Hi everyone!
I’ll be a senior in high school next year and I’m looking into Biomedical Engineering. I’ve toured the engineering departments at Michigan and Purdue, and both have impressed me. However, based on the statistics I’ve researched and the forums on this site, University of Michigan seems to be ranked above Purdue in this department.
Unfortunately, the campus tour guide I had at Michigan did not do a good job of selling the campus. She was only an incoming sophomore and therefore did not know about many of the programs, activities, etc. Also, she was not very enthusiastic and did not engage the audience. On the other hand, the Purdue tour was extremely organized and did a great job of selling the campus.
In addition, the Michigan tour seemed very oriented toward other types of engineering, specifically those related to the automotive field (understandably). The department tour didn’t go through the BME building, so I am not sure what this looks like.
I understand that Michigan is ranked higher than Purdue in BME, but it would be great if you all could provide some insight as to why, since the tour did not do a good job of this. Furthermore, is Michigan’s program so much better than Purdue’s that it makes up for the much more expensive tuition and lower opportunities for merit scholarships? (I’m OOS for both schools.)
Ok, I know I’ve already thrown a lot at you guys, but I have one more question! Am I looking in the wrong places for a good BME program? I’ve looked at Duke and other private schools, but I’m unsure if I’ll be able to afford the tuition, especially since some of these schools don’t offer merit scholarships. At this point, Purdue seems to be the most affordable.
Thanks for your input! I just started my college search a couple months ago, so anything you have to say would be helpful!
The tours are a marketing tool. The schools with high demand such as the University of Michigan do not need to try as hard to attract students. I would be wary of placing too much weight on the tour or the tour guide - obviously it leaves a distinct impression but other factors should be weighed more heavily.
I don’t know what your budget is but if you have good grades, take a look at Case Western Reserve University - they give out large number of hefty scholarships to good students and it is also well-known for BME.
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I understand that Michigan is ranked higher than Purdue in BME, but it would be great if you all could provide some insight as to why, since the tour did not do a good job of this.
Furthermore, is Michigan’s program so much better than Purdue’s that it makes up for the much more expensive tuition and lower opportunities for merit scholarships? (I’m OOS for both schools.)
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Absolutely not.
You might as learn now that undergrad rankings for eng’g don’t mean much …certainly not much between schools like UMich and Purdue. Employers won’t care. Employers won’t pay the grads of UMich more.
Look for ABET accreditation at various schools, and you’ll be fine.
What are your parents saying? how much will they pay? If you don’t know, ASK.
Are you low income?
do you have a non-custodial parent?
What is your home state?
What do you plan on doing with a biomedE degree?
What are your stats?
You will likely get generous aid packages from schools like Duke, Hopkins and Penn if you are accepted into their BME programs.
Most engineering students I know have switched fields one or more times. Hopkins has a great BME program, but is not rated all that well in other areas. Purdue, Michigan, GT are similarly rated. If you are not 100% certain, I would look for a program that is well rated in multiple areas.
We has the best experience with the Michigan and Georgia Tech tours of the dozen or so we visited, but S is interested in a different area. Did you take the Segway tour?
I would also look at the venture/entrepreneurial community in the area. One of the best parts of being an engineering student is that so many work at, or found , technical start-ups. Check out the student incubators at the schools too. A few presentations I have seen include drones, water bottles, retractable headphones, all sorts of cloud services including medical, agricultural + consumer… all started by students.
Thanks everyone for the help!
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You will likely get generous aid packages from schools like Duke, Hopkins and Penn if you are accepted into their BME programs.
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No one should write the above. It can give false hope. We have no idea what this person’s financial picture is. His family could have a high income. He could have a NCP that won’t fill out the NCP info.
The student should have his parents run the NPCs on the schools’ websites.
Most engineering students I know have switched fields one or more times. Hopkins has a great BME program, but is not rated all that well in other areas. Purdue, Michigan, GT are similarly rated. If you are not 100% certain, I would look for a program that is well rated in multiple areas.
We has the best experience with the Michigan and Georgia Tech tours of the dozen or so we visited, but S is interested in a different area. Did you take the Segway tour?
I would also look at the venture/entrepreneurial community in the area. One of the best parts of being an engineering student is that so many work at, or found , technical start-ups. Check out the student incubators at the schools too. A few presentations I have seen include drones, water bottles, retractable headphones, all sorts of cloud services including medical, agricultural + consumer… all started by students.