Immunology at Johns Hopkins University

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Hi all, I am a 4th Pharmaceutical Product Development major and West Chester University of Pennsylvania and am looking to get into the Immunology PhD program at Johns Hopkins for Fall 2010. Basically I was wondering (more like hoping) that someone on here was familiar with that department and could help guide me along. Thanks!

Patrick
 
I am somewhat familiar with the department. What are your specific questions?
 
Well I would really like to meet with a professor in that department and talk about his/her research and the program itself.
 
Well, while on Bladeforums we have a pretty varied membership, I don't know of any of the JHU faculty who are members here. You need to be a little more clear about what you want from us on these forums.

I assume that you are referring to the Dept. of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology in the School of Public Health. Is this correct?

Their website (http://www.jhsph.edu/dept/mmi/index.html) is pretty clear about the course of study, as well as the requirements. As far as the PhD goes, 90% of your effort would be in your research. Do you have a specific professor in mind with whom to work? A specific topic? Why Hopkins? These would be the questions asked of you by anyone with whom you discussed the matter. It is absolutely essential for you to have at least some type of answer ready. (Perhaps you already do, and I simply don't understand your points.)
 
Yes, that is correct. I apologize for any ambiguity in my previous posts. After receiving my doctorate, I would like to research the mechanism of action of diseases. This desire led me to the field of immunology. In searching for universities that had immunology programs I found JHU. Because JHU is a prestigious school I began to take interest in there program. I have become particularly interested in the research that Dr. Diane Griffin is doing on the suppression of AIDS replication in the presence of measles.

I am also looking at Penn State - Hershey. Recently I was in contact with two students there who showed me their labs, introduced me to their advisers, and discussed with me daily life as a graduate student there. I had hoped to gain a similar experience at JHU and posted here with the hopes that someone on this forum could introduce me to someone who could help me in that regard.

I appreciate your effort and hope that I have cleared up some questions you may have had.
 
Ah--now we are getting somewhere.
It is much better to pick you University of choice by the faculty and subjectr researched than by the name alone. You will be spending 4-5 years in the laboratory, working at least 50-60 hours a week (unless it is a time of pressure, and then the workload goes up). So if you don't really love what you are doing, the name of the University will bring little comfort.

A few words of advice:

Apply to several Universities (5-10---and I am not kidding). Make sure that each of them have faculty and programs that interest you. It is not necessarily a given that you will get into the program at Hopkins--and you may find other programs and researchers that interest you more. Start with a PubMed search for papers that interest you and then look for the authors' affiliations.

Your visit to Penn State was a good idea. Now--see if you can repeat it at Hopkins.

First, get your application ducks in a row. Did you take the GREs yet? Be in touch with the secretary in charge of applications to see what you need to do beyond what is posted on the website.

Then, read every paper that Dr. Griffin has written in the last few years (at least the ones on her website). You should do this with a couple of other faculty members at Hopkins as well. For all you know, Dr. Griffin's lab may be full up--always have a plan B.

This way, you can be sure you understand what she is doing and why. Because your next step is to email her and tell her that you are applying to Hopkins and are interested in her laboratory. (She will ask you why.) Tell her the truth. Professors are always looking for students that are excited about their work, and like people who have done their homework. With luck, you can get an invitation from her to visit.

Keep in mind that she may not be able to respond--and if that happens, do not hold it against her. She may be traveling, or in the middle of a massive grant application, or something like that. According to the Dept. website, she is also the department chair so she is basically working two full-time jobs.

best of luck to you.
 
For some reason I think the BFC member "gnius" is at Hopkins. At any rate he's a PhD fellow in immunology, so perhaps a great resource if he has time to help.
 
Great advice given so far. I recommend trying to get as many options as possible without watering down your applications.

Your major seems to be focused on industry/commercialization. Are you sure you want to go into basic research? Have you ever worked in a lab? If you want to work in industry, getting a PhD is rarely necessary, often not very helpful, and can even get in the way. Don't get me wrong -- I'm a PhD student hoping to transition to industry/consulting/business and I think my PhD will be helpful for my goals. However, think critically about this.
 
I have worked in labs and am currently working in a lab doing basic research - and I love it. Those whom I have spoken to claim that I would need a PhD for the field I want to get into. Hopefully they haven't led me astray.
 
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