Empty nesters in training

Our son was one of the “682 talented high school students from around the globe who applied for early admission to Johns Hopkins University (and) were offered admission, making them the first members of the university’s undergraduate Class of 2024,” the school announced this week.

He was accepted to JHU’s Whiting School of Engineering as a biomedical engineering major.

“We are so excited to welcome these students as the foundational cohort for the Class of 2024,” said Ellen Kim, JHU’s dean of undergraduate admissions in a press release. “Coming from an exceptionally competitive Early Decision pool, these students represent some of the strongest and most talented students from their communities.”

A record number of students applied under the early decision option, meaning those students identified Johns Hopkins as their first choice and committed to attend if admitted. The Baltimore university’s acceptance rate hovers around 12 percent.

We are appreciative of our son’s local schools — Mt. St. Mary’s Academy, Ghidotti Early College High School and Sierra College in Rocklin — as well as his teachers, counselors and other mentors. All of them have been supportive and good teachers.

JHU is among the top 10 universities in the nation in U.S. News & World Report‘s Best College rankings, the longest-running and most widely cited assessment of U.S. colleges and universities. JHU also remains the nation’s No. 1-ranked undergraduate biomedical engineering program, according to U.S. News — a big factor in our son’s decision-making.

In November 2018, Michael Bloomberg donated $1.8 billion to JHU, his alma mater (class of ’64). The donation—the largest-ever single contribution to a college or university—guaranteed that Johns Hopkins can commit to “need-blind” admissions, making it a loan-free institution. Woohoo!

In graduate school at Northwestern University, I spent a semester in D.C.-Baltimore, and we’re looking forward to returning for visits. Renowned cellist Amit Pelid, whom we’ve heard perform at InConcert Sierra, is a JHU professor at its Peabody Institute (see video). And Chesapeake Bay is a burgeoning regional food hub. Southwest Airlines now has a nonstop from SMF to BWI airport.

Why the extra S? Johns Hopkins’ given name was the maiden name of his great-grandmother, Margaret Johns. More “fun facts” about JHU are here.

As for our son, I congratulated him and joked that he was a “one and done” applicant, though he had applied to or planned to apply to about 10 schools. How to thrive in an empty nest is here.

(Photo: Will Kirk, JHU)

A drone tour is here: