Hopkins alum here. I would take the JHUSON offer. It is the best school of the 3 you named, plus has the best "brand" and name recognition. Also, you haven't been accepted at the other schools yet.
I'm from California, and was leery of Baltimore. However, I personally was pleasantly surprised. Baltimore really grew on me. Like any big city, there are good and bad areas. Initially, I lived in Locust Point, which was expensive, but it was very safe - people are out walking even late at night. There is a fantastic grocery store there, too. I still miss the Thursday special of a huge piece of prime rib (cooked) with sides, for $9.99. After a year, I moved to Roland Park to a nice apartment to save money, also another very nice and safe area.
Baltimore is very diverse, with a large population of Nepalese and Nigerians, among many other nationalities. It is majority Black, with a growing Hispanic population. That means lots of awesome food!
Compared to other large East Coast cities, Baltimore is quite affordable. Of course, I'm coming from coastal California.
The location is awesome - this is a chance for you to explore the East Coast. You can take a very cheap train to Washington DC. You can also easily take the train to Philadelphia and NYC.
Baltimore has many beautiful areas like the Inner Harbor. It is a very "green" city with lots of trees and parks.
I am very happy with my JHUSON education. It was hard and intense, but a great education. The faculty is very dedicated and the school really wants you to graduate. Your advisors and professors will really help you if you have any issues as long as you communicate with them. The students are generally very nice and supportive of each other. You'll get to do rotations at the Hopkins Hospital, one of the best in the world, as well as other local hospitals.
JHUSON is also very responsive to students. If the students make a good suggestion, the school will try to accommodate it.
I went straight through to become an NP. I can't tell you how many doors the Hopkins name opened for me when I was looking for a job - many doctors said they wanted to meet me because I went to Hopkins.
Hopkins has an international reputation. So if you don't know where you will end up living and working, that's a great asset. Now, if you knew for sure you want to live in Tennessee, for example, the Vanderbilt alumni network might be of more help locally. At any rate, you can't go wrong with Hopkins.
I find it odd that you hesitate, given how hard it is to get into JHUSON. Most people would jump at the chance.
