hopkins or penn?

[fifibean]

i'm torn between hopkins and penn and know how lucky i am to even have this choice, but i absolutely cannot decide.

i've re-visited both and really enjoyed my time at both schools (didn't feel like hopkins was competitive or too much more stressful than penn). somewhat ambivalent about both baltimore and philly--philly is perhaps the nicer city, but baltimore is closer to home.

main differences between the two in my mind are these--i'm very interested in public health and cannot ignore the fantastic school of public health at hopkins (though penn is starting its own m.p.h. program). in favor of penn, i like the fact that the medical school is on the same campus as all of penn's other schools (there's more of a sense of community, etc.) and i think the curriculum is certainly more laidback than hopkins' curriculum.

i'm torn and horribly indecisive. any suggestions?

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[CUarzt]

for solely the reasons you post, i would attend hopkins.

i dont think my bringing other factors into the equation will help--you seem to have nailed several of them already. given those that you've posted (curriculum, location, atmosphere), i'd be at hopkins in a heartbeat.

either way you choose, i hope you realize how fortunate things have turned out for you!

just my $.02

 

[Dr. L]

Congratulations--what a great choice! If you are at all interested in public health, I don't think you can pass up Hopkins. It has an amazing public health program and thats a great opportunity. Even with a MPH at Penn, its a new program and cannot be as refined or well-known as Hopkins. Considering most of the other factors are pretty equal, by what you posted, I would go -with Hopkins. Let us know what you choose.

 

[oneironaut]

It sounds to me like you are favoring Hopkins.

 

[Legend]

Hopkins !

 

[Mighty Mac]

Go to Hopkins, Penn didn't even have the good sense to accept me!

 

[doepug]

Congrats!

You've gotta come to Hopkins. You'll love it here!

E-mail me with any questions you might have: <a href="mailto[email protected]" target="_blank">[email protected]</a>.

Cheers,

doepug
MS II, Johns Hopkins

 

[fifibean]

thanks for the input. i was just now reading sir william osler's comments on the UPenn Revisit thread about how he felt the students at Penn are more "hip" and "cool" while hopkins students are more serious about medicine.

do you guys think there could be such a marked difference between the two schools' student body? won't there be a variety of students at both schools?

 

[Dr. L]

Do you really think that there would be such a huge difference in the student body between the two schools? I understand that perhaps a state school would have a more laid-back student population, but I don't think that schools ranked 2 and 4 are really attracting such different people.

 

[Jo]

Hmm, it might not be that the two schools are attracting different types of people but maybe that the environment each school creates (by virtue of its curriculum, location, extracurricular offerings, etc.) causes students to react differently. Maybe people at Penn seem more laid back and into different things just because they are under less stress and have more time?

 

[Esco]

I just got back from Penn Preview and if you went I don't see how you can even be considering another school...????!!!!!

 

[Sir William Osler]

hi again,
definitly a difference between the two groups of students at jhu and upenn. i was shocked. But, it's not like one is fun and the other isn't. It's more subtle. It's like going out to a club in NYC and going to a club in Philadelphia. Subtle difference but noticeable.

good luck. i loved jhu by the way.

 

[rajneel1]

hopkins

 

[TommyGunn04]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Esco:
•I just got back from Penn Preview and if you went I don't see how you can even be considering another school...????!!!!!•••••I've gotta agree...Penn is friggin' awesome! Second look was unbelievable! I'm still ever so slightly leaning towards Duke though (if they take me off the waitlist!)

 

[nalandra]

Dr. L and fifibean,

Just a tiny note to Dr. L, UPenn isn't a state school, and I've got the bills to prove it. As for Fifibean, I'd say go wherever you feel most comfortable. People can tell you logically which one to go to based on stats and facts, but sometimes your gut feeling is the best indicator where you should go. After all, you will be with these people for 4+ years. If you have any questions about UPenn, feel free to email me or any of our students. Most of us don't bite. :wink:

Nala, MS1 UPenn SOM

 

[fifibean]

thanks again for your votes.

people are telling me to go with my gut instincts, but my gut instincts seem to change from day to day.

any other input?

 

[reena]

You should list the advantages of going to each school, and then decide which advantages are more important to you, and then you should decide to go to Penn (that's where I'll be going next year). Also, be sure to check out who is on what waitlist (ahem, Dr. L)

 

[Hisega]

I'm impartial - I'm a 3rd yr at Penn and have loved every minute of it. Awesome class, friends, opportunities, city (and I had to leave my beloved Chicago also), etc. The only thing I could possibly contribute is this: one of my friends is a JHU grad and he's always said he's very happy at Penn (not sure if he was accepted at JHU, though!)

Dr.L, please, quiet.

 

[BlueJayBill]

Hi,

I'm an undergrad at Hopkins and I would say... Hopkins! Their med students have so much fun. Many of them go out in big huge groups to bars and other various activities. Baltimore i think is pretty similar to philly in opportunities for a social life, etc. Also, med students tell me they love their clinical rounds and feel that they have a lot of independence.

In certain classes, professors provide them breakfast and coffee, I don't know if that unique at all to the med school process. In addition, no one worries or even knows their grades.

Bloomberg School of Public Health kicks a lot of ass. I've met some of the most interesting people at that portion of the medical institution: AIDS workers, public development, vaccine research, and the guy who orchestrated the elimination of Smallpox.

Just an all out interesting place.