Fun Facts About Johns Hopkins University

December 13, 2022
By AdmissionSight

Fun Facts About Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins University at a glance

First impressions of Johns Hopkins University can be very useful for someone to know about the university. Therefore, there are many fun facts about Johns Hopkins University to learn about. The Johns Hopkins University is a prestigious private university that was established in 1876. It is located in an urban area, has a total undergraduate enrollment of 6,132 students in the fall of 2021, and its campus spans a total area of 140 acres. It follows an academic calendar that is divided into semesters.

There are nine schools that makeup Johns Hopkins University, but only five of them are for undergraduate students. Most of the university’s first-year students attend classes on the Homewood Campus, one of the four campuses located in and around Baltimore. Students in their first and second years are required to live on campus.

Johns Hopkins University plaza

Additionally, the School of Advanced International Studies at Hopkins has additional campuses in Bologna, Italy; Nanjing, China; and Washington, District of Columbia. Graduate programs at Hopkins include the Peabody Institute for Music and Dance, the Whiting School of Engineering, the highly regarded School of Medicine, and the highly ranked Bloomberg School of Public Health. The Johns Hopkins Hospital is consistently regarded as the best hospital in the country, and many of its subspecialties also rank very highly.

We have not deviated from that vision in 145 years. This institution continues to be a magnet for brilliant and driven academics and a frontrunner in instruction and research across the globe. Students in the arts and music, humanities, social and natural sciences, engineering, international studies, education, business, and the health professions have access to mentorship from distinguished faculty members.

Since 1979, our university has consistently ranked first in the country regarding funding from the federal government for research and development projects thanks to the efforts of these faculty members, along with their colleagues at the university’s Applied Physics Laboratory. This honor is befitting of America’s first research university. This place has been instrumental in advancing higher education in the United States and continues to contribute to human knowledge and discoveries.

Johns Hopkins University in numbers

A numerical representation of Johns Hopkins University is important as it shows the value of the university. One of the more notable fun facts about Johns Hopkins University is that it currently holds the seventh spot on the list of 443 national universities. The performance of schools is evaluated using a set of widely recognized quality indicators, and the results are used to create rankings.

Johns Hopkins University library

The admissions process at Johns Hopkins University is among the most competitive, with only an 8% acceptance rate. Fifty percent of applicants require a score between 1510 and 1570 on the SAT or between 34 and 35 on the ACT for admission.

At Johns Hopkins University, the ratio of students to teachers is 6 to 1, and 78.5% of the university’s classes have fewer than 20 students in attendance. The retention rate for freshmen, which is an indicator of how satisfied students are, is 97% on average.

The undergraduate student body at Johns Hopkins University has a total enrollment of 6,132 students (fall 2021), with 45% of the students being male and 55% female. At this particular institution, 45% of the student body resides in housing owned or operated by the college, while the remaining 55% reside off campus.

54% of full-time undergraduate students at Johns Hopkins University receive need-based financial aid, and the average scholarship or grant award for students with financial needs is $53,908.

Facts about Johns Hopkins University

1. The letter S from the name “Johns”

As with most universities, it is one of the fun facts about Johns Hopkins University that the students and alumni here take pride in their school. When people from outside call their cherished university “John Hopkins,” the students can’t help but cringe. There is a letter “S” in the name Johns. The correct name is “Johns Hopkins.”

Johns Hopkins, a wealthy Quaker businessman, and philanthropist from the 18th century, was honored with the naming of this educational institution. His great-grandmother, Margaret Johns, inspired the name of his first name. Johns Hopkins, who passed away in 1873 without having any children, left $7 million to establish a university and hospital in his (somewhat confusing) name. The donation was the largest charitable contribution ever made in the history of the United States.

2. Peabody ties

Information about Johns Hopkins University shows that in 1985, the Peabody Institute, which held the distinction of being the first music academy in the United States, was absorbed by Johns Hopkins University. It is a conservatory that welcomes musicians of all skill levels, from absolute beginners to those working toward a doctorate in musical arts. The Peabody Library is open to the public and features stunning architecture.

3. Steam tunnels

A network of steam tunnels is found beneath the Homewood and East Baltimore campuses of Johns Hopkins University (entrances are located under buildings by Merrick Barn). During the 1990s, there was widespread speculation that the tunnels beneath the physics building were home to a population of genetically altered rabbits.

4. Presidential glee

Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States, attended Hopkins University. He was a member of the university glee club when he was a student, and later, when he was president, he chose “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the new national anthem. However, because of his chronic migraines, his time at Johns Hopkins was not one of the most enjoyable periods of his life. When talking to a fellow student, he once said, “I came here to admire and have remained here to scoff.”

5. Lacrosse pride

One of the fun facts about Johns Hopkins University is that the most popular sport here is lacrosse. For that reason, the annual homecoming game is played in the spring rather than the fall, like in football. The year 1904 marked the squad’s debut in the competition. They competed for the United States in the Summer Olympics of 1932. (pictured above). In addition, they have won a total of 44 national championships, including nine titles at the NCAA Division 1 level. In 2015, they became members of the newly formed Big Ten for lacrosse and went on to win the conference’s first-ever championship game, which they played against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

6. The Original Research College or University

The United States’ very first university dedicated entirely to research was Johns Hopkins. Daniel Coit Gilman, the first president of the university, borrowed the concept of combining classroom instruction with academic research from Alexander von Humboldt’s educational model in Germany. Gilman’s argument stated, “The best teachers are usually free, competent, and willing to do original research in the library and the laboratory.”

7. Notable graduates

Wolf Blitzer, Wes Craven, Tori Amos, and John Astin are some famous people who graduated from Johns Hopkins. Astin, best known for his role as Gomez Addams, returned to Johns Hopkins in 2005 to teach. One of the more noteworthy fun facts about Johns Hopkins University is that it has produced 22 Nobel Prize winners.

8. The Fitzgeralds

In 1932, F. Scott Fitzgerald moved into a residence directly across the street from Johns Hopkins University while his wife was receiving treatment at the hospital affiliated with the university (she was treated for schizophrenia). Both “Save Me the Waltz,” Zelda’s autobiographical novel, and “Tender Is the Night,” written by F. Scott, were written while the authors lived in Baltimore.

9. From Joke to Mascot and back again

The Blue Jays of Johns Hopkins University have the distinction of having the only mascot that was taken from a humor magazine. A satirical student publication is known as “The Black and Blue Jay,” which was first published in the 1920s. After the magazine gained widespread At Hopkins’ request, the local newspapers in Hopkins’s community began referring to the school’s sports teams as “the Blue Jays” rather than “the Black and Blue.”

10. Bloomberg Billion

During his time at Johns Hopkins University in the 1960s, Michael Bloomberg was responsible for designing and constructing the blue jay costume worn by students. One of the more surprising fun facts about Johns Hopkins University is that he also acted as the team mascot for several lacrosse matches. Over the past four decades, Bloomberg has given Johns Hopkins University more than one billion dollars in donations, demonstrating that he has never lost his school spirit.

Johns Hopkins University Hospital

Now that you have an idea about Johns Hopkins University, your college admissions into that university should be next on your mind. To ensure that you get into Johns Hopkins University, you can get help with AdmissionSight. With ten years of experience with college admission experts, Admissionsight can help you get into Johns Hopkins University. You can talk to our experts today to get an initial consultation.

Author

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sign up now to receive insights on
how to navigate the college admissions process.