IGSA

1. JHU Registrar: http://www.jhu.edu/registrar/
2. Academic Calendar: http://webapps.jhu.edu/jhuniverse/information_about_hopkins/calendars_notices_announcements/academic_calendars/index.cfm
3. JHU holidays calendar: http://webapps.jhu.edu/jhuniverse/information_about_hopkins/calendars_notices_announcements/holiday_calendar/index.cfm
4. Office of International Student and Scholar services: http://www.jhu.edu/%7eisss/about.html
5. Lists of Clubs in JHU: http://www.jhu.edu/admis/campus/orglist.html
6. List of Clubs under GRO (Graduate representative organization): http://www.jhu.edu/gro/clubs.html
7. Student Life at JHU: http://www.grad.jhu.edu/student-life/

Top

Which are the mailing lists I might want to join?

1. Incoming Fall 2010: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jhu_fall2010/
2. IGSA:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/igsa_hopkins/

When should I get there?

Typically, it is good to reach Baltimore at least a week before your orientation starts and about 12 days before the classes. This will give you time to find an apartment, room-mates, apply for social security number, open a bank account etc. before the classes start. Try to get here on some weekend. Easier for us to arrange pickups.

Top

Which airport should I fly to?

It is best to fly to BWI. Other airports (like DCA and Reagan National in Washington DC) are quite far off. It might be unreasonable to expect somebody to go to those airports to pick you up. Cabs would cost you about $100+ from DCA. So please fly to only BWI.

Top

How are the temperatures in Baltimore? What kind of clothing I should get?

Spring and autumn in Baltimore are very pleasant, with temperatures ranging from the upper 50’s to the mid 80’s (10 to 27 °C). Winters are mild, with only a few snowstorms per season, and temperatures in the 30’s and 40’s (near freezing). Summers are HOT (around 90 °F / 32 °C) and can be quite humid: an air conditioning unit or at least a window fan is desirable.

Snow: You will encounter snow off and on for a couple of months. Though not too severe, Indian jackets usually don’t work. However, if you want leather jackets, India would be much cheaper. Sweaters tend have a limited utility. Essentially because when you are out, sweaters are not enough and when you are inside, the buildings are centrally heated and hence you would not need a sweater. Warm full sleeve shirts, sweat shirts and light sweaters work best. It is also a good idea to get a couple of ethnic dresses (for Diwali, dandiya etc.).For those who expect to give interviews or present in conferences, it might be a good idea to get formal wear as well.

Top

How much will it cost me to live in Baltimore?

1. Rent:
   1. Apartments- 3 bedroom (rare): $1200 to $1700
   2. Apartments- 2 bedroom: $900 to $1300
   3. Apartments- 1 bedroom: $700 to $900
   4. Efficiency (studio): $500 to $700
   5. Row houses: $600 to $1200 (depending on size, location and number of bedrooms)
2. Food/grocery: $150 to $300
3. Phone: Usually people take unlimited local calling plan for about $40. For international calls, calling cards work out to be most economical.
   1. Local: $40.
   2. International (Calling Cards): $5 (1 hr)
4. Electricity: $25 fro apartments but much higher for row-houses
5. Internet DSL: $35
6. Initial Set-up Cost: People usually buy second hand stuff. The range of price shown reflects the prices of second hand items in good condition.
   1. Microwave ($30 to $50)
   2. Vacuum Cleaner ($30)
   3. Dining Table: $50
   4. Couch etc: $50
   5. Bed: $50
   For second hand stuff, visit http://jhu.dailyjolt.com/agora/ and the classifieds of JHU gazette. Yard sales can also be helpful. Most other things are better to buy brand new as you might not save much going for second hand ones. Walmart is an economical place for everything (www.walmart.com). Occasionally you may find people giving out their stuff for free!
7. Books: New books are expensive in US ($60-300). It is a good idea to look at www.amazon.com and www.half.com to have an idea of the best prices you can get. There is an on campus (Homewood) book store as well. If you are predecided on some courses that you would be doing here, you can check Barnes&Noble BookStore Website. It lists text books for some courses offered by various departments

Top

Will an international Driving License be of some use?

In Maryland any country’s license is valid for one year. You can drive car with this license. And also it takes you out of the trouble of getting a learner’s license and paying money for a car riving school. This license gives you chance to directly apply for state license. So it doesn’t matter whether you have Indian or international license. However, rules can change. For the latest visit: http://mva.state.md.us/.

Top

What about health insurance?

Luckily from 2004 onwards, all the insurance cost (for the university insurance for students) will be paid by university (at least for graduate students, there may be exceptions). It is a decent insurance plan by chickering group (www.chickering.com) and is called Open Choice PPO. It is not the best insurance in the country, but then it is free for grad students. It usually does not cover dental and eye treatment coverage. It is a good idea to have a dental and eyesight check up in India before you come here.

Top

What should I pack?

List of things that are significantly more expensive in US when compared to India: Belts, big pillow covers, extra pair of reading glasses if applicable (with prescription for the number), Leather shoes, Pressure cooker with extra gasket, whistle etc., utensils (big size- most often you will be in bulk for 2-3 days… so small cooking utensils would be a waste), spoons, strainer (chulni), knife, box for storing masalas, recipes, scientific calculator (not expensive…. But if you have one, then get it), text books, first aid kit and all your medicines, formal wear, fountain pen if you use it.

List of things that are rather useful during your first week (before you get to go shopping): Alarm Clock, under garments (lot of them... you will probably do laundry only once in 2-3 weeks), writing pad, nail cutter, tooth brush etc., school bag, basic tool kit, umbrella. List of important ‘not to forget’ items: Indian Driving License, passport, all the JHU documents, birth certificate, transcripts, medical record and prescriptions.

List things that you should carry with you (carry on luggage): Pen, passport, a copy of JHU documents, some $1 bills useful for getting carts at the airport, if you can get some quarters (25 cents) then that would be quiet helpful in making calls etc., some emergency cash (about $150 in denomination of 20s), address and phone book

Top

How do I get to the JHU area from the airport?

If you know somebody, you can request him to pick you up the first time you are coming to Baltimore. It would be a good idea to fix up the pick up place right outside the baggage claim area of the specific flight. IGSA in coordination with the yahoo fall group ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jhu_fall2010/) will try to find somebody to pick you up. Otherwise, there is ground transportation available on the very floor that you would collect your baggage from. You can choose:

1. Super shuttle ($16 but takes longer)
2. Airport Taxi (about $35 to Homewood campus)
3. Light rail (cheap but will not recommend unless you are familiar with the area)

Prices may have changed since this FAQ was published.

Top

What about making a phone call from the airport?

In case of an emergency, you might need to make calls form the airport. If you want to call from outside US, you would need to purchase a phone card (available at some book/gift stores at the airport). The general procedure is to dial the calling card company number (usually toll free) followed by the pin number (when asked) followed by the number you desire to call (when asked). Similar procedure is used for interstate calling in US. Local numbers can directly be dialed from the phone booth. You require change (quarters and dimes) to place these calls.

Top

Where do I go after landing in Baltimore?

You should try to contact seniors to help you during your first week. They might offer to pick you up from the arport and also try to find you a temporary accommodation for your 1st week during which you can search from an apartment. Also, make sure you update the database on the yahoo fall 2010 group ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jhu_fall2010/). IGSA will try to arrange for your pick up and temporary stay.

Top

How much cash do people typically carry in their pockets?

Unlike in India, you will not be carrying notes of 100s! Typically graduate students carry about $20 in their pockets.

Top

What's Baltimore like?

Baltimore is an old, not so large city. It is tucked between New York, Washington DC and Philadelphia. It is serviced by 3 airports, with BWI being the most accessible one. An interesting site is Baltimore.org. Baltimore has a lot of universities for a city of its size. Towson University, Goucher College, Loyola College, G.B.M.C, University of Maryland College Park, University of Maryland Baltimore County, among others, are within driving distance of JHU. The aquarium and the zoo are the two main tourist attractions in Baltimore. If you are a museum person, Baltimore Museum of Arts adjoining the Homewood campus is a good place to hang out. The Inner Harbor (around the aquarium) is also a good and safe place. Night-life in Baltimore is not too great. Nonetheless, areas like Mt. Vernon, Fells Point, Federal Hill and Canton are definitely worth checking out. With Washington DC being within an hour’s drive, one has many more options (provided we have a car!).

Top

What about safety?

Baltimore has a rather high crime rate. It is thus important to lookout for a safe neighborhood for your accommodation. The area around Homewood (between 30th and 35th Street and St.Paul Street, Charles Street and W. University Parkway are well secured by the Hopkins Security. However, it is a usual city and some people get mugged, while others never encounter a problem. Just be smart about walking alone at night (i.e., don't do it!) and be aware of your surroundings. JHU students can call Hopkins shuttle (free) to commute within a 1 mile radius around the Homewood campus between 5 pm to 3 am. During the day, free JHMI shuttles run between the medical campus and Homewood campus. You can check out the campus crime and safety reports online at http://www.jhu.edu/~security.

Top

Am I entitled to a part time job?

Part time jobs depend on your visa status. Most of the student’s at Hopkins are on an F-1 visa. This allows them to work for 20 hours a week, ON CAMPUS. However, note that the research assistantship and teaching assistantship often fill up that quota of allocated 20 hours. You can get a job and then get a special form from the International Student’s Office. One copy goes to your employer and another copy goes to the Student Employment Office in the basement of Garland Hall. This is a one time affair done to enter you into the payroll system. If you are here on a tourist visa, then you will only be allowed to take part-time classes and not work at all.

Top

Once I am there, where can I look for a part time job?

If you're looking for a job, try www.jhu.edu/~stujob/ and semps.ses.hsa.jhu.edu/stujob/jobs.cfm. There is a recruitment fair for student jobs at the start of the Fall semester (usually September).

Top

Any tips that would help in hunting for apartments?

Typical Rent

1. Apartments- 3 bedroom (rare): $1200 to $1700
2. Apartments- 2 bedroom: $900 to $1300
3. Apartments- 1 bedroom: $700 to $900
4. Efficiency (studio): $500 to $700
5. Row houses: $600 to $1200 (depending on size, location and number of bedrooms)

Notes

1. Efficiency (studio) is a one single room with a kitchen (usually separated from the main room), a bathroom and some closet space.
2. A row house is an independent house.
3. At the time of signing the lease, a security deposit of about a months rent needs to be deposited.
4. Shorter leases are more expensive. If you sign a lease for a longer period, your rent usually decreases.
5. The rent is paid at the starting of the month
6. On campus housing in Homewood campus is only available to 1st and 2nd year undergraduate students. Reed Hall is available for people in medical campus.
7. While choosing an apartment, consider the following:
   1. Heating
   2. Maintenance
   3. Closet Space
   4. Number of bathrooms
   5. Proximity to campus (walking in snow!)
   6. Safe neighborhood
   7. Which utilities are included in the rent

To see a map of the campus :  http://www.jhu.edu/~tour/map.html

Useful links

www.jhu.edu/~hds/offcampus/, www.apartmentguide.com, http://www.jhu.edu/~gazette, http://jhu.dailyjolt.com/agora/

Homewood campus:

Most engineering buildings are located close to the south end and in terms of walking it is about 5 mins walk from the north end and roughly the same time from the east and west. Starting from the south end and going in a counter-clockwise fashion around the University:

South end you will mainly find row houses. In South-east you will come across more row houses an apartment building- ‘Dell House’.

East: You come on Charles St with the university housing dorms and behind it is St. Paul Street. Still behind that is N. Calvert Street. Both St. Paul and North Calvert Streets have several row houses and apartment buildings. The various apartment buildings in this area: Jefferson house, Blackstone apts., Wyman towers and the Marylander (where maximum Desis live).

North is mainly dominated by apt. buildings. These are: 106 and 104 W. University parkway, Ambassador apts., Hamilton, Broadview, Hopkins House and Carlyle.

On the West and south west side, you would come across some row houses with a couple of apt. complexes (Wyman court apts. and wyman park apts.). A major portion of the Indian community resides in the Marylander Apts and dell House. The relative cost for the popular apartments in increasing order is (Note, the rents keep changing every now and then… hence the following order would also change).

Jefferson House < Marylander < Dell House & Broadview < Carlyle < Ambassador and Cambridge < Hopkins House

Top

Where do I buy a computer from?

Most people buy computers from Dell. Some people also go for Sony, Toshiba, IBM, Apple and Gateway. Although, JHU offers special rates for Dell computers to the students, most people are easily able to get much better deals over the internet. www.edealinfo.com and www.deals2buy.com are good sites to check for deals. Apart from the company sites, if you want to actually physically see the computer before you buy, you can go to stores like BestBuy, Circuit City and CompUSA. They also sell online and often provide free shipping. Note that softwares are available at student rates from JHU HITS. Also the antivirus (Symantec) is available for free to all JHU students.

Top

How do I get a credit card?

People rarely use cash. Credit cards are most commonly used for transactions. You can apply for credit cards by phone or simply on the internet. Initially, when you are still new in US, and you don’t have any credit background, you might get a few rejects. Hence it is important to know the credit cards that are easy to get. Make sure that there is ‘NO ANNUAL FEE” associated with the credit card. Also, it is a good idea to go for credit cards that have a ‘money back’ incentive. http://www.studentcreditcard.com/ is a helpful site for choosing and applying for student credit cards. At times, the bank in which you open the account also offers you a credit card (note it is different from debit card).

Top

Once I'm in the US, where do I buy the books from?

Usually people get much better deals from online stores. However, shipping of these books often takes about a week. Some of the useful websites are: www. amazon.com, www.half.com, www.addall.com, www.booksamillion.com, www.barnesandnobel.com and www.fetchbook.info. There is also an on campus Barnes and Nobel store that is specifically designed to cater to the textbooks used in Hopkins (Homewood). JHMI has its on campus book store in Reed Hall. Sometimes you can also find second hand books at www.jhu.dailyjolt.com.

Top

How do I open a bank account?

It is useful to find a bank that has more ATMs and a more extensive network. There are mainly three options for banks:

1. Bank of America – Has very extensive network of ATM’s. It has an ATM in the campus and a couple nearby.
2. M & T bank – On campus branch bank has reasonable coverage in this region in terms of ATM and convenience of branch on campus.
3. Federal Credit union – Non-profitable union has very good interest rates compared to other banks.

Procedure for all the banks is simple just fill out a form have your student proof and passport and you are good to go.

Top

What is a J-Card?

The I-card of Hopkins is called the ‘J-Card’.

Top

How do I apply for my social security number?

The social security office is in Rotunda mall, located near to the campus. The letter from OISSS office stating your employment rights and status needs to be taken to the office.

Top

Are there any Indian restaurants around?

Mughal garden (mostly north Indian and decent restaurant) 920 North Charles St Baltimore 21201, Phone: 410 547 0001
Akbar (decent restaurant with buffet in the afternoon) 823 N. Charles St. Baltimore, MD 21201-5316, Phone: 410/539-0944
Bombay Grill Restaurant: 114 E Lombard St, Baltimore, MD 21202-5541, Phone: (410) 837-2973
Ambassador (good ambience and high cost food is ok) 3811 Canterbury Rd Baltimore, MD 21218-2340, Phone:(410) 366- 14843811
Mango Grove (nice south Indian restaurant, little far) 6365 Dobbin Rd, Columbia, MD 21045 Phone: 410-884-3426
Kumari (new and nice restaurant, Indian and nepali food) 911 N. Charles St. Mount Vernon Baltimore, M, Phone:(410) 547-1600
Bombay Garden (again nice restaurant in a reasonable price) 5511 York Rd. Baltimore, MD Phone: (410) 323-8440
Tamber's Nifty Fifties Dining (close to campus food is ok) 3327 Saint Paul Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218-3254; Ph: 410.243.0383
Woodlands Vegetarian (nice restaurant must visit once) 18216, Contour Rd, Gaithersburg, MD 20877 Ph:301-963-4466
Woodlands Vegetarian 8046, New Hampshire Ave, Langley Park, MD 20783; Phone:301-434-4202
India Tandoor Restaurant (near campus, economical, food just ok) 2100 N Charles St Baltimore, MD 21218-5709, Phone:(410) 468- 0969
Charles Restaurant & Carry-Out (nice food and order by phone) 2500 Saint Paul St, Baltimore, MD 21218-4606; Phone: (410) 366- 1600

Top

Are there any societies / clubs I can join at JHU?

http://sts.jhu.edu/studentinvolvement/stuco.xsp

Top

How do I call up India?

Having a long distance plan or international plan usually works out to be very expensive. Typically, people use cell phones with national plan for calling within US and calling cards to make a call to India. Usually people go for the most economical basic plan for the landline, often use www.bigzoo.com or cell phones for within US calls and calling card (eg. Reliance Calling Cards www.relianceindiacall.com ) for making calls to India.

Top

What about shopping?

Most of the shops have online websites. You can get the exact store locations from their websites. Books: online (www.amazon.com , www.half.com, Barnes and Nobel). Close by book stores- Barnes and Nobel, Borders. For shopping clothes etc., some of the malls people frequent are- Towson Mall (college shuttle goes - www.baltimorecollegetown.org/asp/shuttle.asp), White Marsh Mall, Arundel mills. Furniture- www.staples.com, www.ikea.com), Electronics (www.bestbuy.com, www.circuitcity.com, www.radioshack.com). A radioshack shop is also there in Rotunda where the Hopkins shuttle goes. Note that prices fall drastically during off-season. People usually get groceries from nearby Safeway, Giants and Superfresh stores. The Hopkins shuttle goes to Giants and Superfresh. Punjab Halal is a close by Indian store. Walmart is a store that carries almost everything you need at very low prices.

Top

How do I get the best bargains?

Most often, the online prices are lower than the instore prices. The following websites are helpful in getting the best deals:

1. www.pricegrabber.com
2. www.edealsinfo.com
3. www.deals2buy.com

Top

Where can I find second-hand furniture, classifieds for apartments and sublets available?

Garage sales, http://jhu.dailyjolt.com/agora/, http://www.jhu.edu/~gazette/

Top

Could you tell me something about transportation and travel?

Within Baltimore: Buses, Light rail, Cabs. For details see

• http://www.mtamaryland.com/
• http://www.jhu.edu/%7Esecurity/JHMISched.htm
• http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/security/transportation/shuttles.htm
• http://www.baltimorecollegetown.org/asp/shuttle.asp
• In Washington DC: http://www.wmata.com/default.cfm

Within US: Airfare is usually quite cheap (cheaper than train)

• Interstate Bus service: http://www.greyhound.com/
• Train: http://www.amtrak.com/
• Air: A usually routine is to check out the best deals from http://www.travelocity.com/, www.expedia.com and www.orbitz.com. After finding the best deal, people usually go to the specific airlines website and buy the ticket directly. Flying within US typically costs between $150 to $350 round trip.

For traveling to India, travel agents are usually able to get you the best fares.

It is probably a good idea to enroll in the frequent flyer program of the airline you are travelling on. You may be able to get discounts on subsequent flights, especially since flights to and from India will give you quite a few frequent flyer miles.

Top

Do you have any department specific information?

School of Public Health

JHMI-specific advice about:

1. Housing:
   There are 2 places you could stay: In Reed hall OR in Charles Village.
   • Staying in Reed hall (on campus dorms/hostel):
     Advantages:
     
     1. On campus
     2. Cheap: Small rooms cost 325, large ones cost 375. Included in this, you get free Internet access, central heating/air-conditioning (doesn’t really work perfectly, but its not unlivable either.), access to the game room (pool table, table tennis, foosball).
     Disadvantages:
     
     1. No good Indian grocery shops nearby.
     2. Safety issues.
   • Charles Village:
     There is a free and convenient bus service that runs between the Homewood campus and JHMI all day. Has a huge Indian community. For details of this area refer to Question 19.
2. Safety issues:
   JHMI is guarded around the clock by a dedicated security staff and is probably one of the safest places in Baltimore. Outside the campus is another story: The area around JHMI is probably the worst in Baltimore. Some guidelines you could follow are:
   1. Always go with a friend, and preferably two.
   2. Always be back home before dark.
   3. Go only to areas that you are familiar with.
3. Groceries:
   There are no good Indian groceries nearby. Some people make a trip to the 'Punjab' grocery store (near Homewood) to get their Indian stuff once in a month. The other places that you can go to are:
   • Stop-Shop-Save: Off campus, walking distance, safe to go to in the afternoons, iffy in the evenings, absolutely off limits after dark.
   • Safeway: Excellent grocery store, lots of things (except stationery) available. Free shuttle from Reed hall 3 times a week. Convenient to go to.
   • Wal-Mart: Very inconvenient to go to, but you have to make one trip, to get stuff like a hot plate etc. VERY CHEAP. You have to take a bus from the bus stop on campus, and travel for about 30 minutes.
   • Murry's: It is very convenient (near JHSPH), and quite cheap, but the variety is much less than Safeway.
4. Jobs:
   http://jhsph.erecruiting.com/er/security/login.jsp NOTE: You will not be able to log on to this site unless you have a email id from the school, which you will receive on the orientation day.
5. Places to know:
   
   1. International student office: Its located in the ground floor of reed hall.
   2. Lilienfeld library: Right beside reed hall, there is a building called the “Hampton house”. On the top floor of Hampton house is a rather nice library.
   3. Hampton house computer lab: The Hampton house computer lab is in the basement of the building, and offers free printing. Note that there are 2 labs in JHSPH and some more in the basic sciences building which can be used for free printing too.
   4. Welch Medical library: Opposite the JHSPH. HUGE library.
   5. Johns Hopkins bookstore: On campus, located between Reed hall and JHSPH. Ultra expensive.
   6. Bank of America: On campus, right beside the bookstore.
6. Map:
   http://www.welch.jhu.edu/about/campus.gif

School of Medicine

Books that would be helpful: If you are into biology related PhD program - Molecular Biology of The Cell (Bruce Alberts, Alexander Johnson) and if you feel like Genomes (Brown) and any textbook giving the basics of physical chemistry. These are all you need, as most of the times you will have just about enough time to assimilate the material covered in the course work given out in the form of handouts.

The first two years are of intensive training when you polish off all your core courses and most of your electives. At the end of the first two years you will appear for your doctoral qualifier exams, which are orals, and depending on your program you may or may not have the freedom of choosing the committee that will examine you. Then you invest the next 3-4 years totally for your thesis work. Depending on the program you are joining you may be required to take any where between 7-9 core courses and 4-8 electives. You typically take two courses at a time, each of about 6 weeks. Your department specifies the order in which you need to take them. On a general note core courses you take train you to have a good hold in the fields of biophysical chemistry, genetics, cell biology, bioorganic chemistry, intracellular trafficking and signal transduction. Once you have completed these you choose to take your electives. The respective program specifies the range of labs that you can rotate in. As a protocol you are expected to do a minimum of three lab rotations (this rule is flexible) and more if you think you need to delve more options. Some programs give you the option of doing just two rotations if you have a master’s thesis. Rotations are the time when you really learn a lot as you are applying the knowledge that you assimilate in the classes. At the end of your three rotations you submit your thesis lab decision to your program Director and you will also be required to decide the panel you want on your thesis committee.

Roughly 3-5 students are recruited to most programs except for the Umbrella programs – BCMB and CMM- and Neurosciences where any where between 18-40 students are recruited. On an average 80 graduate students are recruited ever year.

ChemBE

Books that you might want to get from India:

1. Elements of Chemical Reaction Engineering (3rd Edition ) by H.S. Fogler
2. Chemical and Engineering Thermodynamics by Sandler
3. Transport Phenomena, 2nd Edition by Bird Stewart and Lightfoot

JHU has very little course requirements. You need to take 3 core courses (Adv. Chemical Kinetics, Adv Thermo and Adv. Transport Phenomena). Apart from that you are required to take 3 electives. However, the qualifiers are quite a grill and you need to be thorough with the above mentioned 3 books… hence it is a good idea to get them from India. You would have your qualifiers in the 1st week of Jun towards the end of your 1st year. All you need to know for the qualifiers are the above 3 books. There is no lab rotation in ChemBE. Typically people need to give their top 3 choices of profs they want to join by Oct. The decisions are made my mid Nov and then you can start with your research. Jobs are not a problem. Our secretary Lynn Johnson (email is on ChemBE website) is very helpful and you can always contact her for any problems/queries. It is a good idea to surf through various research groups and try to get in touch with the Indian students over the email. Almost everybody is funded and receives the usual $23000 per annum. After taxes, it comes to about $750 per 15 days. Typically about 8-10 students join every year of which 1-2 are Indians.

BME

Carry your field’s books + physiology by guyton & medical Instrumentation by Webster.

All bme masters have to take two physiology courses whereas Phds have to do first year of medicine. But note there have been few students who have got around these medicine courses. Masters have to do 24 credits of course work and thesis. For any questions its best to mail mmoody@bme.jhu.edu. She is the grad secy for masters and is very helpful. Phd gradsecy is Evelyn McCann. Job prospects depend a lot on your field of work. But BME as such is a booming field right now. A lot of people do job after masters but quite a few also join Phd. About funding for the masters- You have to quickly find a RA position in some lab to get funding. Phds can try out 3 labs before they settle in. For masters its better to get a lab as soon as possible.

Neuroscience

Books they should get form India : Principles of Neural Systems (Kandel, Schwartz and Jessell). You have to take one year-long core course called Neuroscience and Cognition. You have to take six more credits (3 Neuroscience and 3 non-neuroscience). Recommendation: The med school offers a course called molecular biology. Do not take it in the first semester. Neuroscience dept. is strict about GBOs. You have to take them before 1st of July of second year. That is the end of the second year. Usually, students do 3 rotations. But, if you know whose lab you want to join at the end of two rotations, you can get your third rotation waived by submitting a petition to the secretary. You have to decide the prof you want to join by 1st Sept. If you feel that you need to do a fourth rotation before deciding,they make an exception. Again, you have to submit a petition for that. Neuroscience doesn't accept students without funding. Typically about 10 to 15 people join the dept. and usually one of them is an Indian. Neuroscience only offers PhDs. Most of the students go on to do a postdoc in some school of their choice and then go to academia. Hopkins Neuroscience PhDs usually don't have a problem getting jobs in the academia. Some also go to the pharma industry.

Economics

Books to get form India:

1. Mas-Colell, Whinston and Green...Microeconomic Theory
2. Greene, Econometric Analysis
3. Blanchard and Fisher, Lectures in Macroeconomics

Course information: http://www.econ.jhu.edu/phd_descript.html. By the end of 2 to 2.5 yrs, students generally decide the prof under whom they would be working Funding: By doing well in year 1...some people can hope to get funding. Each year about 14 students join of which sometimes 1 is an Indian. Job Prospects: http://www.econ.jhu.edu/rec_placement.html.

Department of Geography and Environment

In Environmental Engineering you have four specializations including Environmental Process Engg, Water Resources Engineering, Environmental Science and Policy, Contaminant fate and transport. Books to bring depends on which stream you choose for major. It is advisable to have books on Mass Transfer Operations, Numerical methods, books that cover fundamental math and chemistry. Course requirement is – 30 credits for Masters degree. And core courses depend on the major you choose. The course requirement for different majors is given by the site http://www.jhu.edu/~dogee/prospstud/mse.html. For PhD, there is no course requirement.

Contact of secretary- Christine Kavanagh – ctkavanagh@jhu.edu

You will be taking your qualifiers/GBO in the fourth or fifth semester. PhD students have rotations, but it depends on the major. Environmental modelling and systems design majors don’t need a lab rotation. By when the second or third semester you have to decide the prof you want to join For funding: Look which prof's research interests matches yours, and contact the prof for funding. You can take the course that he takes and impress him by getting good grades. If you are good enough, you'll get funding soon. Typically, every year th number of students that join the department varies from 20 to 30. As of now, there are only 3 Indians in the whole department. Job prospects are good. There are a handful of environmental companies coming in, and it depends on how good you are - to convince your prospective employer. You have 75 - 90 % chances of getting a job depending on how good you are. After graduation, typically 50% prefer to work and the rest prefer to do PhD or a post-doc.

Electrical Engineering

Ideally a student should email someone in the research group of his preference already at Hopkins and get the list of the books he need to bring from India. The department focuses its teaching and research programs in three major areas: (1) computer engineering; (2) systems, communications, and signal processing; and (3) solid state and quantum electronics. Qualifiers are taken generally at the beginning or third semester or beginning of fourth semester. GBo could be taken whenever the advisor feels that the student is prepared. Generally it happens in the sixth or seventh semester for most students. Students do not have rotation in labs. If students are RA's, they kind of continue doing research under the same prof. If they are TA, then they should have make up their mind by the end of first year and talk with the respective groups/ or profs. If you do not have then normally to get this later is very difficult. MS students don't get funding generally. A smart student should talk with senior students and see which groups have fundings. Then he should take those courses where he wants to do his research and has the possibility of fundings open. Then he should crack those courses, impress the professor and discuss with him the possibility of doing PhD. So Even if he/she is smart enough, he might need to spend six months or one year in the process convincing the professor that he is capable of doing research. Every year, typically 35 (including MS and PhD) students join this department of which 5-6 are Indians. Most of the graduates end up in industry. Few also go to academia.

Computer Science

Hopkins is not one of the bigger schools of America. The CS Dept in particular is very small compared to most of the other schools. Most of research carried out in the dept is from good to very good. Storage Systems is fairly new and not in the news yet. But Security is definitely very well known and has really good professors recruited from the industry. CS is more popular for its research in CIS and CLSP. The Information Security Institute has recently separated from the CS department. It’s a great place to be in if you are interested in Security. Most of the core technology courses are shared between the CS department and JHUISI (http://jhuisi.jhu.edu/). To graduate from the CS department, you have the option of doing either 10 courses or 8 courses and a Masters Thesis/Project. You have to complete 6 core courses which are split as 2 courses from Analysis, 2 from Systems and 2 from Applications. The remaining courses can be in the CS, JHUISI, Cog Sci, ECE or Math Sci department. All courses have to be first approved by your advisor. You can take courses that have been classified as 400 level or above. Not all courses are offered every semester. Job prospects look pretty decent. Many companies come here for recruiting students. Books you would need depend upon courses that you choose to take. A general list of books would be refresher books on C, C++ or JAVA. If you plan to take Information Retrieval, a book on Perl would be in order. Books on SQL and Databases are recommended. A general book that you prefer on Data Structures and Cormen, Leiserson’s book on Algorithms is recommended. Other books can usually be bought from seniors who have taken these classes.

Mechanical Engineering

One book that will be very useful is "Introduction to Continuum Mechanics" by Gurtin. ME is very flexible in terms of what courses you take, there are NO compulsory courses, you take courses based on your choice and your adviser's wishes ofcourse!

Contact of secretary: Mike Bernard, a really nice and helpful guy: mike.bernard@jhu.edu

Departmental Qualifiers usually after 3 semesters of study, not fixed though. Graduate Board Oral after 3 years approx. but this is very flexible and you can give them upto a semester late or early with the consent of your adviser. There are no lab rotations. Funding: If you are willing to spend a few months without funding and impress your adviser enough so that he will pulloff something for you then may be yes, otherwise getting funding after teh prof says no, is not easy. Typically about 10-12 students join the department. Out of them about 2-3 are Indians. Job prospects: Academic prospects are Excellent (i.e. if you want to be a post-doc or a faculty or something). Industrial prospects are so-so. If you are good at what you do, and are good at networking then you might find good jobs, not many ME companies come to campus though so you have to put a lot of effort. Hardly any ME students graduate with a Masters, most do a PhD.

Civil Engineering

Some useful books to have are: Erwin Kreyzig (common for all departments), Dynamics – Dynamics by Chopra, FEM – cook and malcus, Krishnamurthy. Qualifiers are generally at the end of first year in summer. It’s not a very difficult thing. Failing ratio is very low. There is a written and oral test in Qualifiers. If you are on fellowship then you have initial nine months fellowship period by then you need to decide the prof. If you came under a specific prof as RA then its done. Generally in Civil Engineering people come with funding in PhD program. Typically every year 8-10 students join the department. Stipend is approximately 18000 for a year before taxes. It is paid bi- monthly.

Physics

Typically at the end of 2nd yr after you have finished all graduate level classes and preliminary exams in those courses, you would be taking your GBO. Students do not have lab rotations. There is no fixed time by which you need to decide the prof you want to join. It varies for individual cases The Physics dept. does not take graduate students without support.. Typically about 15-20 students join the department every year. Of these usually 1-2 are Indians.