Oh how time flies. Current MS1 and happy to answer any questions – I've had a stellar first year in Baltimore and can't wait to see the new batch of MS1s rolling in this August.
Stats [source]
~6,500 applicants
~4,500 secondaries completed (though no screen)
~600 interviewed (MD) + ~60 interviewed (MSTP)
As per interview day, about 200 are accepted, 200 waitlisted, and 200 rejected.
~250 total acceptances
~120 matriculated (10-12 MSTP students)
As per interview day, there is no in-state bias.
2015-2016 Secondary Application (there is no screen)
- If you have already received your bachelor's degree, please describe what you have been doing since graduation, and your plans for the upcoming year. (700 characters)
- If you interrupted your college education for a semester or longer, please describe what you did during that time. (700 characters)
- List any academic honors or awards you have received since entering college: (600 characters)
- Briefly describe your single, most rewarding experience. Feel free to refer to an experience previously described in your AMCAS application. (900 characters)
- Are there any areas of medicine that are of particular interest to you? If so, please comment. (1100 characters)
- Briefly describe a situation where you had to overcome adversity; include lessons learned and how you think it will affect your career as a future physician. (900 characters)
- Briefly describe a situation where you were not in the majority. What did you learn from this experience? (1100 characters)
- If applying to the dual MD/MBA program, please describe your reasons for wishing to obtain this degree. (1100 characters)
*Note: in the 2014-15 AND 15-16 application cycle it sometimes took over a month for a submitted secondary to be marked as complete.
*Note: you can discuss experiences already selected as "most meaningful" or discuss entirely different ones; applicants from either approach received interviews and acceptances so do not fret. Yes, the secondary questions are somewhat redundant, but trust me... JHU is worth it.
😉
2015-2016 Important Dates
First secondary: July 6th, 2015
First interview: August 6th, 2015
First acceptances, waitlist, & post interview rejections: December 8th, 2015 via portal update (with email alert)
First pre-interview rejection: December 10th, 2015
First waitlist acceptance: May 10th, 2016
JHU is semi-rolling, so post-interview decisions are relayed solely in Dec, Jan, and March. As per JHU’s Facebook page, waitlist movement usually occurs by mid-May. The waitlist is unranked, and there is no differentiation between alternate list vs. waitlist.
Update Letter Policy
Updates are
not accepted pre-interview. Post-interview updates may be sent to Ms. Valerie Mazza at:
vmazza@jhmi.edu
Curriculum
Genes to Society 1.5 year condensed preclinical. Preclinical has been P/F since 2009.
- Pass is set to 70%
- Clinicals are graded honours/high pass/pass/fail
- Lectures are non-mandatory and recorded; labs and small group activities have 80% required attendance
Interview
One faculty interview, one MS4 student interview. Faculty interview is open-file.
While waiting for interviews you will be in a "fishbowl" waiting room, where you can interact with the MS4s (you will be pulled aside by one for the student interview). You are technically under evaluation during this time, but don't fret or fuss – just don't sit on your phone/heckle your peers/fall asleep and you ought to be fine.
How Much Time Do I Get to Study For Step?
Because this is such a popular question on SDN
😉 : Step1 can be taken prior to rotations or after your first clinical rotation.
"Since Hopkins operates on 9-week blocks, most students allocate one block for boards studying, often using 6-7 weeks to study and 2-3 weeks for vacation. Students who feel a strong command of the subject matter can often complete studying in four weeks, but weak test takers have taken up to 13 weeks in the past. Students who use more time to study have less time for elective rotations. Because the summer term has an extra four weeks, students can use this time in combination with the prior or subsequent term (Summer H1&2 or Q1, respectively) to have 13 weeks for studying." [Source: Class MedWiki]
Student Life, Resources, and Other Goodies
As per my interview day in '14 and the second lookers I met, JHU's interview day appears "sells" itself less than other institutions. (I personally liked that, but I know some people like the sales pitch approach because they feel it gives them more discrete information). If you have any lingering questions about JHU, Baltimore, or med school life in general please reach out to current students!
And here's our '16 Second Look Video feat. the mad skills of Med19
Financial Aid
- As of 2014-2016 (EDIT: and 2016-7), JHU offers a $20,500 unit loan and need based aid only.
- As per interview day, the average graduate debt for the class of 2013 was $108,000 (not including undergrad debt).
- Please don't call to try and match scholarship offers; once again – Hopkins is strictly need-based. If you have questions about your aid package, please contact the finaid department (which also does one-on-one appointments during Second Look).
Of Note + FAQs
- Johns Hopkins Admissions has an informative and frequently-updated Facebook page. Check it out.
- There is no internal ranking in the preclinical years. According to this evaluation of MSPEs, the Johns Hopkins’s Dean’s Letter provides: “Incomplete data. The summary paragraph sometimes concludes with a Most Confident and Enthusiastic recommendation, or with a Confident and Enthusiastic recommendation. But there are no appendices that define a student's performance relative to his or her peers.”
- AOA is done post-match
- If Match lists really tickle your fancy, you can find the Class of '16 here
Oh, and we have a cool dome.
We MS2s are excited to start tour guiding and hosting y'all.
