Help Me Decide: Harvard, Hopkins, Penn, and Columbia

[razurvoic08]

Hi everyone, hope you all are well! I really do have to start with - I never thought I’d be lucky enough to be in this position at the end of my cycle. I did so many things “wrong”: retook my MCAT, deferred my application by a year after submitting my primary last cycle, applied late this cycle, etc. etc. While I would not advise anyone to do any of those things (lol), I would like to highlight that you absolutely do not have to be anywhere near perfect as a medical school applicant. I feel so grateful for making it to where I am now with the help of many people in my life and for having this choice. However, I am struggling to narrow down my list of schools and would love some help from you all!

Lastly, apologies for the long post and here we go…

Here are some of the most important factors I am weighing (in no particular order):

• Public Health: I know I want to get my MPH so I’m looking for a place with strong public health training and research opportunities (ex. health systems innovation, preventive medicine) that collaborates well with the medical school
• Wellness and Support: I mean this in pretty broad terms, essentially anything the school invests in their students to make their lives easier as a medical student - this ranges from formal counseling services, admin receptiveness to feedback, student wellness committees, and mentorship to true P/F grading + no internal ranking/AOA reported for residency (other examples include fun city, gym membership, transportation, community events, etc.)
• Diversity in patient population + established avenues for community engagement: especially important to me due to PH interest
• Class Culture/Community: good balance of social vs academic, collaborative, social justice/advocacy minded
• Overall undecided specialty (some interest towards EM, OB/Gyn, and Peds)

Harvard (Total COA for all 4 years: $200,000)

Pros

Cons

Prestige/Brand Name in medicine…and well everything + insane match list Curriculum Structure: 1 year preclin / 1 year clin / 2 years to explore: undecided on specialty so love that I’ll get to my clerkships earlier with lots of time to explore and do research before applying to residency LOTS of flexibility in 3rd and 4th years (exploration, scholarly work, time off, etc.) Flipped Classroom + CBCL seems like a learning method I would enjoy Early Clinical Exposure: Foundational Continuity Clinic Only one student per a clerkship site P/F clinical, no AOA/internal ranking or coded language reported for residency #3 in public health: interesting MPH concentrations, very cool PH research/practice opportunities in my specific interests Community Engagement: Cambridge Health Alliance, Crimson Care Collaborative, Family Van, Office of Community Centered Medical Education!!! -- new Great mentorship program, many students stressed how responsive admin is to feedback Great community of students -- very diverse, Vandy Hall, mandatory classes, ~50% of class will take extra year along with me South Asian group + local dance team for destressing + good transportation to explore

One of my higher COA Not many funding opps for MPH year Students were saying that a lot of people matched to their 3rd or lower choice residency program this year Relatively low diversity in patient population SES seen at major hospitals Unsure about Boston weather Didn’t love interview day (not sure if interviewers are told to be less warm/more to the point?) Neutral: Class culture seems very collaborative, passionate, reflective…maybe even profound lol

Summary: Amazing program for MD/MPH but things holding me back include $$$, lack of emphasis on community engagement and access to underserved communities (but this seems to be present...you just have to look for it) and living in Boston. I also don’t know if it is worth the $$$ if students are not mostly matching their top choices.


Hopkins (Total COA for all 4 years: $80,000)

Pros

Cons

Full tuition scholarship Scholarship opps for free tuition for year out for MPH Prestige/Brand Name in medicine + insane match list Love the flow and logic of the GTS curriculum Early Clinical Exposure: Longitudinal Ambulatory Clerkships (lots of community clinics and FQHC opportunities) No AOA until after match, no internal ranking or coded language reported for residency (I think) Bloomberg is #1 in public health: interesting MPH concentrations, very cool PH research opportunities in my specific interests...not so sure about PH practice though? Community Engagement: SOURCE seems like a great resource to ensure you’re doing work in which community needs are actually being met (SOURCE service scholars, HIV testing, VISION, etc.) Appreciate the thoughtfulness that has gone into acknowledging the complex relationship Hopkins has with the Baltimore community Very diverse patient population seen in JHH with opportunities to work with underserved communities LOVE the CAPS mentorship program and seems like a very strong tight-knit community of students Support System: my undergrad institution so lots of friends at the undergrad and med campus South Asian group + dance team in DC for destressing

H/HP/P/F clinical Hopkins’ complex relationship and mistrust with the community - worries that this will impact the true value for community members (and myself) when it comes to community engagement work or can hinder opportunities for PH practice work in the community Undergrad institution so currently unsure if I want to come back to the same networks/systems/city or branch out Not great public transportation, will have to get a car later on Worried about competitive rep even though I was told multiple times this doesn’t exist and did not feel it but lots of opinions on this online Neutral: Grading: pushing towards staying P/F clinical Class culture seems pretty wholesome, critical towards issues of social justice and health equity (esp in Baltimore), and academic focused...unsure if students are having a fun/balanced time at school or in the city

Summary: Again, amazing program for MD/MPH but things holding me back include Hopkin’s complex relationship and mistrust with surrounding communities and whether I’ll find lots of fun things to do for relaxing + find classmates who will invest time outside of class/studying/research to do those things with me.


Penn (Total COA for all 4 years: $100,000)

Pros

Cons

Full tuition scholarship Free tuition for year out for MPH Prestige Very interdisciplinary curriculum that encourages exploration - can take 3 free classes in other schools, can get a certificate in an area of concentration, lots of dual degrees Learning teams seems awesome No AOA until after match Some cool and unique PH clinical research opportunities: PennHealthX, Center for Healthcare Innovation Community Engagement: Literally overwhelmed by the amount of opportunities (clinical and non-clinical) available Very diverse patient population with opportunities to work with underserved communities + Penn seems to have a pretty good relationship with the community compared to other academic hospitals Philly seems like a really awesome city! Students seem to be having a great time with a really good work/life balance Beautiful and new facilities Support System: some friends current M1s South Asian group

H/HP/P/F clinical...I think there is an internal ranking/coded language reported to residency? No affiliated public health school + MPH is ranked #31, very few MPH concentrations that seem very general Unclear if community engagement is being done in a way that benefits the community just as much as the students Worried about competitive rep and bro-ey class culture even though I was told multiple times this doesn’t exist

Summary: Philly seems like such a fun place to be and the students seem so happy there. Penn also offers an amazing MD education with so many opportunities for interdisciplinary work but things holding me back include their MPH program, which seems very small, general, and less robust compared to the other programs I am looking at. I also am unsure if I would fit into the class culture based on my limited interactions.


Columbia (Total COA for all 4 years: ~$60,000)

Pros

Cons

Full tuition scholarship + 12k Prestige Very chill and spaced out exam schedule with lots of flexibility SLIM curriculum No AOA until after match #4 in public health: interesting MPH concentrations, can get advanced certificates, very cool PH research opportunities in my specific interests...not so sure about PH practice though? Community Engagement: Literally overwhelmed by the amount of opportunities (clinical and non-clinical) available…especially the free clinics Very diverse patient population with opportunities to work with underserved communities NYC seems awesome - I like that we’re not in the city (that would be overwhelming for me) but have the opportunity to take the subway down whenever we want Support System: sister APAMSA

H/HP/P/F clinical...I think there is an internal ranking/coded language reported to residency? Columbia also has a complex relationship with the community and unclear if community engagement is being done in a way that benefits the community just as much as the students Was told that clerkships can be more stressful here + with a lot of hierarchies in place in which you’re at the bottom No South Asian specific group Neutral: Class culture seems pretty wholesome, social justice/advocacy focused, much more social/extroverted than other schools

Summary: Another amazing program for MD/MPH where students seem to be having a lot of fun in but things holding me back include Columbia’s relationships with the surrounding communities and the worry of clerkships being more stressful and hierarchical than necessary that might affect my clinical training.

Thank you for reading all the way through if you made it! I would really love to get people’s thoughts on my decision (top 3 for 4/15 deadline and eventually final choice) or if there are any things I missed in my analysis (especially on class culture since that can be more difficult to get an accurate sense of and reported internal ranking for residency since that’s a bit hush hush).

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[mangowolf]

Hopkins is the place for you, easily. Your primary con seems to be Hopkins’ complicated relationship w their community but out of all the schools you listed, that relationship is very complicated/mistrustful for everyone already…Hopkins probably cares the most about improving that relationship, imo. The only thing that might sway you is the P/F clerkships but I don’t think it’s worth the price tag, and if you are interested in caring for the underserved and actually having community engagement, diverse patient population, etc. HMS is just not the best fit of the schools you listed here. I feel like you will be able to find a small group of friends wherever you go re: worries about finding classmates to chill with. Baltimore isn’t the most exciting city in the world but you don’t really seem that excited about living in Boston anyways. Plus, for someone whose main priority is public health, you can’t get any better than Bloomberg.

 

[proudofmykids]

I would suggest deciding as if COA was Not a factor. The $20K-$120K difference is not a big deal for any specialty or hospital administrative position the PH might lead you too.

 

[hydroflaskhomie]

From your lists, I would say Columbia!

 

[razurvoic08]

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for the feedback so far

@mangowolf First of all, huge congrats on your cycle!!! Thank you for commenting, I really appreciate the thought put into your response. I think I was also leaning Hopkins for a lot of the reasons you mentioned - can't beat Bloomberg for public health + insane mentorship structures + diversity of patient population/community engagement + the students here seemed the most critical/outspoken about Hopkins' relationship with the Baltimore community and passionate about helping mend that gap while also acknowledging their transient and limited role as med students. However, after visiting Baltimore (especially around the med campus area), I'm not sure if I want to return here. Concerns about safety and comfort/livable-ness of the city are not something I feel like I can ignore. While I recognize that many of these concerns arise due to Baltimore's unfair and racist history of government (and Hopkins) intervention, gentrification, redlining, etc. and that I do feel a connection to the city and the community here from my time in undergrad, these are still concerns in my head that remain very real.

@proudofmykids Hi, thank you for your response! I am fortunate that all of my options are reasonable enough that even as someone who will be funding their own medical education, I will be able to pay back my debt relatively quickly. Still, I do feel like the money is something to consider between HMS and the rest of my options since the difference is $100k+ not including an MPH year. I also think I see myself balancing clinical work and public health programmatic work in the future if that helps!

@hydroflaskhomie Also would like to first congratulate you on your cycle!!! I'd love to hear more about your thoughts on Columbia! I think it actually might be the first one I cross off just because I felt like NYC (yes, even the Washington Heights area lol) was very overwhelming for me when I thought about living there. While I love visiting and am a huge fan of the subway system, the high rise buildings everywhere felt like a lot sadly

 

[razurvoic08]

Very fortunate to have just visited the schools and wanted to update the major things I'm weighing in my head right now:

Harvard (Tuition: $20,515 - COA: $189,379 not including MPH year)
+ The name + reach in all fields not just medicine
+ Option of matching back to home programs
+ Favorite med campus by far + proximity of Vandy Hall
+ Front load med school --> lots of flexibility in 3rd and 4th years
+ P/F clinical and no AOA
+ Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
+ Health Systems Innovation lab and Ariadne labs

Neutral: Boston, class culture, community engagement (area school is working on, opportunities exist but it's on you to find and make them work bc they aren't abundant and won't fall in your lap)

- $$$ + COL
- Affiliated hospitals typically don't get as many medicare/medicaid patients aside from BI and CHA (so lower diversity in SES although told diversity in race/immigrant status/gender is good)
- Told that anatomy class is very rushed and clinical training may be less strong compared to Hopkins/Penn/Columbia (kind of shocking)


Hopkins (Tuition: free + 3.5k/year - COA: $81,082 not including MPH year but could be free)
+ The name and reach in medicine and public health
+ Very strong home programs in like everything
+ CAPS/Molecule System: close knit mentorship (professional and personal) and community building (college lounges in AMEB)
+ Possibly staying P/F with AOA after match
+ Bloomberg School of Public Health!!! Possible financial support to do MPH
+ SOURCE + Very diverse patient population seen in the hospital
+ Students (at least M1s I talked to) are critical/outspoken about social justice, advocacy, and health equity especially in Baltimore

- Safety and comfort/livable-ness of Baltimore and surrounding areas at med campus - students live pretty far from campus, don't know how I feel walking given it is more patchy when it comes to safety, didn't see a lot of destress/food options near med campus
- Students seem a bit more stressed and academic oriented than normal
- Told that admin is less organized about communication and scheduling


Penn (Tuition: free - COA: $96,342 not including MPH year but most likely free at least at Penn)
+ I absolutely love with Philly: perfect middle ground between NYC and Baltimore - very diverse patient population seen in the hospital, lots of underserved communities to work with, easily livable and walkable, city life without feeling unsafe or overwhelmed
+ Lots of support for interdisciplinary work (classes at other schools, certificates)
+ From what I can see, has better relationship with the community compared to HMS/Hopkins/Columbia
+ Insane amount of meaningful and unique community engagement opportunities + Bridging the Gaps summer opportunities
+ Center for Healthcare Innovation and PennHealthX
+ Guaranteed financial support to do MPH (but unsure if I decide to do it elsewhere)
+ I think I would be very stress free (no debt, amazing and safe city, lots of support) and happy here based off the vibes I got from M1s

- MPH program is very important to me and not great here...but could do it somewhere else (Harvard, Hopkins, or Columbia). But is it hard to have discontinuity in school/city/practicum and research opportunities for a year especially with a partner who will be changing jobs and moving for me half way through med school?
- Feels like there is some drop in prestige/strength of home programs (aside for Peds) from HMS/Hopkins
- Unsure if they internally rank students to report to residency


Columbia (Tuition: free + 13k/year - COA: $59,134 not including MPH year but most likely free, must reapply for aid each year)
+ Lots of support and mentorship from literally everyone around you
+ Encouraged to be a full person outside of medicine (P&S clubs, stuff to do/explore/eat in NYC in general)
+ VEC + proximity of Towers
+ Insane amount of unique community engagement opportunities + 5 free clinics serving different needs in the community + very diverse patient population seen in the hospital
+ Mailman School of Public Health! Guaranteed financial support to do MPH
+ Students are critical/outspoken about social justice, advocacy, and health equity especially in NYC

- NYC is very very very overwhelming for me...enjoy visiting but not for living + COL
- NYC hospital culture seems more stressful and hierarchical than normal (+ at the same time very hands on and you see the effects of SDOH)
- Feels like there is some drop in prestige/strength of home programs (aside for Psychiatry) from HMS/Hopkins
- Unsure if they internally rank students to report to residency


Would love some more feedback and thoughts as decision time is nearing!

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Could you give exact costs if you feel comfortable. I think that would be my most important consideration if in your shoes

 

[razurvoic08]

Could you give exact costs if you feel comfortable. I think that would be my most important consideration if in your shoes

Added in above post! It's super hard to account for the MPH year since I'm not sure how much it will exactly be at each school/if I would be doing it elsewhere so these numbers are only based on 4 year MD degree.

 

[Dogruffle01]

Aye we have the same alma matter !!

If you liked Baltimore I would go Hopkins, Spending 4 years there you would know whether you like it there or not.

If not, then I would go Penn or Harvard

 

[proudofmykids]

Following my own advice….
it sound like you don’t want to be in NYC or Baltimore, which leaves Harvard or Penn. If you won’t be satisfied with MPH from Penn, you should choose Harvard. However, in my opinion, Penn is the right answer for you for MD/MPH without any moving,nor further expense of the degree, and liking Phili so much. I don’t see drop off in Penn prestige, just look at Doximity for how many top 10 programs Penn has for residencies.

 

[mangowolf]

If Baltimore is REALLY a major game changer for you then go to Penn. I wouldn’t be able to justify the cost differential for HMS personally. I still think Hopkins is the right fit for you and perhaps you could bring a car or carpool with a housemate to class. But if you really feel like you dislike Baltimore that is a valid reason to not choose Hopkins.

 

[razurvoic08]

Aye we have the same alma matter !!

If you liked Baltimore I would go Hopkins, Spending 4 years there you would know whether you like it there or not.

If not, then I would go Penn or Harvard

That's awesome, Hopkins undergrad was a time lol. Congrats on your success this cycle and maybe we'll be classmates again!! Thanks for chiming in. Surprisingly, I feel like I still don't know how I feel about returning to Baltimore entirely. After talking to multiple students, it seems like the med student experience in Baltimore is just very different. The Hopkins safety bubble around Homewood is much larger than the bubble around the med campus and spending time in the Fells/Butcher's Hill/Patterson/Fed Hill areas was not the norm during undergrad. But you are right in part - I do understand the general feel of Baltimore, and personally, I felt like it is a very unique and cool small city where safety should not be too much of an issue if you make reasonably smart choices and know where you're going.

Following my own advice….
it sound like you don’t want to be in NYC or Baltimore, which leaves Harvard or Penn. If you won’t be satisfied with MPH from Penn, you should choose Harvard. However, in my opinion, Penn is the right answer for you for MD/MPH without any moving,nor further expense of the degree, and liking Phili so much. I don’t see drop off in Penn prestige, just look at Doximity for how many top 10 programs Penn has for residencies.

Thanks for the responding back! I think the MPH is a pretty big factor for me looking at how I envision my future practice and the safety/QOL aspects of Baltimore are manageable/controllable and not enough to cross Hopkins off my list.

If Baltimore is REALLY a major game changer for you then go to Penn. I wouldn’t be able to justify the cost differential for HMS personally. I still think Hopkins is the right fit for you and perhaps you could bring a car or carpool with a housemate to class. But if you really feel like you dislike Baltimore that is a valid reason to not choose Hopkins.

Thank you for your thoughts I do think Hopkins is a great fit for me and who I am/what I value in so many ways!

 

[razurvoic08]

Thank you all so much for your feedback!

I've officially crossed off Penn, mainly due to its MPH program. In the future, I see myself doing 70% clinical work + 30% local public health research/programmatic work, so the degree is a very important complement to my medical career. Therefore, I'd really prefer having access to the resources a school of public health would have as well as a program with more specific concentrations that I would want to specialize in. I also don't think it's feasible to do my MPH year at another school due to my partner who will be changing jobs and moving half-way across the country for me during my second year of medical school.

Which means I've narrowed down my choices to HMS and Hopkins. I'm leaning 60-40 towards HMS right now, which is new because I think I've been leaning Hopkins this entire time. This is for a few reasons:

1. After sitting down to talk about finances, I realized that I am incredibly lucky and privileged to be able to pay for HMS possibly without any debt/loans if I wish
2. My partner is in tech and strongly favors Boston over Baltimore (and Philly for that matter) for job prospects
3. After attending an HMS community engagement panel, I feel confident that I will be able to engage and serve urban underserved communities and gain exposure to a diverse patient population if I am strategic and intentional in planning out my ECs/clinical rotations and electives

Still, I feel like it could go either way at this point. But I do have some questions left (apologies if any of them are dumb questions) that I hope will help me solidify my final decision one way or another if anyone could help answer one/any of them...

• Any notes on the mentorship/support for students both personally and professionally at HMS? I feel like I heard a lot about this at Hopkins with their amazing CAPS program but not at Harvard
• How is the student community at Hopkins with everyone living in different areas of Baltimore?
• Does Hopkins have a health systems/health care delivery innovation center/group/lab? I couldn’t find anything that did this type of work specifically but I feel like that can’t be true with how large Bloomberg is
• How strong and hands-on is the clinical training at HMS? I've heard a bit that HMS grads might not be as strongly clinically trained due to emphasis on research/outside things to distinguish themselves in the P/F curriculum
• How is HMS historically in matching emergency medicine? Can you go anywhere in the U.S. from HMS? It's kind of overwhelming how many people match back to a Harvard affiliated hospital, and while they're very strong programs that I would be interested in, I think it is possible that I might want to do residency in Chicago or the Bay Area or just another place

 

[Dr Meow]

Just be aware as I'm from maryland, Baltimore isn't exactly the safest place.
Just saw this today also:

Baltimore doctor shot in attempted carjacking during morning drive to hospital

Dr. Madhu Subramanian, a 38-year-old surgeon at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and an assistant professor of surgery, was on his way to work around 7 a.m.

nypost.com

"unsure if students are having a fun/balanced time at school or in the city"

- You DON'T want to have fun in Baltimore...unless you wanna die.
Might as well go somewhere safer

Most Dangerous Cities in the United States 2024

 

[mangowolf]

Any notes on the mentorship/support for students both personally and professionally at HMS? I feel like I heard a lot about this at Hopkins with their amazing CAPS program but not at Harvard

lol I heard from at least 5 different sources that it is extremely poor. You can DM me for more details.

• How is the student community at Hopkins with everyone living in different areas of Baltimore?

Not sure on this one either, I do know they have their molecules or something

• Does Hopkins have a health systems/health care delivery innovation center/group/lab? I couldn’t find anything that did this type of work specifically but I feel like that can’t be true with how large Bloomberg is

Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research | Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research conducts multidisciplinary research on policies and practices, focusing on their impact on quality of care and patient-centered outcomes.

www.jhsph.edu

• How strong and hands-on is the clinical training at HMS? I've heard a bit that HMS grads might not be as strongly clinically trained due to emphasis on research/outside things to distinguish themselves in the P/F curriculum

I’m pretty sure the clinical training is good, I think it’s the anatomy that is extremely poor. However, you may be miserable during your clinical training because attendings can be nasty at MGH and BW. As for hands on, I’ve heard HMS is not as hands on as peer institutions on the west coast because of how formalized and hierarchical Harvard is. I don’t know how it compares to Hopkins though.

• How is HMS historically in matching emergency medicine? Can you go anywhere in the U.S. from HMS? It's kind of overwhelming how many people match back to a Harvard affiliated hospital, and while they're very strong programs that I would be interested in, I think it is possible that I might want to do residency in Chicago or the Bay Area or just another place

You will match easily in emergency medicine and I’d like to say you can probably match anywhere in the US but obviously it comes down to how well you perform. Not everyone at HMS matches nor does everyone match their top 3; according to a current MS4 at HMS, they claimed it seems roughly 50-50 on matching your top 3 residencies or not. Many suggested that gap years were necessary to remain competitive for residency, even for non competitive specialties like IM. You will theoretically be able to match to any residency outside of HMS, but obviously your biggest “boost” coming out of HMS would be at an HMS affiliate.

 

[Banco]

Good god this is a lot of overthinking. You will literally be more than fine regardless of where you go from these.

 

[Dogruffle01]

Thank you all so much for your feedback!

I've officially crossed off Penn, mainly due to its MPH program. In the future, I see myself doing 70% clinical work + 30% local public health research/programmatic work, so the degree is a very important complement to my medical career. Therefore, I'd really prefer having access to the resources a school of public health would have as well as a program with more specific concentrations that I would want to specialize in. I also don't think it's feasible to do my MPH year at another school due to my partner who will be changing jobs and moving half-way across the country for me during my second year of medical school.

Which means I've narrowed down my choices to HMS and Hopkins. I'm leaning 60-40 towards HMS right now, which is new because I think I've been leaning Hopkins this entire time. This is for a few reasons:

1. After sitting down to talk about finances, I realized that I am incredibly lucky and privileged to be able to pay for HMS possibly without any debt/loans if I wish
2. My partner is in tech and strongly favors Boston over Baltimore (and Philly for that matter) for job prospects
3. After attending an HMS community engagement panel, I feel confident that I will be able to engage and serve urban underserved communities and gain exposure to a diverse patient population if I am strategic and intentional in planning out my ECs/clinical rotations and electives

Still, I feel like it could go either way at this point. But I do have some questions left (apologies if any of them are dumb questions) that I hope will help me solidify my final decision one way or another if anyone could help answer one/any of them...

• Any notes on the mentorship/support for students both personally and professionally at HMS? I feel like I heard a lot about this at Hopkins with their amazing CAPS program but not at Harvard
• How is the student community at Hopkins with everyone living in different areas of Baltimore?
• Does Hopkins have a health systems/health care delivery innovation center/group/lab? I couldn’t find anything that did this type of work specifically but I feel like that can’t be true with how large Bloomberg is
• How strong and hands-on is the clinical training at HMS? I've heard a bit that HMS grads might not be as strongly clinically trained due to emphasis on research/outside things to distinguish themselves in the P/F curriculum
• How is HMS historically in matching emergency medicine? Can you go anywhere in the U.S. from HMS? It's kind of overwhelming how many people match back to a Harvard affiliated hospital, and while they're very strong programs that I would be interested in, I think it is possible that I might want to do residency in Chicago or the Bay Area or just another place

I’m only saying this because your on the fence and I would say our options and backgrounds are very similar…

I know my post seemed pro Baltimore … but i actually hated my time at Hopkins , hence why I didn’t apply.

Yes people say Boston can be racist, but I never truly grasped the term “ environmental stress” until I lived here. Everyday it seems Baltimore does something more to anger my soul.

But …. Maybe I’m just used to the happy go luck Midwests and you may have not had the same experience.

 

[potato22]

• How is the student community at Hopkins with everyone living in different areas of Baltimore?

Current student, saw the other points were touched on so I can speak on this a little! The large majority of students end up living in the Upper Fells/Butchers Hills area which makes the student community feel very close imo. All of my friends are basically a 3-10 minute walk from where I live, which is awesome. The proximity definitely makes it easy to coordinate hangouts and just casually run into each other around the neighborhood! Feel free to message me with any questions you may have about Hopkins, and best of luck with the decision-making process! You really can't go wrong .

 

[razurvoic08]

Good god this is a lot of overthinking. You will literally be more than fine regardless of where you go from these.

Hahaha I'm well aware that I'm splitting hairs making this decision lol. Just in the mindset that now is the time to get my questions answered and learn as much as I can about what differentiates these schools, not after the PTE deadline. Once the decision is made, I am confident that I'll be happy seeing myself at whichever school I choose and excited about starting med school!

I’m only saying this because your on the fence and I would say our options and backgrounds are very similar…

I know my post seemed pro Baltimore … but i actually hated my time at Hopkins , hence why I didn’t apply.

Yes people say Boston can be racist, but I never truly grasped the term “ environmental stress” until I lived here. Everyday it seems Baltimore does something more to anger my soul.

But …. Maybe I’m just used to the happy go luck Midwests and you may have not had the same experience.

Thank you for sharing! I feel you on the environmental stress point and I'm actually also from the Midwest/South to add to our shared background lol.

@mangowolf @potato22 messaged both of you!

 

[deleted1127091]

Just be aware as I'm from maryland, Baltimore isn't exactly the safest place.
Just saw this today also:

Baltimore doctor shot in attempted carjacking during morning drive to hospital

Dr. Madhu Subramanian, a 38-year-old surgeon at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and an assistant professor of surgery, was on his way to work around 7 a.m.

nypost.com

"unsure if students are having a fun/balanced time at school or in the city"

- You DON'T want to have fun in Baltimore...unless you wanna die.
Might as well go somewhere safer

Most Dangerous Cities in the United States 2024

Willing to bet the next 500 years of my attending salary and say that you are not from Baltimore, have not been to Baltimore, and don't know how to process crime statistics. You probably live somewhere like Calvert County or Chevy Chase and derive the entirety of your knowledge of Baltimore from the Wire or Fox news

1. Every Major city has crime
2. The high levels of crime that gives Baltimore a bad rap are not located in the vicinity of JHU, and this is especially true considering the high security presence around JHU. There is quite literally a security guard on every corner.
3. I'm willing to bet you people are not Black + Poor + Deal Drugs, so your demographic is largely unaffected by the crime
4. "You DON'T want to have fun in Baltimore...unless you wanna die." This is so CAP. You act like Baltimore is some warzone. There are many great areas, such as downtown, fed hill, inner habor, fells, point, canton, hampden, etc. This, doesn't even take into account all the great Baltimore suburbs, like Columbia, and that you can take a 30-45min train ride to DC if you want even more fun. You speak as if every year JHU loses half their class to murder....complete fiction

5. You like to point out the anecdote of that physician, well ok cool. I too, can post ancedotes.

Columbia student attacked in NYC park yelled ‘Help! I have been stabbed!’ before dying

The dramatic details of the unprovoked, violent homicide were revealed in the murder indictment of Vincent Pinkney, 25.

www.nbcnews.com

Signed,
Baltimore Native

 

[pyrotechnicpork]

Congratulations on all of your wonderful options! These are all great schools, and I don't think there is a "bad" choice here. However, I wanted to take a moment to emphasize the impact true P/F clerkship year grading will have on your well-being as it's somewhat hard to imagine what that looks like prior to starting clerkship year. Clerkship grades can be unbelievably subjective (the rumors are true), and having these be P/F without AOA/Ranking/MSPE adjectives is a real gift that will help you to take appropriate risks, develop as a budding physician, and focus on learning and patient care during your first formative clinical year.