<p>I'm planning, of course i can't be sure, but I would like to eventually do medical research. I would like to get a PHD at some point that would enable me to do so. Instead of going to a more prestigious university, I was thinking of going to case western reserve university for a much cheaper price. Does anyone feel that this is a bad decision as far as getting into a good graduate school goes?</p>
<p>CWRU -is- a prestigious university.</p>
<p>Well sure it's prestigious, but it's not nearly as prestigious as some.</p>
<p>I'd say though, that it's a fine school, and if you're saving a lot of money that you'll definitely want for grad school later, that's a good investment. It's not like you're sacrificing Harvard for backwater state U. It's Case Western - not bad at all.</p>
<p>yes, i apologize if I sound as though I'm talking down on cwru. I am not at all. I am saying less prestigious than other schools. I am aware that case western is a nice school and respect that.</p>
<p>any other thoughts?</p>
<p>Go to CWRU for engineering (they are typically in the top 5). I'm not sure you could get better than that....and you could do research at Lerner/Cleveland Clinic. Besides, if you do an engineering PhD you won't have to pay for graduate school unless you've got a low GPA thus far.</p>
<p>I'm not sure where you are education-wise....but it might be quicker to get an MD degree and do medical research than to get a PhD.</p>
<p>hey, thanks for the response. I'm a highschool senior. I'm interested in things such as stem cell research. You think that an md would be more appropriate?</p>
<p>Well, I can't really say what would be most appropriate for you. Medical school is notoriously tough to get into but would most likely get you into the lab/job faster than going for a PhD. What is nice about MD is that you can still write grants and do lab work and you get more pay (usually) than your PhD counterparts. I'm not sure what sort of major you are looking at....if you are strong in math I'd really suggest engineering. You can do medical research with only a BS, then. </p>
<p>If you are here in Cleveland you could work at Lerner this summer. There are loads of positions and there are many many people who could give you advice. Plus you'd get some lab experience if you don't already have some. </p>
<p>There are so many variables to consider here....but I hope I have been some help.</p>
<p>i'm very strong in math. I was considering majoring in biomedical engineering, i hear case is top notch in this area.</p>
<p>Yeah, Case is usually ranked in the top 5 for BME. The only negative thing I've heard about the BME program, specifically, is that the students are very competitive with each other. I knew a couple of people who transferred because of this atmosphere. </p>
<p>Also, the BME program there is great as a premed major because they take more of their own students into their med school. The premed courses are part of the major so it's not like it would be much extra work and you wouldn't really need to make a definite decision for another couple of years. Your grades would just be much more important.</p>
<p>One of the bigger problems with BME programs in general is that it isn't a recognized major. There is a thread about this called, "BioEs need not apply". You might want to check that out. Case is such a well-known school that I doubt you'd have the problems talked about in that thread, though.</p>
<p>I imagine that BME is so competitive there precisely <em>because</em> it is used as a premed major.</p>
<p>Yeah, that's probably true ohnoes. It's a shame.</p>