Bioengineering Department

My son is very close to making his decision, which is currently (I think) between MU and University of Iowa. Has anyone else compared the two? Or if you have a student in MU Bioengineering, would you send them again if making the decision today? Why or why not? He is having trouble getting a “feel” for the school since there has not been an engineering day for us to go to and he was unable to attend the honors luncheon. Somehow, he has the feeling that U of I is more “classy” but I think it’s just because their overall university rank is higher (med school rank too), plus so many of his classmates, but not his top academic peers, are going to Mizzou. We do have some concern that not many biomed companies recruit at U of Iowa, and Mizzou is definitely much cheaper for us.

@BartonKids I don’t have kids at MU but understand the dilemma your son is facing. Three years ago my daughter struggled with her decision (IU Kelley Bus School vs a higher ranked university but with a lower ranked bus school). The cost differential was huge and ultimately she chose IU and hasn’t regretted the decision even though others questioned why she would turn down a higher ranked university.

My advice for your son is to “tune out” the rankings, where classmates are going, etc when he makes his decision and to focus on what prompted him to apply to the MU bioengineering program in the first place. If it was based on program caliber, opportunities for internships/post school employment and a good value I’d encourage him to make the most of the opportunity! At every school there are smart, motivated students and your son will find them no matter which school he selects. Good luck!