How important is course rigor for Johns Hopkins admissions?

Course rigor is very important at Johns Hopkins, and the admissions office looks closely at whether you challenged yourself with the most demanding courses available at your school. That said, they do not want rigor at the expense of a strong academic record, so grades still matter a lot.

The best answer is usually not “take every hardest class no matter what,” but rather “take the most challenging schedule you can handle while keeping your GPA strong.” A slightly less extreme schedule with excellent grades will generally be better than a packed AP load that causes your performance to drop. Johns Hopkins will notice both the strength of your curriculum and how well you performed in it, and they evaluate your transcript in the context of what your school makes available.