Columbia vs Notre Dame BME

Hello all. I need any help I can get. I feel really stuck when it comes to choosing where I will be going next year.

I applied to all of my schools for biomedical engineering and was accepted to most of them. I have managed to whittle it down to Columbia, Notre Dame, and BU, with Columbia and ND being the front runners for me.

My head tells me to choose Columbia (cheaper with fin. Aid, much closer to home, better reputation, in NYC which is key for internships, etc.) but my heart tells me to choose ND (Academically, it’s a great school; I’m Irish-American, Catholic, and a product of a Jesuit hs, which makes me think I will love the atmosphere on campus; I’ve only heard great things about ND, and the community it is, and I think I would enjoy it much more than Columbia).

Can anyone speak to, specifically, the ability to receive a comprehensive BME education at Notre Dame (which doesn’t have a dedicated department, which is why I’m scared), the social life at each of the schools (I don’t necessarily mean parties when I say that, just the overall feel of the schools), and any unforeseen pros or cons of either school?

Thanks in advance.

Ps. Sorry about the double post. Idk what I’m doing

The quality of instruction at both schools is excellent. While Columbia has New York, ND has a great alumni network to help out.

Why do you want to study biomedical engineering? Unless you go to med/grad school, it is very hard to get a job with just an undergraduate degree.

I’ve always loved the sciences, specifically biology and chemistry, and medicine fascinates me. Beyond that, I truly enjoy helping others and feel that this is a great way to marry 2 of my passions. I definitely plan on going to either graduate school or business school based on where I see my career going down the line. I haven’t ruled out Med School but I also see myself heading down one of the other two paths. I know Notre Dame has a 5 year engineering/MBA program that I’m interested in (Sorry for the somewhat lengthy response).

When you say the quality of instruction is excellent at Notre Dame, do you mean in general? Or were you referring specifically to the bio/chemical engineering dept there?

If you planned to study business, I’d say go to ND. If not, I vote for Columbia (better engineering, research, night-life, activities, recruiting, diversity, etc). Both are excellent schools, so you can’t make a bad choice here. Congrats!