Highlight on Students

Houtan Noushmehr, current student MS in Bioinformatics
"When I started the M.S. in Bioinformatics at Johns Hopkins, I was living and working in Brazil as a researcher/professor. At first, I was apprehensive of taking online courses because I wasn't sure of the quality of education, but I soon realized the structure and dynamics of the courses were well planned and organized and made my overall learning experience better than I could ever imagine. It was reassuring to know the faculty had both online-teaching experience and solid understanding of the topic. Discussions, group projects, presentations and an occasional live web broadcast made my overall academic experience at Hopkins far more satisfying and enriching than any of my previous 'in-class' experiences."

Karina Sukmato, Singapore, current student, MS in Bioinformatics
As a Master’s candidate for the Bioinformatics program, I have taken at least three online courses. I was a full-time student for the first few semesters but when I found a job, I have to relocate to Singapore where it is only possible for me to take my last course online. Now, working full-time and taking the online course from Singapore enables me to complete my Master's degree without being in Maryland. Being able to complete my course outside the US is not the only benefit in taking an online course. Before, when I was a full-time student, I have to commute all the way from College Park to Rockville and have to deal with peak-hour traffic to attend an on-site course, but taking a course online has saved me some time and gas in commuting. The workload of an online class is not light and it really makes you learn. It is not much different compared to an on-site course in terms of the amount of time that you spend on the subject. I recommend taking the online courses, especially for those who are working full-time and have to travel a lot for their work and for those who are not physically in Maryland.