Duke, MIT, or Hopkins BME

Colleges and Universities A-Z Duke University
1

<p>I am trying to decide between MIT, Duke, and Hopkins BME (biomedical engineering). I want to study biological/biomedical engineering, with a biomolecular focus, so having a good chemical engineering department would be a plus. I want to do premed, specifically MD/PhD, but as everyone knows, that can change. Here are the pros and cons of each university as I see it. Any advice or help in making the decision would be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>MIT:</p>

<p>Pros: It's MIT, very good financial aid package, #1 Chem Eng department, #4 Biological Eng dept, advanced Nanotech institutes, can cross-register at Harvard, great business programs</p>

<p>Cons: Biological Eng dept is young and enrollment is limited to 40 (there is a BME minor that everyone can take), premed acceptance to at least 1 med school is ~75% (I know statistics can be misleading, but still), cold weather</p>

<p>Duke:</p>

<p>Pros: Angier B. Duke Memorial Scholarship (full-tuition, summer at Oxford Univ., opportunities to get research grants), #2 Biomedical Eng. dept, #6 Medical School, medical school adjacent to undergrad campus, good weather, more relaxed atmosphere, good business programs</p>

<p>Cons: No independent chemical engineering department (I'm pretty sure they cover it in BME, though)</p>

<p>Hopkins:</p>

<p>Pros: Hodson Trust Scholarship (partial-tuition), Westgate Scholarship finalist (I'm waiting to hear the results), #1 BME dept, #1 Hospital, #2 Medical School (also near the campus), more students in the Hopkins MD/PhD program came from Hopkins undergrad than from any other institution, has a Chem. Eng. department, minor in Entrepreneurship program, close to home</p>

<p>Cons: BME major seems less flexible here than at other places, few if any BME majors have a second major at Hopkins</p>

2

<p>You would have more fun at Duke! I know education is the most important thing... but it isnt the ONLY thing to consider. Also, that Duke Scholarship you have sounds really sick.</p>

3

<p>So - I have taken a vow not to say anything negative about other schools...usually...and when we're talking about MIT and Hopkins... It is really easy to keep that vow, because they both offer great opportunities for study...</p>

<p>Here are our pros - you can major in whatever you want without application (not that you'd have a problem getting in, methinks, to either MIT or Hopkins' BME class), <em>you</em> get a FREE TRIP TO OXFORD, and you can still get a minor or even an ACS certified major in Chemistry along with an engineering degree (I had an advisee last year that completed that PLUS the requirements for becoming an officer in the Marine Corps).</p>

4

<p>I don't know much about Pratt (I'm a Trinity kid), but 2 quick things:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>You note that MIT's acceptance rate to at least 1 med school is ~75% and say nothing about Duke, so I feel obligated to tell you that for Duke I BELIEVE that it's around 80-85. So that should also be a pro for Duke, I think.</p></li>
<li><p>For most schools (I believe Emory and Northwestern are the exceptions), admission into the school's medical school has nothing to do with whether or not the student went there for undergrad. If there are more students at JHU med who went to JHU undergrad, it's probably just because a lot more students apply there in the 1st place who went to JHU undergrad.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I freely admit that I'm biased, but I have to advocate for Duke. It's really amazing, and I personally would NOT pass up an AB scholarship -- it's an amazing opportunity. Secondly, a rumor I heard about JHU which may not be true is the fact that they "weed out" their med school applicants. That means that they weed out the weakest applicants and do not allow them to apply to med school. Duke does nothing like that -- if you want to apply, you can. I know nothing about MIT in this respect. And finally, you mention that your interests are incredibly subject to change. What I think really sets Duke apart is that it's an incredible school for just about EVERY department -- BME, yes, but also everything else offered here. That means that if you change your mind -- whether it's just to not be pre-med, or to switch out of engineering entirely -- you will still be able to switch into a department that is equally prestigious. This was a big deal for me, and it proved to be a valid concern since over the course of 1 year I have changed my major/career plans at least 10-15 times. JHU and MIT are both AMAZING schools, but I just think that in my (biased) opinion, Duke offers the best all-around education in anything you could think to switch to.</p>

5

<p>Okay -- wait. I just noticed that you noted the 75% thing as a CON. I just also want to inform you that the national acceptance rate to 1 med school is around 40%. 75% is AMAZING and something that MIT has every right to brag about...just making sure you know that, I guess? I know that it's very different for college admissions, but for med school things get a lot trickier. It's scary (I say this as a nervous pre-med myself!), but it's the way it is.</p>

6

<p>Okay as JHU-er I have to clear up some things here (even though I partially rooted for Duke in the other thread).. basically students who go to JHU have an edge into getting into JHU medical school. Why? Not only does it look better on paper, but you also get experience with professors/important people at JHU Med, and you can even get a bird's eye view into their admissions through working with the excellent advising at JHU. Getting those ever-important recs and advising from professors at JHU Med is a lot easier if you go to JHU, obviously. I'm sure the same is for Duke too. Also, all schools weed out medical school applicants - this is primarly why classes like Organic Chemistry have such a ridiculous curve. Also, to me 75% is a con compared to the very very high percentages of students that Duke (didn't the above poster say 85%?) and JHU (I believe it's 95%) send to medical school, clearly advising is better at Duke and JHU. With that said, however, all three are great schools. As I said back in the JHU forum, I think your real choice should really be narrowed down to JHU and Duke. Also, that full scholarship to Duke and summers at Oxford are very hard to pass up! But JHU has amazing research opportunities right on campus.. I'm talking in a circle here.. it's a tough choice. You can't go wrong. I think the quality of life is probably a lot better at Duke, but once again look at everything that's important to you before making your decision. Good luck!</p>

7

<p>You should have applied to UCSD.</p>

8

<p>1.) When it comes to "looking good on paper", I'm not sure JHU has an advantage over Duke, or that Duke has an advantage over MIT! They're all pretty phenomenal places.</p>

<p>2.) Generally speaking, most of the top schools are forced to put their own undergrads at a slight disadvantage, because they get many more applicants from their own school. Of course, you are not really interested in the final matriculation numbers - which will be higher - you are interested in admissions percentages among similarly qualified candidates.</p>

<p>3.) Of course, Duke and MIT also have great research opportunities on campus.</p>

<p>4.) Williams has the highest percentage of "at least one medical school admission" in the country, and that's somewhere around 90%. I can confirm that Duke's number is usually between 80 and 90%.</p>

<p>5.) Most of the private schools do NOT intentionally weed out students from their premed classes. These classes are difficult not to boost numbers, but because the kids taking the courses are usually very bright and the departments in question feel that knowing the material is reflected by an ability to perform at very high standards. Duke certainly does not have an intentional weed-out policy that Singer & Co. coordinate; I doubt either MIT or Hopkins do either.</p>

9

<p>When I ssaid looking good on paper, haha, I meant applying to Hopkins Medical from JHU undergrad. But of course anywhere else they are probably all the same; they are all phenomenal schools.</p>

10

<p>When it's all said and done, you have very prestigious scholarships/awards at all of these great universities. This only speaks to who you are - you are going to get into med school no matter what school you choose, and it will probably be the school of your choice. Each of these schools is going to allow you to get where you want to be. Therefore, you really just need to sit down and figure where you will be happiest for the next four years. Do you want a balanced life with great social atmosphere where you can have fun for four years, get a great education, and not burn yourself out competing and studying before med school even begins? Choose Duke. Do you want the world's leader in technology? Choose MIT. Do you want to spend Friday nights studying? Choose John Hopkins - just kidding. All of these are great schools, you'll do fine at all of these universities.</p>