Johns Hopkins University is a top private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, placing it conveniently between New York City, DC, and Philadelphia. It’s not just geography that JHU has going for it, though. Over the past decade, Johns Hopkins has become one of the hardest universities to get into in the country — even more difficult than some members of the Ivy League. The school is not overwhelmingly large, with 5,600 undergraduates, but they punch above their weight. They rank first in the country for research investment, have a strong entrepreneurship culture, and heavily prioritize real-world experience. Nearly every student takes part in at least one research or internship experience before graduating, along with pursuing one of 55 majors and as many minors. The acceptance rate is about 4%.
Johns Hopkins requires that first-year applicants submit the SAT or ACT as part of their application. Your scores will be part of a review process that looks at all of the experiences and strengths that you share, and there are no minimum scores for admission. That said, Johns Hopkins looks for students who strive to excel. They know that students have different levels of access to resources, and they keep that mind when assessing applications. The stats on what makes for a strong SAT or ACT score at Johns Hopkins, calibrated for the extreme selectivity of the school today, are skewed by the narrow period of time that admissions was test optional during the COVID-19 pandemic. That said, aim for exceptional. We guide our students towards an SAT of 1540 or higher, or an ACT of 35 or 36.
Students can apply through the Early Decision I, Early Decision II, or Regular Decision pathways, and applying ED has historically offered a significant advantage. Remember, though, that recruited athletes and other ‘special case’ students are applying ED, but with strong confidence of acceptance before they press submit. This can skew the numbers high, so don’t look at ED as a slam dunk even if you have top scores and grades. Ultimately, it all comes down to story. They say this themselves. They want to be able to envision you at Hopkins. In this post, we’ll break down the sole supplemental question to help you make the case for why you are a perfect fit.
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The Hopkins supplement is just one question, and it’s a fun one. They also give a great amount of space to work with at 350 words. This is enough space to tell a compelling story with vivid detail. Now, let’s get into it.
THE SUPPLEMENT
Over the past 150 years, every monumental discovery at Hopkins has started with a first step: The first draft by a Pulitzer Prize-winning author. A prototype that led to a life-changing medical invention. The first pitch that launched a new startup venture. As we commemorate the university’s sesquicentennial—150 years since its founding—we continue to celebrate first steps just as much as final achievements.
Tell us about an important first in your life—big or small—that has shaped you (350-word limit).
As we’ve said, this is an awesome prompt to write a response to. First, though, let’s put some guardrails on. Whatever you write about here needs to have happened in high school. It also needs to be something that you were an active player in. They want to hear about how your role in your life, not what has happened to you. Now, some stories combine both, but every response to this supplement must put you in the driver seat. The last limitation we are going to put on you is that it cannot sit predominately in hardship. This is not, we repeat, a hardship test. They are not looking for you to share the worst thing that has ever happened to you with the message that it was your first time getting back on your feet by yourself.
Now, that doesn’t rule out writing a story that incorporates challenge. To give an extreme example, maybe a student with a medical issue decided that they want to go into medicine after their first fitting for a scoliosis brace or after their first allergic reaction that required an epi-pen. Both of those examples are fairly intense, but the key if you go with something like this is that it needs to spend more of the 350 words on the rise than it does on the fall. The response should be more about how an experience shaped your hopes, dreams, and character, than about your parent digging through their purse for an epi-pen.
For most students, though, the first will be less dramatic but written in a way that is equally cinematic. This could be your first time preparing for a certain type of competition, your first time leading an academic team through a loss — and then on to a winning season, your first time reading a certain author, or your first time doing a particular volunteer activity.
The secret sauce isn’t precisely what you are writing about, though. Instead, it is story. It’s critically important that you write this supplement as a narrative-forward story that employs techniques like vivid description and dialog. If this sounds intimidating, we can help.
THE Biomedical Engineering (BME) MAJOR
If you are interested in the Biomedical Engineering, or BME, major at Johns Hopkins, you are required to list it as your first-choice major on the application. There isn’t a separate application nor major-specific supplement, but the BME program is exceptionally competitive. They only admit students to the program based on space available, and you may be admitted to Hopkins but not to BME.
Do not, though, try to ‘back door’ it by picking something you perceive as a less-selective major just to then take a different route once on campus. While this can work (although you definitely need to talk to us first) for some majors and some schools, this does not work for the BME program.
THE DIRECT MATRICULATION PROGRAMS (DMP)
Johns Hopkins also invites first-year applicants to apply through the Direct Matriculation Program for select majors including International Relations and Global Health Studies. Students accepted through the DMP are accepted for both their undergraduate at Johns Hopkins in that major and a master’s program at the relevant graduate school at Hopkins. If you want to pursue this, there is an additional essay, and it is important that you understand that you are locked in. Unlike a typical undergraduate, you would not be able to easily re-route your path if you discover a new area of deep interest.
Having expert guidance is always helpful, but it’s especially critical if you are pursuing a specialized program of study, dual-degree program, or DMP. These programs have lower acceptance rates, and expect applicants to communicate their passion and vision in a way that is clear and compelling, enticing them to help you on your journey. We support students through these applications, at Hopkins and other top universities, guiding them towards exceptional futures.
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