Bioengineering at Princeton vs Penn

Hi, I am a junior who is considering applying early to Princeton for engineering, with a strong interest in bioengineering and biomedical engineering. I have heard that Princeton does not have a singular BME major but a combined degree with Chemical Engineering. Can anyone shed any light regarding this major and its merits. I am also considering applying to UPenn early for Biological engineering. If you were in my situation, which would you elect to situate as your first choice. I realize that both programs are rigorous and highly selective but I simply want to do all that I can to matriculate. I am an Asian male(Indian) with high sat scores (2370 , 800s on USH, Chem, and Math) and with a few extracurricular activities that I remain committed to. I would appreciate any advice.I hope to attend medical school after studying BME. Is this a common practice at Penn. Also, even though Princeton does not have a singular bioengineering major, is it still respected for its bioengineering offerings?

If I were in your situation I wouldn’t choose BME and I wouldn’t pick either of those schools. Lots has been written here about the general weaknesses of an UG BME degree and the weakness of Ivy Engineering. Cornell is the best and Princeton is okay for UG. The rest are very weak. There are many better schools for engineering in the US than the two you’ve named.

Why does it matter if Princeton and Penn have “respected” bioengineering majors if you’re hoping to attend medical school afterwards?

@eyemgh penn also has many respected engineering programs

I wouldn’t be so dismissive of Princeton’s engineering program. I used to be years back when I wasn’t as familiar with it, but at this point, the programs that’s I’m familiar with are quite good.

This is what jumped out at me as well.

@goldenbear2020 @AuraObscura It matters in that medical school is very difficult to enter and so having a viable fallback plan is always nice.

I’m not being dismissive of Princeton out right. I simply think there are better BME programs out there.

As for BME in general, I personally think it’s a TERRIBLE pre-med option. Engineering is hard and GPA rules all for medical school admission. Many BME curricula don’t have all the classes that will be required as prerequisites and often lack space for free electives. They also include lots of coursework that will never be germane to medicine. Lastly, the job market for graduates for BMEs only isn’t that great.

If I had to pick one BME program, I’d choose Case. They place a reasonable emphasis on undergraduate education, they have one of the oldest BME programs in the nation, they are affiliated with one of the best hospital systems in the world and they are very generous with financial aid.

So, back to the OP’s question, what would I do if I was in his situation? I still stand by none of the above.

BME is engineering-lite. It really doesn’t matter which school you pick, since you’ll have to go on to get a higher degree to work in that field professionally.

I get CVs from grads w undergrad BME degrees who can’t find a job in that field and are looking for employment in other engineering fields. I throw their CVs in the trash.

There is no biomedical engineering concentration at Princeton.