Hopkins Insider

Applying to Hopkins from Abroad

Let me begin by wishing you all a very Happy Holidays. I hope you enjoyed the Hopkins by the Numbers quiz in my last entry. Well I am officially on holiday vacation, enjoying a week and a half of time away from the office and Baltimore. Yes, I am spending some quality time with the family, Lilly, Soze, and a stack of applications. No complaints though ... I have finally embraced the holiday spirit.

While I enjoy my time away, I turn the Hopkins Insider over to our third guest author. First there was Admissions Mark, then there was my Mom, and now I introduce you to Tabitha Moses. Tabitha is a current freshman at Hopkins, having just completed her first semester. (Read her recent Guest Blog entry.) The reason I have invited her to be a Hopkins Insider Guest Author is that she is an international student at Hopkins and can provide a unique perspective on applying to Hopkins from abroad and being an international student in Baltimore. So sit back, relax, pick-up a candy cane, and enjoy Tabitha's entry. Cheers!

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This is a blog I have wanted to write since I started applying to college here in the United States, and realized that there wasn’t really anything like it online.

Applying to college can be a difficult time (even somewhat annoying), and what makes it even worse is when you’re an international student and you have no idea what you’re doing and what the colleges want. So this is what I am here to do; I am writing a blog telling people about how I struggled my way through the application process, and how it is to be an international student here at Johns Hopkins.

I just want to begin by saying that I am only talking from my perspective as an international student; I am from England, and have gone to school there all my life and I went to a school that had only ever sent one other girl to a university in the U.S. I know that there are many other different experiences that people can have as an international applicant, and I can’t begin to describe all of them; but I do hope to touch on some of the issues that you will face in applying to U.S. schools from abroad.

First off, the question I am always asked – why go to university abroad? There are, of course, many different answers to this question, and I can only give my reasons. I have wanted to be a doctor from a young age, but I have also had many other diverse interests. For me, if I had gone to university in the U.K., I would currently be in medical school, studying only medicine. I wanted to come to the States so that I could major in something else I was interested in, before moving on to studying medicine. The idea of looking through the course catalog before each semester really excited me (yes, I realize that makes me sound like a nerd, but it’s the truth!) This past semester I took science, philosophy and psychology courses, and next semester I will be taking math, and writing courses as well. I love the fact that I can take this wide a range of courses and still be pre-med.

Then, there is the next question, why Johns Hopkins? I find this a bit more difficult of a question because I find that there are some things that are more instinctual than anything else. When I came to Hopkins it just felt right, like the place I wanted to be. As everyone knows, Hopkins is known for its medical school, and this drew me to look at the school. Another thing I liked was that, as well as all the pre-med stuff, Hopkins has strength in many other departments, like the Humanities, and I wanted to go to a school with people with a diverse range of interests, not just all pre-med.

Something I learned from applying overseas is that it is always best to see the colleges if possible. In general, even if it’s in your own country it is good to visit the campus, but especially if it’s another country it is good to see the school. This is the area in which you may be spending the next four years of your life. I know this to be especially true because I had a friend who had been thinking of applying to the schools in the U.S., but when she came over to visit colleges, she realized that she didn’t want to live in the States.

Okay, so you’ve decided you want to apply to the USA, now comes the interesting part – the applications! My first piece of advice is to start early, and I mean really early. Remember applying to schools abroad is often much, much different then applying to schools in your home country. For most schools in the States you need to take standardized exams like the SAT, the ACT, and possibly SAT II subject exams. Also, if English is not your first language then you need to take the TOEFL exam. (Thankfully, I did not have to be concerned with that issue.) Leave enough time to take these exams; most people take the SAT or ACT multiple times to try and score the best. I took my first SAT in December of my junior year, and I found that I ended up being a bit rushed for time in taking everything I wanted to. Just make sure you have an idea of what you’re doing, and don’t do what I did … I decided it would be a good idea to take my subject tests right in the middle of my AS level exams, it was a lot of extra pressure that I didn’t need.

Also, don’t think that just because you’re taking the subject for IB or A level that you’ll have learned the material for the subject tests. Have a look at some of the study guides for them to give yourself a feel for what you need to know. I know that I had to teach myself a ton of the stuff on the biology and chemistry subject tests, even though I was taking A levels in both of those subjects.

Filling in the application – that’s an interesting task. There are a few things to keep in mind when writing the application, which are generally useful for anyone, whether or not they’re an international student. Don’t try to impress the people reading the application, just be yourself. Write about what you’ve been doing, answer the questions truthfully, and don’t try to sound like who you think you should be.

Another interesting point is the grammar, and spelling, in your application. Try to make sure you use correct American grammar, and spelling, it’s surprising how many of these things are different. Also, something I was worried about, was whether admissions would take into account the fact that I hadn’t gone to an American high school, so I didn’t have some of the same opportunities that domestic students had: no chance at AP, or honors classes, and a lot of the groups, like student government, didn’t exist in my school. Don’t worry though, admissions do take all of these things into account, they look up your school, and see the opportunities you did have; you won’t be penalized for not doing something you weren’t able to.

Once you have finished the application make sure to talk to your high school counselor about what is necessary, especially if your school has not sent many children to American universities. I found in my school I had to get all the papers, and go to all of my teachers separately to explain to them what I would like them to do. Also, it would be nice to fill out envelopes to give to your teachers with the evaluations they need to fill in. Personally, I had to buy the stamps to mail each envelope; I found that one envelope with all the necessary papers cost about 3.10 to send, but some schools may do it for you. I found that with my teachers they were unsure as to how to fill out the application, so I gave them the number of the admissions office, in case they had any questions. I had to spend quite a lot of my time with my teachers explaining the application, and getting everything sorted out, so make sure you leave enough time to get everything sorted in time.

I hope that my random thoughts have helped, and in terms of the application, or anything else you might want to know, feel free to contact me and ask about anything. You can reach me on my personal message board thread: Ask JHU_Tabitha.

Hopkins By The Numbers

Hopkins By The Numbers

Well, it is Wednesday, December 19, 2007 and the day is feeling quite important for a number of reasons. First, the Early Decision process is complete and I have finally caught up on both sleep and holiday shopping.

Second, the Regular Decision file reading has commenced as I picked up my first batch of files to begin reading. The madness begins.

Third, this is my final full day in the office until the New Year. Let the celebrations begin as I take some vacation time and enjoy the holidays with my family.

And fourth, it is time for another Hopkins Insider blog quiz. Woo Hoo!

This Quiz is titled "Hopkins by the Numbers." I suspect this one will be tougher than the last two quizzes. Your task is to select the correct description for the significance of the # listed. Good luck and enjoy!!!

1. 24

# of Division III athletic teams at Hopkins
% admit rate for 2006-07 application cycle
Name of one of Admissions Daniel's favorite TV shows
All of the Above


2. 32

# of performing arts groups at Hopkins
# of academic minors offered
# of Nobel Prize winners among JHU affiliates
% of male graduate students


3. 4,478

$ cost of 16 per week meal plan for freshmen
# of JHU News-Letters printed weekly
# of Homewood undergraduates
# of admits for the 2006-07 application cycle


4. 140

# of acres that make-up the Homewood campus
# of undergraduate majors
# of computer terminals in the HAC lab
# of club sports offered


5. 97

% freshman to sophomore year retention rate
% freshman living on-campus
% of applicants who apply with perfect 800 on Critical Reasoning section of SAT
% of undergraduates planning to go to medical school


6. 1,440,000,000

# of bricks used to make the entire Homewood campus
$ JHU's total endowment
# of students served at Chipotle on St. Paul's St.
$ total of JHU research performed in 2005


7. 465

# of pre-med majors
# of full-time faculty at Homewood
# of students enrolled in Organic Chemistry class
$ student fees component of total cost of attendance


8. 12-11

Early Decision notification date
Faculty to student ratio
Final score of 2007 NCAA Division I Men's LAX championship
1.0707070707


9. 66

% of classes that have fewer than 20 students
% of students who graduate in 4 years
$ cost of season tickets to all JHU LAX games
# of Woodrow Wilson fellowships awarded


10. 31,612

# of total applications for 2007-08 application cycle
$ average need-based financial aid package for freshmen
$ total cost of tuition
# of visitors to 2007 JHU Open Houses

So how did you do? This quiz was tougher than the last two, right? POST YOUR SCORES IN THE COMMENTS SECTIONS BELOW, and check back to see how others scored.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!!

Micro-Blogging on ED Notification Day (2007)

It has been tradition over the last few years that on the momentous decision notification days for Early Decision and Regular Decision that the Hopkins Insider features a daily log of the process. After reading JHU_Laura's most recent blog entry, I thought I would also attempt to experiment with "micro-blogging" throughout the day. I sort-of attempted this last year on ED Notification day, however I compiled a summary report and then technical difficulties led to the blog being posted late. My attempts worked better for RD notification day, thankfully. So check back frequently today, and I hope you enjoy the tales of Admissions Daniel on Early Decision Notification day for the JHU Class of 2012 ...

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December 14, 2007

5:45am  - Beep, Beep, Beep, BEEP, BEEP ... The alarm clock blares. I've got time for one Snooze.

5:55am - Beep, Beep ... O.K. one more Snooze.

5:57am - Lick, Lick, Lick ... stop Soze, I'm tired. Alright, I'm up. Time to walk the dog. Where's that leash?

6:01am - Wow, the dreary weather this week in Baltimore continues. The fog is really thick, there is a slick coat of freezing rain on everything, and it is a mix of bitter cold and humid at the same time. Is that possible? Wow, shorts and slippers for the morning walk was not a good idea. Thankfully, Soze does his business quick. (Oddly last year there was a thick fog for ED notification day too.)

6:07am - The tradition continues. For the last four years on the first day of ED reading I stop shaving and grow a beard. And then on notification day the beard comes off. I start again once I commence reading RD applications and shave again on RD notification day. I know it is a bit strange, but you have to keep with traditions, like professional sports players wearing the same socks. The shaving of the beard is actually a lot of fun ... and when I am done my cheeks feel like a baby's bottom.

6:13am - Shaving complete. Time for the breakfast of champions (Cheerios - yeah!) and some early morning reading (the George Mitchell report on Steroids in Baseball - boo!). As well, in the background on all three TVs in my house each morning is the Mike and Mike in the Morning radio show on ESPN2. My day can not start with out the opinions of the best sports radio hosts in the country.

6:35am - Shower, get dressed and the rest of the morning routine.

6:50am - One last walk for Soze and time to head into the office.

Be Back Later!

Picture Guide: (1) The eerie morning ... looks like something out of Poltergeist. (2) The beard is gone. (3) Yes I did clean my sink afterward. (4) My morning set-up ... Cheerios, the Mitchell Report, and Mike&Mike.

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7:15am - Arrive at the office, traffic was a bit rough because of black ice and the fog. I have to say I love the campus in early morning, especially with the mysteriousness (is that a word?) of the fog.

7:20am - Just got back from the third floor where I was filling my jug of water for the day. There was a nice calm to the new file room. It was clean and well organized. Much different than the cramped spaces we used to work in. I love Mason Hall!!!

7:25am - The daily "CORRESPONDENCE" routine begins for me. Every morning I spent the first hour answering questions. First, it is the main gotojhu@jhu.edu email account. 37 messages this morning. Then it is the Hopkins Forums. Nothing new. Then the various Facebook groups. The JHU prospective Facebook group has a countdown to 6:00pm. College Confidential. More countdowns, and a lot of stress. My own email account .. which surprisingly is pretty empty.

8:01am - I head upstairs to help Susan, the Queen of our decision mailing process, with stuffing financial aid packets.

I'll be back soon ...

Picture Guide: (1) See what I mean about how cool the campus looks with fog. (2) Mason Hall especially. (3) The file room ready for the arrival of the staff. (4) All the ED files lined-up. (5) Admit packets waiting to be stuffed and sealed.

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8:20am - Done stuffing the financial aid packets, and now we are just waiting for the O.K. from Director of Admissions, Dr. John Latting. John likes to do one last check of our applicant database to make sure everything is set.

8:25am - I mention to Susan and others in the file room, how smooth everything has gone for this year's ED process. I hope this stress-free system continues for RD ... but in all honesty there is no chance. Mayhem always ensues with the RD process because of the sheer volume of everything. But we are all so used to it that there is a true method to our madness.

8:45am - The stuffing, sealing, and stamping commences. Everyone takes a bin and gets to work. Some hooting and hollering. We also tease Mark because he literally knows all of his NJ applicants and cheers for each one. I personally don't like the stuffing part because the folders are hard to get in to the priority envelopes. I like affixing the stamps ... I always liked playing with stickers.

9:30am - John has given the O.K. so we can mail.

9:41am - One last roster of admits, defers, and denies is run. The staff splits into groups and confirms the right decision letters are going to the right people.

10:32am - Mail bins are here. Time to move everything from our blue and black crates into the mail bins. All decisions have been confirmed.

10:40am - The bins are stacked onto the hand carts, pushed to the elevator, and travel down to the parking garage where they will be loaded into a car and driven to the main Johns Hopkins mail center in Mount Washington.

I have a 10:30am meeting so I was not there to photograph and document this last stage of the process, but I have heard it on good authority that all went perfectly.

More to follow ...

Picture Guide: (1) The staff commences the stuff, seal, stamp process. (2) Susan (center), Ted, and Celeste in control of their bins. (3) Nicole, one of our student workers, uses the floor as her workspace. (4) The confirming of admits by John and Ann. (5) The confirming of other decisions by Mark and Chloe. (6) Stacking of the bins. (7) Two hand-trucks for 1055 decisions.

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10:30am - The decisions are leaving the building yet I am in my office as I have a meeting with JHU_Jessica and JHU_Lauren. This is an important meeting as we are putting the finishing touches on two Hopkins Interactive related initiatives that directly relates to the release of ED notifications.

The first initiative which Lauren is overseeing is the opening of a new discussion thread on the Hopkins Forums. This "Congratulations JHU Class of 2012" thread is a place for the newly admitted Early Decision students to ask questions and converse with current students. Starting after 6pm today, this forum will exist through late August of 2008, assisting the new members of the Class of 2012 in getting ready for their arrival and commencement as actual Hopkins students. The students and I will answer questions about housing, dining, what to bring, classes, and so much more.

Our other initiative is also a forum, but a much more social one. That is why we will be using Facebook. This is the brain-child of Jessica who last year was admitted Early Decision and decided to create a Facebook group for her future classmates. Since she was a great administrator for the Class of 2011, we thought who better to run this year's group. The Johns Hopkins University - Class of 2012 Facebook group is a closed group only for enrolling students, but will act as a great way for our future freshmen to interact and get to know one another.

11:30am - Jessica, Lauren, and I have been working but also sharing stories. Things are so different nowadays for college applicants. Emailed decisions, blogs, message boards, cool admit packets, social networking groups, immediate responses ... much different then back in my day when I had to become friends with the mailman.

12:05pm - Lunch time ... SUBWAY!!! Thanks Jameel.

12:15pm - I got confirmation that the mail has been delivered to the post office.

12:22pm - I spun around in my chair and just noticed that the fog has lifted and it is turning out to be a beautiful and sunny day. If I was more of an eloquent writer, I must make a parallel to the release of decision notifications to the fog and then sunlight ... but yeah I'd rather write about shaving my beard, walking my dog, and baseball reports.

12:57pm - Paul, the Mason Hall building manager, just interrupted me and said I need to post that in the blog. So I did.

The day continues ... 

Picture Guide: (1) Loading the car ... ok, I cheated this picture is from RD last year. (2) Lauren (on the left) and Jessica ... so happy I took a picture of them. (3) Blue sky over Homewood. (4) Lunch!!!

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1:15pm - I've been procrastinating a bit ... I just needed a break. What do I do when I procrastinate? Well I posted a whole long list on our message boards a while back if you are curious. Today, my form of wasting time was checking out movie trailers online. I am so looking forward to 01.18.08 -- Cloverfield!!!. Also, looking forward to I Am Legend this weekend and Sweeney Todd later this month.

1:25pm - JHU_Michelle is in the office now and I have her helping out with some video documenting and editing. We will be launching our Video Blog very soon and I've got a bit more work to do for our first official videos.

1:27pm - Back to work for me. Not much to do ... I am putting some finishing touches on the Facebook group. And yes, I am checking out all the countdowns until 6:00pm. 4 hours and 33 minutes!!!

2:26pm - Just finished looking over the special Admitted Student Web site. Everything looks great. This is the first time we have the special site ready for Early Decision.

A few more updates to come...

Photo Guide: (1) The file room is clean and empty. (2) Movie trailers are fun ... Cloverfield! (3) Michelle hard at work. (4) GiGGiDi GiGGiDi GiGGiDi!

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2:45pm - I was just thinking how fast today has been going ... and then I realized that just thinking that is cruel. I completely respect and understand how slow today must be feeling for many of you.

2:48pm - Wow, my desk is so full of dust. Time to clean a bit. I love disinfectant wipes.

2:49pm - So I am cleaning my desk and complaining about the dust. Michelle, who is updating the Admissions Advisory Board just outside my door yells to me that dust is mostly dead human skin. EWWWWWW! I truly enjoy Michelle's company and she is a great student worker, but when she shares biological stuff like that with me I just get skeezed out. She should just keep those remarks for her Neuroscience friends.

3:01pm - Cleaning done. Went to take some more pictures and realized my camera battery is done. (Great planning Daniel!) So no more pictures until maybe tonight when I can re-charge the battery at home.

3:10pm - Posted a message for ED Defers on the Message Boards. I hope this information will be helpful, and that the discussion thread that was started will act as a helpful forum. Such decisions are never easy, but the most important thing to remember is deferred applicants have a second chance. The road does not end here and you shouldn't lose all hope. Read through my thoughts and suggestions, and post questions.

3:15pm - The ED stats sheet was just handed to me. Let me look it over and I will post the details soon.

Well this is a long entry ... and will only get longer ...

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3:20pm - Decided to go outside for a fresh breathe of air and to take a look at the ED stats. From the fog in the morning it actually has turned out to be a beautiful day. No more sweater needed. I also got to see people walking around on the Decker Quad and I didn't get angry. (See my Pet Peeves post to understand.) The two students were actually playing with a remote-controlled airplane. Though it crashed a lot, it was just fun to watch people actually using the Quad for a true purpose, not as a short-cut.

4:00pm - OK, drum roll ... here is what many of you have been waiting for:

• Largest Early Decision applicant pool ever = 1,055. Up 6% from last year.
• The 1,055 applicants is a 72% increase from 5 years ago and a 128% increase from 1998. WOW!
• The acceptance rate dropped again, the fifth straight year. It stands at the lowest level in the past ten years = 43%.
• 439 applicants will be receiving the good news that they are the first members of the Johns Hopkins Class of 2012. CONGRATULATIONS!
• Of the admits, 45% are female, 40 are underrepresented minority students -- both great totals.
• Also, as far as academic interest, 32% have stated a major in Engineering, 12% Humanities, 32% Natural Science, 19% Social and Behavioral Studies, and 4% Undecided.
• Almost all the academic markers are at all-time highs as well. The Mean SAT I (Critical Reasoning + Math) = 1373. That is 11 points higher than last year and 21 points higher than 2006.
• New Jersey is not the top state for ED admits like the last two years. MARYLAND has actually taken the top spot with 69 students. New Jersey is second with 57, New York third with 54, Pennsylvania fourth with 40, and California in fifth with 34.
• Finally, geographic diversity is way up. Last year the ED admit pool came from 28 states ... this year 38 states are represented. Plus, 21 admits are international students from 9 different countries.

OK, I am packing up and heading home. Less than 2 hours left until the emails are sent.

I'll be back ...

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5:10pm - Just arrived home. More traffic. Baltimore really should do a study on time between red lights at major intersections during rush hour. I bet a Civil Engineer at Hopkins could help. Going to walk Soze.

5:21pm - Paying bills while my steak cooks in my Rotisserie. Yes it is a Ronco Showtime Rotisserie. Just set-it and forget it. If you watch late night infomercials you know what I am talking about.

5:30pm - Thirty minutes left. The College Confidential servers keep going down. Oh no!!! Have to go put the finishing touches on a few things. But I do want to say one thing ...

Advice: I wish you all the best as you receive your email decisions. My suggestion is that you read your decision and then go spend some time with your family. This is a major moment in your young life, and family is who you should share your initial thoughts with. Your family has been there since the first moment of life, and they will be there FOREVER. Afterward you can log-on and share with others. Let everything sink in first. React in the real world before entering the cyber world. OK, I am stepping off my soap box.

Two more updates left ...

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6:37pm - All the emails are out. For those of you who have not gotten email, I can let you know that I am monitoring our main email account and at this time we only have 15 messages that have "bounced-back" as undeliverable. So here are my suggestions:

(1) Check your SPAM folders.

(2) Check ANY email account you have ever used. We send to the email account you listed on your application, but it never hurts to check other accounts if you have multiple ones.

(3) Have your parents check their email accounts. Not sure how that happens, but it has happened in the past.

(4) If none of those methods work, you may send an email to gotojhu@jhu.edu stating that you have not received your decision email. You need to include your full official name (the one you used on your application), your social security # if applicable, your birth date, your full address, and your high school. Also include the email address you listed on your application. We will check to see if there was an error with the email that was sent, and if so we can re-send your decision.

(5) Please know that every year a few students do not receive email notifications. Unfortunately you will need to have patience for your decision to arrive in the mail. You may call on Tuesday, December 18 - 410-516-8171 to receive your decision over the phone.

Hope that helps.

One last update coming before I head to bed ...

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~10:00pm - So I have spent the last four hours attempting to take care of a handful of problems with the email notifications. It seems that yahoo.com email addresses took a lot longer to send then most other email domains. Who knows. In the end though, I keep my fingers crossed that all went well.

It is now time for my long day to come to an end. I'll be around over the weekend commenting on the JHU Forums and Facebook groups. However, now that the Early Decision process is complete, I need to start some Christmas shopping and write my Dear Santa list. One of the worst parts of being a college admissions professional is that you are so busy with the ED process that you lose a lot of the quality Christmas preparation time.

As I sign off, I first hope you all found the micro-blogging today helpful and somewhat enjoyable. I am all about transparency in the college admissions process, and I suspect that you all enjoy my honesty, frankness, and my humour. (OK, maybe I am stretching it a bit on that last one.)

Second, since you all love stats, here are some more:

• 25 pictures in one blog (that's an Insider record).
• 80 comments by 10pm (I think that's a record too). I love comments!
• 3,236 words make up this entry. Wow, I like to write.
• 16,301 characters without spaces make up this entry. Cool.
• 10 different updates. Woo hoo, I accomplished my goal.
• 16 hours and 15 minutes of blogging time. Snore....zzzzzz.

Plus, based on my stat-counter:

• 1702 unique visitors to the blog between midnight and 10pm today.
• 5845 page loads in the same time frame (you all like to refresh).
• Both stats are records. For comparison, last week the blog had 384 visitors and 859 page loads. One month ago, 79 visitors and 219 page loads.

And finally, one last picture ... yes, Regular Decision files are ready to be distributed next week. NO REST FOR THE WEARY!!!

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Equal Time for the Regular Decision Applicants

Despite the title of this entry, I must start with some updates on the Early Decision notification process. Good news everyone. We've moved forward at a good pace over the last couple of weeks and therefore we have met our internal goal of releasing decisions one day earlier this year. So unless something tragic occurs over the next 48 hours (knock on wood ... over and over again), Early Decision notifications for the Fall 2008 applicant pool will be released on Friday, December 14, 2007.

Just like last year, the process will work the same way:

• All Early Decision notifications will be mailed on Friday, December 14. This includes all admit packages, as well as defer and deny letters.
• We will also email decision notifications to those applicants who indicated an email address on their application.
• We will begin sending emails at 6:00 p.m. EST on Friday, December 14. The reason for this is that we feel that receiving your college admissions decision should be a personal experience that you share with yourself and your family. We prefer students not receive decisions during the middle of the school day, so we wait until the majority of our applicants are out of school.
• If an applicant does not receive an email it is because either there was no email provided with the application, the email address provided no longer works, or a data entry error. Unfortunately, we do not re-send emails, so in such situations the student must wait for the mail to arrive.
• We will not release the "subject lines" of our email decisions in advance. The content of these emails does change from year-to-year.
  Admissions decisions can be released over the phone starting Tuesday, December 18. We will only release decisions to the applicant, a parent or guardian of the applicant, or the applicant's high school guidance counselor. Decisions will be released only if the identity of the caller can be reasonably assured.
• Decisions about acceptance into the BME major are departmental decisions and therefore we do not release such information over the phone or through email. All Early Decision applicants who applied to the Biomedical Engineering major will learn of their BME decision in their acceptance packets.

Good luck!!!

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OK, regular decision applicants, the rest of the post is dedicated to you. For the last two years as the January 1st regular decision deadline approaches, I have dedicated a Hopkins Insider entry to responses to frequently asked questions. (Don't believe me? Well check out the FAQs from December 2006 and December 2005.) As always, I hope you find this information helpful and if you have questions not answered here that is why we have the Johns Hopkins Message Boards.

When is the deadline, really?

The regular decision deadline is January 1, 2008. This is our online submission deadline and our postmark deadline. Applicants should submit their online application materials no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on January 1st. Since January 1 is a national holiday, we will accept application materials that are postmarked January 2, 2008. (Remember though, this is one of my pet peeves, so you shouldn't even be thinking about procrastinating to that last minute.)

Have you received my application? OR I submitted my application online have you received it? OR My school sent my transcript and letters of recommendation have you received them? OR Any other question asking about the status of your application and whether it has been received and/or processed, or if anything is missing?

As you can imagine, it’s a busy time in the Admissions Office as we process application materials. Because of the volume of records being handled, we regret that it is not possible to confirm whether application files are complete or to identity which individual items have been received. Johns Hopkins does not have an online system for checking application status, nor do we confirm application materials through email.

You will be mailed an acknowledgment postcard after your application is received. This indicates your application file has been opened (not necessarily that it is complete). In late February, once we have processed all received application materials, we will contact students whose applications remain incomplete. Those students will be given an opportunity to provide us with any missing items before we complete the evaluation of their applications. Rest assured that application files are checked carefully for completeness.  You may call (410) 516-8171 after February 18 to check on your application, but we do ask that you call only if you have been previously contacted by us about missing materials.

Can I mix forms from the Common Application, the Universal Application, and/or the Johns Hopkins application? Can I mix online application materials with “snail mail” materials?

To apply to Johns Hopkins University you must submit either the Johns Hopkins University application Part I and Part II OR the Common Application and Johns Hopkins Common Application supplement OR the Universal Application and the Johns Hopkins Universal Application supplement. Please be sure that you apply with both the Part I and Part II of the JHU application or the Common/Universal Application and Hopkins supplement – do not mix these forms.

Also do not mix online and paper application materials. If you are applying with the JHU Online application, then complete the whole online application and there is no need to submit the paper application. If you are applying with the Common/Universal Application online then you must submit the Hopkins supplement online as well - there is no need to mail the supplement.

Finally, though we do not encourage this practive, you are able to use Common Application school report and teacher recommendation forms with the Johns Hopkins application, and vice versa.

My school is closed for the holidays so I can't submit the transcript and/or  letters of recommendation until after January 1st. May I send supplemental materials for my application after the January 1st deadline?

First, this should not be a problem since you should request this information before your school goes on holiday break. However, the application deadline is a postmark / online submission of January 1st for the student's part of the application -- either the Part I and Part II of the JHU Application or the Common Application and Common Application supplement. Supporting materials (school materials) such as transcripts, test scores, and recommendations can be sent separately after the January 1st deadline. However, we recommend all required documents be postmarked no longer than two weeks after the deadline -- no later than January 15th.

I have yet to submit my application, but some of my application materials (school forms, tests, etc.) have already been sent. Will this be a problem?

Not a problem. Applicants to Johns Hopkins University may submit application materials such as test scores, letters of recommendation, and school reports along with transcripts in advance of their submission of their application. These documents will be processed and placed in a pending folder until one's application is submitted, received, and processed. Then we will merge all documents and determine whether one's application is complete. To assist with the proper processing of documents we request that all materials include the applicant's full name, birth date, and school.

When should my test scores be sent, and how?

You must request that all your SAT Reasoning, SAT Subject exams, ACT, and/or TOEFL scores be sent directly by the testing agency. The Johns Hopkins code for the College Board is 5332 and for the ACT is 1704.

Test scores submitted on or along with an official high school transcript will only be considered if the transcript is submitted by one's high school and the scores are officially electronically recorded by the high school directly from the testing agency. One should check with their school's guidance office to confirm that the test scores recorded on one's transcript have been in the past considered by colleges as official.

Test scores need to be requested from the testing agencies prior to our stated application deadlines but may arrive after the deadline. Regular Decision applicants must submit their request for their tests to be sent to Johns Hopkins prior to the January 1st deadline. Though the scores will arrive past the deadline they will still be considered if requested in advance of the deadline.

May I submit January standardized test scores (SAT Reasoning, SAT Subject exams, or TOEFL) with my regular decision application?

Though regular decision candidates should have completed required tests no later than December of their senior year, students may take the January examinations if they are re-taking the SAT Reasoning exam, are taking SAT II subject exams, or are submitting TOEFL exams. Although we cannot guarantee that January scores will arrive before the Admissions Committee evaluation, past experience suggests that scores taken on these dates usually arrive in time. January scores will be accepted for those students unable to meet their test requirements by December. In such cases, we encourage you to note your intention of taking the later standardized test(s) on your application.

Should I rush my test scores?

There is no need to rush test score reports as they do not get processed by our office any sooner. This is just a way the College Board / ETS makes more money. Save the money, don't rush scores.

I have already sent my application but I want to update a few things or correct an error. How do I do this?

There are two ways to update your application. First you may send any updates in the mail up until the end of January. Please send to the following address and include your name, birth date, and high school:

Application Coordinator
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Johns Hopkins University
Mason Hall
3400 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21218

Or you may fax your application update with a cover sheet to 410-516-6025. Once again, include your name, birth date, and high school.

Please note we do not process application materials submitted via email or through email attachments.

Does Johns Hopkins accept additional letters of recommendation?

We require all applicants to submit two letters of recommendations - one from a teacher and one from a guidance counselor. Applicants may submit additional letters of recommendation but we request that you do not submit more than four letters total. Additional letters of recommendation may come from a coach, employer, extracurricular advisor, additional teacher, school administrator – pretty much anyone who can present additional sides of your character. I would though avoid parental and peer references.

How can I arrange an interview and are they required?

Interviews are not a required element of the application to Johns Hopkins. In fact, interviews are informational and non-evaluative. Unfortunately all interview requests for on-campus interviews needed to be submitted prior to December 1st. Please know that if you did not interview you will not be at a disadvantage in the admissions process. Information about off-campus alumni interviews can be found here: http://apply.jhu.edu/visit/aluminterviews.html.

I would like to submit a recording of my music / slides of my art / portfolio of my newspaper articles / DVD of accomplishments / research abstract / or some other supplemental information. Can I do this and will it be considered?

Yes, supplemental materials are welcome additions to your application. All supplemental information should be sent to the Admissions address listed above (under the answer for application updates). There are no specific requirements for supplemental materials; you can submit information in any format (e.g. portfolios, CDs, DVDs, slides, etc.) However we make sure applicants understand that typically the Admissions committee does not have much time to review such information. The general rule is that an application reader has about 5 minutes to review supplemental materials.

I am applying with the Common / Universal Application. Do I need to submit the two Johns Hopkins essays included in the supplement? Do the Hopkins essays have a word limit?

Read this message board thread for a detailed description of this year's essay policy: New Essay Policy Explained.

As far as word counts, we do not state any official word limits. Typically the "community" essay runs between 500 – 1000 words while the "majors" essay runs between 250 – 500 words.

Does Johns Hopkins allow application fee waivers?

Yes, we will accept fee waivers. If paying the application fee presents any financial hardship to you we are happy to waive the application fee.The fee waiver must either be an official College Board fee waiver or a letter from your secondary school counselor on school letterhead. We require official copies and therefore we will not accept photocopied requests for fee waivers. Applicants can apply online and still submit their fee waiver requests in writing.

When is the Financial Aid deadline and where can I learn more about applying for Financial Aid?

The Financial aid deadline for the submission of the FAFSA and CSS Profile is March 1, 2007. Please review this web site for full details: http://www.jhu.edu/finaid/prosp_stud.html.

FAQs for International Applicants: http://apply.jhu.edu/faqs/international.html

Even more FAQs: http://apply.jhu.edu/faqs/faqs.html

Whew ... that was a lot of info. Hope it helped. Good luck with those applications, and don't procrastinate!!!

Pet Peeves

Apologies for the long absence, but as you can imagine times are busy in the Admissions Office as we complete the Early Decision process. Since Thanksgiving my time has really been dedicated to the ED process ... doing first reads on applications from my region (New England), confirming decisions during the second read process, chairing the Engineering review committee, and working with a colleague on BME selections. The process has been going much smoother than any year before (knock on wood) and hopefully that means this final week will not be TOO hectic.

As proof of how busy I have been, I am sitting in my office on a Saturday afternoon. Just a minute ago I was staring out my window onto the Decker Quad taking a mental break from the ED application process. I like to do this occasionally throughout the day, both to refresh my brain for the next application but also because I just have a great view. I showed my view in a previous post (see the picture on the right) but earlier this week I had the joy to look out my window and see something new ... SNOW. (See picture on the left) Yes, early this week the Decker Quad and all of Baltimore was coated with a beautiful 4+ inches of snow. The snow began in the morning and throughout the day it just kept falling and accumulating. What a great Hanukkah present!!!

OK, back to my staring out the window. I am relaxing and recharging when IT HAPPENS! My blood pressure begins to boil. I clench my teeth. My toes curl and fingers twist into two fists. I turn away from the window in disgust. Yes, I am getting angry ... but why?

Why? Because once again a person is walking across the grass that makes up the beautiful Decker Quad. (Actually it is a circle, but Decker Circle just sounds too weird.) Yes, my anger stems from people trouncing across the well-manicured grass, when there are perfectly numerous brick walkways to get around. I just don't get it. How much time are you really saving by killing the grass? And why do you have to ruin the beautiful and peaceful blanket of snow?

And it is not just the Decker Quad ... I get perturbed whenever I see a student, faculty member, staff member, or visitor walking across the various quads that make up the Homewood campus. I don't mind it when they walk on the Beach, and I also don't mind it if you are on the grass to hang out, study, chat with friends, make a Snowman, etc. I just can not stand it when you walk across the grass to get from point A to point B because you are too lazy to walk along the brick walkways.

Most of you right now are thinking that Admissions Daniel has flipped his lid. You think I am over-reacting and there is no reason I should get angry because people are walking on the grass. And though I concede there is a bit of over-reaction on my part, I can't help it. Why? Because it is one of my PET PEEVES. And as any one who has Pet Peeves knows (and that is everyone right?) you can't control them.

Urban Dictionary defines "pet peeve" as "an irritating experience caused by others in which you cannot control." Dictionary.com has three definitions for "pet peeve":

1. A particular and often continual annoyance; personal bugbear.
2. Something about which one frequently complains; a particular personal vexation.
3. An opportunity for complaint that is seldom missed.

Wikipedia even provides background on the origin of the phrase:

The term originated from the word 'peeve', and is relatively recent - its first printed usage was in 1911. The term is a back-formation from the 14th-century word 'peevish,' meaning ornery or ill-tempered.

How ever you define it, pet peeves exist and I have many of them. Cell phone behavior (I don't care about the new shoes you bought), people who spell the word definitely incorrectly (no As), SPAM (all forms even the fake ham), drivers who leave their turn signal on (doesn't the clicking sound annoy you?), Paris Hilton (enough said), Bill Belicheck news conferences (and his smug attitude), and almost all local television newscasters (especially the weather people). But my greatest pet peeve, the one that grinds my teeth, is the Crossing of the Quads.

So what does this rant have to do with the realm of College Admissions? Well, I thought that I would share with you all some of my occupational pet peeves that I have acquired over my ten years on the job. Before the list though, I want you all to read the following DISCLAIMER:

These are just pet peeves of Admissions Daniel. They are not reasons why we do not offer admission to students. If an applicant happens to do one of these actions, they will not be automatically denied. In fact, it will not impact the admissions decision. The list is just common annoyances that we often deal with, but they do not cloud our judgment of applicants.

I need to write that disclaimer, because I know the hysteria that exists about the college admissions process. You all read a list like the one that follows, and then the panic sets in, the fear takes over, the anxiety and paranoia increase ... don't let that happen now. This is just a fun little list of my pet peeves and is not directed at you personally. Now on to the list (in no particular order):

1. Misspelling the name of the University. This is the cardinal sin in my point-of-view. It is Johns Hopkins University. Yes, JohnSSSSS HopkinSSSSS. Don't forget the S. It is simple.
2. Dear Rice University... You would not believe how many times we receive emails, letters, and application materials for other Universities. We know you are applying to other schools and that is fine, but please double-check who you are writing to when sending materials. The worst culprit of this pet peeve ... teacher letters of recommendation. I "love" the letters that start by recommending the student for Hopkins, then in the second paragraph they say the student is a perfect match for Northwestern, and then end by stating that Rice must have this student in their next class.
3. Let's talk Emails. First, don't use inappropriate email addresses (you know I am talking to you hotpinkpants@hotmail.com). When emailing use proper sentence structure, paragraphs, punctuation just like if you were writing a letter (this is not an IM, ok LOL, OMG, IDK). Finally, when sending us an email, please sign-it. It is frustrating when writing back to Anonymous, especially if you are writing to have materials sent to you or checking on application.
4. Go University of Virginia. When visiting you might think it is cool to wear a shirt or sweatshirt of another school, but honestly that is just annoying. Especially if the clothing is for a school where we destroy them on the Lacrosse field (namely Duke!!!).
5. Parents!!! We like that you are involved, we encourage it. HOWEVER, let your child talk. And NEVER call or email I pose as your son or daughter. We know it is you. Plus, please let them fill out the applications. It is difficult to process a student's application when their birth date is 3/22/1964. (Yes, it happens.)
6. Inappropriate ______. It has amazed me in my years the seemingly inappropriate behavior some students show. Extremely provocative clothing (please cover up) ... Cursing (soap in the mouth time) ... Sleeping in the lobby during a visit (please take your shoes off our table and stop snoring) ... Talking about illegal activities (so I was smoking pot and yadda yadda yadda) ... and on and on. I understand students are nervous, but that manifests itself in behavior I understand and somewhat appreciate (biting nails, twirling hair, lots of "ums" in speech). There is a difference though and inappropriate behavior is absurd in my humble opinion.
7. Applying Mistakes. Misspellings don't bother me much (except Jon Hopkinds & the word definitely) ... poor capitalization can be annoying but is fine ... not using correct punctuation every time is understandable. What really gets me is an application that is sloppy, messy, and clearly never proofread. Yes, it is easy to apply to colleges now with online forms and the common application, but that doesn't mean it should only take 10 minutes of your time. Would you do that when applying for a job??? What does it say about you when you submit a sloppy application?
8. What is your name? Please, please, please apply with only one name. The greatest pet peeve of my colleagues in Operations is when application materials come in for an applicant under multiple names, nicknames, or just with a first name listed. We process materials for over 16,000+ applicants ... please respect this an make sure all your materials are easy to process and merge together.
9. Contact points. You will not be admitted because you contacted us 25 times in a one-week period. Some schools do value interest, but that doesn't mean we want you to call to just say hello, or email us to let us know that your Alphabet Soup spelled JHU yesterday. All of us enjoy speaking and being in contact with you when there is a legitimate point. Our time though is precious and it is annoying when we receive disingenuous messages where the student is just trying to "accumulate points."
10. Independent counselors. I understand they are out there, and that is fine. But they are not the ones applying ... so they should not be writing the essays, completing the applications, and contacting the schools on "behalf" of the student.
11. Filler extracurriculars. Hanging with friends ... are you Vice-President of that club? Playing video games ... is that community service? Partying ... did you get a certificate for that?
12. Is it a postmark deadline? Though this is a legitimate question, it is one of my great pet peeves because clearly the person asking the question is considering procrastinating. If you are stressing about that January 1st submission / postmark (???) deadline then you have been wasting time somewhere along the way. Yes, all deadlines are postmark deadlines but why wait. In the time you are asking the question and waiting for the response, you could be completing your application and submitting it way in advance of the deadline.

Since talking about pet peeves has a negative tone, I thought I would end this post on a positive note ... new pictures of Soze and Lilly. Enjoy, and I'll be back later in the week with ED updates and info for RD applicants. Cheers!