<p>Hi!
So I'm currently a senior with another semester left until I earn my bachelors in BME at Southern California. I want to apply for a masters program, but I want to know what my prospects might look like. I have yet to take my GRE (will take it early January), and I have weeks of nothing to study for it, so for now, assume a high score on it (hopefully!). I'm taking some easier classes next semester, so my GPA should go just slightly above a 3.0 by then.
Here are my stats:
GPA: 2.95
Work Experience: I worked at a tutoring center as an office assistant for a year. This past summer, I had a full-time paid internship for 3 full months at a start-up company doing image processing work, which I can get a very solid letter of rec for. I've also done a semester of paid research in medical imaging for about 6 hours a week.</p>
<p>What range of schools do you think I should aim for, and what are some examples of programs I could be most likely to be admitted to? And lastly, if I were to take a few grad classes as a limited status student and do really well in them (3.5 or higher), what would my prospects look like then?</p>
<p>Thanks!!</p>
<p>I would check the Whitaker site for list of colleges with masters degrees in BME. From there, look at the faculty pages for each college and find a school where research is being done that you’re interested in. Also, decide if you want to do a thesis or non thesis program. And since you may want to enter the work force after your master’s, you may focus on an area of the country you’d like to settle in. But most importantly, find a place where they’re doing research you’re interested in. If you’re interested in imaging, look for a place where they’re doing imaging research. Also, you need not limit yourself to a master’s in BME program. You may find an electrical/mechanical/chemical engineering masters program that is doing research in the biomedical field.</p>
<p>Thanks! I think I might want to stick with BME though. I might venture into something programming-related, but I can’t see myself doing EE stuff for long.<br>
My only concern is being admitted somewhere. What range of schools is likely for me to get in?</p>
<p>By Southern California, I assume you mean USC, which is an awesome school. Are you limiting yourself to only top tier schools like USC, like Northwestern or Vanderbilt or Duke, or are you willing to look at state universities with BME grad programs? Some good state colleges with BME are: Iowa, Mizzou, Maryland, Clemson, UAB. Then there are the Catholic colleges with BME: Marquette, St. Louis University, Catholic. So, I’m back to, look to where you want to study, what you want to specialize in. I would definitely not limit myself to USC tier schools, as admissions might be more competitive than the state schools. But it is said that where you get your final degree is most important, so I would definitely take a chance at applying at some top tier schools, especially since you’re coming from USC, which is not a charm school. But a lot of state schools are highly respected for particular majors.</p>
<p>Sounds fantastic - thanks so much for the advice! I’ll definitely look into those schools!<br>
How much of an impact do you think my internship experience would have? Just curious.</p>