<p>Hey
I have applied to SLO for the major of bmed. I am aware that it is a fairly new program at the university. </p>
<p>Anyone know if its a good program? Or is it getting off to slow start?</p>
<p>Also, is anyone having class scheduling conflicts due to the budget cuts??</p>
<p>^bump. i applied BME too and got accepted :)
now i need to start looking more into it.</p>
<p>haha thanks for the bump :)
congrats i got accepted too</p>
<p>did u apply anywhere else??</p>
<p>hey i got into bmed also! and im out of state and not in the top 10%...im like a 1% of 3% haha</p>
<p>hmm, wow, thanks for sharing, hope you can keep that standing at SLO. Have fun.</p>
<p>It was off to a slow start. You'll be fine though. The department hired a bunch of new faculty last year, and I think they have a few more coming in next year.</p>
<p>Unlike other majors, you don't actually take any real major courses until your 3rd year (BMED111 and 210 hardly count as they're really broad intro classes), so the department will have a few more years to grow until you're actually ready take the legit classes :P</p>
<p>BMED. You're going to be doing aloth of math and science. You'll be doing all the calculus and physics like any other engineer. And then the rest of your heavy stuff if going to be the Chem and Bio classes. Basically, you're going to be studying what something does to a human body when you put it in there. Don't kill us :) and have fun, my gf is BMED and is loving it.</p>
<p>I believe the bioE department is very new. I remember trying to see where its graduates were at (jobs, grad school, etc.) but there hasn’t been a graduating class yet so there was no info.</p>
<p>I’m a third-year bmed major at Cal Poly SLO, and I thought I should tell a little about Cal Poly and its great bmed department.</p>
<p>Even though the major started in 2005, Cal Poly has done a fantastic job at hiring [url=<a href=“http://bmegene.calpoly.edu/faculty/]professors[/url”>http://bmegene.calpoly.edu/faculty/]professors[/url</a>] who have incredible industry backgrounds–this definitely makes classes interesting. Also, even though the bmed department currently offers only two lower-division major courses–bmed 111 and 212–all of the bmed professors conduct research and take freshman through seniors to help with their research. So freshman and sophomores can gain valuable hands-on, major-related experience in Cal Poly’s bmed department even if they’re not taking an actual bmed class.</p>
<p>Now about Cal Poly vs. UC’s. In high school I really wanted to go to Berkeley but didn’t get accepted as a freshman. I went to Cal Poly instead, got into Berkeley as a transfer student, but decided to stay at Cal Poly for two reasons. First, Cal Poly’s engineering classes really are “hands-on,” and I wanted the hands-on experience. Many engineering companies pay for Cal Poly’s lab equipment because they know that Cal Poly professors teach valuable lab skills right alongside of the engineering theory. Second, Cal Poly does conduct bmed research, but a lot of Cal Poly’s research is applied research. Cal Poly’s research may show up in industry in 5-10 years, while the UC’s more theoretical research may show up in industry in 10-20 years–I’m personally heading toward industry and wanted experience in the applied research because it’s more closely tied to industry.</p>
<p>If you’re thinking about grad school (MS or PhD) or professional school (MD, DDS, PharmD, etc.), the bmed department makes it very easy to form close relationships with professors (I’ve been to a couple professors’ homes for holiday parties!), conduct research with professors, and just overall get great preparation for grad or professional school. Also, Cal Poly now offers a “4+1” program, leading to a BS and MS degree both in biomedical engineering after just five years–this is a fantastic path to getting [url=<a href=“https://www.careers.calpoly.edu/search_2007.php]hired[/url”>https://www.careers.calpoly.edu/search_2007.php]hired[/url</a>] as a full-time biomedical engineer right after graduation.</p>
<p>Sometimes the bmed classes are extremely difficult to get into. Also, there’s currently a “professor hiring freeze” at Cal Poly, so the bmed department’s hiring spree is on hold at the moment. But even with these obstacles, it’s still possible to graduate in four years just fine. I recommend making an excel spreadsheet during your freshman year of exactly what classes you’re going to take each quarter for the next four years. Then in the future you can strategically register for certain bmed classes in certain quarters.</p>
<p>Now some last pieces of advice. Try to visit Cal Poly. Take the guided engineering [url=<a href=“http://ceng.calpoly.edu/tours/]tour[/url”>CENG Tours -]tour[/url</a>], but also explore the campus and talk to students, staff, and professors on your own. Try to get a feel for the close-knit Cal Poly community in comparison to what I think is the not-so-close-knit “community” at the UC’s. Then spread the word about Cal Poly’s awesomeness, and come here to be a bmeder with me.</p>
<p>haha thanks so much for ur info cpengr!!</p>
<p>I actually did tour and i loved it up there. It has such a college town feel, I love it.</p>
<p>I was just a little worried since its such a new program, but your input pretty much convinces me not to worry about anything. </p>
<p>I am now almost 100% I will accept admission there. I look forward to maybe meeting u in the future! :)</p>
<p>Great post cpengr! This was definitely informative. I’m still worried about how new the program is, but you shed light on a lot of stuff.</p>
<p>This isn’t exactly a CalPoly question, but how is the job market for those with a bachelor’s or master’s? I’ve been to some conferences and speakers have explained that it’s difficult to do research without a PhD.</p>
<p>Pretty much. The BMED companies that recruit heavily from CalPoly primarily want manufacturing or quality engineers. If you do find a R&D spot, it’s for sustaining R&D (as opposed to cutting edge stuff :P).</p>
<p>Got it, more manufacturing and stuff rather than R&D. Too bad I’m interested in R&D. =/</p>
<p>
What’s to stop you? All students pursuing a PhD will have to first earn their Bachelor’s before walking through the applications process. For the most part, profs. generally advise BMEDs to pursue at minimum a master’s. The 4+1 program is quite a deal, and poly students do have priority when applying for the degree.</p>
<p>cpengr summarized our program pretty well; and I think it works nicely for those wanting a variety of courses. If you compare the course flowchart for all the engineering majors you’ll find that our curriculum closely follows the general engineering lineup and throws in some biology. The range of classes we have to take always seems to surprise my engineering buddies.</p>
<p>It’s true that the program is new, but the courses you will be taking span a variety of departments, including: math, phys, chem, bio, mechanical E, electrical E, computer E … The couple of intro. engineering classes you’ll be taking will give you a better idea of what to expect in industry, although I found these courses, for the most part, pointless and long drawn. It does get more exciting as you go on, and the new staff (give or take a couple) seem highly enthusiastic.</p>
<p>You should not have too much of a problem getting the classes. You won’t always be able to get the schedule or professors you want, but the problem’s the same in every university. Plan well, waitlist, and crash some courses if you need to; if you’re on your game I have no doubts you’ll be able to get out in 4 years/under.</p>
<p>I know some of you are trying to make the choice of what major/what school but to be honest I don’t think you’ll be able to embrace your decision until you stick around and explore it for a while. I definitely do not regret mine.</p>
<p>So, overall, biomedical engineering at cal poly is a good program?</p>
<p>as good as any other!</p>
<p>Right now I’m leaning towards UCSD for BioE.</p>
<p>^I knew I recognized your name (i.e. on UCSD thread).</p>
<p>lemon<em>lime</em>rush, ya that was my dilemma as well. I got into both programs. I chose Cal poly though because i dont like the large class sizes the UC’s offer and I like the “learn by doing” philosophy.</p>
<p>I’m just wondering, what was everyone’s high school stats when they got into biomed engineering at Poly?</p>