<p>I got into Johns Hopkins biomedical engineering program and I got waitlisted at UPenn SEAS. If I did get off the waitlist, do you think I should go to Penn or Hopkins.</p>
<p>I know Hopkins is #1 for BME, but I also know bioengineering is Penn's top engineering major.</p>
<p>Penn's overall quality and prestige as well as the social atmosphere draw me to Penn, but the quality of JHUs top BME program draws me to it.</p>
<p>For Penn, I am a little worried that I if I were to switch out of biomedical to another engineering major, I wouldn't find another major with similar high-rankings. However, the thought that I could take classes at Wharton is exciting.</p>
<p>For Hopkins, I am worried that the rigor of their BME curriculum will lead me to a miserable 4 years.</p>
<p>Both campuses are great and I know that I really can't go wrong with either choice, but if you were in my spot, what would you choose and why?</p>
<p>Thousands of people would give their arm to go to JHU BME. It’s definitely a collaborative department for sure. It’s a great department and rated #1 because the students do well and are happy in BME… if people weren’t happy, they’d all leave and the program would flounder. That’s definitely not the case.</p>
<p>Tanman on this board is a biomedical engineering major. He can provide insight into the BME program that few ppl can imagine PM him or ask him questions as you pls!</p>
<p>To the OP, Congratulations on your acceptances to Hopkins and Penn! I (of course I’m a bit biased) think the Hopkins BME program is a fantastic program and I’ve definitely enjoyed my last four years here at Hopkins. The program is no doubt tough, but no engineering program at any school is really going to be easy. Because of the limited size of the program, you get a small community of fellow BME students who bond quickly and support each other through the years. The courses, homework and tests are challenging, but the students in the major stick with it because most of us find the material we are studying fascinating. Academically, the opportunities that Hopkins offers are hard to match. Starting freshman year, you’re thrown in the middle of a biomedical engineering design project through the “Modeling and Design” course and the optional Design Team experience, whereas at most other schools (not sure about Penn specifically), your only design experiences come as a senior. Hopkins also has a huge number of research opportunities both on our undergrad campus and on the medical campus. All professors in BME are required to teach undergrads, and the advantage of this is that each of our sections of our main physiology course (Systems Bioengineering) is taught by an expert in the field. It’s really cool to find out after a lecture that half the stuff the lecturer discussed, he or she had discovered himself/herself! (And this isn’t because they’re just talking about their research - they’re covering the same material of any other engineering physiology course). </p>
<p>As for the social environment, the social scene at Hopkins is what you make of it. While some other posters on these boards might try to convince everyone that Hopkins is a horrible place where fun goes to die, I’ve really had a great time here. I’ve found a close group of friends and gotten involved in activities that I really enjoy. I fell like BME students are some of the most involved students on campus. I know of BME students involved in all sorts of different clubs, sports, groups etc. The experience is definitely not miserable unless you’re set out to make it so. Sure, there are some long sleep-deprived nights but there are also nights with little work and time to do whatever I want. Ultimately, it comes down to which school you think is a better fit for you. Both schools have great BME/BioE programs but the environments at both schools are significantly different (from what I’ve heard of Penn - I haven’t visited). Good luck!!</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! I really appreciate your help! I visited Hopkins on Tuesday and Penn today. My visit to Hopkins made me like it more and my visit to Penn was bittersweet.</p>
<p>I have now realized what many people have told me since the beginning, I have to choose the school that is right for me. If only that was an easy question…</p>
<p>Can you elaborate on why your visit to Penn is bittersweet and what made you like Hopkins more after your visit? My daughter is also deciding between these two schools and we are curious to hear your inputs. Thanks.</p>
<p>sure, when i went to hopkins, the campus seemed really nice. I loved the style of the buildings and the greenery of the campus. Also, all of the facilities seemed really nice. Apart from that, the talks that I heard about were really informative. They made me realize that I would learn more at Hopkins than most other places. They offered real examples of what engineers do at Hopkins and their projects were exciting.</p>
<p>For Penn, I ended up not liking the campus as much as I originally did a few months earlier when I visited. I guess it is more personal opinion, but I like a more suburban, green campus compared to Penn’s more urban environment. Also, the environment, while lively, seemed very individual. By that I mean that everyone seems to be doing their own thing, not very close-knit. I am not really sure how to describe it really. It is a positive in the sense that you have more freedom to do what you want, if you want to look at it that way.
My visit to Penn was sweet because the people I talked to were really nice. They were eager to help and really friendly as a whole. Also, during my engineering tour, I learned that I would be able to take Wharton classes as an engineer w/o much trouble, which is pretty amazing. Also, everyone I talked to seemed to love Penn.</p>
<p>I am a JHU alum , by way of the undergrad , and the med school ( fellowship )To those considering Hopkins BME vs Penn: as some of you might be considering applying medical school, this should enter into your decision.The academic medical community ( I am volunteer faculty at a NY med school ) , in my own unofficial polls,leans much more towards JHU than Penn. As an anecdote, a friend’s son got into Hopkins med, from JHU -BME in November ( that’s real early , especially for a top med school like Hopkins med) , and he only had a 3.6 in the Hopkins BME program. Now, that GPA is only about average for a successful premed applicant, but he got into a US News #1 or 2 (depends on the year )med school … Now,obviously, I’m not saying that this should be your only consideration , but I think it’s important to know. When I applied to med school way back in '79 from hopkins, according to numbers from the premed society there, 90 % had gotten into a US med school from JHU by graduation, in May, and by september, almost everyone had gotten in. And that’s before there was BME . Note that the hopkins premed recommendation committee has a policy of never dissuading anyone from applying.That means ,even if you have a 2.8, they still try to really support you. I know this is not true at places that boast of “90%” med school acceptance rates, but those committees often have a minimum GPA( at Franklin and Marshall and SUNY Binghamton, it’s 3.8 )to just get their OK to apply. Read the fine print ! Additionally, I realize that some might feel that there is more “prestige” , whatever that means, on the Penn campus, but that rapidly dissipates after the first intro chem test. And, believe me, that differential is nonexistent by the time you apply to med school. A last anecdote, when I went to one of my med school interviews, the interviewer couldn’t stop raving about Hopkins, and then he showed me the weighting their school used to evaluate applicant’s GPAs… the two top weightings went to Harvard, and…you guessed it … the Hop…Top grades, or even average ones, from JHU and JHU-BME are like gold, when you consider your post undergrad future. Sorry to ramble…Best of luck in your decisions !</p>
<p>It really sounds like Hopkins is the best fit for you with respect to your interests, your desire for a small, close-knit community and the type of campus that you want. </p>
<p>Many people during the college process mention when they visited their school they got this “feeling” that it was just the right place - sounds like this was Hopkins for you.</p>
<p>GL with your decision. You’re in a great place.</p>
<p>hey, I’m actually having this EXACT dilemma. I did go visit both schools. Overall I did feel that JHU does in fact have a better BME program; they have awesome things like design team and great facutly. Here’s the rankings </p>
<p>I also, however, feel that Penn may have a comparable bioengineering program (with available courses @ wharton) and probably a better social/intellectual atmosphere. </p>
PM him or ask him questions as you pls!</p>