Should I attend Johns Hopkins?

GoldenIslandGirl · Feb 15, 2023

Hello! First of all, congratulations on the acceptance! That is so exciting and wonderful :).

I'm currently a 4th-semester student and I am more than happy to help provide some insight!

First and foremost, a huge chunk of the cohort is from California. I found that this has helped a lot of students with the transition to Baltimore because it is quite far away. Also a lot of people do take out loans. I can't speak on undergrad loans but I'm pretty sure since it's a master's program, you have a completely different process that doesn't tie into undergrad. There are gradplus loans and unsubsidized loans which FAFSA and the school will determine how much you get per area.

With the FNP goal, Hopkins does allow a decent amount of units to transfer into their DNP program so that's something to consider as well if you decide to do the MSN program.

I've really enjoy the whole process of the program and all of the people I've got to meet! All of the students in my cohort are all really sweet and genuine people. The clinical experience that I've been able to partake in, along with the experiences that I've heard from my friends, are truly special and they do such a well-rounded job of exposing you to all types of medical conditions.

As for class size, there is a fall start and Spring start. I started in the Spring and there is ~120 students (maybe a little less) in my cohort. About half of the students chose to be online and half chose to be in-person for the first semester. It is VERY diverse! They do a really great job on selecting candidates from different backgrounds and even a few from different countries. In this first semester, you have 2 lab days and 1 clinical day. The instructor-to-student ratio ranges from 1:4 to 1:6, so it's pretty intimate and hands on!

Also, a lot of other programs don't have clinical in the 1st semester but Johns Hopkins does, which I have found to love and be really beneficial! I was placed in a med-surg/general medicine & telemetry unit at the Hopkins hospital and it was a great learning experience. I've been told that most programs don't start clinical until the second semester because they want their students to learn medications/drugs and be able to give them to patients when they are first introduced to the hospital. At Hopkins, they start you at the hospital from the first semester to help build foundation and confidence for working with patients.

BCD · Mar 13, 2023

sweetsufferings said:

Hello everyone,

I'd like to state that this might be a loooong topic, but please bear with me. I was recently accepted into the Johns Hopkins MSN Entry into Nursing with a $25k scholarship! I did not even think I was going to be accepted, so I'm really happy!

This is where my dilemma comes in. I'm originally from California and nervous about moving to the opposite coast with 0 family/friends there. I will most likely be paying for the tuition by myself and definitely taking out loans. IDK if it helps that I didn't take out any loans for my undergrad? Anyway, I know JHU is a renown institution and it can open a lot of doors for me, but I've been reading on how some people think that a MSN for a RN license isn't worth the price point and recommend going through an ABSN or BSN that's 1/2 the price. I do ultimately want to become a FNP but that's years down the road.

Full disclosure, I am waiting to hear back from Rush University for their direct entry GEM to DNP program and Northeastern U for their direct entry MSN to DNP as well as a couple schools in California. I'm a little skeptical because I've read on here that going straight into DNP without clinical experience as a RN is high-key a red flag. I will say Northeastern's program mandates that students work 1-2 years between their RN license and starting the DNP program, which gives me some reassurance and Rush U does not have a gap year(s) to work as a RN. But Rush is also a great school and would that be worth going to if I got in?

I'm just really stuck on ultimately which school to choose. I've heard both good and bad news about all the schools so I would like insight from anyone who attended these schools.

Hi,

I was also accepted into the fall 2023 ELMSN program at JHU and I'm from California also (Bay Area). I am also skeptical to commit to this program because of the cost. I understand that it is a very prestigious university but I honestly do not know if it is worth the price. Let me know what you decide and who knows maybe we'll see each other ?

NewMSNCa, MSN, RN · Apr 2, 2023

I'm about to graduate from JHU's MSN program in a month and a half. We had almost 200 students in our class. I had a very different experience from the previous poster. The administration is tired af and so are the teachers. The university also breached my confidentiality when I came to them for help because I was experiencing domestic violence. If you are 23 and have never had any culture or lived experience this program would be great for you. If you actually have worked for over 10 years and have some grit, be prepared to come to a very depressed city marred by racism and social inequities pretty much caused by Johns Hopkins.

The one positive is that you'll never have a problem getting a job and I've had a bunch of offers from great and high paying residency programs months before graduation date. They pay abominably in Baltimore and at Johns Hopkins in particular.