Why Hopkins?

[tomhaverford]

I've been lucky enough to have been accepted to Hopkins last week and now am in the process of choosing between it, Stanford, Penn, and UVA. As much as I enjoyed my time at Hopkins, I can't really put a finger on what makes it stand out from everyone else aside from its Prestige (with a capitalized 'P'). Before I make a decision, does anyone have any good reasons for choosing it over the other schools I listed? Thanks for the feedback.

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[Pons Asinorum]

1. Strength of faculty/opportunities to work/research/get LORs from well-known attendings
2. Performance in match every year
3. New facilities
4. Indigent population that speaks primarily English (if you are a native English speaker)
5. I personally like Baltimore a lot when I lived there (2001-2007); it's the city that reads!
6. The Wire Reality Tour
7. License plate surrounds that say "Hopkins - Best of the Best"
8. Lots of other stuff

 

[cookiemonsters]

The Hopkins letterhead on your LORs for residency is probably worth the price of admission alone.

 

[richardkimble]

First off, congrats! I also got accepted to Hopkins this cycle, and I can give you a few of the reasons I'll probably be going there--I can't speak to the other schools you're considering, though. I think Hopkins has an awesome med school culture, which is something that sort of surprised me on my interview day. The students seemed genuinely interested in and enthusiastic about what they and their classmates were learning, researching, and working on. They seemed nerdy but fun, and proud to be in class with each other. It also sounds like, maybe more than at any other school I visited, the faculty and administration really work to hook students up with whatever kind of clinical exposure, research, or extracurricular they're interested in. There's also a strong focus on public health, and (license plate frames aside) an unpretentious attitude toward serving and being part of the Baltimore community. They love their Ravens. Also, they got that good Bloomberg money coming in.

 

[richardkimble]

There's also this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGH2d1jBJu8

 

[Pons Asinorum]

...(license plate frames aside) an unpretentious attitude toward serving and being part of the Baltimore community.

Truth. I kid about the tag surrounds. It's mostly hospital staff that rocks them, not med students.

 

[alpinism]

1. Strength of faculty/opportunities to work/research/get LORs from well-known attendings
2. Performance in match every year
3. New facilities
4. Indigent population that speaks primarily English (if you are a native English speaker)
5. I personally like Baltimore a lot when I lived there (2001-2007); it's the city that reads!
6. The Wire Reality Tour
7. License plate surrounds that say "Hopkins - Best of the Best"
8. Lots of other stuff

This.

9. Very sick inner city population with tons of diverse pathology
10. The best clinical research opportunities of any med school (faculty get published in NEJM/JAMA/Lancet/Nature all the time = ability to get published in top journals as a student)
11. Top residency programs (ability to work with some of the best residents in the country)
12. The best public health school in the world
13. Great global health and international medicine opportunities
14. Emphasis on hiring professors that are very good at both research and teaching
15. Culture of continual learning and improvement
16. Oh, and preclincial P/F grading

First off, congrats! I also got accepted to Hopkins this cycle, and I can give you a few of the reasons I'll probably be going there--I can't speak to the other schools you're considering, though. I think Hopkins has an awesome med school culture, which is something that sort of surprised me on my interview day. The students seemed genuinely interested in and enthusiastic about what they and their classmates were learning, researching, and working on. They seemed nerdy but fun, and proud to be in class with each other. It also sounds like, maybe more than at any other school I visited, the faculty and administration really work to hook students up with whatever kind of clinical exposure, research, or extracurricular they're interested in. There's also a strong focus on public health, and (license plate frames aside) an unpretentious attitude toward serving and being part of the Baltimore community. They love their Ravens. Also, they got that good Bloomberg money coming in.

Overall, the students and professors there are the some of the most passionate, enthusiastic, and inspirational i've ever seen. Most people don't go to hopkins be a good doctor, they go there to change medicine.

Don't forget about all of the Gates Foundation money as well.

 

[rodmichael82]

I can't picture myself living 4 years in Baltimore sorry.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

I can't picture myself living 4 years in Baltimore sorry.

I guess I wouldn't consider the downsides of most urban areas (such as Richmond) to be very different than Baltimore's.

 

[Daodejing]

I don't understand why Hopkins gets such an overwhelmingly bad rep for being in B-more, such that top applicants will shun Hopkins (mistakenly IMO) because it's in a "bad" environment. Both WashU and SLU are in St. Louis, notoriously the worst city in crime, yet droves of students apply to both of these schools. To each their own, I guess..

 

[Pons Asinorum]

I don't understand why Hopkins gets such an overwhelmingly bad rep for being in B-more, such that top applicants will shun Hopkins (mistakenly IMO) because it's in a "bad" environment. Both WashU and SLU are in St. Louis, notoriously the worst city in crime, yet droves of students apply to both of these schools. To each their own, I guess..

I wish I could control for acceptance status when considering those opinions. Name any mid-to-large urban area, same issues. Cleveland? Chicago? Detroit? Los Angeles? People with the "anywhere but Baltimore" schtick can spare me.

 

[UrbanRiver]

Is Hopkins more prestigious than Stanford? Just curious.

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[yellowfish]

Is Hopkins more prestigious than Stanford? Just curious.

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The Hopkins Hospital has a pretty special place in the advancement of medicine, and by affiliation with that Hospital the medical school is generally more highly regarded for its clinical training. Which name is more prestigious? Who's to say. Stanford is probably slightly more of a household name these days, but in medicine the Hopkins name still wins out.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

Is Hopkins more prestigious than Stanford? Just curious.

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Depends on which coast you're standing.

 

[UrbanRiver]

The Hopkins Hospital has a pretty special place in the advancement of medicine, and by affiliation with that Hospital the medical school is generally more highly regarded for its clinical training. Which name is more prestigious? Who's to say. Stanford is probably slightly more of a household name these days, but in medicine the Hopkins name still wins out.

I think I agree with your opinion on this one.

 

[yehhhboiii]

It's Hopkins.

 

[erutha95]

Depends on which coast you're standing.

This is true. Of the advantages people have listed, most of them will also apply to Stanford and Penn. Hopkins and Penn get more love on the east coast, while Stanford gets at least equal and probably greater respect on the west coast. Historically, Hopkins and Harvard have been considered slightly above the other top schools in terms of prestige and quality of training.

Hopkins and Penn have better clinical training IMO, since Baltimore and to a lesser extent West Philly have big poor populations with significant and diverse pathology, while Stanford sees less of that.

For me, cost of living is a big factor. People hate on Baltimore, but it's a good town that's cheap to live in (as long as you stay out of places you obviously shouldn't be in--a caveat that applies in any big city). 300k in loans to live in a cramped apartment in Palo Alto? No thanks. That might appeal to some people, but I'd rather live well for less money in a "less desirable" place.

Baltimore and Philly have seasons. Palo Alto doesn't, really. I happen to like seasons.

Last but definitely not least, you should gauge the culture and personality of the students at each place you're considering. I can't really speak to this, but I have heard people say that they were really bowled over by how awesome the Hopkins students were: friendly, accomplished, etc. I haven't heard the same about the other schools you listed, but that doesn't mean the students in those places aren't just as great. Revisit and see where you seem to fit in best.

 

[semicharmed]

I chose Hopkins because of a number of things. I ideally wanted to go to school in an area that was close-ish to my friends and family (plus I'm kind of an East-coast-aphile). I also had several friends who were studying at hopkins med when I was applying and heard first-hand accounts about how much they were enjoying themselves, etc, so I felt like I had a genuine appreciation of the school from many different people. I liked the curriculum a lot, grew up around MD so I knew Baltimore was a pretty cool city, and the facilities and professors were amazing when I visited.

I waited all the way to march to make my final decision.What really cemented Hopkins as my top choice was meeting my future classmates. Honestly, you can be in the coolest city or the crappiest city in the country, but if you have the right people around you're going to have a great experience. When I went to Hopkins' second look-it just completely clicked. I had a really really good time, met the most brilliant, well-adjusted, down-to-earth (this is important at some of these schools to find, believe me) people I had ever met and certainly the most concentrated group of all the schools I had applied to. So that really did it!!

I've been very very impressed with how fun the new integrated curriculum is. It's like a huge family here too; all of the different years in medical school help each other out, and the mentoring you get from faculty is incredible. We have peer mentors, college groups, "molecule" groups, anatomy partners...so you have so many intimate chances to get to know people better. And the profs are always in AMEB hanging with us, going to events ("Liver Rounds" is the best, beer and pizza nearly every friday with a different hospital department's residents/docs/chief).

Even the first couple weeks, I was sort of waiting for the class dynamic to fade because I thought that people were just really jazzed up to get here and may fade in enthusiasm/personality once the ball got rolling. But honestly, it hasn't happened-we've just gotten closer. It's better than I could've thought possible.

I love med school-you're going to have a great experience. Try not to stress too much about the decision-You have a lot of great options and of course we'd love to have you up here. I am very very happy I chose Hopkins and I'm loving my time here. I recommend going to as many second looks as you can afford-you're probably going to have a great time at all of them, the school's do a real good job of having a fun weekend. There will be a vibe-some kind of cumulative philosophy or class dynamic that you'll sense and it's pretty different everywhere, so just see where you best feel that you fit in! Get pumped-it's going to be a real good ride...

PS: Don't believe all the hating about Baltimore. I was incredulous when I got here by how enthusiastic the residents are about the city (the city benches have "Greatest City in America" on all of them which I kind of rolled my eyes at...but they actually do believe it). It's a quirky place-lots of really nice areas, super chill areas, and yeah some parts that you wouldn't really have a reason to interact with/go to. I think our class has been pleasantly surprised by it

 

[Pons Asinorum]

I chose Hopkins because of a number of things. I ideally wanted to go to school in an area that was close-ish to my friends and family (plus I'm kind of an East-coast-aphile). I also had several friends who were studying at hopkins med when I was applying and heard first-hand accounts about how much they were enjoying themselves, etc, so I felt like I had a genuine appreciation of the school from many different people. I liked the curriculum a lot, grew up around MD so I knew Baltimore was a pretty cool city, and the facilities and professors were amazing when I visited.

I waited all the way to march to make my final decision.What really cemented Hopkins as my top choice was meeting my future classmates. Honestly, you can be in the coolest city or the crappiest city in the country, but if you have the right people around you're going to have a great experience. When I went to Hopkins' second look-it just completely clicked. I had a really really good time, met the most brilliant, well-adjusted, down-to-earth (this is important at some of these schools to find, believe me) people I had ever met and certainly the most concentrated group of all the schools I had applied to. So that really did it!!

I've been very very impressed with how fun the new integrated curriculum is. It's like a huge family here too; all of the different years in medical school help each other out, and the mentoring you get from faculty is incredible. We have peer mentors, college groups, "molecule" groups, anatomy partners...so you have so many intimate chances to get to know people better. And the profs are always in AMEB hanging with us, going to events ("Liver Rounds" is the best, beer and pizza nearly every friday with a different hospital department's residents/docs/chief).

Even the first couple weeks, I was sort of waiting for the class dynamic to fade because I thought that people were just really jazzed up to get here and may fade in enthusiasm/personality once the ball got rolling. But honestly, it hasn't happened-we've just gotten closer. It's better than I could've thought possible.

I love med school-you're going to have a great experience. Try not to stress too much about the decision-You have a lot of great options and of course we'd love to have you up here. I am very very happy I chose Hopkins and I'm loving my time here. I recommend going to as many second looks as you can afford-you're probably going to have a great time at all of them, the school's do a real good job of having a fun weekend. There will be a vibe-some kind of cumulative philosophy or class dynamic that you'll sense and it's pretty different everywhere, so just see where you best feel that you fit in! Get pumped-it's going to be a real good ride...

PS: Don't believe all the hating about Baltimore. I was incredulous when I got here by how enthusiastic the residents are about the city (the city benches have "Greatest City in America" on all of them which I kind of rolled my eyes at...but they actually do believe it). It's a quirky place-lots of really nice areas, super chill areas, and yeah some parts that you wouldn't really have a reason to interact with/go to. I think our class has been pleasantly surprised by it

Nowhere do you mention The Brewer's Art, so I feel like you might be doing it wrong 😉

Agree with lots here, though I decided not to move back to Baltimore for med school.

 

[NewYorker9]

I chose Hopkins because of a number of things. I ideally wanted to go to school in an area that was close-ish to my friends and family (plus I'm kind of an East-coast-aphile). I also had several friends who were studying at hopkins med when I was applying and heard first-hand accounts about how much they were enjoying themselves, etc, so I felt like I had a genuine appreciation of the school from many different people. I liked the curriculum a lot, grew up around MD so I knew Baltimore was a pretty cool city, and the facilities and professors were amazing when I visited.

I waited all the way to march to make my final decision.What really cemented Hopkins as my top choice was meeting my future classmates. Honestly, you can be in the coolest city or the crappiest city in the country, but if you have the right people around you're going to have a great experience. When I went to Hopkins' second look-it just completely clicked. I had a really really good time, met the most brilliant, well-adjusted, down-to-earth (this is important at some of these schools to find, believe me) people I had ever met and certainly the most concentrated group of all the schools I had applied to. So that really did it!!

I've been very very impressed with how fun the new integrated curriculum is. It's like a huge family here too; all of the different years in medical school help each other out, and the mentoring you get from faculty is incredible. We have peer mentors, college groups, "molecule" groups, anatomy partners...so you have so many intimate chances to get to know people better. And the profs are always in AMEB hanging with us, going to events ("Liver Rounds" is the best, beer and pizza nearly every friday with a different hospital department's residents/docs/chief).

Even the first couple weeks, I was sort of waiting for the class dynamic to fade because I thought that people were just really jazzed up to get here and may fade in enthusiasm/personality once the ball got rolling. But honestly, it hasn't happened-we've just gotten closer. It's better than I could've thought possible.

I love med school-you're going to have a great experience. Try not to stress too much about the decision-You have a lot of great options and of course we'd love to have you up here. I am very very happy I chose Hopkins and I'm loving my time here. I recommend going to as many second looks as you can afford-you're probably going to have a great time at all of them, the school's do a real good job of having a fun weekend. There will be a vibe-some kind of cumulative philosophy or class dynamic that you'll sense and it's pretty different everywhere, so just see where you best feel that you fit in! Get pumped-it's going to be a real good ride...

PS: Don't believe all the hating about Baltimore. I was incredulous when I got here by how enthusiastic the residents are about the city (the city benches have "Greatest City in America" on all of them which I kind of rolled my eyes at...but they actually do believe it). It's a quirky place-lots of really nice areas, super chill areas, and yeah some parts that you wouldn't really have a reason to interact with/go to. I think our class has been pleasantly surprised by it

Your post makes me wish I had applied!

 

[Hoagie]

Nowhere do you mention The Brewer's Art, so I feel like you might be doing it wrong 😉

Agree with lots here, though I decided not to move back to Baltimore for med school.

BREWERS IS SO OVERRATED. bar food is okay but the restaurant portion is agressively mediocre. The beers are good but not to the extent that theyre charging. Anyhow Baltimore is great.