Author Topic: Visit Hopkins (Read 3891 times)

Admissions_Daniel · « **on:** June 06, 2007, 03:48 PM »

As the calendar turns to June and the summer officially begins, thousands of high school students begin the trek across the country visiting colleges. For those of you who are prospective students for the Class of 2012 and beyond, you may actually be considering a visit to Johns Hopkins this summer or in the fall.

To help, we have started this discussion thread to provide you all with advice as you plan your visit to Baltimore and the Homewood campus. The students and staff are here to add our thoughts but also to answer questions about when to visit, what programs are available, transportation, parking, and the all important questions about what to see when you are here.

To begin the discussion, let me provide you all with some links to help along the way:

Guided Tours and Information Sessions: Planning a visit during a weekday in the summer or fall? Check this site out for times and dates for our weekly tours and sessions.

Discover Hopkins: Want a more in-depth visit to campus this summer? Then consider one of our Discover Hopkins mimi-Open House programs on select Saturdays in June, July, and August.

Open Houses: Interested in the most information overloaded visit possible? Well that is one of our Fall Open Houses offered on October 20 or October 27.

Off-Campus Events: Can't make it to campus then consider one of our Off-Campus Events.

JHU_Kate · « **Reply #1 on:** June 07, 2007, 01:22 PM »

I just want to say that if you're considering applying to Hopkins, visit campus if you can! Two campus visits that I made in high school played a huge role in my ultimate decision to come to Hopkins. The first visit was in the summer before my senior year of high school. That visit made a difference between me hating the idea of applying to Hopkins and me deciding to apply to Hopkins. The second visit was in the spring of my senior year of high school. That visit made a difference between me leaning heavily towards enrolling at another college and me changing my mind to enroll at Hopkins, because I saw that Hopkins might be an even better fit for me than the other college.

I also visited other colleges when I was ( a ) deciding where to apply and ( b ) deciding where to enroll, and those visits also gave me great perspectives on those other colleges. In a way, they affected my decision to come to Hopkins, because I was able to compare my on-campus experiences for multiple colleges before deciding where to go. Basically, if you can, visit the colleges that you're seriously considering. Even if your visit is in the summer (it's better to visit in the fall or spring, since actual students are on campus), it's better than nothing.

Also, a former college financial aid officer who spoke at my brother's high school told my parents words along the following lines: "Sending your children to college is a major investment. Would you decide whether to buy a car without looking at it first? Probably not. So why would you and your children decide where to go to college without visiting it first?"

The investment part stems from the fact that your parents put in a lot of time and money in relation to your college education. Even if financial aid and scholarships cover your tuition and room/board, more often than not, your parents end up helping you pay for fees, dorm room purchases, travel expenses to and from home...you get the picture. Even if you pay for those miscellaneous things with your own job earnings (and not your parents' money), the point is that someone is putting in time and money towards your college education.

So yeah, visiting colleges isn't a waste of time. Please do it if you can. I know of people from my former high school who had the time and means to visit the colleges they were considering, but they didn't, and they ended up transferring colleges before the end of the first semester.

JHU_MichelleT · « **Reply #2 on:** June 08, 2007, 11:57 AM »

Absolutely you should visit colleges before making your final decision on where to enroll. Ideally, you should visit schools before deciding where to apply, but I know from personal experience that it's not always possible to do that because of scheduling, geography, and the financial expense involved. So a good alternative for the first part of your school-selection process (figuring out the list of places to apply) is to look online for ways to "feel" what the school is like, both physically what it's like on campus (with virtual tours, etc) and what the students/faculty are like (with messageboards like these, for example).

Definitely my main piece of advice is to make sure you feel like you could fit in on a campus; no matter how beautiful it is, if you can't imagine yourself living there and being happy for four years, it's not worth it!

JHU_Juinting · « **Reply #3 on:** June 08, 2007, 01:46 PM »

Yeah, so here's my college visit story.

I had honestly thought it'd kinda just be like sightseeing on the campuses when I started my crazy road trip with my dad. And for some schools it was - I thought "Oh, that's nice" when I visited Swarthmore. But when I visited Hopkins, something about the visit made me really want to come here. Point is, a visit can really help you make your decision sometimes.

If I were planning a trip, I'd say try to make it during the school year to get as accurate of a picture of the campus as possible. Hopkins can be pretty dead during breaks, although there are still a fair number of people around during the summer.

JHU_Julia · « **Reply #4 on:** June 15, 2007, 10:00 AM »

I just wanted to add one thought about summer visits. I know a lot of people say not to visit colleges over the summer because people aren't around as much and you can't get a feel for the student life and etc.

I actually would disagree with that wholeheartedly. Especially in terms of practicality, it is a good idea to get a bunch of visits out of the way over the summer so you don't have to do them all during your senior year while you're trying to write applications. Visiting schools over the summer will help weed out the ones you are really not interested in at all so that when the fall arrives you can focus on the ones you liked the first time you visited.

JHU_Andrew · « **Reply #5 on:** June 15, 2007, 11:10 AM »

Ironically, Hopkins was the only school I applied to that I didn't visit beforehand. I didn't even get a chance to visit until a few weeks before acceptance letters were sent out. I applied on a whim, assumed it was only a math/science school, and didn't even think I had a chance of getting in. I didn't even seriously consider the school as a possibility until I came to visit the campus. The campus it self blew me away. I knew that Hopkins was the place for me the second I received that acceptance email.

JHU_Esther · « **Reply #6 on:** June 21, 2007, 08:02 PM »

When I was looking at schools I had weird criteria. One thing that I desperately wanted was for my college to "look like a college". I would not recommend picking schools this way but it is how I did it. Hopkins actually looks what I pictured college to be. It has trees and quads and brick buildings with marble. I got my wish but I wouldn't necessarily recommend my methods.

JHU_Phil · « **Reply #7 on:** June 29, 2007, 10:40 AM »

When I was applying to colleges, I picked out ten. Of 10 I visited 5. Of the 5 I applied to one.

Coming to see the campus is an absolute must. I can imagine it might be more difficult for those who live far away, but this will be your home for the next four years. That should make it worth a look.

Stay over when possible. But this can make or break your decision. If you don't have someone who is interesting as your host, it could destroy the visit. But there are many hosts who can help you make your decision.

Yeah....visit the place.

JHU_Liny · « **Reply #8 on:** July 06, 2007, 10:28 AM »

I liked Kate's quote/analogy about how you wouldn't buy a car without looking at it first and how that's like you wouldn't go to a college without visiting it first. Personally I did all my campus visits over the summer before my senior year with the whole family (I even miraculously managed to drag my brother who was already in college along). Since this was one of the few times we were all free it worked out well. We basically took a east coast tour to all the colleges I was planning on applying too. Since I'm from Baltimore County I actually didn't want to visit Hopkins. I had seen the campus plenty of times before and thought I couldn't gain anything from the experience. But a campus visit isn't just to see the campus. It also is a great way (via the info sessions, tours, and interview) to learn alot about the campus that you wouldn't learn through pamphlets and internet sites. You can have a lot of specific questions that you want to know answered. And if you can manage to come during an open house that's even better! You'll get the opportunity to visit the departments of your choices to learn more about the majors you're interested in!

JHU_MichelleB · « **Reply #9 on:** July 06, 2007, 12:08 PM »

Just wanted to add in, if you're planning on taking a tour soon, I made a post on my blog a while back about tour advice:

http://hopkins.typepad.com/michelleb/2006/...r_guides_p.html

Not to toot my own horn or anything, but Julia said it was "pure brilliance"....

I'd check it out is all I'm saying.

JHU_Adam · « **Reply #10 on:** July 06, 2007, 01:45 PM »

I honestly applied to 20 different schools. I was the first of my family to go to college in the states and my college counselor did not really do much to help me narrow my choices. I really felt i would have benefited from visiting colleges prior to applying. That way i would have known if i really wanted to go there. There were at least 10 schools who if i had gotten into i still would not have gone. Visiting is the most crucial aspect of the college process. If you can spend a night, even better. Try to get a feel for what the people are like, so you can figure out if you will find a niche you're going to be happy with. Enjoy the whole process though. It'll be tiring but in the end hopefully you'll have one of the best, worst decisions of your life (i let you guys figure out what that means)

JHU_Jackie · « **Reply #11 on:** July 06, 2007, 04:14 PM »

I only applied to 3 schools. Two of them were early action and one, Hopkins, was early decision. While it may seem as if I had it easy with only 3 schools to choose from, I looked at at least 10 different schools. I honestly believe that some people can just apply to schools and then be perfectly happy with the choices they made. I needed to look at the schools before I applied, it was just what made me most comfortable.

When you visit a school, pay attention to the students on campus. One thing I noticed was if the students were school spirited. At Hopkins, a lot of kids wear Hopkins t-shirts, sweatshirts, and sweatpants it seemed to me that everyone was proud that he/she went to Hopkins. At other schools I didn't see that.
Don't be afraid to ask the students on campus for directions, or advice in general. When I came to an open house, I wasn't sure which meal plan I should get and it when I spoke to a few students it was clear: get the smaller meal plan. Everyone was very reassuring.

Finally, you should ask yourself: Can I see myself here for the next four years?

JHU_Stefanie · « **Reply #12 on:** July 08, 2007, 09:48 AM »

First, I'll share what I did, and then I'll share what I would do NOW that I know better.

I applied to all of the big-name schools without visiting a single one of them with the sole intent of "getting the feel" for the school. I was at Stanford the entire summer of my Junior year (a school I did not even apply to in the end), and I was overwhelmed with AP exam studying at the end of 2nd semester Senior year so I "didn't have time" to visit the campuses. I struggled with the ultimate decision because I liked all of the schools on paper. In the end, I made a pro-con list with the last two schools, and Hopkins won. A major pro-weight for Hopkins was the students on the message boards. This was my only way of contacting students at Hopkins at the time. It really helped to get a "feel" even in this small way.

Now. If I were to go back, I would NOT apply to the big-name schools simply because of the name. I would spread out visits to every school throughout my first semester of Senior year (or 2nd semester/summer of Junior year) to decide where I'd like to apply because it requires A LOT of money & time to apply. And I would apply to the schools where I'd thought I'd go had I been accepted. In the end, I would just invest a lot of time in scoping out the schools. In the end, at least you'll feel more invested in the schools you're decided between aside from a simply application. I believe the decision will be a tiny bit easier in the end. If not, at least you know you will like the school on a first-hand basis.

JHU_Tanmay · « **Reply #13 on:** July 09, 2007, 01:13 AM »

I'll take the same approach as Stephanie:

Towards the end of my senior year, I had narrowed my college list down to three: Caltech, Hopkins, and a double major in Plan II (liberal arts honors) and BME at UT (Texas). I had actually gotten into UT and Caltech before Christmas and was fairly certain that I would go to one of those two. Before I got my decision from Hopkins, I went to visit Caltech over spring break. I took the tour, met with faculty members and talked to a bunch of random students. I really liked the atmosphere and the campus, but the fact that the school was extremely science/math oriented and that the Admissions office likens the school to "drinking from a firehose" kind of turned me away. At that point I was fairly certain I would go to UT - most of my friends were going there, it was nearly free and they had great programs in BME and Plan II.

When I got my acceptance from Hopkins via email, I kind of dismissed it - I really had no intention of going there. But since I was offered a scholarship, I decided to visit the campus for an overnight visit. Before visiting, all I thought I knew about Baltimore and Hopkins was that it wasn't a very safe place. My visit totally turned my view around. When I visited, I stayed with a current student in the dorms - I highly recommend this to anyone who can. There's really no way to get an accurate impression of student life from just taking the tour - you have to actually live it for a day to see what it's like. My hosts were pretty busy since they had a physics test the next day, but they still took time to show me around, take me to dinner etc. Plus, I got to see what the academic atmosphere at Hopkins was really like. I had "heard" how it was cutthroat and how people would literally try to do well at the expense of others, but I saw nothing of the sort. Since there was a physics test the next day, when my hosts took me to the library and through the dorms, I saw tons of study groups working together in the hours before the exam.

So in summary, try to stay overnight if you can. If you can't, try to talk to random students during lunch or something - that's the best way to get a good impression of any campus. Hopkins is definitely not for everyone, and your visit should help you figure out if it's where you want to spend the next four years.

hopkinshon08 · « **Reply #14 on:** July 09, 2007, 08:17 PM »

Hi!
I have a random question about the tote bags. I was surprised to receive a red-and-yellow tote bag at the Discover Hopkins Day I attended. I was wondering why the tote bags are these colors when the most common colors associate with Hopkins are blue and white? My only guess is that they are the state flag colors (which I would feel really smart if that were the reason :D ), but I just wondered what the "official" reason was.
Thanks!
Ann

JHU_Blake · « **Reply #15 on:** July 10, 2007, 12:14 AM »

I would definitely suggest visiting the schools that you have serious interest in. I visited Hopkins and fell in love with it. The picture that was painted for me in Fall 2005 was one composed of a beautiful campus with nice people and the academic rigor that I wanted in a university. It lead me to apply ED and now I am here answering your questions. None of this would have been possible had I not visited Hopkins. :D

Admissions_Daniel · « **Reply #16 on:** July 10, 2007, 07:11 AM »

Ann,

This is actually a question we get often. First you need to know that Hopkins actually has two sets of colors. The university's official colors are gold and sable. Its athletic colors are Columbia blue and black. So when you see the blue and black (with white occassionally) you are seeing the Hopkins athletic colors ... but when you walk the Homewood campus or attend commencement you will see the academic colors of gold and sable.

Now as far as why we colored the bags gold and red ... well we wanted them to stand out. This article explains it all:

http://www.jhu.edu/~gazette/2006/20feb06/20bag.html

Oh and one last thing ... we will be changing the colors of the bags in the near future. Everyone is anticipating the new colors!

JHU_Kate · « **Reply #17 on:** July 10, 2007, 11:30 AM »

The real reason for the yellow and red coloring is that the Office of Undergraduate Admissions is a big fan of McDonald's. ;)

Admissions_Daniel · « **Reply #18 on:** July 10, 2007, 01:06 PM »

Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!

Don't reveal our secrets Kate. :D

hopkinshon08 · « **Reply #19 on:** July 10, 2007, 08:08 PM »

Thanks! :lol:

JHU_Stefanie · « **Reply #20 on:** July 13, 2007, 03:31 PM »

I love that they're so bright. It's always fun for undergraduates to see prospective students (with the bags) checking out the campus because you may very well be the next person we sit next to in class or eat lunch with on Friday afternoons. :)

JHU_Jessica · « **Reply #21 on:** March 10, 2009, 01:12 PM »

I am sadly known as the queen of campus tour visits. I had no idea what I wanted in a school. We had no idea where I would get in: Would my extracurriculars that I devoted my life to show to the admissions committee? Would that poor grade in Music Theory create a dent on my transcript? Additionally, I was pretty clueless when it came to majors--I wanted something interdisciplinary, like environmental studies, but wasn't certain about that. Combine this with two parents who had had the only option of going to a UC and knew little about the array of east coast schools, it made for an interesting two years of college visits.

With this being said, I became an expert in college visits.

Here is some advice:

1) Eat at the dining halls. When I came to Hopkins I ate in a dining hall with my mom and enjoyed hearing students talking about classes and the crazy things that they were reviewing with one another. However, at another school I absolutely hate the food and felt unwelcomed in the dining hall.

2) Random weekdays during the school year are the best times to visit. My mom had this whole philosophy of not visiting schools for open houses. So basically I never had been to an open house until I was a part of one at Hopkins. Although this made it hard to find open weekends between my sports' schedules, we were able to time manage it to get a lot of visits in. Open houses are good in the sense that there are usually more people to answer your questions and more scheduled events...and free food. However, I must say that if you visit on just a day in the school year you get a lot of other perks--small tour groups, freedom to explore the campus, individualized attention, etc.

3) Don't judge a school based off of the tour guide. Although, schools try to find tour guides and student interviewers who will be able to relate to a wide variety of students, they can't find people that everyone will be able to relate to. I personally didn't like my tour guide at Hopkins, which made me want to visit another time. However, LOOK around the campus at other students. Maybe you can't imagine being friends with the tour guide...but can you image being friends with other students on campus?

4) Contact someone from your high school who attends the college. Check with your high school to see if any recent alums are currently at the school. Even if you do not know the student, contact him/her. See if that student can have lunch with you and your parent(s). You'll be surprised how useful another student's perspective can be. Plus, you already have something in common with this student by being alums from the same high school!

Hope this helped!

JHU_Miranda · « **Reply #22 on:** December 07, 2009, 03:15 PM »

This is much more of a practical tip - check the weather/invest in a pair of rainboots.
I actually managed to tour practically every college I visited in the rain, or at least with gloomy gray clouds. Being from sunny southern California, I really wasn't prepared, and got to spend the day with lovely wet feet.
However, the plus side of cloudy visits meant that if I like the atmosphere (pun intended) at that college, even with horrible weather, it really meant that I liked the college. Ironically, the two or so schools I visited that with wonderful weather I didn't like at all!

JHU_Keith · « **Reply #23 on:** December 10, 2009, 05:06 PM »

Honestly, it is impossible to know if a school is the right fit for you if you don't visit the campus. I thought that I was destined for [Censored] University, but the moment I stepped foot on campus I knew that it was not right for me; I hated it and couldn't wait to leave.

Hopkins, on the other hand, felt right. I knew as soon as I walked onto Decker Quad at the Open House that I was right where I wanted to be.

When it comes down to it, the school you choose is more than a name, more than a ranking, and more than the place you get your degree; it's your home for four years. You'll get much more out of your college experience if you're comfortable where you are.

JHU_LaurenB · « **Reply #24 on:** January 20, 2010, 11:27 AM »

I agree with Jessica, go sit in a dining hall or coffee shop on campus, not to check out the food but to check out the students.

People watching at the FFC might be the best on campus, but if you don't want a whole meal just go sit at Starbucks on 33rd street, or Pura Vida on campus, or Carma's (corner of 32nd and St Paul's). Just sitting there (with your brightly colored bag from Admissions) you can get a sense of the students here, the atmosphere here, etc. And honestly if you have that bag from your tour people will probably go out of their way to answer your questions or talk to you about Hopkins.

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Author Topic: Visit Hopkins (Read 3891 times)