<p>Hey guys...I just got off the waitlist to Columbia yeasterday so now I'm torn between Duke and Columbia. I want to study biomedical engineering and eventually go to med school. I know the BME program at Duke is very well known but I really don't know that much about BME at Columbia. If anyone has any information about BME at Columbia or any other general info that may influence my decision, please share. Also, how great is the competition? How hard is it to maintain a GPA that would make me a competitive applicant to the top 20 med schools? I have to respond to Columbia by May 9 so I need as much information I can get in order to make the best decision. Thanks!! (lastly, are there a lot of korean at Columbia? juz curious...)</p>
<p>so Duke is known for it's bme program, I have little doubt that they're bme is phenomenal, but for pre-med it wouldn't make a difference where you go. BME is actually a mix of mechanical, electrical, and biology (might be missing something), it isn't as premedy as people think. You can do anything and be pre-med. Columbia BME is one of the toughest undergrad majors, it's is also very popular, competitive and well regarded. and yes many koreans, esp in seas. </p>
<p>The two schools are both good engineering schools, but neither is among the top traditional engineering schools. Duke has a few programs, bme in particular is strong, columbia has many to choose from. The two schools are very different indeed. Duke has a much larger campus, it's also much more remote. Duke has more school spirit they've got their basketball, they're also very greek. Columbia is more diverse, more intellectual, more political, less sports centered. The curriculums are also different, columbia seas has a bunch of non-engineering requirements, which is good if enjoy a balanced set of classes.</p>
<p>Both are great, but I'd go with Duke.
Here is a list of the top 50 feeder schools to top grad schools.
<a href="http://www.wsjclassroomedition.com/pdfs/wsj_college_092503.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.wsjclassroomedition.com/pdfs/wsj_college_092503.pdf</a>
Duke beat out Columbia.</p>
<p>^the ranking is based on the 'perceived' top 5 law, top 5 business, top 5 med schools, it's pretty narrow and pretty flawed, on top of that the difference between Duke and Columbia is marginal. Cal tech for example gets shafted at #28 because it isn't pre-professional, with most students going into science/engineering/econ/math. It's not like cal tech students would not be able to get into top professional programs, they simply choose not to. There's no way to tease out such and other biases, because all the feeder rankings give you is one %.</p>
<p>Hey thanks for the info. I'm actually planning to fly up to columbia this wednesday right after i take my IB history exam...These are some of my current thoughts: I think Columbia SEAS is a bit harder to get into than Duke Pratt and I've been told that the ivy-league name can get me some mileage(personally i dont really care bout this whole ivy league thing and it definitely is not a deciding factor) I'm pretty set on studying BME(not because its great as a pre-med route but because I'm very interested in this particular major and seems to be a great fit for me) and I know Duke has a very good reputation in that field. However, I'm worried that I won't be able to stand out among the BME students at DUke because it is such a popular and strong major. but then..my friend whose currently attending Columbia SEAS said the competition at Columbia is also very intense juz because the ppl who come to Columbia are all pretty crazy(academically) I guess it may juz come down to superficial things like campus/location, weather, etc....Any more input would be greatly appreciated!!! please help me.. Ok so back to studying for IB English exam which is tomorrow...crap =(</p>
<p>" I guess it may juz come down to superficial things like campus/location, weather, etc"</p>
<p>not quite superficial when you live there for 4 years, the rest of your post is pretty accurate. Keep in mind though that you'll be visiting during study week, and at the time their getting things for graduation set up. So there's a huge tent on one of the lawns, and huges stands built up, marring main campus, which are not there at other times of the year. Also people will appear more unkempt, stressed and colder than usual.</p>
<p>On that note, I will try to look cheerful as I walk through campus on Wednesday. </p>
<p>Seriously, Columbia is amazing; don't let the craziness of finals or the graduation set-up fool you.</p>
<p>I had the same choice.. I picked Columbia SEAS over Duke Pratt, over Cornell Eng, over Brown, over CMU, over RPI and others</p>
<p>Columbia is an A-MAZE-IN university and is located in the cultural and financial center of the world!!!</p>
<p>I am actually worried about the social atmosphere ayt Columbia. Because Columbia is in NYC, i heard that many students juz go off into the city and do their own thing. Also, i heard that columbia students are very independent and there is a lack of unity in the student body. I've been told that at Duke, many parties, events, and activites are set up for the incoming freshmen so that they can meet new people and become closer. Any thoughts or opinions on the social atmosphere at Columbia?</p>
<p>NYC is a social advantage, you don't go out into the city as a loner, and sit at some bar alone, you go with friends, and go with other friends to art museums, or weird restaurants or to central park or to see some show etc. </p>
<p>There isn't much interms of rallying around sports teams and huge wild parties, some people come to columbia with these expectations and are consequently disappointed. I don't find a lack of community. The campus is small so all your friends are close by all the time, but they don't need to be all the time since you can get away from it in the city. There is community, but the population is definitely heterogenous. It's a myth that people are ALWAYS out in the city, most kids go out into the city once a week or once every two weeks. new york has so much on offer that it's easy to drain your wallet dry, so few people actually go out multiple times a week. As an incoming freshman you have nothing to worry about, lots of events set up, you'll have to do more going out and making friends, and more taking initiative on your own than you would at Duke, but hey, life doesn't hold your hand.</p>
<p>send a PM to user Shraf, as he knows a whole lot about the BME program at Columbia and would be happy to answer specific questions. He doesn't check the board every single day, I don't think, but a PM will alert him by email.</p>