was my understanding that they just want to see how well you interact in a group. I am naturally energetic and I may have come off as loud/obnoxious with my energy (which was really from adrenaline as a result of not having slept the night before), but in any case, I wouldn't recommend being that way. Most people were normal and conversational, it's not meant to be a stressful group interview where people fight for the attention of the 4th years. There is a TON of information about the interview process that I found helpful on the school specific interview-feedback site if you want additional information about what to expect: http://www.studentdoctor.net/schools/school/jhu/survey/26

Aside from the logistics of the interview day, I can tell you from my experience that it was the most inspiring interview I have had on this trail! I learned so much about myself and what motivates me to go into a medical career during my 3 days there. Walking through the hallways and watching the history come to life is an experience I will never forget, and it gave me something to work for- whether it's med school, residency or even an MPH at Hopkins. Their simulation lab is like none other- they have mannequins that deliver babies! The new buildings are gorgeous, the intellectual energy of the campus is incredible...And above all, the cohesive and collaborative nature of the students and faculty is just something you have to experience for yourself. I also got extraordinarily lucky because I randomly ran into a Hopkins patient whose son is benefiting from the research field I am interested in, and she spent 1.5 hours on the Metro telling me about her son's surgery and what they have done for him at Hopkins. It brought me to tears and made me realize the impact we make in people's lives as physicians and scientists. I come from a city without active medical research, so it was quite a unique experience to be able to meet a current patient who is hoping that the field I am choosing to spend my life pursuing could save her son's life.

In summary, my Hopkins interview was not AT ALL what I had expected it to be, and in retrospect, that interview changed my life. If I were you, regardless of whether you will be accepted or not, I wouldn't pass up that experience for the world.

Sorry for the novella, I just had to share. I wish someone had told me these things beforehand so I could have been more prepared. Best of luck if you decide to go!! 🙂

It's a very useful insight! Thanks.

 

[violincuty]

It's a very useful insight! Thanks.

My pleasure! Feel free to post/private message any other questions you may have. I am always glad when I can be useful to someone 🙂

 

[browns]

Do you guys think its worth sending JHU a letter of intent pre-interview invite to see if they will give me an interview? I'm down to pretty much JHU as the only school that I have a chance of getting an interview from on my application list. I'm thinking it wouldn't hurt to just try (thankfully I have some acceptances elsewhere) since its pretty much the end of the application cycle for me now.

 

[SwineSue]

Do you guys think its worth sending JHU a letter of intent pre-interview invite to see if they will give me an interview? I'm down to pretty much JHU as the only school that I have a chance of getting an interview from on my application list. I'm thinking it wouldn't hurt to just try (thankfully I have some acceptances elsewhere) since its pretty much the end of the application cycle for me now.

Hopkins is a rather well regarded medical school. Hopkins doesn't generally have too much trouble finding people who want to matriculate. It's pretty unlikely that the one thing holding them back from offering someone an invite is uncertainty that the applicant wants to attend Johns Hopkins. I really can't imagine them going "we're just about done with interviews...oh wait! this person really wants to go here! that's very unusual, let's interview him."
But hey, 44 cents for a letter, and email is free. Knock yourself out.

 

[violincuty]

Do you guys think its worth sending JHU a letter of intent pre-interview invite to see if they will give me an interview? I'm down to pretty much JHU as the only school that I have a chance of getting an interview from on my application list. I'm thinking it wouldn't hurt to just try (thankfully I have some acceptances elsewhere) since its pretty much the end of the application cycle for me now.

I have absolutely no expertise in this area, but I will offer my opinion. I have heard different things about different schools regarding letters of intent, and it seems like the worst case scenario is that they either don't read it or don't respond. I can't see how it would hurt you...especially at Hopkins because they love meeting students who are enthusiastic about their school and their program. I think you'll find that the students and faculty there truly love being at Hopkins and have passionate replies to "What's keeping you here?". It may be the case that they receive 100s of those letters, though, and maybe they just ignore them after a certain point. In either case, it doesn't seem like it would be viewed as a negative... not sure if that helps at all

 

[violincuty]

Hopkins is a rather well regarded medical school. Hopkins doesn't generally have too much trouble finding people who want to matriculate. It's pretty unlikely that the one thing holding them back from offering someone an invite is uncertainty that the applicant wants to attend Johns Hopkins. I really can't imagine them going "we're just about done with interviews...oh wait! this person really wants to go here! that's very unusual, let's interview him."
But hey, 44 cents for a letter, and email is free. Knock yourself out.

Hmmm, I am not sure I agree with you on this. During my interview, Dean Hicks says that she gets different responses from people regarding their intent to matriculate when she calls them with offers of acceptance. Some people act like they've won the lottery and some people hardly care. Sure Hopkins has the name, but not everyone loves Baltimore, living in an inner city, or several other aspects of the school. It doesn't reflect well on a school to accept tons of people and only have a handful accept their offer (not that I think this happens regularly at Hopkins), but I still think it's reasonable to guess that if they're going to still offer interview invites this late in the season after most people are set on a program, they would want to offer it to people who are highly interested. They have no way of knowing who is most interested unless they speak up...

Anyway, that's just my 2 cents, and admittedly, I have no clue how the AdCom process works. If there is one thing I have learned this cycle it's that there is no magic formula that will get you into med school.

 

[longhorn09]

Hmmm, I am not sure I agree with you on this. During my interview, Dean Hicks says that she gets different responses from people regarding their intent to matriculate when she calls them with offers of acceptance. Some people act like they've won the lottery and some people hardly care.

Gosh, it will be my dream-comes-true if I can go to hopkins.

 

[mdeast]

Hopkins is a rather well regarded medical school. Hopkins doesn't generally have too much trouble finding people who want to matriculate. It's pretty unlikely that the one thing holding them back from offering someone an invite is uncertainty that the applicant wants to attend Johns Hopkins. I really can't imagine them going "we're just about done with interviews...oh wait! this person really wants to go here! that's very unusual, let's interview him."
But hey, 44 cents for a letter, and email is free. Knock yourself out.

I think JHU's main dilemma for attracting accepted applicants is location. And yes, I think it does affect matriculation despite it's immense resources, facilities, and ranking. If you compare matriculation rates to other Top 10's, JHU is lower than you'd expect. For instance....

Matriculation Rates
U.Washington-81%
Harvard- 80%
Penn-65%
UCSF-60%
Columbia-53%
Stanford-50%
Duke-46%
JHU-44%
Yale- 40%
WashU-35%

Compared to either Top 10 Schools (Harvard in Boston, Penn in Philly, UCSF in San Francisco, Columbia in NYC, UWash in Seattle)...Baltimore isn't as nice of a city (you can debate this I suppose). There are certainly a plethora of other factors that affect this, but I think location is a big one.

 

[longhorn09]

I think JHU's main dilemma for attracting accepted applicants is location. And yes, I think it does affect matriculation despite it's immense resources, facilities, and ranking. If you compare matriculation rates to other Top 10's, JHU is lower than you'd expect. For instance....

Matriculation Rates
U.Washington-81%
Harvard- 80%
Penn-65%
UCSF-60%
Columbia-53%
Stanford-50%
Duke-46%
JHU-44%
Yale- 40%
WashU-35%

Compared to either Top 10 Schools (Harvard in Boston, Penn in Philly, UCSF in San Francisco, Columbia in NYC, UWash in Seattle)...Baltimore isn't as nice of a city (you can debate this I suppose). There are certainly a plethora of other factors that affect this, but I think location is a big one.

I'm glad that the schools Im interested in are in the 30 to 40-ish area 🙂

 

[Tikka36]

I think JHU's main dilemma for attracting accepted applicants is location. And yes, I think it does affect matriculation despite it's immense resources, facilities, and ranking. If you compare matriculation rates to other Top 10's, JHU is lower than you'd expect. For instance....

Matriculation Rates
U.Washington-81%
Harvard- 80%
Penn-65%
UCSF-60%
Columbia-53%
Stanford-50%
Duke-46%
JHU-44%
Yale- 40%
WashU-35%

Compared to either Top 10 Schools (Harvard in Boston, Penn in Philly, UCSF in San Francisco, Columbia in NYC, UWash in Seattle)...Baltimore isn't as nice of a city (you can debate this I suppose). There are certainly a plethora of other factors that affect this, but I think location is a big one.

When I interviewed Dean Hicks told me that the main reasons accepted students report turning down Hopkins is 1. Money and 2. Location (like you said). I definitely understand the money issue, I've been offered a full tuition scholarship at an NYC school, and I just don't know whether I can justify taking out massive loans to attend Hopkins when I could go elsewhere for free.